Thursday Evenings at All Hallows (Thursday, November 14, 2024)
This week, the second week of November, is World Kindness Week, devoted to promoting more kindness throughout the year. World Kindness Week was originally launched by the World Kindness Movement as World Kindness Day, November 13, in 1998 but evolved into World Kindness Week, the week of November 13.
Treating people and animals with kindness has been long standing tenet of the Christian faith and way of life. In this evening’s message we look at the Scriptural basis for this tenet.
GATHERING IN GOD’S NAME
God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in
spirit and truth. John 4:24
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 confess our sins to God our Father.
Silence
Heavenly Father,
we have sinned against you and against our neighbour
in thought and word and deed,
through negligence, through weakness,
through our own deliberate fault;
by what we have done
and by what we have failed to do.
We are truly sorry and repent of all our sins.
For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ who died for us,
forgive us all that is past;
and grant that we may serve you in newness of life
to the glory of your name. 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.
O God, be not far from us.
Come quickly to help us, O God
Glory to God; Father, Son, and Holy Spirit:
Come quickly to help us, O God
Glory to God; Father, Son, and Holy Spirit:
as in the beginning, so now, and for ever. Amen.
Open this link in a new tab to hear Keith Duke’s “Sun of Our Night.”
Light of the world in grace and beauty
Mirror of God’s eternal face
Transparent flame of love’s free duty
You bring salvation to our race
Now as we see the lights of evening
We raise our voice in hymns of praise
Worthy are you of endless blessing
Sun of our night, lamp of our day
[Instrumental interlude]
Light of the world in grace and beauty
Mirror of God’s eternal face
Transparent flame of love’s free duty
You bring salvation to our race
Now as we see the lights of evening
We raise our voice in hymns of praise
Worthy are you of endless blessing
Sun of our night, lamp of our day
Open this link in a new to hear Timothy Dudley-Smith’s “Come Quickly, Lord (Psalm 141).”
1 Come quickly, Lord, and hear the cries
my heart and hands uplifted raise;
and let my prayer as incense rise,
an evening sacrifice of praise.
Guard now the lips that speak your Name,
lest they, and I, be put to shame.
2 And if my steps should go astray
and from the path of truth I move,
restore me to your narrow way
and in your mercy, Lord, reprove;
from love of self my soul defend,
and wound me as a faithful friend.
*3 When at the last, O Lord our God,
we look to you alone to save,
the plough of judgment breaks the clod,
and bones are scattered from the grave:
our Rock, our Refuge and our Tower,
protect us in the final hour.
4 We fix our eyes upon you, Lord,
and tune our ears to hear your voice;
our hearts by faith receive your word
and in your promises rejoice.
Till morning breaks and night is gone,
in God we trust, and journey on.
*Omitted in the video.
Open this link to hear Howard Goodall’s choral arrangement of “The Lord Is My Shepherd (Psalm 23).”
The Lord is my Shepherd
I shall not want
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures
He leadeth me besides the still waters
The Lord is my Shepherd
I shall not want
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures
He leadeth me besides the still waters
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death
I will fear no evil
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death
I will fear no evil
For you are with me
You will comfort me
You are with me
You will comfort me
Comfort me
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
All the days of my life
And I will dwell in the House of the Lord forever
Forever
Forever
Forever
Open this link in a new tab to hear John Chisum’s “Christ Above Me.”
Open this link in a new tab to hear Keith Duke’s “Sun of Our Night.”
Light of the world in grace and beauty
Mirror of God’s eternal face
Transparent flame of love’s free duty
You bring salvation to our race
Now as we see the lights of evening
We raise our voice in hymns of praise
Worthy are you of endless blessing
Sun of our night, lamp of our day
[Instrumental interlude]
Light of the world in grace and beauty
Mirror of God’s eternal face
Transparent flame of love’s free duty
You bring salvation to our race
Now as we see the lights of evening
We raise our voice in hymns of praise
Worthy are you of endless blessing
Sun of our night, lamp of our day
Open this link in a new to hear Timothy Dudley-Smith’s “Come Quickly, Lord (Psalm 141).”
1 Come quickly, Lord, and hear the cries
my heart and hands uplifted raise;
and let my prayer as incense rise,
an evening sacrifice of praise.
Guard now the lips that speak your Name,
lest they, and I, be put to shame.
2 And if my steps should go astray
and from the path of truth I move,
restore me to your narrow way
and in your mercy, Lord, reprove;
from love of self my soul defend,
and wound me as a faithful friend.
