Thursday Evenings at All Hallows (October 2, 2025)
Welcome to Thursday Evenings at All Hallows.
The First of November of each year is the feast of All Hallows, or All Saints, All Hallows’ namesake. The feast of All Hallows is also known as Hallowmas. Among the reasons that the name “All Hallows” was chosen was to reclaim and rehabilitate its first eve, All Hallows’ Eve, commonly called Halloween, as the eve of a Christian feast day. It was also chosen to celebrate the ordinary saints, the people of all walks of life who have heeded Jesus’s call to follow him, who have found in Jesus their Star, their Sun. “Hallow” is an Old English way of saying “saint,” or “called out one.” All believers treading the path of true discipleship are saints. In this evening’s message we take a look at the lessons that the Bible’s account of the reign of King Solomon (1 Kings 1-11) teaches us.
GATHER IN GOD’S NAME
Open this link in a new tab to hear Rachel Chapin’s arrangement of the American folk hymn tune WHAT WONDROUS LOVE IS THIS for piano.
Silence
God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in
spirit and truth. John 4:24
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
Let us now confess our sins to almighty God.
Silence
Almighty and most merciful Father,
we have strayed from your ways like lost sheep.
We have followed too much
the devices and the desires of our own hearts.
we have offended against your holy laws,
we have left undone what we ought to have done,
and we have done what we ought not to have done.
Yet, good Lord, have mercy on us;
restore those who are penitent,
according to your promises declared
in Jesus Christ our Lord.
Grant, most merciful Father, for his sake,
that we may live a godly, righteous, and sober lives,
to the glory of your holy name. Amen.
Merciful Lord, grant to your faithful people pardon
and peace, that they may be cleansed from all their
sins, and serve you with a quiet mind; through Jesus
Christ our Lord. Amen.
Open our lips, O Lord;
And we shall declare your praise.
O God, make speed to save us.
O Lord, make haste to help us.
Glory to God; Father, Son, and Holy Spirit:
as in the beginning, so now, and for ever. Amen.
Let us praise the Lord.
The Lord’s name be praised.
Open this link in a new tab to hear Calvin Seerveld and Lee Ann Vermeulen-Roberts’s “You servants of the Lord our God (Psalm 134).”
1 You servants of the Lord our God,
who work and pray both day and night.
In God's own house, lift up your hands,
and praise the Lord with all your might.
2 Lift up your hands in holiness,
come, bless the Lord and give Him praise.
Kneel down before the Lord our God,
and worship Him in all your ways.
[Instrumental interlude]
3 The Lord God bless you from His throne,
shine down upon you with His face.
He who created heaven and earth,
redeem you with His love and grace.
Redeem you with His love and grace.
At the end of the Psalm a suggestion for further prayer arising out of the Psalm may be found.
Open this link to hear Andrea Sandifer’s “Call Me In,” based on Psalm 143.
1 Lord, I seek you
I trust in you
My faith is in you, Lord
Lead me far from my heart’s desire
My understanding, Lord
Call me in
Lift my soul
Be my guide
Spirit alone
Call me in
Draw me close
Father, God
Your will alone
2 The dawn of morning
Sheds light on your unfailing love
Yet, my soul seeks out
My days ordained
Secured in heaven above
Call me in
Lift my soul
Be my guide
Spirit alone
Call me in
Draw me close
Father, God
Your will alone
3 On holy knees, Lord,
prayers lifted
Jesus sought your will removed
Yet body weak and spirit willing
Your plan shone through
4 Forgive me my desire
To clearly see
What lies before me,
No, Spirit lead me on level ground
The way that I should go
Call me in
Lift my soul
Be my guide
Spirit alone
Call me in
Draw me close
Father, God
Your will alone
Call me in
Lift my soul
Be my guide
Spirit alone
Call me in
Draw me close
Father, God
Your will alone
Prayer: for the discouraged and the despairing.
THE MINISTRY OF THE WORD
A reading from the First Book of Kings.
