Thursday Evenings at All Hallows (Thursday, January 2, 2024)

Welcome to Thursday Evenings at All Hallows.

This Thursday, January 2, is the ninth day of Christmastide, the season of the liturgical year, which celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ in most Christian churches. This coming Sunday, January 5, will be the second Sunday after Christmas and the first Sunday of the new civil year. It is also Twelfth Night. 

In some countries Christians traditionally remove their Christmas decorations on Twelfth Night, the first eve of the Feast of the Epiphany, January 6; in other countries Christians uphold a tradition of removing them after Candlemas, February 2. Candlemas concludes the seasons of Christmas-Epiphany.

In this evening’s message we examine the relationship between the new birth and the place of holiness in the life of a Christian.

GATHER IN GOD’S NAME

Jesus said, "I am the light of the world; whoever follows me
will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."
John 8:12

Let us confess our sins against God and our neighbor.

Silence

Most merciful God,
we confess that we have sinned against you
in thought, word, and deed,
by what we have done,
and by what we have left undone.
We have not loved you with our whole heart;
we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves.
We are truly sorry and we humbly repent.
For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ,
have mercy on us and forgive us;
that we may delight in your will,
and walk in your ways,
to the glory of your Name. Amen.

Almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us all our sins
through our Lord Jesus Christ, strengthen us in all
goodness, and by the power of the Holy Spirit keep us in
eternal life. Amen.

O God, make speed to save us.
O Lord, make haste to help us.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: as
it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.
Alleluia.

Open this link in a new tab to hear Marty Haugen’s “Joyous Light of Heavenly Glory.”

1 Joyous light of heavenly glory, loving glow of God’s own face,
you who sing creation’s story, shine on every land and race.
Now as evening falls around us, we shall raise our songs to you,
God of daybreak, God of shadows, come and light our hearts anew.

2 In the stars that grace the darkness, in the blazing sun of dawn,
of the light of peace and wisdom, we can hear your quiet song.
Love that fills the night with wonder, love that warms the weary soul,
Love that bursts all chains asunder, set us free and make us whole.

3 You who made the heaven’s splendor, every dancing star of night,
make us shine with gentle justice, let us each reflect your light.
Mighty God of all creation, gentle Christ who lights our way,
loving spirit of salvation, lead us on to endless day.

Open this link in a new tab to hear Marty Haugen’s “Shepherd Me, O God” (Psalm 23).

Shepherd me, O God, beyond my wants,
beyond my fears, from death into life.

1 God is my shepherd, so nothing I shall want,
I rest in the meadows of faithfulness and love,
I walk by the quiet waters of peace.

Shepherd me, O God, beyond my wants,
beyond my fears, from death into life.

2 Gently you raise me and heal my weary soul,
you lead me by pathways of righteousness and truth,
my spirit shall sing the music of your Name.

Shepherd me, O God, beyond my wants,
beyond my fears, from death into life

3 Though I should wander the valley of death,
I fear no evil, for you are at my side,
your rod and your staff, my comfort and my hope.

Shepherd me, O God, beyond my wants,
beyond my fears, from death into life

4 You have set me a banquet of love in the face of hatred,
crowning me with love beyond my pow’r to hold.

Shepherd me, O God, beyond my wants,
beyond my fears, from death into life

5 Surely your kindness and mercy follow me all the days of my life;
I will dwell in the house of my God forevermore.

Shepherd me, O God, beyond my wants,
beyond my fears, from death into life

Silence

O God, our sovereign and shepherd,
who brought again your Son Jesus Christ
from the valley of death,
comfort us with your protecting presence
and your angels of goodness and love,
that we also may come home
and dwell with him in your house for ever. Amen.

THE MINISTRY OF THE WORD

A reading from the First Letter of Peter:
1 Peter 1

From Peter, apostle of Jesus Christ—

To God's chosen people who live as refugees scattered throughout the provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia. You were chosen according to the purpose of God the Father and were made a holy people by his Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ and be purified by his blood.