*3 When at the last, O Lord our God,
we look to you alone to save,
the plough of judgment breaks the clod,
and bones are scattered from the grave:
our Rock, our Refuge and our Tower,
protect us in the final hour.
4 We fix our eyes upon you, Lord,
and tune our ears to hear your voice;
our hearts by faith receive your word
and in your promises rejoice.
Till morning breaks and night is gone,
in God we trust, and journey on.
*Omitted in the video.
Open this link to hear Howard Goodall’s choral arrangement of “The Lord Is My Shepherd (Psalm 23).”
The Lord is my Shepherd
I shall not want
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures
He leadeth me besides the still waters
The Lord is my Shepherd
I shall not want
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures
He leadeth me besides the still waters
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death
I will fear no evil
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death
I will fear no evil
For you are with me
You will comfort me
You are with me
You will comfort me
Comfort me
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
All the days of my life
And I will dwell in the House of the Lord forever
Forever
Forever
Forever
Open this link in a new tab to hear John Chisum’s “Christ Above Me.”
Christ above me
Christ beside me
Christ within me ever guiding
Christ behind me
Christ before
Christ my love my life my lord
Christ above me
Christ beside me
Christ within me ever guiding
Christ behind me
Christ before
Christ my love my life my lord
1 Bread of life from heaven
Lover of my soul
Peace of God so ever present
I surrender my control to
Christ above me
Christ beside me
Christ within me ever guiding
Christ behind me
Christ before
Christ my love my life my lord
2 Mercy everlasting
Tenderness divine
Word of God so ever healing
I surrender heart and mind to
Christ above me
Christ beside me
Christ within me ever guiding
Christ behind me
Christ before
Christ my love my life my lord
Christ my love my life my lord
THE MINISTRY OF THE WORD
A reading from the Old Testament: Leviticus 19: 1-37
The Lord said to Moses, “Tell all the Israelites: I am the Lord your God. I am holy, so you must be holy.
“Each of you must honor your mother and father and keep my special days of rest. I am the Lord your God!
“Do not worship idols. Do not make statues of gods for yourselves. I am the Lord your God.
“When you offer a sacrifice of fellowship offerings to the Lord, you must offer it in the right way so that you will be accepted. You may eat it the same day you offer it and on the next day. But if any of that sacrifice is left on the third day, you must burn it in the fire. You must not eat any of that sacrifice on the third day. It will be unclean, and it will not be accepted. You will be guilty of sin if you do that because you did not respect the holy things that belong to the Lord. If you do that, you will be separated from your people.
“When you cut your crops at harvest time, don’t cut all the way to the corners of your fields. And if grain falls on the ground, you must not gather up that grain. Don’t pick all the grapes in your vineyards or pick up the grapes that fall to the ground. You must leave those things for your poor people and for people traveling through your country. I am the Lord your God.
“You must not steal. You must not cheat people. You must not lie to each other. You must not use my name to make false promises. If you do that, you will show that you don’t respect the name of your God. I am the Lord!
“You must not cheat or rob your neighbor. You must not hold a hired worker’s salary overnight until morning.
“You must not curse anyone who is deaf. You must not do anything to make a blind person fall. But you must respect your God. I am the Lord.
“You must be fair in judgment. You must not show special favor to the poor. And you must not show special favor to important people. You must be fair when you judge your neighbor. You must not go around spreading false stories against other people. Don’t do anything that would put your neighbor’s life in danger. I am the Lord.
“Don’t secretly hate any of your neighbors. But tell them openly what they have done wrong so that you will not be just as guilty of sin as they are. Forget about the wrong things people do to you. Don’t try to get even. Love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord.
“You must obey my laws. You must not let your animals mate with animals of a different kind. You must not sow your field with two kinds of seed. You must not wear clothing made from two kinds of material mixed together.
“It may happen that a man has sexual relations with a woman who is the slave of another man. But this slave woman has not been bought or given her freedom. If this happens, there must be punishment. But they will not be put to death because the woman was not free. The man must bring his guilt offering to the Lord at the entrance of the Meeting Tent. He must bring a ram for a guilt offering. The priest will make him pure by offering the ram as a guilt offering before the Lord. The offering is for the man’s sins, which will then be forgiven.
“In the future, when you enter your country, you will plant many kinds of trees for food. After planting a tree, you must wait three years before you can use any of the fruit from that tree. You must not use that fruit. 24 In the fourth year, the fruit from that tree will belong to the Lord, a holy offering of praise to him. Then, in the fifth year, you can eat the fruit from that tree. And the tree will produce more and more fruit for you. I am the Lord your God.
“You must not eat any meat with blood still in it.
“You must not try to use different kinds of magic to tell the future.