1 Kings 11:1-13
In addition to Pharaoh’s daughter, King Solomon loved many foreign women, including Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians, and Hittites. These came from the nations that the Lord had commanded the Israelites about: “Don’t intermarry with them. They will definitely turn your heart toward their gods.” Solomon clung to these women in love. He had seven hundred royal wives and three hundred secondary wives. They turned his heart. As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods. He wasn’t committed to the Lord his God with all his heart as was his father David. Solomon followed Astarte the goddess of the Sidonians, and Milcom the detestable god of the Ammonites. Solomon did what was evil in the Lord’s eyes and wasn’t completely devoted to the Lord like his father David. On the hill east of Jerusalem, Solomon built a shrine to Chemosh the detestable god of Moab, and to Molech the detestable god of the Ammonites. He did the same for all his foreign wives, who burned incense and sacrificed to their gods. The Lord grew angry with Solomon, because his heart had turned away from being with the Lord, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice. The Lord had commanded Solomon about this very thing, that he shouldn’t follow other gods. But Solomon didn’t do what the Lord commanded.
The Lord said to Solomon, “Because you have done all this instead of keeping my covenant and my laws that I commanded you, I will most certainly tear the kingdom from you and give it to your servant. Even so, on account of your father David, I won’t do it during your lifetime. I will tear the kingdom out of your son’s hands. Moreover, I won’t tear away the entire kingdom. I will give one tribe to your son on account of my servant David and on account of Jerusalem, which I have chosen.”
May your word live in us
and bear much fruit to your glory.
Silence
The Bible’s account of King Solomon’ reign has all three elements of a cautionary tale—the warning, disregard for the warning, and negative consequences. The cautionary tale is a literary form that as its origins in oral folklore, in tales told around the fire after dark. The purpose of cautionary tales is to warn the listener or reader about what may happen to them if they take a particular action or behave in a particular way.
A number of literary forms are found in the Bible—historical narratives, poetry, parables, songs, and so forth. One or more literary forms may form a part of a literary form, for example, a historical narrative may contain a genealogy. Through these various literary forms, the Bible offers valuable lessons for us as it has for previous generations.
In the Bible’ account of his reign King Solomon meets with God on three occasions. On the first occasions God appears to Solomon in a dream at night. God tells Solomon, “Ask whatever you wish, and I’ll give it to you.” Solomon asks God for a discerning mind. This pleases God who tells Solomon, “Because you have asked for this instead of requesting long life, wealth, or victory over your enemies—asking for discernment so as to acquire good judgment— I will now do just what you said. Look, I hereby give you a wise and understanding mind. There has been no one like you before now, nor will there be anyone like you afterward. I now also give you what you didn’t ask for: wealth and fame. There won’t be a king like you as long as you live. And if you walk in my ways and obey my laws and commands, just as your father David did, then I will give you a very long life.”
On the second occasion, following the construction and dedication of the temple at Jerusalem, God appears to Solomon again in a dream at night. God tells Solomon, “I have heard your prayer and your cry to me. I have set apart this temple that you built, to put my name there forever. My eyes and my heart will always be there. As for you, if you walk before me just as your father David did, with complete dedication and honesty, and if you do all that I have commanded, and keep my regulations and case laws, then I will establish your royal throne over Israel forever, just as I promised your father David, ‘You will never fail to have a successor on the throne of Israel.’ God then warns Solomon, “If you or your sons turn away from following me and don’t observe the commands and regulations that I gave you, and go to serve other gods, and worship them, then I will remove Israel from the land I gave them and I will reject the temple that I dedicated for my name. Israel will become a joke, insulted by everyone. Everyone who passes by this temple, so lofty now, will be shocked and will whistle, wondering, Why has the Lord done such a thing to this land and this temple? The answer will come: Because they deserted the Lord their God, who brought their ancestors out of Egypt’s land. They embraced other gods, worshipping and serving them. That is why the Lord brought all this disaster on them.”
