Sundays at All Hallows (Sunday, March 16, 2025)

Welcome to Sundays at All Hallows.

This coming Monday, March 17, 2025, is the feast of Saint Patrick, who was a fifth century missionary to Ireland and later a bishop in Ireland. He is credited with bringing Christianity to various parts of the Emerald Isle. Patrick was not the first missionary to Ireland, but he was an important one. He is regarded as the patron saint of Ireland and the apostle to the Irish.

Patrick tried to establish the diocesan system in Ireland, a system in which churches are organized into dioceses, areas each of which is controlled by a bishop. This system did not survive his death.

Ireland was rural and had no towns. Its people were divided into tribes, each with its own chief. What would take the place of the diocesan system in Ireland would be a loose network of monasteries, Christian communities of both men and women, some celibate, others married, led by an abbot and in some cases by an abbess. Unlike later monasteries these Irish monasteries were not cloistered.

Irish monks would play an important role in the evangelization of Scotland and the re-evangelization of what would become England. They also brought Christianity to parts of Northern Europe and even as far south as Northern Italy.

The topic of this Sunday’s message is what Paul means by “bodily desires.”

GATHER IN GOD’S NAME

Open this link in a new tab to hear Timothy Seaman’s arrangement of HOLY MANNA for mountain dulcimer.

Silence

If we say 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

[ friends in Christ,
as we prepare to worship almighty God,
let us with penitent and obedient hearts
confess our sins,
that we may obtain forgiveness
by his infinite goodness and mercy.

Or this:

Let us confess our sins
against God and our neighbour.]

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 neighbours 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 upon us,
pardon and deliver you from all your sins,
confirm and strengthen you in all goodness,
and keep you in eternal life;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

Lord, open our lips,
And our mouth shall proclaim your praise.

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.

Open this link in new tab to hear Alanna Glover’s arrangement of William Kethe’s metrical paraphrase of Psalm 100, “All People That on Earth Do Dwell (with additional words by Alanna Glover).

1 All people that on earth do dwell,
Sing to the Lord with cheerful voice.
Serve him with joy, his praises tell,
Come now before him and rejoice!

2 Know that the Lord is God indeed;
He formed us all without our aid.
We are the flock he comes to feed,
The sheep who by his hand were made.

O let the earth rejoice, lift up your voice
And magnify his holy name
O let the earth rejoice, lift up your voice
And magnify his holy name

3 O enter then his gates with joy,
Within his courts his praise proclaim.
Let thankful songs your tongues employ,
O bless and magnify his name.

O let the earth rejoice, lift up your voice
And magnify his holy name
O let the earth rejoice, lift up your voice
And magnify his holy name

4 Because the Lord our God is good,
His mercy is forever sure.
His faithfulness at all times stood
And shall from age to age endure.

O let the earth rejoice, lift up your voice
And magnify his holy name
O let the earth rejoice, lift up your voice
And magnify his holy name

5 Praise God from whom all blessings flow;
Praise him, all creatures here below;
Praise him above, ye heavenly host;
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

Open this link in a new tab to hear Christopher Walker’s “The Lord Is My Light” (Psalm 27).

1 The Lord is my light, my help, my salvation.
Why should I fear?
With God I fear no one.
God protects me all my life.
With the Lord what should I dread?

The Lord is my light,
the Lord is my help,
the Lord is my salvation.

2 There is one thing I ask of the Lord that I long for:
all of my days with God to be dwelling,
gazing with awe at the beauty of God,
and in wonder look on God's house.

The Lord is my light,
the Lord is my help,
the Lord is my salvation.

3 I know I will live to see the Lord’s goodness,
now, in this life I'm sure I will see it.
Trust in the Lord, be strong and be brave;
wait in hope for God, our salvation.

The Lord is my light,
the Lord is my help,
the Lord is my salvation.

