Sundays at All Hallows (Sunday, June 22, 2025)
Welcome to Sundays at All Hallows.
This past Friday, June 20, 2025, was the summer solstice in the northern hemisphere. It was the longest day of the year and the beginning of summer. For some Christians the summer solstice has no significance. It is just a natural event. For others it is a reminder of God’s grace to all.
The Feast of John the Baptist is celebrated on June 24. In the folk traditions of a number of countries his feast day is associated with the summer solstice.
This Sunday’s message explains why Jesus sent away a man he had freed from demons.
GATHER IN GOD’S NAME
Open this link in a new tab to hear Mark Hayes’ arrangement of ALL ARE WELCOME for solo piano.
Open this link in a new tab to hear Marty Haugen’s “Gather Us In.”
1 Here in this place new light is streaming
Now is the darkness vanished away
See in this space our fears and our dreamings
Brought here to you in the light of this day
Gather us in, the lost and forsaken
Gather us in, the blind and the lame
Call to us now and we shall awaken
We shall arise at the sound of our name
2 We are the young, our lives are a mystery
We are the old who yearn for your face
We have been sung throughout all of history
Called to be light to the whole human race
Gather us in, the rich and the haughty
Gather us in, the proud and the strong
Give us a heart so meek and so lowly
Give us the courage to enter the song
3 Here we will take the wine and the water
Here we will take the bread of new birth
Here you shall call your sons and your daughters
Call us anew to be salt for the earth
Give us to drink the wine of compassion
Give us to eat the bread that is you
Nourish us well and teach us to fashion
Lives that are holy and hearts that are true
4 Not in the dark of buildings confining
Not in some heaven light years away
But here in this place the new light is shining
Now is the kingdom, now is the day
Gather us in and hold us forever
Gather us in and make us your own
Gather us in, all peoples together
Fire of love in our flesh and our bones
Jesus said, "The first commandment is this: Hear, O Israel:
The Lord your God is the only Lord. Love the Lord your
God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your
mind, and with all your strength. The second is this: Love
your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment
greater than these." Mark 12:29-31
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.
Open this link in a new tab to hear “Glory to God” from Marty Haugen’s Mass of Creation.
Glory to God in the highest,
and peace to his people on earth.
Lord God, heavenly King,
almighty God and Father,
we worship you, we give you thanks,
we praise you for your glory.
Glory to God in the highest,
and peace to his people on earth.
Lord Jesus Christ, only Son of the Father,
Lord God, Lamb of God,
you take away the sin of the world:
have mercy on us;
you are seated at the right hand of the Father:
receive our prayer.
Glory to God in the highest,
and peace to his people on earth.
For you alone are the Holy One,
you alone are the Lord,
you alone are the Most High, Jesus Christ,
with the Holy Spirit,
in the glory of God the Father,
Amen. Amen.
Glory to God in the highest,
and peace to his people on earth.
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Let us pray.
Silence
O Lord, make us have perpetual love and reverence for your
holy Name, for you never fail to help and govern those whom
you have set upon the sure foundation of your loving-kindness;
through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you
and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
THE MINISTRY OF THE WORD
A reading from the First Book of Kings.
1 Kings 19: 1-15a
Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, how he had killed all Baal’s prophets with the sword. Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah with this message: “May the gods do whatever they want to me if by this time tomorrow I haven’t made your life like the life of one of them.”
Elijah was terrified. He got up and ran for his life. He arrived at Beer-sheba in Judah and left his assistant there. He himself went farther on into the desert a day’s journey. He finally sat down under a solitary broom bush. He longed for his own death: “It’s more than enough, Lord! Take my life because I’m no better than my ancestors.”
He lay down and slept under the solitary broom bush.
Then suddenly a messenger tapped him and said to him, “Get up! Eat something!” Elijah opened his eyes and saw flatbread baked on glowing coals and a jar of water right by his head. He ate and drank, and then went back to sleep. The Lord’s messenger returned a second time and tapped him. “Get up!” the messenger said. “Eat something, because you have a difficult road ahead of you.”