“You must not round off the hair that grows on the side of your face. You must not cut your beard that grows on the side of your face. You must not cut your body as a way to remember the dead. You must not make any tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the Lord.
“Do not dishonor your daughters by making them become prostitutes. If you do that, your whole country will turn away from God and be filled with all kinds of sinful things.
30 “You must not work on my special days of rest. You must honor my holy place. I am the Lord.
“Do not go to mediums or wizards for advice—they will only make you unclean. I am the Lord your God.
“Show honor to old people. Stand up when they come into the room. And show respect to your leaders. I am the Lord.
“Do not do bad things to foreigners living in your country. You must treat them the same as you treat your own citizens. Love them as you love yourselves. Remember, you were foreigners in Egypt. I am the Lord your God!
“You must be fair when you judge people, and you must be fair when you measure and weigh things. Your baskets should be the right size. Your jars should hold the right amount of liquids. Your weights and balances should weigh things correctly. I am the Lord your God. I brought you out of the land of Egypt.
“You must remember all my laws and rules. And you must obey them. I am the Lord.”
Silence
This is the word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Open this link in a new tab to hear Timothy Dudley Smith’s “Tell Out, My Soul.”
1 Tell out, my soul, the greatness of the Lord!
Unnumbered blessings give my spirit voice;
Tender to me the promise of his word;
In God my Savior shall my heart rejoice
2 Tell out, my soul, the greatness of his Name!
Make known his might, the deeds his arm has done;
His mercy sure, from age to age to same;
His holy Name--the Lord, the Mighty One
3 Tell out, my soul, the greatness of his might!
Powers and dominions lay their glory by
Proud hearts and stubborn wills are put to flight
The hungry fed, the humble lifted high
4 Tell out, my soul, the glories of his word!
Firm is his promise, and his mercy sure
Tell out, my soul, the greatness of the Lord
To children's children and for evermore!
A reading from the New Testament: Romans 13: 8-14
You should owe nothing to anyone, except that you will always owe love to each other. The person who loves others has done all that the law commands. The law says, “You must not commit adultery, you must not murder anyone, you must not steal, you must not want what belongs to someone else.” All these commands and all other commands are really only one rule: “Love your neighbor the same as you love yourself.” Love doesn’t hurt others. So loving is the same as obeying all the law.
I say this because you know that we live in an important time. Yes, it is now time for you to wake up from your sleep. Our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is almost finished. The day is almost here. So we should stop doing whatever belongs to darkness. We should prepare ourselves to fight evil with the weapons that belong to the light. We should live in a right way, like people who belong to the day. We should not have wild parties or be drunk. We should not be involved in sexual sin or any kind of immoral behavior. We should not cause arguments and trouble or be jealous. But be like the Lord Jesus Christ, so that when people see what you do, they will see Christ. Don’t think about how to satisfy the desires of your sinful self.
Silence
This is the word of the Lord/
Thanks be to God
A reading from the New Testament: Mathew 22: 34-40
The Pharisees learned that Jesus had made the Sadducees look so foolish that they stopped trying to argue with him. So the Pharisees had a meeting. Then one of them, an expert in the Law of Moses, asked Jesus a question to test him. He said, “Teacher, which command in the law is the most important?”
Jesus answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and most important command. And the second command is like the first: ‘Love your neighbor the same as you love yourself.’ All of the law and the writings of the prophets take their meaning from these two commands.”
Silence
This is the word of the Lord/
Thanks be to God
Open this link in a new tab to hear Donald Pearson's setting of the Dignus est, “Splendor and Honor.”
Splendor and honor and kingly power
are yours by right, O Lord our God.
For you created everything that is,
and by your will they were created
and have their being;
Splendor and honor and kingly power
are yours by right, O Lord our God.
And yours by right, O Lamb that was slain,
for with your blood you have redeemed for God,
From every family, language, people, and nation,
a kingdom of priests to serve our God.
Splendor and honor and kingly power
are yours by right, O Lord our God.
And so, to him who sits upon the throne,
and to Christ the Lamb,
Be worship and praise, dominion and splendor,
for ever more and for evermore.
Splendor and honor and kingly power
are yours by right, O Lord our God.
For ever more and for evermore.
In the eighteenth century English clergymen who opposed cockfighting, bullbaiting, and other blood sports popular at the time were accused of being Methodists because one of the distinguishing characteristics of John Wesley and the early Methodists was their opposition to these forms of animal cruelty. They took with due seriousness what the Bible taught about not only the kind treatment of people but also the kind treatment of animals. One group of early Methodists, the Bible Christians, would become vegetarians. This group is considered one of the precursors of the contemporary vegetarian movement in the United Kingdom.