Silence

God, our light and our salvation,
illuminate our lives,
that we may see your goodness in the land of the living,
and, looking on your beauty,
may be changed into the likeness of Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

Open this link in a new tab to hear Emma Turl’s metrical paraphrase of Psalm 84, “How Delightful Is Your Dwelling.”

1 How delightful is your dwelling,
O Almighty Sovereign Lord -
place of peace, where all my longings
are fulfilled, my soul restored.
Every fibre of my being
living God, calls out to you:
come revive me with your presence
and with hope my life renew!

2 This is where the tiny sparrow
near your altar finds her rest;
in a corner here the swallow
for her young prepares a nest.
So with all who find contentment
in your house, my God, my King,
may I also know your favour
and your praise for ever sing.

3 Blessed are all the pilgrim-hearted,
strengthened, so that as they go
arid land becomes a garden
where refreshing rivers flow.
On from strength to strength they journey
and at last arrive in heaven:
as we follow in their footsteps,
may your grace to us be given.

4 One day in your house is better
than a thousand spent elsewhere -
earth can offer no attraction
like the joy of serving there.
Sun to guide and shield to guard us
where your blessing is assured:
by your mercy keep us faithful
as we trust in you, O Lord!

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 the Book of Genesis.
Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18

After this, Abram had a vision and heard the Lord say to him, “Do not be afraid, Abram. I will shield you from danger and give you a great reward.”

But Abram answered, “Sovereign Lord, what good will your reward do me, since I have no children? My only heir is Eliezer of Damascus. You have given me no children, and one of my slaves will inherit my property.”

Then he heard the Lord speaking to him again: “This slave Eliezer will not inherit your property; your own son will be your heir.” The Lord took him outside and said, “Look at the sky and try to count the stars; you will have as many descendants as that.”

Abram put his trust in the Lord, and because of this the Lord was pleased with him and accepted him.

Then the Lord said to him, “I am the Lord, who led you out of Ur in Babylonia, to give you this land as your own.”

But Abram asked, “Sovereign Lord, how can I know that it will be mine?”

He answered, “Bring me a cow, a goat, and a ram, each of them three years old, and a dove and a pigeon.” Abram brought the animals to God, cut them in half, and placed the halves opposite each other in two rows; but he did not cut up the birds. Vultures came down on the bodies, but Abram drove them off.

When the sun was going down, Abram fell into a deep sleep, and fear and terror came over him.

When the sun had set and it was dark, a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch suddenly appeared and passed between the pieces of the animals. Then and there the Lord made a covenant with Abram. He said, “I promise to give your descendants all this land from the border of Egypt to the Euphrates River,

The word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Silence

Open this link in a new tab to hear Fred Pratt Green's metrical paraphrase of , the Second Song of Isaiah (Isaiah 55: 6-11).

1. Seek the Lord who now is present,
pray to One who is at hand.
Let the wicked cease from sinning,
evildoers change their mind.
On the sinful God has pity;
those returning God forgives.
This is what the Lord is saying
to a world that disbelieves.

2. “Judge me not by human standards!
As the vault of heaven soars
high above the earth, so higher
are my thoughts and ways than yours.
See how rain and snow from heaven
make earth blossom and bear fruit,
giving you, before returning,
seed for sowing, bread to eat:

3. “So my Word returns not fruitless;
does not from its labors cease
till it has achieved my purpose
in a world of joy and peace.”
God is love! How close the prophet
to that vital gospel word!
In Isaiah’s inspiration
it is Jesus we have heard!

A reading from Paul’s Letter to the Philippians.
Philippians 3: 17 - 4: 1

Keep on imitating me, my friends. Pay attention to those who follow the right example that we have set for you. I have told you this many times before, and now I repeat it with tears: there are many whose lives make them enemies of Christ's death on the cross. They are going to end up in hell, because their god is their bodily desires. They are proud of what they should be ashamed of, and they think only of things that belong to this world. We, however, are citizens of heaven, and we eagerly wait for our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, to come from heaven. He will change our weak mortal bodies and make them like his own glorious body, using that power by which he is able to bring all things under his rule.

