Thursday Evenings at All Hallows (Thursday, February 27, 2025)

Welcome to Thursday Evenings at All Hallows.

Two hymns that have a long association with Evening Prayer are the Phos hilaron and the Magnificat. The Phos hilaron dates to the earliest days of Christianity and the Magnificat is found in the Gospel of Luke. Both have been sung by generations of Christians since earliest times. When we sing them, we join our voices to theirs, even though centuries may separate us from them.

In this evening’s message we consider what has been a longstanding problem in the Christian Church and how to deal with it.

GATHERING IN GOD’S NAME

Open this link in a new tab to hear Mark Hayes’ arrangement of Bob Kilpatrick’s LORD, BE GLORIFIED for piano.

Silence

Seek him 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 upon
the surface of the earth: The Lord is his name. Amos 5:8

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 William George Storey’s translation of the Phos hilaron, “O Radiant Light, O Sun Divine.”

1 O radiant light, O sun divine,
Of God the Father's deathless face,
O image of the light sublime
That fills the heav'nly dwelling place.

2 O Son of God, the source of life,
Praise is your due by night and day.
Our happy lips must raise the strain
of your esteem'd and splendid name.

3 Lord Jesus Christ, as daylight fades,
As shine the lights of eventide,
We praise the Father with the Son,
The Spirit blest and with them one.

Open this link in a new tab to hear Marty Haugen’s adaptation of Psalm 121, “Pilgrim’s Song.”

I lift my eyes to the mountains,
from where shall come my help?
My help shall come from the One
who made the heavens and the earth,
the Maker of heaven and earth.

1 God will not let your foot be moved.
God, who keeps you will not slumber.
The One who keeps Israel
never slumbers, never sleeps.

I lift my eyes to the mountains,
from where shall come my help?
My help shall come from the One
who made the heavens and the earth,
the Maker of heaven and earth.

2 God will be the one who keeps you,
as a shade at your right hand,
so the sun shall not strike you by day,
nor the moon in the night.

I lift my eyes to the mountains,
from where shall come my help?
My help shall come from the One
who made the heavens and the earth,
the Maker of heaven and earth.

3. God will keep you from all evil.
God will always guard your life,
guard your comings, and your goings,
from now and evermore.

I lift my eyes to the mountains,
from where shall come my help?
My help shall come from the One
who made the heavens and the earth,
the Maker of heaven and earth.

Silence

Lord, ever watchful and faithful,
we look to you to be our defense
and we lift our hearts to know your help;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

THE MINISTRY OF THE WORD

A reading from Letter of James
James 2:1-9

My brothers and sisters, when you show favoritism you deny the faithfulness of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has been resurrected in glory. Imagine two people coming into your meeting. One has a gold ring and fine clothes, while the other is poor, dressed in filthy rags. Then suppose that you were to take special notice of the one wearing fine clothes, saying, “Here’s an excellent place. Sit here.” But to the poor person you say, “Stand over there”; or, “Here, sit at my feet.” Wouldn’t you have shown favoritism among yourselves and become evil-minded judges?

My dear brothers and sisters, listen! Hasn’t God chosen those who are poor by worldly standards to be rich in terms of faith? Hasn’t God chosen the poor as heirs of the kingdom he has promised to those who love him? But you have dishonored the poor. Don’t the wealthy make life difficult for you? Aren’t they the ones who drag you into court? Aren’t they the ones who insult the good name spoken over you at your baptism?

You do well when you really fulfill the royal law found in scripture, Love your neighbor as yourself. But when you show favoritism, you are committing a sin, and by that same law you are exposed as a lawbreaker.

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Silence

The Royal Law

We learn from the apostle James’ warning to those to whom he addressed his letter that giving preferential treatment to the wealthy is an age-old problem in the Christian Church. It was not only a problem in New Testament times but also in the Middle Ages and later centuries. It continues to be a problem in an undetermined number of churches in our time.

By the Middle Ages the clergy and religious (monks and nuns) had become a separate class of their own in feudal society, subject to their own laws and their own courts. Bishops owned vast tracts of land and serfs to work the land. So did monasteries. Both the bishops and the abbots, the heads of these monasteries, hobnobbed with the nobility and the upper echelons of feudal society.

In church buildings a rood screen separated the nave from the chancel, hiding the celebration of the Mass from the rude gaze of the common people. Only the clergy, the nobility, and others who had the favor of the Church were permitted to enter the chancel.

While they were expected to attend Mass and could be hailed before a church court if they did not attend, the laity had no part in the service. They either engaged in private devotions or chatted with each other until a priest elevated a consecrated host for their adoration.

The situation was not much better in eighteenth century England. Before the introduction of pews, people either stood or sat on a fold stool that they had brought to church with them. The introduction of the pew brought with it the practice of renting or selling pews to wealthier families and individuals in the parish, the best pews going to the more prominent members of the community.

In eighteenth century England a minister of the Church of England might have more than one living, an area from which a member of the clergy of the Church of England could collect revenues in the form of rents, tithes, fees, and other emoluments for the support of his ministry. The minister might reside in one living while hiring a curate, a minister of the lowest rank, to conduct services and provide pastoral care in the other livings.

Some ministers would spend more time hobnobbing with the more affluent members of the community, cultivating the patronage of influential friends, and indulging in their favorite hobbies and pastimes than in ministering to the people of the area in which they had charge. One of the consequences of these developments was that the working classes and the poor stopped attending church.