In this evening’s message we are going to take a look at the Scriptural basis for treating people and animals with kindness. Most obvious basis in Scripture for showing kindness to people is the commandments to love not only your neighbor but also foreigners living in the country in the laws that God gave to the people of Israel through Moses. Treating people with kindness is also implicit in the other commandments which form what is known as the Mosaic Code. This code is found in the Old Testament, in the Books of Exodus and Deuteronomy.
We find support for the kind treatment of animals in the same code, in Exodus 23: 4-5; 12, and Deuteronomy 22: 1-4; 10, in the story of Balaam and the donkey, in Numbers 22: 21-35,, and in Proverbs 12: 10. Exodus 23:4-5 states, ““If you see a lost bull or donkey, then you must return it to its owner—even if the owner is your enemy. If you see an animal that cannot walk because it has too much to carry, you must stop and help that animal. You must help that animal even if it belongs to one of your enemies.” It enjoins not only kindness to the animal as well as its owner. A straying bull or donkey might be injured or killed by predators. An overloaded donkey might die from the weight of the load that caused it to collapse.
Deuteronomy 22: 1-4 expands upon Exodus 23:4-5. Exodus 23: 12 provides not only days of rest for people but also for their working animals. Deuteronomy 22:10 recognizes that in pulling a plow an ox and donkey would be unequal. The donkey, the smaller of the two animals, would not be up to the task and the ox would be doing more pulling than the donkey. This would have a harmful effect on both animals.
Both Balaam’s donkey whom God enables to speak and the angel of the Lord rebuke him for his cruel treatment of the donkey whose actions were to protect him from harm.
Proverbs 12: 10 reminds us, “Good people take good care of their animals, but the wicked know only how to be cruel.”
Jesus identifies as the two most important commandments, the commandments to love God and to love people. We show our love for God when we practice what Jesus taught and represented, trusting in him and his words and example. We also show our love for God in obeying those commandments that are called moral such as not lying, cheating, and stealing. They include God’s commandments regarding the treatment of animals.
The apostle Paul recognizes the connection between loving others and obeying the moral commandments. As he puts it, “Love doesn’t hurt others. So loving is the same as obeying all the law.” If we truly love our neighbor, we are not going to have an affair with our neighbor’s spouse or partner and thereby cause hurt to our neighbor.
Where then does being kind come in? Through our kind words and actions, we express our love for God and our love for others. As we have seen, this extends to all God’s creatures. Kindness is not something that we reserve solely for people, much less a particular group of people--family, kin, friends, people like ourselves. Kindness is something that we are to show to all living creatures wherever it is possible.
When it comes to people, how are we to be kind? Being kind involves being generous, helpful, caring about other people, and thinking about their feelings; not doing any harm to others or ourselves; not being mean, cruel, or spiteful; being amiable, compassionate, considerate, courteous, friendly, gentle, humane, loving, sympathetic, thoughtful, understanding, good-hearted, neighborly, and a whole lot more.
Being kind involves a change in our attitude toward others and the way we think about them as well as how we behave toward them. It is our kind God who is generous with his grace that enables us to make this change. Among the things that we can do to open our hearts and minds to God’s enabling grace is to regularly pray this prayer or one like it
"Heavenly Father, your Son Jesus taught us that we should be kind as you are kind. Help us to show greater kindness to others and to ourselves, not just during World Kindness Week, not just randomly, but on every day of our lives, consistently with everyone. Enable us to be good neighbors to all around us, speaking words of kindness and doing deeds of kindness. Show us how to treat ourselves with kindness, having not only kind thoughts for others but also having kind thoughts for ourselves. May our words and deeds of kindness have far greater effect that we can imagine. May they inspire more words and deeds of kindness. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen."
Then live into the words of our prayer.
Silence
Open this link in a new tab to hear Daniel Justice Snoke’s metrical version of the Apostles Creed, “I Believe in God the Father.”
I believe in God the Father,
maker of all heav’n and earth.
And in Jesus Christ our Saviour,
God’s own Son of matchless worth;
By the Spirit was conceived,
of the virgin, Mary born,
He in whom I have believed,
God almighty, three in one.
Suffered under Pontius Pilate.
crucified for me he died.
Laid within the grave so silent,
gates of hell he opened wide;
For the stone-sealed tomb was empty;
on the third day he arose;
Into heaven made his entry,
mighty conquer’r of his foes.
At God’s right hand he is seated,
till his coming as he said;
Final judgment will be meted
to the living and the dead;
I confess the Holy Spirit,
who was sent through Christ the Son
To apply salvation’s merit:
God the Spirit Three in One.