Elijah got up, ate and drank, and went refreshed by that food for forty days and nights until he arrived at Horeb, God’s mountain. There he went into a cave and spent the night.
The Lord’s word came to him and said, “Why are you here, Elijah?”
Elijah replied, “I’ve been very passionate for the Lord God of heavenly forces because the Israelites have abandoned your covenant. They have torn down your altars, and they have murdered your prophets with the sword. I’m the only one left, and now they want to take my life too!”
The Lord said, “Go out and stand at the mountain before the Lord. The Lord is passing by.” A very strong wind tore through the mountains and broke apart the stones before the Lord. But the Lord wasn’t in the wind. After the wind, there was an earthquake. But the Lord wasn’t in the earthquake. After the earthquake, there was a fire. But the Lord wasn’t in the fire. After the fire, there was a sound. Thin. Quiet. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his coat. He went out and stood at the cave’s entrance. A voice came to him and said, “Why are you here, Elijah?”
He said, “I’ve been very passionate for the Lord God of heavenly forces because the Israelites have abandoned your covenant. They have torn down your altars, and they have murdered your prophets with the sword. I’m the only one left, and now they want to take my life too.”
The Lord said to him, “Go back through the desert to Damascus and anoint Hazael as king of Aram.
The Word of the Lord
Thanks be to God
Silence
Open this link in a new tab to hear Kiran Young Wimberly’s “As the Deer Longs for Streams (Psalm 42).”
1 As the deer longs for streams of water, so my soul longs for you
I thirst for the living Lord, when shall I see the face of God
My tears have been my food, people say to me where is your God?
Why are you cast down within me, O my soul, cast down within
2 My soul’s cast down within me, so I remember you
Put your hope in God my Savior, I will yet praise the Lord
As deep calls to deep, your waves have swept over me
At night God’s song is with me, a prayer to the God of life.
[Instrumental interlude]
3 I say to God, my rock, why have you forgotten me
Why must I walk so mournful, oppressed by my enemies
Why are you cast down within me, O my soul, cast down within
Put your hope in God my Savior, I will yet praise the Lord
A reading from Paul’s Letter to the Galatians.
Galatians 3:23-29
Before faith came, we were guarded under the Law, locked up until faith that was coming would be revealed, so that the Law became our custodian until Christ so that we might be made righteous by faith.
But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a custodian.
You are all God’s children through faith in Christ Jesus. All of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek; there is neither slave nor free; nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. Now if you belong to Christ, then indeed you are Abraham’s descendants, heirs according to the promise.
The Word of the Lord
Thanks be to God
Silence
Open this link in a new tab to hear the gospel acclamation from Marty Haugen’s Mass of Creation.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.
Open our hearts, O Lord, to listen to the words of your Son.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.
The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Luke.
Luke 8:26-39
Glory to you, Lord Christ.
Jesus and his disciples sailed to the Gerasenes’ land, which is across the lake from Galilee. As soon as Jesus got out of the boat, a certain man met him. The man was from the city and was possessed by demons. For a long time, he had lived among the tombs, naked and homeless. When he saw Jesus, he shrieked and fell down before him. Then he shouted, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, don’t torture me!” He said this because Jesus had already commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. Many times it had taken possession of him, so he would be bound with leg irons and chains and placed under guard. But he would break his restraints, and the demon would force him into the wilderness.
Jesus asked him, “What is your name?”
“Legion,” he replied, because many demons had entered him. They pleaded with him not to order them to go back into the abyss. A large herd of pigs was feeding on the hillside. The demons begged Jesus to let them go into the pigs. Jesus gave them permission, and the demons left the man and entered the pigs. The herd rushed down the cliff into the lake and drowned.
