Sundays at All Hallows (Sunday, June 29, 2025)

 

Welcome to Sundays at All Hallows.

Have you ever locked yourself out of your house, apartment, or car? Either lost your keys or left them inside. Maybe your roommate was supposed to leave the door unlocked, forgot, and took off for the weekend. It can be a very frustrating experience.

The topic of this Sunday’s message is the keys to the kingdom of heaven.

GATHER IN GOD’S NAME

Open this link in a new tab to hear Timothy Shaw’s arrangement of HERE IS LOVE for flute and piano.

Open this link to hear John Mason Neale’s translation of an anonymous 6th-7th century Latin hymn, "Christ Is Made the Sure Foundation." 

1 Christ is made the sure foundation,
Christ the head and cornerstone,
chosen of the Lord, and precious,
binding all the Church in one,
holy Zion's help for ever,
and our confidence alone.

2 To this temple, where we call thee,
come, O Lord of hosts, today;
with your constant loving-kindness;
hear your servants as they pray,
and your fullest benediction
shed within its walls today.

3 Praise and honour to the Father,
praise and honour to the Son,
praise and honour to the Spirit,
ever Three and ever One,
One in might and One in glory
while unending ages run.

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

Almighty God, you have built your Church upon the
foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself
being the chief cornerstone: Grant us so to be joined together
in unity of spirit by their teaching, that we may be made a
holy temple acceptable to you; 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 Book of Ezekiel.
Ezekiel 3:22-27

The Lord’s power overcame me, and he said to me: Get up! Go out to the valley, and I’ll speak to you there. So I got up and went out to the valley. Suddenly, the Lord’s glory stood there, like the glory that I had seen at the Chebar River, and I fell on my face. When a wind came to me and stood me on my feet, he spoke to me and said: Go, shut yourself up inside your house. Look at you, human one! They’ve now put cords on you and bound you up so that you can’t go out among them. I’ll make your tongue stick to the roof of your mouth and take away your ability to speak. You won’t be able to correct them, because they are a household of rebels. But whenever I speak to you, I’ll open your mouth, and you will say to them: The Lord God proclaims. Those who hear will understand, but those who refuse will not. They are just a household of rebels.

The Word of the Lord
Thanks be to God

Silence

Open this link in a new tab to hear the Canadian Reformed Churches’ Standing Committee of the Book of Praise’s revision of Walter van der Kamp’s metrical version of Psalm 125.

1 Those who trust in the Lord resemble
Mount Zion, firm and sure,
which ever will endure;
it stands unmoved and will not tremble.
So Israel will not be shaken
or be forsaken.

2 Jerusalem! As all around her
the mountains stand on guard
to keep her peace unmarred,
so will the Lord himself surround her
to guard his own and be their Saviour
now and forever.

3 The wicked’s sceptre will not humble
the land he did entrust
to people right and just,
lest they, enticed by evil, stumble,
and they their hands to wrong be turning,
God’s counsel, spurning.

4 Do good, O Lord, to those who fear you,
to those who in your sight
are godly and upright.
To all in Israel who revere you,
when sinners to their doom are driven,
your peace be given!

A reading from the Acts of the Apostles.
Acts 12: 1-11

About that time King Herod began to harass some who belonged to the church. He had James, John’s brother, killed with a sword. When he saw that this pleased the Jews, he arrested Peter as well. This happened during the Festival of Unleavened Bread. He put Peter in prison, handing him over to four squads of soldiers, sixteen in all, who guarded him. He planned to charge him publicly after the Passover. While Peter was held in prison, the church offered earnest prayer to God for him.

The night before Herod was going to bring Peter’s case forward, Peter was asleep between two soldiers and bound with two chains, with soldiers guarding the prison entrance. Suddenly an angel from the Lord appeared and a light shone in the prison cell. After nudging Peter on his side to awaken him, the angel raised him up and said, “Quick! Get up!” The chains fell from his wrists. The angel continued, “Get dressed. Put on your sandals.” Peter did as he was told. The angel said, “Put on your coat and follow me.” Following the angel, Peter left the prison. However, he didn’t realize the angel had actually done all this. He thought he was seeing a vision. They passed the first and second guards and came to the iron gate leading to the city. It opened for them by itself. After leaving the prison, they proceeded the length of one street, when abruptly the angel was gone.