May grace and peace be yours in full measure.

Let us give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! Because of his great mercy he gave us new life by raising Jesus Christ from death. This fills us with a living hope, and so we look forward to possessing the rich blessings that God keeps for his people. He keeps them for you in heaven, where they cannot decay or spoil or fade away. They are for you, who through faith are kept safe by God's power for the salvation which is ready to be revealed at the end of time.

Be glad about this, even though it may now be necessary for you to be sad for a while because of the many kinds of trials you suffer. Their purpose is to prove that your faith is genuine. Even gold, which can be destroyed, is tested by fire; and so your faith, which is much more precious than gold, must also be tested, so that it may endure. Then you will receive praise and glory and honor on the Day when Jesus Christ is revealed. You love him, although you have not seen him, and you believe in him, although you do not now see him. So you rejoice with a great and glorious joy which words cannot express, because you are receiving the salvation of your souls, which is the purpose of your faith in him.

It was concerning this salvation that the prophets made careful search and investigation, and they prophesied about this gift which God would give you. They tried to find out when the time would be and how it would come. This was the time to which Christ's Spirit in them was pointing, in predicting the sufferings that Christ would have to endure and the glory that would follow. God revealed to these prophets that their work was not for their own benefit, but for yours, as they spoke about those things which you have now heard from the messengers who announced the Good News by the power of the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. These are things which even the angels would like to understand.

So then, have your minds ready for action. Keep alert and set your hope completely on the blessing which will be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. Be obedient to God, and do not allow your lives to be shaped by those desires you had when you were still ignorant. Instead, be holy in all that you do, just as God who called you is holy. The scripture says, “Be holy because I am holy.”

You call him Father, when you pray to God, who judges all people by the same standard, according to what each one has done; so then, spend the rest of your lives here on earth in reverence for him. For you know what was paid to set you free from the worthless manner of life handed down by your ancestors. It was not something that can be destroyed, such as silver or gold; it was the costly sacrifice of Christ, who was like a lamb without defect or flaw. He had been chosen by God before the creation of the world and was revealed in these last days for your sake. Through him you believe in God, who raised him from death and gave him glory; and so your faith and hope are fixed on God.

Now that by your obedience to the truth you have purified yourselves and have come to have a sincere love for other believers, love one another earnestly with all your heart. For through the living and eternal word of God you have been born again as the children of a parent who is immortal, not mortal. As the scripture says,

“All human beings are like grass,
and all their glory is like wild flowers.
The grass withers, and the flowers fall,
but the word of the Lord remains forever.”

This word is the Good News that was proclaimed to you.

The Word of the Lord
Thanks be to God

Silence

A Gracious Gift of God

In this evening’s reading the apostle Peter urges those to whom he is writing to be holy in all that they do just as God who called them is holy. He quotes a verse from the Old Testament, Leviticus 19:2, “I am holy, so you must be holy,” what God had instructed Moses to tell the Israelites. Being holy was to be an important part of being God’s people. They were to live a life reflecting God’s own holiness, a life embodying God’s own character and standards.

What Peter is telling those to whom he is writing is that they, as God’s chosen people, are to likewise live a holy life. They are to give up their old way of life and adopt a new way of life, one that is characterized by holiness. God’s call to holy living applied to them as well as to the people of Israel.

In the Sermon on the Mount, in Matthew 5:48, Jesus says something similar to what Peter is saying. Jesus tells his disciples and the crowds who flocked to hear him, “… you must be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.”.

In this part of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus is talking about loving others. What he says is that we cannot settle for just loving those who love us. We must also love our enemies, those who hate us.

While loving others is the context in which he is giving this instruction, the principle that he is teaching has wider application. What Jesus is telling us is that we must strive to be more like God. It is God’s own character and standards by which we are to measure ourselves.

