Thursday Evenings at All Hallows (Thursday, October 10, 2024)

Welcome to Thursday Evenings at All Hallows.

Please keep in your prayers those areas of the southeastern United States affected by Hurricanes Helene and Milton. The terrain of a number of the areas affected by the storms and the extent of the damage has hampered disaster relief work, as has disinformation spread by irresponsible parties, seeking to capitalize politically on the two storms.

This Thursday evening, we continue our message series on Paul’s Letter to the Colossians.

GATHERING IN GOD’S NAME

Let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most. Hebrews 4: 16

Let us now confess our sins to almighty God.

Silence

God of all mercy,
we humbly admit that we need your help.
We have wandered from your ways.
We have sinned in thought, word, and deed,
and have failed to do what is right.
You alone can save us.
Have mercy on us,
wipe out our sins and teach us to forgive others.
Bring forth in us the fruit of your Spirit that
we may live the new life to your glory.
This we ask in the name of Jesus Christ our Saviour. Amen.

Merciful Lord, grant to your faithful people pardon and peace,
that we may be cleansed from all our sins,
and serve you with a quiet mind;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Jesus Christ is the light of the world.
A light no darkness can extinguish.

One or more candles may be lit.

Open this link in a new tab to hear y Sharon Dennis and Doris Au MacDonald’s setting of the Phos Hilaron. “Joyous Light of Glory of the Immortal Father.”

Joyous light of glory of the immortal Father.
Heavenly, holy, blessed Jesus Christ.
You are worth of being praised with pure voices
forever.
You are worth of being praised with pure voices
forever.
O Son of God, O Giver of life,
The universe declares your glory.
We have come to the setting of the sun
And we look to the evening light.
We sing to God, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
You are worth of being praised with pure voices
forever.
You are worth of being praised with pure voices
forever.
O Son of God, O Giver of life,
The universe declares your glory.
The universe declares your glory.

Silence

Open this link in a new tab to hear Sharon Dennis and Doris Au MacDonald’s setting of Psalm 141 “Let My Prayer Rise Before You as Incense.”


Let my prayer rise before you as incense
The lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice

Let my prayer rise before you as incense
The lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice

1 O Lord I call to you come to me quickly; hear my voice when I cry to you

Let my prayer rise before you as incense
The lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice

2 Set a watch before my mouth O Lord and guard the door of my lips
Let not my heart incline to any evil thing
Let me not be occupied in wickedness with evil doers

Let my prayer rise before you as incense
The lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice

3 But my eyes are turned to you
Yes, my eyes are turned to you,
O my eyes are turned to you, Lord God
in you I take refuge strip me not of my life

Let my prayer rise before you as incense

Silence

Open this link in a new tab to hear Richard Bruxvoort Colligan’s “How Great is Your Name” (Psalm 8).

How great is your name How great is your name
How great is your name in all of the earth
How great is your name How great is your name
How great is your name in all of the earth

1 You have covered the skies
with your splendor
You have filled up the heavens
with your majesty, O Holy One

How great is your name How great is your name
How great is your name in all of the earth
How great is your name How great is your name
How great is your name in all of the earth

From the mouths of the children
you bring strength
To put an end to foe and avenger,
O Holy One

How great is your name How great is your name
How great is your name in all of the earth
How great is your name How great is your name
How great is your name in all of the earth

When we look at the work of your fingers
The sun and moon above that you
have set in place
We stand in awe
Who are we that you should notice us
The children of the earth that you
should care for us, O Holy One

How great is your name How great is your name
How great is your name in all of the earth
How great is your name How great is your name
How great is your name in all of the earth

Making all of us just beneath angels
Even crowning your servants with your glory
We know your love
All your work of the earth you give to us
All the world at our feet and at our mercy,
O Holy One

How great is your name How great is your name
How great is your name in all of the earth
How great is your name How great is your name
How great is your name in all of the earth

Silence

Blanca Vega and Roby Duke’s “Praise To The Lord (Psalm 113).”

Intro
From the rising of the sun, until its going down,
Praise to the Lord, praise his name!
Fill the morning with your joy,
Fill the evening with your song;
Praise to the Lord, praise his name!

Verse 1
From the rising of the sun, until its going down,
Praise to the Lord, praise his name!
Fill the morning with your joy,
Fill the evening with your song;
Praise to the Lord, praise his name!

Chorus
Praise to the One who is high above every nation,
Who has raised us from the dust to reign with him.
Praise to the one who is Lord above all creation,
Praise to the Lord, praise his name!

Verse 2
To the barren house he comes
To make of it a home;
Praise to the Lord, praise his name!
To the empty heart he calls,
Saying . . . come and be my own.
Praise to the Lord, praise his name!

