Thursday Evenings at All Hallows (Thursday, March 20, 2025)
Today is the first day of spring in the northern hemisphere. Parts of the South and the Mid-West are recovering from deadly tornadoes, winds, and wildfires that devastated these areas. Severe weather continues to plague the central United States. Those living in the affected areas need our prayers.
The topic of this evening’s message is what Christians often get wrong about God’s house.
GATHER IN GOD’S NAME
Open this link in a new tab to hear Timothy Seaman’s arrangement of William J. Kirkpatrick’s TRUST IN JESUS for hammered dulcimer.
Silence
Seek the Lord while he wills to be found, call upon him when he draws near; let the wicked forsake their ways, and the evil ones their thoughts; and let them return to the Lord, and he will have compassion, and to our God, for he will richly pardon. Isaiah 55.6, 7
[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 us from all your sins,
confirm and strengthen us in all goodness,
and keep us in eternal life;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
O Lord, I call to you; come to me quickly;
Hear my voice when I cry to you.
Let my prayer be set forth in your sight as incense,
The lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.
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 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 Timothy Dudley Smith’s “Safe in the Shadow of the Lord” (Psalm 91).
1 Safe in the shadow of the Lord,
beneath his hand and power,
I trust in him,
I trust in him,
my fortress and my tower.
2 My hope is set on God alone,
though Satan spreads his snare,
I trust in him,
I trust in him,
to keep me in his care.
3 From fears and phantoms of the night,
from foes about my way,
I trust in him,
I trust in him,
by darkness as by day.
4 His holy angels keep my feet
secure from every stone;
I trust in him,
I trust in him,
and unafraid go on.
5 Strong in the everlasting Name,
and in my Father's care,
I trust in him,
I trust in him,
who hears and answers prayer.
6 Safe in the shadow of the Lord,
possessed by love divine,
I trust in him,
I trust in him,
and meet his love with mine.
Silence
Keep us, good Lord,
under the shadow of your mercy
and, as you have bound us to yourself in love,
leave us not who call upon your name,
but grant us your salvation,
made known in the cross of Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
THE MINISTRY OF THE WORD
A reading from the Letter to the Hebrews
Hebrews 3:1-6
My Christian friends, who also have been called by God! Think of Jesus, whom God sent to be the High Priest of the faith we profess. He was faithful to God, who chose him to do this work, just as Moses was faithful in his work in God's house. A man who builds a house receives more honor than the house itself. In the same way Jesus is worthy of much greater honor than Moses. Every house, of course, is built by someone—and God is the one who has built all things. Moses was faithful in God's house as a servant, and he spoke of the things that God would say in the future. But Christ is faithful as the Son in charge of God's house. We are his house if we keep up our courage and our confidence in what we hope for.
The word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
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.
What Christians Often Get Wrong about God’s House
Perhaps you have heard a pastor or someone else talking about “God’s house.” The more you listened, the more you realized that they were talking about a place of worship, a building, a chapel or a church. May be you were a child, and you were talking loudly in a church and a grownup told you to be quiet because you were in “God’s house.” Were they right in calling a place of worship, a building, “God’s house”?
What we learn from Scripture is that God does not need a dwelling, a house or place to live in. Even though he instructed the people of Israel to construct a tabernacle, and later permitted King David’s son, Solomon, to erect a temple, these structures were not intended to house God but to serve as a point of contact, a place where the people of Israel could meet God and connect with God.
Psalm 139 tells us that God is everywhere. He is omnipresent. We cannot go any place where God is not present.
The commandments which God gave to the people of Israel through Moses forbids the making of graven images of God and worshiping them. This is a rejection of what was a common belief and practice of the Egyptians and other peoples of the ancient Mid-East. They believed that their gods and goddesses inhabited the idols that they made and built elaborate temples to house these idols. In worshiping the idol of a god or goddess, they believed that they were worshiping the god or goddess themselves.
Isaiah 66:1-2 tells us that God cannot be contained by his own creation.
"The Lord says, 'Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. What kind of house, then, could you build for me, what kind of place for me to live in? I myself created the whole universe! I am pleased with those who are humble and repentant, who fear me and obey me.'"
What is pleasing to God are not the edifices that we may erect for “religious practices, ceremonies, and communal prayer” no matter how splendid they may be. Rather it is our attitudes and actions toward God.
Stephen, when he gave his speech before the Sanhedrin at whose hands he suffered martyrdom, referred to this passage in the Book of Isaiah. He stated, “But the Most High God does not live in houses built by human hands; as the prophet says…” (Acts 7:48-49). His words so enraged the Sanhedrin that they stoned him to death.
In his conversation with the Samaritan woman at the well of Jacob, Jesus points out that where we worship God is far less important than how we worship God. God seeks true worshipers, those who worship God “in spirit and in truth” (John 4:24).
In 1 Corinthians 3:16 Paul points to the attention of the church at Corinth and to ourselves that God inhabits not a building but a people.
“Surely you know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you!”
In 2 Corithians 6:16 Paul reiterates this view.
“How can God's temple come to terms with pagan idols? For we are the temple of the living God! As God himself has said,
‘I will make my home with my people
and live among them;
I will be their God,
and they shall be my people.’”
In this evening’s reading the author of Hebrews is using the phrase, “God’s house,” in the sense of a group of people who are related to each other or otherwise connected to each other, rather than a building. Moses is described as a servant of the house while Jesus is described as the son of the house and its head. Both descriptions would apply to a family, family linage, or household.
While Christians may have fallen into the habit of calling a chapel, church, or other place of worship “God’s house,” it is more accurate to view the whole body of believing people, united to Jesus and to each other by the Holy Spirit as “God’s house,” based upon what we learn from Scripture. All who turn in repentance from their sins and in faith to Jesus and live as his disciples in the world are a part of that house. As Jesus put it, “Whoever does what my Father in heaven wants is my brother, my sister, and my mother” (Mattew 12:50). They all are part of God’s family, God's house.
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
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 Carey Landry and Carol Jan Kinghorn’s arrangement of “God Is Building a House.”
God is building a house,
God is building a house,
God is building a house that will stand.
God is building by a plan
With living stones of woman and man,
God is building a house that will stand.
1 Christ is head of this house,
Christ is head of this house,
Christ is head of this house that will stand.
Christ is Lord, Christ is King,
Joyous praises we will sing,
Christ is head of this house that will stand.
God is building a house,
God is building a house,
God is building a house that will stand.
God is building by a plan
With living stones of woman and man,
God is building a house that will stand.
[Instrumental interlude]
2 We are part of this house,
We are part of this house,
We are part of this house that will stand.
We are members of the Body
And in Christ we are made one.
We are part of this house that will stand.
God is building a house,
God is building a house,
God is building a house that will stand.
God is building by a plan
With living stones of woman and man,
God is building a house that will stand.
God is building a house that will stand.
[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.
And now, as our Saviour Christ has taught us,
we are bold to say,
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,
we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory,
for ever and 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.
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