I believe the church of Jesus,
universal e’er remains;
We are one through all the ages
In communion of the saints.
I believe sins are forgiven,
that our bodies will be raised
To eternal life in glory,
ever let his name be praised.
THE MINISTRY OF PRAYER
Heavenly Father,
you have promised to hear when we pray
in the name of your Son.
Therefore in confidence and trust
we pray for the Church:
(Particular intercessions/thanksgivings may be offered.)
Father, enliven the Church for its mission
that we may be salt of the earth and light to the world.
Breathe fresh life into your people.
Give us power to reveal Christ in word and action.
We pray for the world:
(Particular intercessions/thanksgivings may be offered.)
Creator of all,
lead us and every people into ways of justice and peace.
That we may respect one another in freedom and truth.
Awaken in us a sense of wonder for the earth and all that is in it.
Teach us to care creatively for its resources.
We pray for the community:
(Particular intercessions/thanksgivings may be offered.)
God of truth, inspire with your wisdom
those whose decisions affect the lives of others
that all may act with integrity and courage.
Give grace to all whose lives are linked with ours.
May we serve Christ in one another, and love as he loves us.
We pray for those in need:
(Particular intercessions/thanksgivings may be offered.)
God of hope, comfort and restore
all who suffer in body, mind or spirit.
May they know the power of your healing love.
Make us willing agents of your compassion.
Strengthen us as we share in making people whole.
We remember those who have died and those who mourn:
(Particular intercessions/thanksgivings may be offered.)
We remember with thanksgiving those who have died in the faith
of Christ, and those whose faith is known to you alone.
Father, into your hands we commend them.
Give comfort to those who mourn.
Bring them peace in their time of loss.
We praise you for (N and) all your saints
who have entered your eternal glory.
May their example inspire and encourage us.
We pray for ourselves and our ministries:
(Particular intercessions/thanksgivings may be offered and the prayers
conclude with the following.)
Lord, you have called us to serve you.
Grant that we may walk in your presence:
your love in our hearts,
your truth in our minds,
your strength in our wills;
until, at the end of our journey,
we know the joy of our homecoming
and the welcome of your embrace,
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 Dale Sechrest’s “With All My Heart.”
With all my heart
With all my soul
With all my strength
I will love you, Lord
With all my heart
With all my soul
With all my strength
I will love you, Lord
And I will love my neighbor as myself
Yes, I will love my neighbor as myself
With all my heart
With all my soul
With all my strength
I will love you, Lord
With all my heart
With all my soul
With all my strength
I will love you, Lord
And I will love my neighbor as myself
Yes, I will love my neighbor as myself
With all my heart
With all my soul
With all my strength
I will love you, Lord
With all my heart
With all my soul
With all my strength
I will love you, Lord!
I will love you, Lord!
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.
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 you
and protect you.
May the Lord smile on you
and be gracious to you.
May the Lord show you his favor
and give you his peace.
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.
Christ beside me
Christ within me ever guiding
Christ behind me
Christ before
Christ my love my life my lord
Christ above me
Christ beside me
Christ within me ever guiding
Christ behind me
Christ before
Christ my love my life my lord
1 Bread of life from heaven
Lover of my soul
Peace of God so ever present
I surrender my control to
Christ above me
Christ beside me
Christ within me ever guiding
Christ behind me
Christ before
Christ my love my life my lord
2 Mercy everlasting
Tenderness divine
Word of God so ever healing
I surrender heart and mind to
Christ above me
Christ beside me
Christ within me ever guiding
Christ behind me
Christ before
Christ my love my life my lord
Christ my love my life my lord
THE MINISTRY OF THE WORD
A reading from the Old Testament: Leviticus 19: 1-37
The Lord said to Moses, “Tell all the Israelites: I am the Lord your God. I am holy, so you must be holy.
“Each of you must honor your mother and father and keep my special days of rest. I am the Lord your God!
“Do not worship idols. Do not make statues of gods for yourselves. I am the Lord your God.
“When you offer a sacrifice of fellowship offerings to the Lord, you must offer it in the right way so that you will be accepted. You may eat it the same day you offer it and on the next day. But if any of that sacrifice is left on the third day, you must burn it in the fire. You must not eat any of that sacrifice on the third day. It will be unclean, and it will not be accepted. You will be guilty of sin if you do that because you did not respect the holy things that belong to the Lord. If you do that, you will be separated from your people.