Bridge
Praise to the Lord, praise his name!
Praise to the Lord, praise his name!

Chorus
Praise to the One who is high above every nation,
Who has raised us from the dust to reign with him.
Praise to the one who is Lord above all creation,
Praise to the Lord, praise his name!

Outro:
From the rising of the sun, until its going down,
Praise to the Lord, praise his name!

Silence

THE MINISTRY OF THE WORD

Heavenly Father,
give us faith to receive your word,
understanding to know what it means,
and the will to put it into practice,
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

A reading from the New Testament: Colossians 1:24-2:5

And now I am happy about my sufferings for you, for by means of my physical sufferings I am helping to complete what still remains of Christ's sufferings on behalf of his body, the church. And I have been made a servant of the church by God, who gave me this task to perform for your good. It is the task of fully proclaiming his message, which is the secret he hid through all past ages from all human beings but has now revealed to his people. God's plan is to make known his secret to his people, this rich and glorious secret which he has for all peoples. And the secret is that Christ is in you, which means that you will share in the glory of God. So we preach Christ to everyone. With all possible wisdom we warn and teach them in order to bring each one into God's presence as a mature individual in union with Christ. To get this done I toil and struggle, using the mighty strength which Christ supplies and which is at work in me.

Let me tell you how hard I have worked for you and for the people in Laodicea and for all others who do not know me personally. I do this in order that they may be filled with courage and may be drawn together in love, and so have the full wealth of assurance which true understanding brings. In this way they will know God's secret, which is Christ himself. He is the key that opens all the hidden treasures of God's wisdom and knowledge.

I tell you, then, do not let anyone deceive you with false arguments, no matter how good they seem to be. For even though I am absent in body, yet I am with you in spirit, and I am glad as I see the resolute firmness with which you stand together in your faith in Christ.

Silence

May your word live in us
and bear much fruit to your glory.

God’s Secret

How good are you at keeping a secret? When you were a little kid did you have a secret so exciting that you had a hard time not telling anyone. May be you saved up your money and bought a gift for someone special to you for Christmas or their birthday, wrapped it yourself, and hidden it until the day arrives to give it to them. May be it was something that you made, and you are really pleased with how well you made it. You put a lot of effort into it. And a lot of love. You know that they will like it. They are always wishing that they had one.

God is very good at keeping secrets. Paul talks about one of God’s secrets in his Letter to the Colossians, in this evening’s reading. Have you guessed what that secret is? It is no longer a secret.

In the first century, in the time of Jesus and Paul, the descendants of the people of Irael, the Samaritans in the north and the Judeans in the south were expecting God to send a Messiah to his people, a king like David of ancient times who would drive out the Romans and other foreigners, restore the kingdom of Israel, and return it to its glory days as in the days of David’s son by Bathsheba, King Solomon. How they were like some of us today, wanting to return to an imagined golden age of the past.

But God had a surprise in store for them, a big surprise. He would send a Messiah, but he would send the Messiah not just to them but to all peoples. The Messiah would be God himself, in the person of the Son through whom God created everything and who is supreme over all that he created. The Son would humble himself, and become a human being. He would be born as the son of a young Judean girl, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus would not call people to repentance from sin and obedience to God and teach them how t live in a manner pleasing to God but also through his suffering and death on the cross reconcile all creation to God and enable God and humanity to be friends.

But the biggest surprise of all is that Jesus, risen from the dead and ascended into heaven, also lives in those who love God, who believe in Jesus, who trust in him and his words Those in whom Jesus lives will also share in God’s glory. They will one day live in heaven with Jesus.

Wai a minute. Wait a minute! Doesn’t Paul take about Christ, not the Messiah or Jesus? Christ is the Messiah. So is Jesus. They are one and the same person. Messiah comes from the Hebrew word māšīaḥ, “anointed.” Christ is derived from the kaone Greek word christe, which also means “anointed.” While māšīaḥ was applied in Old Testament times to Israel’s kings, for Christians, for the true disciples of Jesus, there is only one Messiah, one God’s Anointed, and that is Jesus. Anyone else who claims that title or is given that title by their followers is a false messiah against whom Jesus warned his disciples. Jesus warned his disciples that these false messiahs would lead even the faithful astray.

If Jesus is in heaven, how then can he also live in us? Jesus lives in us by the power of the Holy Spirit The Holy Spirit unites us to Jesus and to each other. As Paul explains to the church at Rome in Chapter 8 of the Letter to the Romans, the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Christ. While Jesus is physically present in heaven, seated at the Father’s right side and interceding for his people, Jesus is also spiritually present in us. It is the Holy Spirit that empowers us to live the kind of life to which Jesus calls his disciples. It is the Holy Spirit that transforms us into the likeness of Christ.