Are we to conclude from what the apostle Peter and Jesus himself are saying that we can put ourselves right with God by our own efforts? We can only draw this erroneous conclusion if we ignore what else is written in the New Testament, what Peter also says in this evening’s reading and what Jesus says in John’s Gospel and elsewhere.

Both Peter and Jesus speak of being born again, of experiencing a new birth that is spiritual in nature. This new birth is a gift of God’s mercy as is the new life that it enables us to live. It is a life, as Peter points to the attention of his readers, lived with reverence to God while we live here on earth. Both the new birth and the new life enabled by it are works of the Holy Spirit. They are the result of the Holy Spirit’s actions or influence in our lives.

Based upon their understanding of Scripture and in some cases, the influence of a particular church tradition, theologians hold one of three views of the new birth.

The first view is that the new birth is the Holy Spirit’s work of renewal of our hearts, which in all cases causes us to have a saving faith, a “faith that not only knows and comprehends the facts about the gospel of Jesus Christ but also trusts in the person and work of Jesus Christ alone for salvation.” By “heart” I am not referring to the organ that pumps blood around our bodies but to the totality of our inner self, including our mind, our desires, and our will.

The second view is that the new birth is the Holy Spirit’s work of renewal of our hearts in response to us having a saving faith. In this view the power of the Holy Spirit working in us first arouses and awakens in us a saving faith before quickens us to new life.

The third view is that the new birth is given to us when we are baptized. In this view the Holy Spirit’s work of renewal of our hearts is tied to a human action, the priest or other authorized minister’s administration of baptism.

All three views recognize that unless the Holy Spirit renews our hearts, we will not even give thought to living a life that reflects God’s holiness, nor will we have the desire or the will to do so. However, a heart renewed by the Holy Spirit will seek to be more like God, to be more like Jesus. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, God will enable us to increase in our knowledge and love of God and in love for our neighbor. Sin, those thoughts, desires, words, actions, and omissions, which mar our relationship with God will no longer dominate our lives. Rather our hearts will be filled more and more with the love of God and neighbor, and we will think more and more like Jesus and show more and more by our actions that we are his true disciples, patterning our lives on his teaching and example.

Theologians call the process by which we are transformed into Jesus’ likeness, in our attitudes, our way of thinking, and our behavior, sanctification. The term is derived from the Latin word, sanctus, or holy, and it means to make holy. Through the process of sanctification God gives us what he requires from us. Through the process of sanctification, we become more loving, kinder, humbler and more self-controlled. God helps us to mature into people who endeavor to do good in the world.

While the process of sanctification is God’s doing from beginning to end, we do have a role in the process. We are expected to actively resist all forms of evil. God has also ordained means of grace, spiritual disciplines, through which God works to sanctify us. Among these means of grace are singing hymns, psalms, and spiritual songs; reading, studying and meditating on Scripture; hearing sermons and Bible talks; praying; receiving the bread and wine of the Lord’s Supper; having spiritual conversations with fellow Christians; and serving the poor, the marginalized, and those in need,

The process of sanctification is a gradual one. It does not happen overnight. The one thing that we need to bear in mind is that “sanctification is both a gracious gift of God and it requires our active cooperation.” If we do not actively exercise this gift, we will not see any spiritual growth in ourselves. Worst of all our faith may prove not to be a living one.

God’s call to holiness that Peter repeats in this evening’s reading is meant for all Christians in times and all place, not just those to whom Peter is writing. It is meant for us too.

As we embark upon a new year, let us make a commitment to exercise more actively the precious gift of sanctification which God has graciously given us and to grow more like Jesus as God would have us do. .

Silence

Open this link in a new tab to hear Carl P. Daw Jr.’s metrical paraphrase of the Magnificat.

My soul proclaims with wonder
the greatness of the Lord;
rejoicing in God's goodness,
my spirit is restored.

For God has looked with favor,
on one the world thought frail;
and blessings through the ages will echo
the angel's first "All hail."

My soul proclaims with wonder
the greatness of the Lord;
rejoicing in God's goodness,
my spirit is restored.