It was this situation that caused John Wesley, a minister of the Church of England, a leading figure of the eighteenth century Evangelical Revival, and the founder of Methodism, to devote himself to preaching to this segment of the English population, recognizing that the regular parish clergy were not meeting its spiritual needs. Rather than expecting people to come to him, Wesley went to them, often preaching outdoors.

Regrettably many twenty-first century Christians are still apt to treat people according to their social standing, their position in society, or their social class. Factors like wealth, income, education, family background, power, race, gender, and physical appearance influence how they perceive people and how they react to people.

Among the more common ways that we may treat people according to their social standing is that we may cater to the preferences of the wealthier members of a congregation even though their preferences may not be in the best interest of our church. We may extend a warmer welcome to someone who is smartly dressed and well-groomed than to someone who looks like they slept in their clothes and has a disheveled appearance. We may avoid that person rather than greeting them or our greeting may be perfunctory.

I recall two woman who attended for two or three Sundays the church where I was at the time senior lay reader. From chatting with them, I learned one of them had met the priest, taken a liking to him, and decided to attend the church, inviting a friend to accompany her. I also noticed that the members of the congregation who were normally friendly toward visitors did not display their usual friendliness toward these two women. This I attributed to the way that the two women were dressed. They were not as smartly dressed as the members of the congregation. Whether consciously or unconsciously I cannot say but they appeared to be avoiding the two women because the two women appeared to be on a lower rung of the socio-economic ladder from them. The two women were not their kind of people.

While Jesus sometimes dined with the elites of first century Judea society, he did not confine his ministry to that segment of Judean society. He called his disciples from all segments of society. They included fishermen, a Zealot, a tax collector, and a thief who would betray him.

To the disgust of the Pharisees and teachers of the religious law, Jesus did not avoid those whom they considered beyond redemption.

Jesus expelled a demon from the daughter of a Syrophoenician woman, healed the servant of a Roman officer, and cleansed a Samaritan leper.

Jesus not only set this example for his disciples, but also and most importantly he pointed to their attention that what they did for the least of his brothers and sisters, they did for him (Matthew 25: 40).

In this evening’s reading the apostle James describes as the “royal law” the commandment to love one’s neighbor as oneself, stressing the importance of this commandment. Jesus makes very plain in his teaching that he regarded everyone as a neighbor.

We show love for a neighbor when we treat them with compassion, friendliness, generosity, helpfulness, kindness, patience, and thoughtfulness. We do not reserve this kind of treatment for one group of people. We treat everyone this way no matter who they are and their walk in life.

This means paying closer attention to how we treat other people. As Jesus told his disciples, what we do to the least of his brothers and sisters, we do to him. It is a teaching that we need to take to heart and by which we need to guide our lives.

Silence

Open this link in a new tab to hear John Theodore Mueller’s translation of Hermann Bonnus’ metrical paraphrase of the Magnificat, “My Soul Give Glory to the Lord.”

1 My soul gives glory to the Lord,
In God my Savior I rejoice.
My lowliness he did regard.
Exalting me by his own choice.

2 Now everyone shall call me blest,
For he has done great things for me,
Of all great names his is the best,
For it is holy; strong is he.

3 His mercy goes to all who fear,
From age to age and to all parts.
His arm of strength to all is near;
He scatters those who have proud hearts.

[Instrumental interlude]

4 He casts the mighty from their throne
And raises those of low degree;
He feeds the hungry as his own,
The rich depart in poverty.

5 He raised his servant Israel,
Rememb'ring his eternal grace,
As from of old he did foretell
To Abraham and all his race.

6 O Father, Son and Spirit blest,
In threefold Name are you adored,
To you be ev'ry prayer addressed,
From age to age the only Lord.

Coda:
From age to age the only Lord.

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 Lord, you have taught us that without love whatever we
do is worth nothing; Send your Holy Spirit and pour into our
hearts your greatest gift, which is love, the true bond of peace
and of all virtue, without which whoever lives is accounted
dead before you. Grant this for the sake of your only Son
Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and 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 a new tab to hear Marty Haugen’s “All Are Welcome.”

1 Let us build a house
where love can dwell
and all can safely live,
a place where saints and children tell
how hearts learn to forgive.
Built of hopes and dreams and visions,
rock of faith and vault of grace;
here the love of Christ
shall end divisions.

All are welcome, all are welcome,
all are welcome in this place.

2 Let us build a house
where prophets speak,
and words are strong and true,
where all God’s children dare to seek
to dream God’s reign anew.
Here the cross shall stand as witness
and as symbol of God’s grace;
here as one we claim the faith of Jesus.

All are welcome, all are welcome,
all are welcome in this place.

3 Let us build a house where love is found
in water, wine and wheat:
a banquet hall on holy ground
where peace and justice meet.
Here the love of God, through Jesus,
is revealed in time and space;
as we share in Christ
the feast that frees us.

All are welcome, all are welcome,
all are welcome in this place.

4 Let us build a house
where hands will reach
beyond the wood and stone
to heal and strengthen, serve and teach,
and live the Word they’ve known.
Here the outcast and the stranger
bear the image of God’s face;
let us bring an end to fear and danger.

All are welcome, all are welcome,
all are welcome in this place.

5 Let us build a house
where all are named,
their songs and visions heard
and loved and treasured,
taught and claimed
as words within the Word.
Built of tears and cries and laughter,
prayers of faith and songs of grace,
let this house proclaim
from floor to rafter.

All are welcome, all are welcome,
all are welcome in this place.

Inspire and strengthen us by your Holy Spirit, O Lord God, to seek your will and uphold your honor in all things ; in the purity and joy of our homes, in the trust and fellowship of our common life, in daily service of the good; after the pattern and in the power of your Son our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 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.