When those who tended the pigs saw what happened, they ran away and told the story in the city and in the countryside. People came to see what had happened. They came to Jesus and found the man from whom the demons had gone. He was sitting at Jesus’ feet, fully dressed and completely sane. They were filled with awe. Those people who had actually seen what had happened told them how the demon-possessed man had been delivered. Then everyone gathered from the region of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave their area because they were overcome with fear. So he got into the boat and returned across the lake. The man from whom the demons had gone begged to come along with Jesus as one of his disciples. Jesus sent him away, saying, “Return home and tell the story of what God has done for you.” So he went throughout the city proclaiming what Jesus had done for him.
The Gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, Lord Christ.
Why Did Jesus Send Away the Man He Had Freed from Demons?
You may be wondering why Jesus, having freed a man from the demons that had possessed him for many years did not grant the man’s request to accompany him. Rather he instructed the man to return to his people and tell them about what God had done for him.
To answer this question, a brief discussion of the subject of demons, demonic activity, and exorcism may be in order.
In countries in the West, in countries like the United States and Great Britain, we typically find two attitudes toward evil spirits.
One attitude is that they do not exist. In this view what some people believe is demonic activity really is natural phenomena, symptoms of a psychological or neurological disorder, or their imagination. Those who adopt this attitude typically have a naturalistic explanation for everything that is supernatural. If something cannot be explained by science, they conclude it must be a figment of our imagination.
What may be surprising is that we also find people who, while they dismiss the existence of demons, malevolent spiritual beings, nonetheless believe in the existence of angels, benevolent spiritual beings. I’ll say more about that later.
Missionaries who did not believe in demons have gone to foreign mission fields to return home believing that demons and demonic activity was the only explanation for a number of things that they witnessed on the mission field. The situation in the ancient Mediterranean world was not too different from what missionaries have found on the mission field.
The other attitude may take the form of an unhealthy obsession with the supernatural and the occult, things like tarot cards and other forms of divination and ouji boards, seances, and other ways of communicating with the dead. Those who exhibit this attitude may dabble in various types of magic or become involved with occult groups. They may also evidence a high degree of naivety regarding the true nature of whatever they are obsessed with.
In Christians this attitude may take the form of not only a belief in demons but also perceptions of widespread demonic activity—"a demon behind every bush.” One group of self-identified Christians believes that the opinions of any individual or group whose opinions differ from their own are inspired by demons and therefore must be opposed by every means necessary, including physical violence and lethal force, actions that can cause death or serious bodily injury to those who do not share their opinions.
As C. S. Lewis points to our attention in his book, The Screwtape Letters, demons take delight in both attitudes. The first attitude enables them to freely go about their business, unnoticed and unopposed. The second attitude enables them to cause fear and confusion, to take God’s place in people’s hearts and minds, exploit and manipulate people for their own purposes, and to do as much harm to the human race as they can.
The New Testament not only contains accounts of Jesus freeing people from evil spirits, but it also contains these warnings. The apostle Paul warns us that demons can disguise themselves as angels of light (2 Corinthians 11:14). They can disguise themselves with the appearance of goodness or righteousness in order to deceive people and conceal their evil nature. The apostle John warns us to test the spirits to see whether they are from God (1 John 4:1).
While demons can oppress a Christian, taking advantage of any unrepented sin to establish a foothold in the Christian’s life, they cannot possess the believer in whom God’s Holy Spirit is dwelling. One way that a Christian can arm himself against their assaults is to repent of any sin that may be attracting evil spirits and surrender every part of his life to God.
Why then did Jesus turn down the request of the man that he had freed from demons to go with Jesus as one of his disciples? Jesus believed that it was more important for the man to tell and show what God had done for him. If he had gone with Jesus, an account of his deliverance might have eventually gotten back to his people. However, it would have far less impact if it had any impact at all, than hearing from the man himself what happened and seeing for themselves how the man had changed. They would have proof of what God had done right before their eyes. Jesus’ healings, his exorcisms, and his other miracles were a part of his proclamation of the good news of the Kingdom of God.
