Thursday Evenings at All Hallows (Thursday, October 31, 2024)

 

Welcome to Thursday Evenings at All Hallows.

This Thursday evening is All Hallows Eve, commonly known as Halloween, the first eve of the feast of All Hallows Day, or Hallowmas. “Hallow” is an old English word for “saint.” On All Hallows Day we honor that great cloud of witnesses who have gone before us and who by their words and their lives testified to their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

In this Thursday evening’s message, we continue to unpack Paul’s Letter to the Colossians, considering how what he writes has bearing upon the lives of twenty-first century Christians and those exploring the Christian faith and life.

GATHERING IN GOD’S NAME

Seek the one who made the Pleiades and Orion,
and turns deep darkness into the morning,
and darkens the day into night,
who calls for the waters of the sea,
and pours them out on the surface of the earth,
the Lord is his name. Amos 5:8

If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves,
and the truth is not in us.
But if we confess our sins, God is faithful and just,
and will forgive our sins
and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
1 John 1:8-9

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.

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

Open this link in a new tab to hear Christopher Idle’s “”The Lord My Shepherd Rules My Life” (Psalm 23).

1 The Lord my shepherd rules my life
and gives me all I need;
he leads me by refreshing streams,
in pastures green I feed.

2 The Lord revives my failing strength,
he makes my joy complete;
and in right paths, for his name's sake,
he guides my faltering feet.

3 Though in a valley dark as death,
no evil makes me fear;
your shepherd's staff protects my way,
for you are with me there.

4 While all my enemies look on
you spread a royal feast;
you fill my cup, anoint my head,
and treat me as your guest.

5 Your goodness and your gracious love
pursue me all my days;
your house, O Lord, shall be my home
your name, my endless praise.

*6 To Father, Son and Spirit, praise!
to God, whom we adore,
be worship, glory, power and love,
both now and evermore!

*Omitted on the video.

Open this link in a new tab to hear Michael Frye’s “Be the Centre.”

Verse 1
Jesus be the centre
Be my source, be my light
Jesus

Verse 2
Jesus be the centre
Be my hope, be my song
Jesus

Chorus
Be the fire in my heart
Be the wind in these sails
Be the reason that I live
Jesus, Jesus

Verse 3
Jesus be my vision
Be my path, be my guide
Jesus

Final Chorus
Be the fire in my heart
Be the wind in these sails
Be the reason that I live
Jesus, Jesus
Be the fire in my heart
Be the wind in these sails
Be the reason that I live
Jesus, Jesus

THE MINISTRY OF THE WORD

A reading from the New Testament: Colossians 3: 18-4:1

Wives, submit yourselves to your husbands, for that is what you should do as Christians.

Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them.

Children, it is your Christian duty to obey your parents always, for that is what pleases God.

Parents, do not irritate your children, or they will become discouraged.

Slaves, obey your human masters in all things, not only when they are watching you because you want to gain their approval; but do it with a sincere heart because of your reverence for the Lord. Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as though you were working for the Lord and not for people. Remember that the Lord will give you as a reward what he has kept for his people. For Christ is the real Master you serve. And all wrongdoers will be repaid for the wrong things they do, because God judges everyone by the same standard.

Masters, be fair and just in the way you treat your slaves. Remember that you too have a Master in heaven.

Silence

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

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

A Principle for All Believers to Follow

What caught my attention when reading Colossians 3:18-4:1 was Paul’s instructions to a particular group of members of the church at Colossae. Some Colossian believers were not free. They were slaves.

Slavery was a common practice in the ancient Mediterranean world. In giving these instructions to this particular group of Christians, Paul is not condoning the practice. Rather he recognized that it was a fact of life, something that existed and had to be taken into consideration. It was not something that could be ignored.

The life of most slaves was a hard one. They were housed in cramped quarters and were ill-fed and ill-treated.

These words in particular caught my attention: “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as though you were working for the Lord and not for people.” With them Paul enunciates a principle that applies to all believers.

What matters most is not making a good impression with those for whom we are working or even our own personal satisfaction but God’s approval. Regardless of our walk of life, the type of job that we are doing, level of society to which we belong, we all will give God an accounting of how we have lived our lives one day. God will be the final judge of what we have done and how we have lived. It will not matter how important we were in the human scheme of things or in our own eyes, What will matter is how we served God, how we honored God not just with our lips but also our lives.

Let us consider some implications of what Paul is saying mean for us. If we are working long hours at a low paying job, Paul isn’t saying that we should look for a better job. What he is saying is that we should do the various tasks given us cheerfully, doing them as if we are not working for an employer but for Jesus himself.

For someone who holds a public office, it means being honest and transparent in carrying out the duties of that office, not lying to the constituents who elected them if the office is an elected one or otherwise deceiving their constituents, discharging the responsibilities of their office in a way that honors God. It certainly does not mean accepting bribes or kickbacks, doing favors in exchange for favors, or engaging in any other form of corruption. Nor does it mean blaming one’s own mistakes on others, spreading lies and half-truths, slandering people, threatening them, and inciting hatred, ill-will, and violence toward them. None of these actions and the attitudes and ways of thinking behind them are pleasing to God.

For a businessperson or contractor, it means being honest and aboveboard in their dealings with financial institutions, customers, clients, subcontractors, regulators, and others. It does not mean cutting corners using substandard materials, ignoring codes and regulations. misleading customers and clients, cheating them, stiffing those who have done work for them and to whom they owe money, or engaging in other shady and illegal business practices. In whatever way that businessperson or contractor may view these practices, none of them are pleasing to God.

For students, it means using their own abilities to write papers and to pass courses, not paying someone else to write a paper for them or to do research for them, not employing AI to write a paper instead writing the paper themselves, not cheating on tests, not plagiarizing other students’ work. It also means treating other students with consideration and respect, not bullying them, not sexually harassing them, not exploiting them in any way.

These are just a sample of the various situations in which this principle applies. As believers we are to make Jesus the centre of our lives and to put pleasing him first. It is not enough that we profess faith in Jesus, are baptized, and attend a church. We must also live the life of a disciple, a life over which Jesus is clearly Lord, a life of loving, obeying, and serving God.

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 aloud.

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.

Open this link in a new tab to hear Timothy Dudley Smith’s “Christ Be My Leader.”

1 Christ be my leader by night as by day;
safe through the darkness for he is the way.
Gladly I follow, my future his care,
darkness is daylight when Jesus is there.

2 Christ be my teacher in age as in youth,
drifting or doubting, for he is the truth.
Grant me to trust him; though shifting as sand,
doubt cannot daunt me; in Jesus I stand.

3 Christ be my Saviour in calm as in strife;
death cannot hold me, for he is the life.
Nor darkness nor doubting nor sin and its stain
can touch my salvation: with Jesus I reign.

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 the Lord bless and protect you
may the Lord show you forgiveness and kindness
may the Lord be good to you and give you peace. 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.