So then, my friends, how dear you are to me and how I miss you! How happy you make me, and how proud I am of you!—this, dear friends, is how you should stand firm in your life in the Lord.

The word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Silence

Open this link in a new tab to hear David Haas’ adaptation of the Beatitudes, “Blessed Are They.”

1 Blest are they, the poor in spirit,
theirs is the kingdom of God.
Blessed are they, full of sorrow,
they shall be consoled.

Rejoice and be glad
Blessed are you; holy are you
Rejoice and be glad
Yours is the Kingdom of God

2 Blest are they, the lowly ones,
they shall inherit the earth.
Blest are they who hunger and thirst,
they shall have their fill.

Rejoice and be glad
Blessed are you; holy are you
Rejoice and be glad
Yours is the Kingdom of God

3 Blest are they who show mercy,
mercy shall be theirs.
Blest are they, the pure of heart,
they shall see God!

Rejoice and be glad
Blessed are you; holy are you
Rejoice and be glad
Yours is the Kingdom of God

4 Blest are they who seek peace;
they are the children of God.
Blest are they who suffer in faith,
the glory of God is theirs.

Rejoice and be glad
Blessed are you; holy are you
Rejoice and be glad
Yours is the Kingdom of God

5 Blest are you who suffer hate,
all because of me.
Rejoice and be glad, yours is the kingdom;
shine for all to see.

Rejoice and be glad
Blessed are you; holy are you
Rejoice and be glad
Yours is the Kingdom of God

Rejoice and be glad
Blessed are you; holy are you
Rejoice and be glad
Yours is the Kingdom of God

The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ
according to Luke.
Luke 13: 31-35
Glory to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

At that same time some Pharisees came to Jesus and said to him, “You must get out of here and go somewhere else, because Herod wants to kill you.”

Jesus answered them, “Go and tell that fox: ‘I am driving out demons and performing cures today and tomorrow, and on the third day I shall finish my work.’ Yet I must be on my way today, tomorrow, and the next day; it is not right for a prophet to be killed anywhere except in Jerusalem.

“Jerusalem, Jerusalem! You kill the prophets, you stone the messengers God has sent you! How many times I wanted to put my arms around all your people, just as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you would not let me! And so your Temple will be abandoned. I assure you that you will not see me until the time comes when you say, ‘God bless him who comes in the name of the Lord.’”

The Gospel of Christ.
Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

What Does Paul Mean by “Bodily Desires”?

When Paul talks about “bodily desires,” or “desires of the flesh,” in this Sunday’s reading from his Letter to the Philippians, what does he mean?

At first glance we might conclude that he is talking about gratification of our physical appetites, our cravings for food, comfort, and sexual and other forms of pleasure. While what Paul is saying can be applied to the gratification of these appetites, what he has in mind is a broad range of human inclinations and pursuits that are opposed to a life centered on Christ and lived in the Holy Spirit.

Among these inclinations and pursuits is the strong desire to dominate others, to exercise power, influence, and control over them, to impose one’s will upon them, and dictate how they should think and act.

This inclination is often accompanied by what was at one time called “vainglory.” A person who is vainglorious shows too much pride in their own abilities and achievements. They are arrogant, boastful, and conceited and suffer from an overinflated or swollen ego. In their own minds they can do no wrong. If something does go wrong and it is their fault, they quickly pin the blame on someone else.

When they do not get their way, such individuals react with strong feelings of anger. They can be extremely vindictive toward anyone with whom they are angry, doing whatever they can to harm the person with whom they are angry. Forgiving those who have offended them and not harboring grudges against them is something outside their experience. They regarded such actions as weakness.

They also lack empathy, the ability to imagine what it must be like to be in someone else's situation or to share another person's feelings and emotions as if they were one’s own. As a consequence, they show little or no feelings of sympathy for people who are suffering or desire to help them.