“When you cut your crops at harvest time, don’t cut all the way to the corners of your fields. And if grain falls on the ground, you must not gather up that grain. Don’t pick all the grapes in your vineyards or pick up the grapes that fall to the ground. You must leave those things for your poor people and for people traveling through your country. I am the Lord your God.
“You must not steal. You must not cheat people. You must not lie to each other. You must not use my name to make false promises. If you do that, you will show that you don’t respect the name of your God. I am the Lord!
“You must not cheat or rob your neighbor. You must not hold a hired worker’s salary overnight until morning.
“You must not curse anyone who is deaf. You must not do anything to make a blind person fall. But you must respect your God. I am the Lord.
“You must be fair in judgment. You must not show special favor to the poor. And you must not show special favor to important people. You must be fair when you judge your neighbor. You must not go around spreading false stories against other people. Don’t do anything that would put your neighbor’s life in danger. I am the Lord.
“Don’t secretly hate any of your neighbors. But tell them openly what they have done wrong so that you will not be just as guilty of sin as they are. Forget about the wrong things people do to you. Don’t try to get even. Love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord.
“You must obey my laws. You must not let your animals mate with animals of a different kind. You must not sow your field with two kinds of seed. You must not wear clothing made from two kinds of material mixed together.
“It may happen that a man has sexual relations with a woman who is the slave of another man. But this slave woman has not been bought or given her freedom. If this happens, there must be punishment. But they will not be put to death because the woman was not free. The man must bring his guilt offering to the Lord at the entrance of the Meeting Tent. He must bring a ram for a guilt offering. The priest will make him pure by offering the ram as a guilt offering before the Lord. The offering is for the man’s sins, which will then be forgiven.
“In the future, when you enter your country, you will plant many kinds of trees for food. After planting a tree, you must wait three years before you can use any of the fruit from that tree. You must not use that fruit. 24 In the fourth year, the fruit from that tree will belong to the Lord, a holy offering of praise to him. Then, in the fifth year, you can eat the fruit from that tree. And the tree will produce more and more fruit for you. I am the Lord your God.
“You must not eat any meat with blood still in it.
“You must not try to use different kinds of magic to tell the future.
“You must not round off the hair that grows on the side of your face. You must not cut your beard that grows on the side of your face. You must not cut your body as a way to remember the dead. You must not make any tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the Lord.
“Do not dishonor your daughters by making them become prostitutes. If you do that, your whole country will turn away from God and be filled with all kinds of sinful things.
30 “You must not work on my special days of rest. You must honor my holy place. I am the Lord.
“Do not go to mediums or wizards for advice—they will only make you unclean. I am the Lord your God.
“Show honor to old people. Stand up when they come into the room. And show respect to your leaders. I am the Lord.
“Do not do bad things to foreigners living in your country. You must treat them the same as you treat your own citizens. Love them as you love yourselves. Remember, you were foreigners in Egypt. I am the Lord your God!
“You must be fair when you judge people, and you must be fair when you measure and weigh things. Your baskets should be the right size. Your jars should hold the right amount of liquids. Your weights and balances should weigh things correctly. I am the Lord your God. I brought you out of the land of Egypt.
“You must remember all my laws and rules. And you must obey them. I am the Lord.”
Silence
This is the word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Open this link in a new tab to hear Timothy Dudley Smith’s “Tell Out, My Soul.”
1 Tell out, my soul, the greatness of the Lord!
Unnumbered blessings give my spirit voice;
Tender to me the promise of his word;
In God my Savior shall my heart rejoice
2 Tell out, my soul, the greatness of his Name!
Make known his might, the deeds his arm has done;
His mercy sure, from age to age to same;
His holy Name--the Lord, the Mighty One
3 Tell out, my soul, the greatness of his might!
Powers and dominions lay their glory by
Proud hearts and stubborn wills are put to flight
The hungry fed, the humble lifted high
4 Tell out, my soul, the glories of his word!
Firm is his promise, and his mercy sure
Tell out, my soul, the greatness of the Lord
To children's children and for evermore!
A reading from the New Testament: Romans 13: 8-14
You should owe nothing to anyone, except that you will always owe love to each other. The person who loves others has done all that the law commands. The law says, “You must not commit adultery, you must not murder anyone, you must not steal, you must not want what belongs to someone else.” All these commands and all other commands are really only one rule: “Love your neighbor the same as you love yourself.” Love doesn’t hurt others. So loving is the same as obeying all the law.