What we can take away from this Sunday’s Gospel is the importance of our testimony to God’s grace, the power of the Holy Spirit, working in our lives, not just the testimony of our words but also the testimony of our lives. How our lives have changed will back up what we say. This is the way to be a witness to Jesus in the world in which we live. We not only show ourselves to be recipients of God’s love and kindness, but we also serve as ministers of God’s love and kindness to the world, both in word and deed. It's powerful testimony indeed!
Silence
[Let us affirm our faith in the words of the Nicene Creed]
We believe in one God,
the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is, seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
of one Being with the Father.
Through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation
he came down from heaven:
by the power of the Holy Spirit
he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary,
and was made man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered death and was buried.
On the third day he rose again
in accordance with the Scriptures;
he ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son.
With the Father and the Son he is worshiped and glorified.
He has spoken through the Prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come. Amen.
THE MINISTRY OF PRAYER
Let us pray for the Church and for the world.
Particular intentions may be mentioned before this litany, or petitions added at appropriate points.
Grant, Almighty God, that all who confess your Name may
be united in your truth, live together in your love, and reveal
your glory in the world.
Silence
Lord, in your mercy
Hear our prayer.
Guide the people of this land, and of all the nations, in the
ways of justice and peace; that we may honor one another
and serve the common good.
Silence
Lord, in your mercy
Hear our prayer.
Give us all a reverence for the earth as your own creation,
that we may use its resources rightly in the service of others
and to your honor and glory.
Silence
Lord, in your mercy
Hear our prayer.
Bless all whose lives are closely linked with ours, and grant
that we may serve Christ in them, and love one another as he
loves us.
Silence
Lord, in your mercy
Hear our prayer.
Comfort and heal all those who suffer in body, mind, or
spirit; give them courage and hope in their troubles, and
bring them the joy of your salvation.
Silence
Lord, in your mercy
Hear our prayer.
We commend to your mercy all who have died, that your will
for them may be fulfilled; and we pray that we may share
with all your saints in your eternal kingdom.
Silence
Lord, in your mercy
Hear our prayer.
Heavenly Father, you have promised to hear what we ask in
the Name of your Son: Accept and fulfill our petitions, we
pray, not as we ask in our ignorance, nor as we deserve in our
sinfulness, but as you know and love us in your Son Jesus
Christ our Lord. Amen.
Open this in a new tab to hear Cesáreo Gabarain’s “Sois la Semilla (You Are the Seed).”
1 You are the seed that will grow a new sprout;
you're a star that will shine in the night;
you are the yeast and a small grain of salt,
a beacon to glow in the dark.
You are the dawn that will bring a new day;
you're the wheat that will bear golden grain;
you are a sting and a soft, gentle touch,
to witness wherever you go.
Go, my friends, go to the world,
proclaim the great love of God,
messengers to tell the way of life,
peace and pardon for all.
Be, my friends, a loyal witness,
from the dead Christ arose;
"Lo, I'll be with you forevermore,
till the end of the world."
2 You are the flame that will lighten the dark,
so resplendent with hope, faith, and love;
you are the shepherds to lead the whole word
to waters and pastures of peace.
You are the friends that I chose for myself,
you’re the word that I want to proclaim.
You are the new reign of God built on rock
where justice and truth are at home.
Go, my friends, go to the world,
proclaim the great love of God,
messengers to tell the way of life,
peace and pardon for all.
Be, my friends, a loyal witness,
from the dead Christ arose;
"Lo, I'll be with you forevermore ,
till the end of the world."
3 You are the life that will nurture the plant;
you're the waves in a turbulent sea;
yesterday's yeast is beginning to rise,
a new loaf of bread it will yield.
There is no place for a city to hide,
nor a mountain can cover its might;'
let your light shine so your loving works
give honor and glory to God.