Note the seriousness with which Paul takes preaching Christ to everyone and warning and teaching them “in order to bring each one into God's presence as a mature individual in union with Christ.” Let Paul’s seriousness be an example to us. Whatever our walk in life it falls to us to make known God’s secret, God’s plan, to all people. Let us be like small children with whom someone has shared a secret, a secret so exciting that we cannot restrain ourselves and share it with everyone.

If we are for any reason genuinely unable to fulfill this obligation, for example, we are homebound and have few contacts with other people, we can still pray for those who are not prevented from fulfilling this obligation due to their circumstances and for the people with whom they are sharing the Good News.

Silence

Open this link in a new tab to hear Sharon Dennis and Doris Au MacDonald’s setting of the Magnificat, “My Soul Proclaims the Greatness of the Lord.”

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior

1 He has looked with favor on his lowly servant.
From this day all generations will call me blessed:
the Almighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his Name.

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior

2 God has mercy on those who fear him
from generation to generation.
The Lord has shown strength with his arm,
And scattered the proud in their conceit,
casting down the mighty from their thrones,
and lifting up the lowly.

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior

[Instrumental interlude]

3 God has filled the hungry with good things,
and sent the rich away empty.
He has come to the aid of his servant Israel,
to remember the promise of mercy,
the promise he made to our fathers,
to Abraham and his children for ever.

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior

Silence

Let us affirm with Christians across the ages what we believe about God and his love for us.

We believe in one God,
who made us and loves all that is.
We believe in Jesus Christ,
God’s only Son, our Lord,
who was born, lived, died and rose again,
and is coming to call all to account.
We believe in the Holy Spirit,
who calls, equips and sends out God’s people,
and brings all things to their true end.

This is our faith, the faith of the Church:

We believe in one God,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.

THE MINISTRY OF PRAYER

Let us pray for the world and for the Church and give thanks to God for his goodness.

We pray for all who govern and hold authority in the nations of the world
that there may be justice and peace on the earth.

Father, we pray for your holy catholic Church
that we all may be one.

Grant that every member of your Church may truly and humbly serve you:
that your name may be glorified by all people.

We pray for all bishops, elders, deacons, and licensed local pastors
that they may be faithful ministers of your word and sacraments.

Give us grace to do your will in all that we undertake
that your glory may be proclaimed through our lives.

Have compassion on those who suffer from any grief or trouble
that they may be delivered from their distress.

We praise you for your saints who have entered their eternal joy
may we also come to share in the fulness of your kingdom.

We pray for our own needs and for those of others:

Silence.

The people may add their own petitions silently or out loud.

Gracious God, grant that the desires of your people’s hearts
may find favour in your sight,
through the intercession of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Gracious God, we humbly thank you
for all your gifts so freely bestowed on us.
For life and health and safety,
for power to work and leisure to rest,
and for all that is beautiful in creation and in human life.
But, above all, we thank you for our Saviour Jesus Christ,
for his death and resurrection,
for the gift of your Holy Spirit,
and for the hope of glory
Fill our hearts with all joy and peace in believing;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Accept our prayers through Jesus Christ our Lord, who taught us to pray:

Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name,
thy kingdom come,
thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
the power, and the glory,
for ever and ever. Amen.

THE SENDING FORTH OF GOD’S PEOPLE

In darkness and in light,
in trouble and in joy,
help us, heavenly Father,
to trust your love,
to serve your purpose,
and to praise your name,
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Gracious God,
you have given us much today;
grant us also a thankful spirit.
Into your hands we commend ourselves
and those we love.
Keep us always in your care and protection,
and when we take our rest,
renew us for the service of your Son Jesus Christ.
Amen.

Let us bless the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Those present may extend their palms toward each other in a gesture of blessing.

May God, Creator, bless us and keep us,
may Christ be ever light for our lives,
may the Spirit of Love be our guide and path,
for all our days. Amen.

Open this link in anew tab to hear Don Besig and Nancy Price’s “Go Now in Peace.”

Go now in peace. Never be afraid.
God will go with you each hour of every day.
Go now in faith, steadfast, strong and true.
Know He will guide you in all you do.
Go now in love, and show you believe.
Reach out to others so all the world can see.
God will be there watching from above.
Go now in peace, in faith, and in love. 

Amen. Amen. Amen.

The peace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you always.
And also with you.

Those present may exchange a gesture of peace with these or similar words:
Peace be with you.