I say this because you know that we live in an important time. Yes, it is now time for you to wake up from your sleep. Our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is almost finished. The day is almost here. So we should stop doing whatever belongs to darkness. We should prepare ourselves to fight evil with the weapons that belong to the light. We should live in a right way, like people who belong to the day. We should not have wild parties or be drunk. We should not be involved in sexual sin or any kind of immoral behavior. We should not cause arguments and trouble or be jealous. But be like the Lord Jesus Christ, so that when people see what you do, they will see Christ. Don’t think about how to satisfy the desires of your sinful self.
Silence
This is the word of the Lord/
Thanks be to God
A reading from the New Testament: Mathew 22: 34-40
The Pharisees learned that Jesus had made the Sadducees look so foolish that they stopped trying to argue with him. So the Pharisees had a meeting. Then one of them, an expert in the Law of Moses, asked Jesus a question to test him. He said, “Teacher, which command in the law is the most important?”
Jesus answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and most important command. And the second command is like the first: ‘Love your neighbor the same as you love yourself.’ All of the law and the writings of the prophets take their meaning from these two commands.”
Silence
This is the word of the Lord/
Thanks be to God
Open this link in a new tab to hear Donald Pearson's setting of the Dignus est, “Splendor and Honor.”
Splendor and honor and kingly power
are yours by right, O Lord our God.
For you created everything that is,
and by your will they were created
and have their being;
Splendor and honor and kingly power
are yours by right, O Lord our God.
And yours by right, O Lamb that was slain,
for with your blood you have redeemed for God,
From every family, language, people, and nation,
a kingdom of priests to serve our God.
Splendor and honor and kingly power
are yours by right, O Lord our God.
And so, to him who sits upon the throne,
and to Christ the Lamb,
Be worship and praise, dominion and splendor,
for ever more and for evermore.
Splendor and honor and kingly power
are yours by right, O Lord our God.
For ever more and for evermore.
Kindness in the Faith and Life of a Christian
In this evening’s message we are going to take a look at the Scriptural basis for treating people and animals with kindness. Most obvious basis in Scripture for showing kindness to people is the commandments to love not only your neighbor but also foreigners living in the country in the laws that God gave to the people of Israel through Moses. Treating people with kindness is also implicit in the other commandments which form what is known as the Mosaic Code. This code is found in the Old Testament, in the Books of Exodus and Deuteronomy.
We find support for the kind treatment of animals in the same code, in Exodus 23: 4-5; 12, and Deuteronomy 22: 1-4; 10, in the story of Balaam and the donkey, in Numbers 22: 21-35,, and in Proverbs 12: 10. Exodus 23:4-5 states, ““If you see a lost bull or donkey, then you must return it to its owner—even if the owner is your enemy. If you see an animal that cannot walk because it has too much to carry, you must stop and help that animal. You must help that animal even if it belongs to one of your enemies.” It enjoins not only kindness to the animal as well as its owner. A straying bull or donkey might be injured or killed by predators. An overloaded donkey might die from the weight of the load that caused it to collapse.
Deuteronomy 22: 1-4 expands upon Exodus 23:4-5. Exodus 23: 12 provides not only days of rest for people but also for their working animals. Deuteronomy 22:10 recognizes that in pulling a plow an ox and donkey would be unequal. The donkey, the smaller of the two animals, would not be up to the task and the ox would be doing more pulling than the donkey. This would have a harmful effect on both animals.
Both Balaam’s donkey whom God enables to speak and the angel of the Lord rebuke him for his cruel treatment of the donkey whose actions were to protect him from harm.
Proverbs 12: 10 reminds us, “Good people take good care of their animals, but the wicked know only how to be cruel.”
Jesus identifies as the two most important commandments, the commandments to love God and to love people. We show our love for God when we practice what Jesus taught and represented, trusting in him and his words and example. We also show our love for God in obeying those commandments that are called moral such as not lying, cheating, and stealing. They include God’s commandments regarding the treatment of animals.
The apostle Paul recognizes the connection between loving others and obeying the moral commandments. As he puts it, “Love doesn’t hurt others. So loving is the same as obeying all the law.” If we truly love our neighbor, we are not going to have an affair with our neighbor’s spouse or partner and thereby cause hurt to our neighbor.
Where then does being kind come in? Through our kind words and actions, we express our love for God and our love for others. As we have seen, this extends to all God’s creatures. Kindness is not something that we reserve solely for people, much less a particular group of people--family, kin, friends, people like ourselves. Kindness is something that we are to show to all living creatures wherever it is possible.
When it comes to people, how are we to be kind? Being kind involves being generous, helpful, caring about other people, and thinking about their feelings; not doing any harm to others or ourselves; not being mean, cruel, or spiteful; being amiable, compassionate, considerate, courteous, friendly, gentle, humane, loving, sympathetic, thoughtful, understanding, good-hearted, neighborly, and a whole lot more.