In this evening’s reading, we learn that Solomon had a fatal weakness—his love of women. When it came to women, Solomon failed to show the great wisdom for which he had become known. Indeed, he showed very poor judgment. While it was not unusual for kings and other rulers of the ancient Mid-East to have numerous wives and concubines, Solomon married a daughter of the Egyptian Pharaoh and took wives from the other nations surrounding his kingdom. These women came from the nations about which God had commanded the people of Israel, “Don’t intermarry with them. They will definitely turn your heart toward their gods.” As Solomon grew older, he fell increasingly under his wives’ influence. He not only built shrines for their gods but also worshipped their gods. His heart turned away from God, and he disobeyed God.
On a third occasion God appear to Solomon, presumably in a dream but the biblical narrative does not say. God tells Solomon, “Because you have done all this instead of keeping my covenant and my laws that I commanded you, I will most certainly tear the kingdom from you and give it to your servant. Even so, on account of your father David, I won’t do it during your lifetime. I will tear the kingdom out of your son’s hands. Moreover, I won’t tear away the entire kingdom. I will give one tribe to your son on account of my servant David and on account of Jerusalem, which I have chosen.” And what God told Solomon would come to pass on his death. Hs kingdom would be split into two kingdoms, Israel or Samaria in the north and Judah in the south.
What lesson can we draw from what happened to King Solomon? We, like Solomon, are tempted by the desires of our own hearts and we, like him, may succumb to that temptation and may stray from God as he did. Even his wisdom did not prevent him from making the wrong choices. The desire to enrich ourselves at the expense of others; the desire have power and control over others’ lives; the desire to be the center of attention, the object of adulation; the desire to always to have our own way, the desire to hurt those at whom we have taken offense, these and other desires of our hearts can lead us away from God. While we, unlike King Solomon, may not worship other gods, we may make ourselves a god and even expect others to show us the obeisance, the deferential respect, that is rightly due God and God alone.
While we may mouth pious words in the presence of others, God knows the true state of our hearts. While we may see no consequences in this life for giving play to the desires of our hearts, as in King Solomon’s case, this does not mean that there will be no consequences for what we do. Others will suffer those consequences as the people of Israel would suffer the consequences of King Solomon’s faithlessness. The legacy that we leave behind may not be a positive one. As Jesus taught his disciples, we will suffer the consequences of the wrongdoing that we do in this life beyond the grave. Jesus made this point in the parable of the rich man and Lazarus in this past Sunday’s gospel reading.
If a great a king as Solomon who had enjoyed God’s favor and was renowned for his wisdom can fall from grace and into sin, so can we. Even though we may prove faithless, God himself is faithful. In the passage of time, God would send Jesus to be our Savior. As well as teaching us what God requires of us, Jesus by his death on the cross and his rising to new life opened the way of salvation to those who turn away from sin in repentance and turn to Jesus in faith—forgiveness of sins, reconciliation with God, and a fresh start.
Silence
Open this link in a new tab to hear Timothy Dudley Smith’s “Tell Out, My Soul.”
1 Tell out, my soul, the greatness of the Lord!
Unnumbered blessings give my spirit voice;
Tender to me the promise of his word;
In God my Savior shall my heart rejoice
2 Tell out, my soul, the greatness of his Name!
Make known his might, the deeds his arm has done;
His mercy sure, from age to age to same;
His holy Name--the Lord, the Mighty One
3 Tell out, my soul, the greatness of his might!
Powers and dominions lay their glory by
Proud hearts and stubborn wills are put to flight
The hungry fed, the humble lifted high
4 Tell out, my soul, the glories of his word!
Firm is his promise, and his mercy sure
Tell out, my soul, the greatness of the Lord
To children's children and for evermore!
I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth;
and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended into hell.
The third day he rose again from the dead.
He ascended into heaven,
and is seated at the right hand of God the Father
almighty;
from there he will come 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.
THE MINISTRY OF PRAYER
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Let us pray.
Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy on 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,
and the power, and the glory,
for ever and ever. Amen.
