Thursday Evenings at All Hallows (Thursday, February 20, 2025).

Welcome to Thursday Evenings at All Hallows.

Faithfulness is a virtue that is highly commended in the Bible. It is one of the fruits produced by the Holy Spirit. It is an essential quality for disciples of Jesus Christ and reflects God’s own nature. It is the topic of this evening’s message.

GATHERING IN GOD’S NAME

Open this link in a new to hear Mark Hayes' arrangement of Dan Schute's HERE I AM, LORD for piano.

Silence

Yours is the day, O God, yours also the night; you established
the moon and the sun. You fixed all the boundaries of the
earth; you made both summer and winter. Psalm 74:15,16

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 to hear Carl P. Daw Jr.’s paraphrase of the Phos hilaron, “O Light Whose Splendor Thrills and Gladdens.”

1 O Light whose splendor thrills and gladdens
with radiance brighter than the sun,
pure gleam of God's unending glory,
Jesus, blest Anointed One;

2 As twilight hovers near at sunset,
and lamps are lit, and children nod,
in evening hymns we lift our voices
to Father, Spirit, Son: one God.

3 In all life's brilliant, timeless moments,
let faithful voices sing your praise,
O Son of God, our Life-bestower,
whose glory lightens endless days.

Open this link in a new tab to hear Daniel Kallman’s choral arrangement of Jonathan Asprey’s paraphrase of Psalm 84, “How Lovely Is Thy Dwelling Place.”

How lovely is thy dwelling place,
O Lord of hosts, to me.
My soul is longing and fainting,
The courts of the Lord to see.
My heart and flesh, they are singing,
For joy to the living God.
How lovely is thy dwelling-place,
O Lord of hosts, to me.

Even the sparrow finds a home,
Where he can settle down.
And the swallow she can build a nest,
Where she may lay her young.
Within the court of the Lord of hosts,
My King, my Lord and my God.
And happy are those who are dwelling where
The song of praise is sung.

And I’d rather be a door-keeper
And only stay a day,
Than live the life of a sinner
And have to stay away.
For the Lord is shining as the sun,
And the Lord, he’s like a shield;
And no good thing does God withhold
From those who walk the way.

How lovely is thy dwelling place,
O Lord of hosts, to me.
My soul is longing and fainting,
The courts of the Lord to see.
My heart and flesh, they are singing,
For joy to the living God.
How lovely is thy dwelling-place,
O Lord of hosts, to me.

Silence

Lord God,
sustain us in this vale of tears
with the vision of your grace and glory,
that, strengthened by the bread of life,
we may come to your eternal dwelling place;
in the power of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

THE MINISTRY OF THE WORD

A reading from Paul’s Second Letter to Timothy
2 Timothy 1:15-2:13

You know that everyone in the province of Asia, including Phygelus and Hermogenes, has deserted me. May the Lord show mercy to the family of Onesiphorus, because he cheered me up many times. He was not ashamed that I am in prison, but as soon as he arrived in Rome, he started looking for me until he found me. May the Lord grant him his mercy on that Day! And you know very well how much he did for me in Ephesus.

As for you, my son, be strong through the grace that is ours in union with Christ Jesus. Take the teachings that you heard me proclaim in the presence of many witnesses, and entrust them to reliable people, who will be able to teach others also.

Take your part in suffering, as a loyal soldier of Christ Jesus. A soldier on active duty wants to please his commanding officer and so does not get mixed up in the affairs of civilian life. An athlete who runs in a race cannot win the prize unless he obeys the rules. The farmer who has done the hard work should have the first share of the harvest. Think about what I am saying, because the Lord will enable you to understand it all.

Remember Jesus Christ, who was raised from death, who was a descendant of David, as is taught in the Good News I preach. Because I preach the Good News, I suffer and I am even chained like a criminal. But the word of God is not in chains, and so I endure everything for the sake of God's chosen people, in order that they too may obtain the salvation that comes through Christ Jesus and brings eternal glory. This is a true saying:

“If we have died with him,
we shall also live with him.
If we continue to endure,
we shall also rule with him.
If we deny him,
he also will deny us.
If we are not faithful,
he remains faithful,
because he cannot be false to himself.”