Being kind involves a change in our attitude toward others and the way we think about them as well as how we behave toward them. It is our kind God who is generous with his grace that enables us to make this change. Among the things that we can do to open our hearts and minds to God’s enabling grace is to regularly pray this prayer or one like it
"Heavenly Father, your Son Jesus taught us that we should be kind as you are kind. Help us to show greater kindness to others and to ourselves, not just during World Kindness Week, not just randomly, but on every day of our lives, consistently with everyone. Enable us to be good neighbors to all around us, speaking words of kindness and doing deeds of kindness. Show us how to treat ourselves with kindness, having not only kind thoughts for others but also having kind thoughts for ourselves. May our words and deeds of kindness have far greater effect that we can imagine. May they inspire more words and deeds of kindness. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen."
Then live into the words of our prayer.
Silence
Open this link in a new tab to hear Daniel Justice Snoke’s metrical version of the Apostles Creed, “I Believe in God the Father.”
I believe in God the Father,
maker of all heav’n and earth.
And in Jesus Christ our Saviour,
God’s own Son of matchless worth;
By the Spirit was conceived,
of the virgin, Mary born,
He in whom I have believed,
God almighty, three in one.
Suffered under Pontius Pilate.
crucified for me he died.
Laid within the grave so silent,
gates of hell he opened wide;
For the stone-sealed tomb was empty;
on the third day he arose;
Into heaven made his entry,
mighty conquer’r of his foes.
At God’s right hand he is seated,
till his coming as he said;
Final judgment will be meted
to the living and the dead;
I confess the Holy Spirit,
who was sent through Christ the Son
To apply salvation’s merit:
God the Spirit Three in One.
I believe the church of Jesus,
universal e’er remains;
We are one through all the ages
In communion of the saints.
I believe sins are forgiven,
that our bodies will be raised
To eternal life in glory,
ever let his name be praised.
THE MINISTRY OF PRAYER
Heavenly Father,
you have promised to hear when we pray
in the name of your Son.
Therefore in confidence and trust
we pray for the Church:
(Particular intercessions/thanksgivings may be offered.)
Father, enliven the Church for its mission
that we may be salt of the earth and light to the world.
Breathe fresh life into your people.
Give us power to reveal Christ in word and action.
We pray for the world:
(Particular intercessions/thanksgivings may be offered.)
Creator of all,
lead us and every people into ways of justice and peace.
That we may respect one another in freedom and truth.
Awaken in us a sense of wonder for the earth and all that is in it.
Teach us to care creatively for its resources.
We pray for the community:
(Particular intercessions/thanksgivings may be offered.)
God of truth, inspire with your wisdom
those whose decisions affect the lives of others
that all may act with integrity and courage.
Give grace to all whose lives are linked with ours.
May we serve Christ in one another, and love as he loves us.
We pray for those in need:
(Particular intercessions/thanksgivings may be offered.)
God of hope, comfort and restore
all who suffer in body, mind or spirit.
May they know the power of your healing love.
Make us willing agents of your compassion.
Strengthen us as we share in making people whole.
We remember those who have died and those who mourn:
(Particular intercessions/thanksgivings may be offered.)
We remember with thanksgiving those who have died in the faith
of Christ, and those whose faith is known to you alone.
Father, into your hands we commend them.
Give comfort to those who mourn.
Bring them peace in their time of loss.
We praise you for (N and) all your saints
who have entered your eternal glory.
May their example inspire and encourage us.
We pray for ourselves and our ministries:
(Particular intercessions/thanksgivings may be offered and the prayers
conclude with the following.)
Lord, you have called us to serve you.
Grant that we may walk in your presence:
your love in our hearts,
your truth in our minds,
your strength in our wills;
until, at the end of our journey,
we know the joy of our homecoming
and the welcome of your embrace,
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 Dale Sechrest’s “With All My Heart.”
With all my heart
With all my soul
With all my strength
I will love you, Lord
With all my heart
With all my soul
With all my strength
I will love you, Lord
And I will love my neighbor as myself
Yes, I will love my neighbor as myself
With all my heart
With all my soul
With all my strength
I will love you, Lord
With all my heart
With all my soul
With all my strength
I will love you, Lord
And I will love my neighbor as myself
Yes, I will love my neighbor as myself
With all my heart
With all my soul
With all my strength
I will love you, Lord
With all my heart
With all my soul
With all my strength
I will love you, Lord!
I will love you, Lord!
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.
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 you
and protect you.
May the Lord smile on you
and be gracious to you.
May the Lord show you his favor
and give you his peace.
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.
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