Lord, show us your mercy,
and grant us your salvation.
Keep our nation under your care,
and guide us in justice and truth.
Clothe your ministers with righteousness,
and make your chosen people joyful.
Lord, save your people,
and bless your inheritance.
Give peace in our time, O Lord,
for you are our help and strength.
Create in us dean hearts, O God,
and renew us by your Holy Spirit.
Keep your Church, Lord God, with your continual mercy,
Let us now confess our sins to almighty God.
Silence
Almighty and most merciful Father,
we have strayed from your ways like lost sheep.
We have followed too much
the devices and the desires of our own hearts.
we have offended against your holy laws,
we have left undone what we ought to have done,
and we have done what we ought not to have done.
Yet, good Lord, have mercy on us;
restore those who are penitent,
according to your promises declared
in Jesus Christ our Lord.
Grant, most merciful Father, for his sake,
that we may live a godly, righteous, and sober lives,
to the glory of your holy name. Amen.
Merciful Lord, grant to your faithful people pardon
and peace, that they may be cleansed from all their
sins, and serve you with a quiet mind; through Jesus
Christ our Lord. Amen.
Open our lips, O Lord;
And we shall declare your praise.
O God, make speed to save us.
O Lord, make haste to help us.
Glory to God; Father, Son, and Holy Spirit:
as in the beginning, so now, and for ever. Amen.
Let us praise the Lord.
The Lord’s name be praised.
Open this link in a new tab to hear Calvin Seerveld and Lee Ann Vermeulen-Roberts’s “You servants of the Lord our God (Psalm 134).”
1 You servants of the Lord our God,
who work and pray both day and night.
In God's own house, lift up your hands,
and praise the Lord with all your might.
2 Lift up your hands in holiness,
come, bless the Lord and give Him praise.
Kneel down before the Lord our God,
and worship Him in all your ways.
[Instrumental interlude]
3 The Lord God bless you from His throne,
shine down upon you with His face.
He who created heaven and earth,
redeem you with His love and grace.
Redeem you with His love and grace.
At the end of the Psalm a suggestion for further prayer arising out of the Psalm may be found.
Open this link to hear Andrea Sandifer’s “Call Me In,” based on Psalm 143.
1 Lord, I seek you
I trust in you
My faith is in you, Lord
Lead me far from my heart’s desire
My understanding, Lord
Call me in
Lift my soul
Be my guide
Spirit alone
Call me in
Draw me close
Father, God
Your will alone
2 The dawn of morning
Sheds light on your unfailing love
Yet, my soul seeks out
My days ordained
Secured in heaven above
Call me in
Lift my soul
Be my guide
Spirit alone
Call me in
Draw me close
Father, God
Your will alone
3 On holy knees, Lord,
prayers lifted
Jesus sought your will removed
Yet body weak and spirit willing
Your plan shone through
4 Forgive me my desire
To clearly see
What lies before me,
No, Spirit lead me on level ground
The way that I should go
Call me in
Lift my soul
Be my guide
Spirit alone
Call me in
Draw me close
Father, God
Your will alone
Call me in
Lift my soul
Be my guide
Spirit alone
Call me in
Draw me close
Father, God
Your will alone
Prayer: for the discouraged and the despairing.
THE MINISTRY OF THE WORD
A reading from the First Book of Kings.
1 Kings 11:1-13
In addition to Pharaoh’s daughter, King Solomon loved many foreign women, including Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians, and Hittites. These came from the nations that the Lord had commanded the Israelites about: “Don’t intermarry with them. They will definitely turn your heart toward their gods.” Solomon clung to these women in love. He had seven hundred royal wives and three hundred secondary wives. They turned his heart. As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods. He wasn’t committed to the Lord his God with all his heart as was his father David. Solomon followed Astarte the goddess of the Sidonians, and Milcom the detestable god of the Ammonites. Solomon did what was evil in the Lord’s eyes and wasn’t completely devoted to the Lord like his father David. On the hill east of Jerusalem, Solomon built a shrine to Chemosh the detestable god of Moab, and to Molech the detestable god of the Ammonites. He did the same for all his foreign wives, who burned incense and sacrificed to their gods. The Lord grew angry with Solomon, because his heart had turned away from being with the Lord, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice. The Lord had commanded Solomon about this very thing, that he shouldn’t follow other gods. But Solomon didn’t do what the Lord commanded.