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Silence

Faithfulness

Did you ever make a date with someone whom you really liked, only to have them text you at the last minute and cancel the date, giving you what sounded like a lame excuse? Or agree to meet you at a certain place but never show up? Later on, you discovered that they had gone on a date with someone else.

Have you ever had a colleague at school or work who agrees to help you with a project but did not follow through on what they agreed to do?

Maybe you had a parent who made a lot of promises but never kept them to the point that you stopped believing them as they disappointed you so often.

You may recall other situations in which someone said that they were going to do something but did not do what they said that they were going to do.

Jesus is not like that. Jesus keeps his promise. He does what he says that he is going to do. He is trustworthy and truthful.

While we may not always be faithful to him, he is faithful to us. As the apostle Paul points out to his protegee Timothy in this evening’s reading, “…he cannot be false to himself.”

Faithfulness is an integral quality of God’s character and a core part of his divine nature, as revealed in the Old Testament. As God incarnate, God embodied as a human being, faithfulness is an integral quality of Jesus’ character and a core part of his divine nature too.

God’s faithfulness is one of the things that set God apart from the various deities that the pagans worshipped in the ancient Mediterranean world. The were capricious and unreliable. God, however, is unwavering in his faithfulness to his people. He is constant and steadfast in his love. So is Jesus.

As the author of the Letter to the Hebrews wrote, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8).

Silence

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!

Open this link in a new tab to hear Sylvia Dustan’s metrical paraphrase of the Apostles’ Creed.

1 I believe in God almighty, Author of all things that be,
Maker of the earth and heavens, Keeper of the sky and sea.
I believe in God’s Son, Jesus, now for us both Lord and Christ,
of the Spirit and of Mary born to bring abundant life.

2 I believe that Jesus suffered, scourged and scorned and crucified;
taken from the cross, was buried—true Life there had truly died.
I believe that on the third day Christ was raised up from the grave,
then ascended to God’s right hand. He will come to judge and save.

3 I believe in God’s own Spirit, bonding all the saints within
one church, catholic and holy, where forgiveness frees from sin;
in the body’s resurrection, for the breaking of death’s chain
gives the life that’s everlasting. This the faith that I have claimed.

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.

O God, the strength of all who put their trust in you:
Mercifully accept our prayers; and because in our weakness
we can do nothing good without you, give us the help of your
grace, that in keeping your commandments we may please
you both in will and deed; through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God,
for ever and 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.

O God and Father of all, whom the whole heavens adore:
Let the whole earth also worship you, all nations obey you,
all tongues confess and bless you, and men and women
everywhere love you and serve you in peace; through Jesus
Christ our Lord. Amen.

Open this link in a new tab to hear John Michael Talbot’s “Father Make Me Holy.”

1 Father make me holy,
Jesus make me holy,
Spirit make me holy,
Holy One.

2 The Father will cherish me.
Jesus will cherish me.
The Spirit will cherish me,
Kindly One

3 The Three aid my hope,
The Three aid my love
The Three aid my eyes
and my knee from stumbling

4 In the name of the Father,
In the name of the Son,
In the name of the Spirit,
Three in One.

O God our Father, in the gospel of your Son you have manifested your love to us and given us exceeding great and precious promises: Lift us, we pray, above all our doubts and fears, and grant us the full assurance of faith; that trusting to your grace alone, and holding fast by your word, we may evermore rejoice in your salvation; through the merits of him who died for us, and rose again victorious, the same Jesus Christ our Savior. 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.
Be with us still, and when we take our rest
renew us for the service of your Son Jesus Christ.
Amen.

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.

THE SENDING FORTH OF GOD’S PEOPLE

Let us bless the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

The almighty and merciful God bless us
and keep us now and for ever. Amen.