Go, my friends, go to the world,
proclaim the great love of God,
messengers to tell the way of life,
peace and pardon for all.
Be, my friends, a loyal witness,
from the dead Christ arose;
"Lo, I'll be with you forevermore,
till the end of the world."
THE SENDING FORTH OF GOD’S PEOPLE
[Let us pray in the words our Savior Christ has taught us.]
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.
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and
the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us. Amen.
or
The peace of the Lord be with you.
And also with you.
All greet one another in the name of the Lord.
One attitude is that they do not exist. In this view what some people believe is demonic activity really is natural phenomena, symptoms of a psychological or neurological disorder, or their imagination. Those who adopt this attitude typically have a naturalistic explanation for everything that is supernatural. If something cannot be explained by science, they conclude it must be a figment of our imagination.
What may be surprising is that we also find people who, while they dismiss the existence of demons, malevolent spiritual beings, nonetheless believe in the existence of angels, benevolent spiritual beings. I’ll say more about that later.
Missionaries who did not believe in demons have gone to foreign mission fields to return home believing that demons and demonic activity was the only explanation for a number of things that they witnessed on the mission field. The situation in the ancient Mediterranean world was not too different from what missionaries have found on the mission field.
The other attitude may take the form of an unhealthy obsession with the supernatural and the occult, things like tarot cards and other forms of divination and ouji boards, seances, and other ways of communicating with the dead. Those who exhibit this attitude may dabble in various types of magic or become involved with occult groups. They may also evidence a high degree of naivety regarding the true nature of whatever they are obsessed with.
In Christians this attitude may take the form of not only a belief in demons but also perceptions of widespread demonic activity—"a demon behind every bush.” One group of self-identified Christians believes that the opinions of any individual or group whose opinions differ from their own are inspired by demons and therefore must be opposed by every means necessary, including physical violence and lethal force, actions that can cause death or serious bodily injury to those who do not share their opinions.
As C. S. Lewis points to our attention in his book, The Screwtape Letters, demons take delight in both attitudes. The first attitude enables them to freely go about their business, unnoticed and unopposed. The second attitude enables them to cause fear and confusion, to take God’s place in people’s hearts and minds, exploit and manipulate people for their own purposes, and to do as much harm to the human race as they can.
The New Testament not only contains accounts of Jesus freeing people from evil spirits, but it also contains these warnings. The apostle Paul warns us that demons can disguise themselves as angels of light (2 Corinthians 11:14). They can disguise themselves with the appearance of goodness or righteousness in order to deceive people and conceal their evil nature. The apostle John warns us to test the spirits to see whether they are from God (1 John 4:1).
While demons can oppress a Christian, taking advantage of any unrepented sin to establish a foothold in the Christian’s life, they cannot possess the believer in whom God’s Holy Spirit is dwelling. One way that a Christian can arm himself against their assaults is to repent of any sin that may be attracting evil spirits and surrender every part of his life to God.
Why then did Jesus turn down the request of the man that he had freed from demons to go with Jesus as one of his disciples? Jesus believed that it was more important for the man to tell and show what God had done for him. If he had gone with Jesus, an account of his deliverance might have eventually gotten back to his people. However, it would have far less impact if it had any impact at all, than hearing from the man himself what happened and seeing for themselves how the man had changed. They would have proof of what God had done right before their eyes. Jesus’ healings, his exorcisms, and his other miracles were a part of his proclamation of the good news of the Kingdom of God.
What we can take away from this Sunday’s Gospel is the importance of our testimony to God’s grace, the power of the Holy Spirit, working in our lives, not just the testimony of our words but also the testimony of our lives. How our lives have changed will back up what we say. This is the way to be a witness to Jesus in the world in which we live. We not only show ourselves to be recipients of God’s love and kindness, but we also serve as ministers of God’s love and kindness to the world, both in word and deed. It's powerful testimony indeed!