In addition, they are singularly lacking in what Paul describes as the fruit of the Spirit,” those attributes that Paul tell us the Holy Spirit produces in believers, enabling them to grow more Christ-like, “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, humility, and self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23).

It is these human inclinations and pursuits against which Paul is warning the church at Philippi and us, not just the gratification of our physical appetites. We can make a god of ourselves. It is idolatry as much as if we carved an idol from wood or cast one in silver or gold and bowed before it. We are not only worshiping ourselves but also demanding that others worship us.

If we wish to walk as true disciples of Jesus, we will choose a different path. We will form and frame our lives according to Jesus’ teaching and example and live a life of humility, longsuffering, and service to God like Paul’s.

Silence

[Let us confess our faith, as we say,]

I believe in God,
the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord.
He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit
and born of the Virgin Mary.
He 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,
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
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.

Open this link in a new tab to hear Dwight Beal’s “Hymn of St. Patrick.”

Christ be with me and within me
Christ behind me and before
Christ beside me and to win me
Christ to comfort and restore

Christ beneath me and above me
Christ in quiet and in danger
Christ in hearts of all that love me
Christ in mouth of friend and stranger

Christ be with me and within me
Christ behind me and before
Christ beside me and to win me
Christ to comfort and restore

Christ beneath me and above me
Christ in quiet and in danger
Christ in hearts of all that love me
Christ in mouth of friend and stranger

Christ in every heart that’s broken
Christ in every joy and pain
Christ in every word that’s spoken
Christ in sun and moon and rain

Christ in resting and in rising
Christ the Lord of all my life
Christ to guide me and to shield me
Christ protecting me in strife

[Instrumental interlude]

Christ be with me and within me
Christ behind me and before
Christ beside me and to win me
Christ to comfort and restore

Christ beneath me and above me
Christ in quiet and in danger
Christ in hearts of all that love me
Christ in mouth of friend and stranger

[If a collection is taken, it is presented with these words and placed in a suitable place.

Yours, Lord, is the greatness,
the power, the glory, the splendour, and the majesty;
for everything in heaven and on earth is yours.
All things come from you, and of your own do we give you.]

THE MINISTRY OF PRAYER

(With confidence and trust let us pray to the Lord, saying,
“Lord, have mercy.”)

For the one holy catholic and apostolic Church throughout the
world, we pray to you, Lord.
Lord, have mercy.

For the mission of the Church, that in faithful witness it may
preach the gospel to the ends of the earth, we pray to you,
Lord.
Lord, have mercy.

For those preparing for baptism and for their teachers and
sponsors, we pray to you, Lord.
Lord, have mercy.

For peace in the world, that a spirit of respect and reconciliation
may grow among nations and peoples, we pray to you, Lord.
Lord, have mercy.

For the poor, the persecuted, the sick, and all who suffer; for
refugees, prisoners, and all in danger; that they may be
relieved and protected, we pray to you, Lord.
Lord, have mercy.

For all whom we have injured or offended, we pray to you,
Lord.
Lord, have mercy.

For grace to amend our lives and to further the reign of God,
we pray to you, Lord.
Lord, have mercy.

Additional intercessions, petitions, and thanksgivings may be offered silently or aloud.

Almighty God,
whose Son was revealed in majesty
before he suffered death upon the cross,
give us faith to perceive his glory,
that being strengthened by his grace
we may be changed into his likeness, from glory to glory;
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.
Amen.

[Gathering our prayers and praises into one,
let us pray as our Saviour taught us,]

Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins
as we forgive those who sin against us.
Save us from the time of trial,
and deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power,
and the glory are yours,
now and for ever. Amen.

THE SENDING FORTH OF GOD’S PEOPLE

Let us bless the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

The Lord bless us and keep us. The Lord make his face shine
on us and be gracious to us. The Lord look upon us with favour
and grant us peace. Amen.