God's mercy shields the faithful
and gives them safe retreat
to arms that turns to scatter
the proud in their conceit.

My soul proclaims with wonder
the greatness of the Lord;
rejoicing in God's goodness,
my spirit is restored.

The mighty have been vanquished;
the lowly lifted up.
The hungry find abundance;
the rich, an empty cup.

My soul proclaims with wonder
the greatness of the Lord;
rejoicing in God's goodness,
my spirit is restored.

To Abraham's descendants
the Lord will steadfast prove,
for God has made with Israel
a covenant of love.

My soul proclaims with wonder
the greatness of the Lord;
rejoicing in God's goodness,
my spirit is restored.

I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died and was buried;
he descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose again;
he ascended into heaven,
he is seated at the right hand of the Father,
and he will come again to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.

THE MINISTRY OF PRAYER

The Lord be with you
and also with you.

Let us 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.

That this evening may be holy, good, and peaceful,
We entreat you, O Lord.

That your holy angels may lead us in paths of peace and
goodwill,
We entreat you, O Lord.

That we may be pardoned and forgiven for our sins
and offenses,
We entreat you, O Lord.

That there may be peace to your Church and to the whole
world,
We entreat you, O Lord.

That we may depart this life in your faith and fear,
and not be condemned before the great judgment seat
of Christ,
We entreat you, O Lord.

That we may be bound together by your Holy Spirit in
the communion of all your saints,
entrusting one another and all our life to Christ.
We entreat you, O Lord.

Almighty God, you have poured upon us the new light of
your incarnate Word: Grant that this light, enkindled in our
hearts, may shine forth in our lives; through Jesus Christ our
Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy
Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Be our light in the darkness, O Lord, and in your great mercy
defend us from all perils and dangers of this night; for the love
of your only Son, our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

Keep watch, dear Lord, with those who work, or watch, or
weep this night, and give your angels charge over those who
sleep. Tend the sick, Lord Christ; give rest to the weary, bless
the dying, soothe the suffering, pity the afflicted, shield the
joyous; and all for your love's sake. Amen.

Open this link in anew to hear John Wesley's Covenant Prayer."

Verse 1:
Lord, I am not mine, but yours alone.
Let your will be done and not my own.
Put me where you will, and let me serve;
in everything I do, let me endure.

Refrain:
This is my prayer, Lord, to you.
My promise and my vow, strong and true.
And the covenant I make on earth,
let it be fulfilled in heaven. Amen.

Verse 2:
Father, Son, and Spirit hear my cry,
forever I am yours and you are mine.
Father, son and Spirit hear my cry,
forever I am yours and you are mine.

Refrain:
This is my prayer, Lord, to you.
My promise and my vow, strong and true.
And the covenant I make on earth,
let it be fulfilled in heaven. Amen.

Bridge:
Let me be employed for you,
laid aside for you,
lifted high for you or brought low.
Let me be full, let me empty.
Let me have all things or nothing.

Verse 3:
Lord, I am not mine, but yours alone.
Let your will be done and not my own.
Put me where you will, and let me serve;
in everything I do, let me endure.

Refrain:
This is my prayer, Lord, to you.
My promise and my vow, strong and true.
And the covenant I make on earth,
let it be fulfilled in heaven. Amen.

Eternal God,
to whom a thousand years are no more than a moment;
renew us in your Holy Spirit,
so that we may serve you with courage
while we have life and breath;
through the grace of Jesus Christ your Son our Savior.
Amen.

Most gracious and merciful God, you have reconciled us to
yourself through Jesus Christ your Son, and called us to new
life in him: Grant that we, who begin this year in his Name,
may complete it to his honor and glory; who lives and reigns
now and forever. Amen.

THE SENDING FORTH OF GOD’S PEOPLE

Let us bless the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Glory to God whose power, working in us, can do infinitely
more than we can ask or imagine: Glory to him from
generation to generation in the Church, and in Christ Jesus
for ever and ever. Amen. Ephesians 3:20,21