Silence
[Let us affirm our faith in the words of the Nicene Creed]
We believe in one God,
the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is, seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
of one Being with the Father.
Through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation
he came down from heaven:
by the power of the Holy Spirit
he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary,
and was made man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered death and was buried.
On the third day he rose again
in accordance with the Scriptures;
he ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son.
With the Father and the Son he is worshiped and glorified.
He has spoken through the Prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come. Amen.
THE MINISTRY OF PRAYER
Let us pray for the Church and for the world.
Particular intentions may be mentioned before this litany, or petitions added at appropriate points.
Grant, Almighty God, that all who confess your Name may
be united in your truth, live together in your love, and reveal
your glory in the world.
Silence
Lord, in your mercy
Hear our prayer.
Guide the people of this land, and of all the nations, in the
ways of justice and peace; that we may honor one another
and serve the common good.
Silence
Lord, in your mercy
Hear our prayer.
Give us all a reverence for the earth as your own creation,
that we may use its resources rightly in the service of others
and to your honor and glory.
Silence
Lord, in your mercy
Hear our prayer.
Bless all whose lives are closely linked with ours, and grant
that we may serve Christ in them, and love one another as he
loves us.
Silence
Lord, in your mercy
Hear our prayer.
Comfort and heal all those who suffer in body, mind, or
spirit; give them courage and hope in their troubles, and
bring them the joy of your salvation.
Silence
Lord, in your mercy
Hear our prayer.
We commend to your mercy all who have died, that your will
for them may be fulfilled; and we pray that we may share
with all your saints in your eternal kingdom.
Silence
Lord, in your mercy
Hear our prayer.
Heavenly Father, you have promised to hear what we ask in
the Name of your Son: Accept and fulfill our petitions, we
pray, not as we ask in our ignorance, nor as we deserve in our
sinfulness, but as you know and love us in your Son Jesus
Christ our Lord. Amen.
Open this in a new tab to hear Cesáreo Gabarain’s “Sois la Semilla (You Are the Seed).”
1 You are the seed that will grow a new sprout;
you're a star that will shine in the night;
you are the yeast and a small grain of salt,
a beacon to glow in the dark.
You are the dawn that will bring a new day;
you're the wheat that will bear golden grain;
you are a sting and a soft, gentle touch,
to witness wherever you go.
Go, my friends, go to the world,
proclaim the great love of God,
messengers to tell the way of life,
peace and pardon for all.
Be, my friends, a loyal witness,
from the dead Christ arose;
"Lo, I'll be with you forevermore,
till the end of the world."
2 You are the flame that will lighten the dark,
so resplendent with hope, faith, and love;
you are the shepherds to lead the whole word
to waters and pastures of peace.
You are the friends that I chose for myself,
you’re the word that I want to proclaim.
You are the new reign of God built on rock
where justice and truth are at home.
Go, my friends, go to the world,
proclaim the great love of God,
messengers to tell the way of life,
peace and pardon for all.
Be, my friends, a loyal witness,
from the dead Christ arose;
"Lo, I'll be with you forevermore ,
till the end of the world."
3 You are the life that will nurture the plant;
you're the waves in a turbulent sea;
yesterday's yeast is beginning to rise,
a new loaf of bread it will yield.
There is no place for a city to hide,
nor a mountain can cover its might;'
let your light shine so your loving works
give honor and glory to God.
Go, my friends, go to the world,
proclaim the great love of God,
messengers to tell the way of life,
peace and pardon for all.
Be, my friends, a loyal witness,
from the dead Christ arose;
"Lo, I'll be with you forevermore,
till the end of the world."
THE SENDING FORTH OF GOD’S PEOPLE
[Let us pray in the words our Savior Christ has taught us.]
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.
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and
the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us. Amen.
or
The peace of the Lord be with you.
And also with you.
All greet one another in the name of the Lord.
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