At that, Peter came to his senses and remarked, “Now I’m certain that the Lord sent his angel and rescued me from Herod and from everything the Jewish people expected.”

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 Matthew.
Matthew 16: 13-19
Glory to you, Lord Christ.

Now when Jesus came to the area of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Human One [or Son of Man] is?”

They replied, “Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah or one of the other prophets.”

He said, “And what about you? Who do you say that I am?”

Simon Peter said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

Then Jesus replied, “Happy are you, Simon son of Jonah, because no human has shown this to you. Rather my Father who is in heaven has shown you. I tell you that you are Peter [or rock]. And I’ll build my church on this rock. The gates of the underworld won’t be able to stand against it. I’ll give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Anything you fasten on earth will be fastened in heaven. Anything you loosen on earth will be loosened in heaven.”

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

The Keys to the Kingdom

I was thinking about this Sunday’s gospel reading when this passage from the same gospel came to mind—Matthew 23:13:

“How terrible it will be for you legal experts and Pharisees! Hypocrites! You shut people out of the kingdom of heaven. You don’t enter yourselves, and you won’t allow those who want to enter to do so.”

How different would be the task of the apostles. They were entrusted with unlocking the kingdom’s doors and opening them wide for those who would go in.

In this Sunday’s gospel reading, in response to Peter’ profession of faith, Jesus tells him, “I’ll give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Anything you fasten on earth will be fastened in heaven. Anything you loosen on earth will be loosened in heaven.”

“This rock” to which Jesus refers in this Sunday’s gospel reading was not Peter himself but the profession of faith that Peter made. “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” It is on this foundation that Jesus is building his church. It is not a particular visible church as some would have us believe but the whole body of faithful for all time.

Jesus did not give the keys of the kingdom to Peter alone. He gave them equally to all the apostles at the same time. See John 20:21-23. Jesus gave to the apostles a special commission to teach with authority the way of salvation. This commission was confined solely to them. No one would take their place once they had performed it.

This means that everything that is necessary to our salvation is stated in the writings of the apostles. We are not required to regard as necessary to our salvation anything that is not found in their writings or which cannot be prove from them.

It was the Holy Spirit speaking through the apostles that enabled them to speak God’s judgment and God’s forgiveness.

Through his preaching Peter was first apostle to open the kingdom of heaven to the Jews (Act 2:14-41) and then to the Gentiles (Acts 10:1-48). Peter and John traveled to Samaria and prayed and laid hands on the Samaritan believers who had not yet received the Holy Spirit so they might receive the Holy Spirit. They then went through many Samaritan towns and told people the good news (Acts 8:14-25).

Who now has the keys to the kingdom? All who share with others the way of salvation through repentance from sin and faith in Jesus, expressed in a life that embodies Jesus’ teaching and example, and who help them to enter into the kingdom may be said in that particular sense to possess the keys to the kingdom. They can open the doors for others and hold them wide. They can enter in themselves and be companions and fellow travelers on the path that is eternal life.

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 link in a new tab to hear Richard Gillard’s “The Servant Song.”

1 Brother, sister, let me serve you
let me be as Christ to you;
pray that I may have the grace
to let you be my servant too.

2 We are pilgrims on a journey,
we’re companions on the road;
we are here to help each other
walk the mile and bear the load.

3 I will hold the Christ-light for you
in the night-time of your fear;
I will hold my hand out to you,
speak the peace you long to hear.

4 I will weep when you are weeping,
when you laugh I'll laugh with you;
I will share your joy and sorrow
till we've seen this journey through.

5 When we sing to God in heaven,
we shall find such harmony,
born of all we've known together
of Christ's love and agony.

6 Brother, sister, let me serve you
let me be as Christ to you;
pray that I may have the grace
to let you be my servant too.

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.