The Lord said to Solomon, “Because you have done all this instead of keeping my covenant and my laws that I commanded you, I will most certainly tear the kingdom from you and give it to your servant. Even so, on account of your father David, I won’t do it during your lifetime. I will tear the kingdom out of your son’s hands. Moreover, I won’t tear away the entire kingdom. I will give one tribe to your son on account of my servant David and on account of Jerusalem, which I have chosen.”
May your word live in us
and bear much fruit to your glory.
Silence
A Cautionary Tale
The Bible’s account of King Solomon’ reign has all three elements of a cautionary tale—the warning, disregard for the warning, and negative consequences. The cautionary tale is a literary form that as its origins in oral folklore, in tales told around the fire after dark. The purpose of cautionary tales is to warn the listener or reader about what may happen to them if they take a particular action or behave in a particular way.
A number of literary forms are found in the Bible—historical narratives, poetry, parables, songs, and so forth. One or more literary forms may form a part of a literary form, for example, a historical narrative may contain a genealogy. Through these various literary forms, the Bible offers valuable lessons for us as it has for previous generations.
In the Bible’ account of his reign King Solomon meets with God on three occasions. On the first occasions God appears to Solomon in a dream at night. God tells Solomon, “Ask whatever you wish, and I’ll give it to you.” Solomon asks God for a discerning mind. This pleases God who tells Solomon, “Because you have asked for this instead of requesting long life, wealth, or victory over your enemies—asking for discernment so as to acquire good judgment— I will now do just what you said. Look, I hereby give you a wise and understanding mind. There has been no one like you before now, nor will there be anyone like you afterward. I now also give you what you didn’t ask for: wealth and fame. There won’t be a king like you as long as you live. And if you walk in my ways and obey my laws and commands, just as your father David did, then I will give you a very long life.”
On the second occasion, following the construction and dedication of the temple at Jerusalem, God appears to Solomon again in a dream at night. God tells Solomon, “I have heard your prayer and your cry to me. I have set apart this temple that you built, to put my name there forever. My eyes and my heart will always be there. As for you, if you walk before me just as your father David did, with complete dedication and honesty, and if you do all that I have commanded, and keep my regulations and case laws, then I will establish your royal throne over Israel forever, just as I promised your father David, ‘You will never fail to have a successor on the throne of Israel.’ God then warns Solomon, “If you or your sons turn away from following me and don’t observe the commands and regulations that I gave you, and go to serve other gods, and worship them, then I will remove Israel from the land I gave them and I will reject the temple that I dedicated for my name. Israel will become a joke, insulted by everyone. Everyone who passes by this temple, so lofty now, will be shocked and will whistle, wondering, Why has the Lord done such a thing to this land and this temple? The answer will come: Because they deserted the Lord their God, who brought their ancestors out of Egypt’s land. They embraced other gods, worshipping and serving them. That is why the Lord brought all this disaster on them.”
In this evening’s reading, we learn that Solomon had a fatal weakness—his love of women. When it came to women, Solomon failed to show the great wisdom for which he had become known. Indeed, he showed very poor judgment. While it was not unusual for kings and other rulers of the ancient Mid-East to have numerous wives and concubines, Solomon married a daughter of the Egyptian Pharaoh and took wives from the other nations surrounding his kingdom. These women came from the nations about which God had commanded the people of Israel, “Don’t intermarry with them. They will definitely turn your heart toward their gods.” As Solomon grew older, he fell increasingly under his wives’ influence. He not only built shrines for their gods but also worshipped their gods. His heart turned away from God, and he disobeyed God.
On a third occasion God appear to Solomon, presumably in a dream but the biblical narrative does not say. God tells Solomon, “Because you have done all this instead of keeping my covenant and my laws that I commanded you, I will most certainly tear the kingdom from you and give it to your servant. Even so, on account of your father David, I won’t do it during your lifetime. I will tear the kingdom out of your son’s hands. Moreover, I won’t tear away the entire kingdom. I will give one tribe to your son on account of my servant David and on account of Jerusalem, which I have chosen.” And what God told Solomon would come to pass on his death. Hs kingdom would be split into two kingdoms, Israel or Samaria in the north and Judah in the south.
What lesson can we draw from what happened to King Solomon? We, like Solomon, are tempted by the desires of our own hearts and we, like him, may succumb to that temptation and may stray from God as he did. Even his wisdom did not prevent him from making the wrong choices. The desire to enrich ourselves at the expense of others; the desire have power and control over others’ lives; the desire to be the center of attention, the object of adulation; the desire to always to have our own way, the desire to hurt those at whom we have taken offense, these and other desires of our hearts can lead us away from God. While we, unlike King Solomon, may not worship other gods, we may make ourselves a god and even expect others to show us the obeisance, the deferential respect, that is rightly due God and God alone.
While we may mouth pious words in the presence of others, God knows the true state of our hearts. While we may see no consequences in this life for giving play to the desires of our hearts, as in King Solomon’s case, this does not mean that there will be no consequences for what we do. Others will suffer those consequences as the people of Israel would suffer the consequences of King Solomon’s faithlessness. The legacy that we leave behind may not be a positive one. As Jesus taught his disciples, we will suffer the consequences of the wrongdoing that we do in this life beyond the grave. Jesus made this point in the parable of the rich man and Lazarus in this past Sunday’s gospel reading.
If a great a king as Solomon who had enjoyed God’s favor and was renowned for his wisdom can fall from grace and into sin, so can we. Even though we may prove faithless, God himself is faithful. In the passage of time, God would send Jesus to be our Savior. As well as teaching us what God requires of us, Jesus by his death on the cross and his rising to new life opened the way of salvation to those who turn away from sin in repentance and turn to Jesus in faith—forgiveness of sins, reconciliation with God, and a fresh start.
Silence
Open this link in a new tab to hear Timothy Dudley Smith’s “Tell Out, My Soul.”
1 Tell out, my soul, the greatness of the Lord!
Unnumbered blessings give my spirit voice;
Tender to me the promise of his word;
In God my Savior shall my heart rejoice
2 Tell out, my soul, the greatness of his Name!
Make known his might, the deeds his arm has done;
His mercy sure, from age to age to same;
His holy Name--the Lord, the Mighty One
3 Tell out, my soul, the greatness of his might!
Powers and dominions lay their glory by
Proud hearts and stubborn wills are put to flight
The hungry fed, the humble lifted high
4 Tell out, my soul, the glories of his word!
Firm is his promise, and his mercy sure
Tell out, my soul, the greatness of the Lord
To children's children and for evermore!
I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth;
and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended into hell.
The third day he rose again from the dead.
He ascended into heaven,
and is seated at the right hand of God the Father
almighty;
from there he will come 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.
THE MINISTRY OF PRAYER
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Let us pray.
Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy on 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,
and the power, and the glory,
for ever and ever. Amen.
Lord, show us your mercy,
and grant us your salvation.
Keep our nation under your care,
and guide us in justice and truth.
Clothe your ministers with righteousness,
and make your chosen people joyful.
Lord, save your people,
and bless your inheritance.
Give peace in our time, O Lord,
for you are our help and strength.
Create in us dean hearts, O God,
and renew us by your Holy Spirit.
Keep your Church, Lord God, with your continual mercy,
and because human frailty without you cannot but fall,
keep us always under your protection,
and lead us to everything that makes for our salvation;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Eternal God, from whom all holy desires, all good purposes,
and all just works proceed: give to your servants that peace
which the world cannot give, that our hearts may be set to
obey your commandments, and that free from the fear of our
enemies we may pass our time in trust and quietness;
through the merits of Jesus Christ our Saviour. Amen.
Lighten our darkness, Lord, we pray: and in your great
mercy defend us from all perils and dangers of this night;
for the love of your only Son our Saviour Jesus Christ.
Amen.
Open this link in a new tab to hear Horatio Bonar’s “I Heard the Voice of Jesus Say.”
1 I heard the voice of Jesus say, “Come unto me and rest
Lay down thou weary one, lay down thy head upon my chest”
I came to Jesus as I was, weary and worn and sad
I found in him a resting place and he has made me glad
2 I heard the voice of Jesus say, “Behold I freely give
The living water, thirsty one stoop down and drink and live”
I came to Jesus and I drank of that life-giving stream
My thirst was quenched, my soul revived and now I live in him
3 I heard the voice of Jesus say, “I am this dark world’s light
Look unto me, thy morn shall rise and all thy day be bright”
I looked to Jesus and I found in him my Star, my Sun
And in that light of life I'll walk till travelling days are done
Silence may be kept.
Those present may offer their ow prayers and thanksgivings, either silently or aloud.
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.
Eternal God, from whom all holy desires, all good purposes,
and all just works proceed: give to your servants that peace
which the world cannot give, that our hearts may be set to
obey your commandments, and that free from the fear of our
enemies we may pass our time in trust and quietness;
through the merits of Jesus Christ our Saviour. Amen.
Lighten our darkness, Lord, we pray: and in your great
mercy defend us from all perils and dangers of this night;
for the love of your only Son our Saviour Jesus Christ.
Amen.
Open this link in a new tab to hear Horatio Bonar’s “I Heard the Voice of Jesus Say.”
1 I heard the voice of Jesus say, “Come unto me and rest
Lay down thou weary one, lay down thy head upon my chest”
I came to Jesus as I was, weary and worn and sad
I found in him a resting place and he has made me glad
2 I heard the voice of Jesus say, “Behold I freely give
The living water, thirsty one stoop down and drink and live”
I came to Jesus and I drank of that life-giving stream
My thirst was quenched, my soul revived and now I live in him
3 I heard the voice of Jesus say, “I am this dark world’s light
Look unto me, thy morn shall rise and all thy day be bright”
I looked to Jesus and I found in him my Star, my Sun
And in that light of life I'll walk till travelling days are done
Silence may be kept.
Those present may offer their ow prayers and thanksgivings, either silently or aloud.
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.
Open this link in a new tab to hear Keith Duke’ arrangement of John Fennelly’s “Christ Be Near.”
1 Christ be near at either hand,
Christ behind, before me stand;
Christ with me where'er I go,
Christ around, above, below.
2 Christ be in my heart and mind,
Christ within my soul enshrined;
Christ control my wayward heart;
Christ abide and ne'er depart.
3 Christ my life and only way,
Christ my lantern night and day;
Christ be my unchanging friend,
Guide and shepherd to the end.
THE SENDING FORTH OF GOD’S PEOPLE
The Lord be with you.
And also with you
Let us praise the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God,
and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us all evermore. Amen.
2 Corinthians 13-14
Open this link in a new tab to hear Keith Duke’ arrangement of John Fennelly’s “Christ Be Near.”
1 Christ be near at either hand,
Christ behind, before me stand;
Christ with me where'er I go,
Christ around, above, below.
2 Christ be in my heart and mind,
Christ within my soul enshrined;
Christ control my wayward heart;
Christ abide and ne'er depart.
3 Christ my life and only way,
Christ my lantern night and day;
Christ be my unchanging friend,
Guide and shepherd to the end.
THE SENDING FORTH OF GOD’S PEOPLE
The Lord be with you.
And also with you
Let us praise the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God,
and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us all evermore. Amen.
2 Corinthians 13-14
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