Sundays at All Hallows (November 16, 2025)

Welcome to Sundays at All Hallows.

The Cambridge Dictionary defines canticles as religious songs that contains words from the Bible. Canticles and psalms are a feature of the daily offices of Morning Prayer and Evening Prayer. However, their use is not limited to these offices. They may also be used in celebrations of Holy Communion and Services of the Word. Indeed, their use in these service is encouraged. More recent service books like the Episcopal Church’s The Book of Common Prayer of 1979 make provision for the use of metrical version of the canticles and psalms as well as other versions. This Sunday’s service provides an example of how they may be used in a Service of the Word.

This Sunday’s message reflects on the meaning of 2 Thessalonians 3: 6-13 and its implication for twenty-first century Christians.

GATHER IN GOD’S NAME

Open this link to hear Claude Goudimel’s arrangement of GENEVAN PALM 67 for strings and woodwinds

Open this link in a new tab to hear Timothy Dudley Smith’s “Come Let Us Praise the Lord (Psalm 95).”

1 Come, let us praise the Lord,
with joy our God acclaim,
his greatness tell abroad
and bless his saving Name.
Lift high your songs
before his throne
to whom alone
all praise belongs.

2 Our God of matchless worth,
our King beyond compare,
the deepest bounds of earth,
the hills, are in his care.
He all decrees,
who by his hand
prepared the land
and formed the seas.

3 In worship bow the knee,
our glorious God confess;
the great Creator, he,
the Lord our Righteousness.
He reigns unseen:
his flock he feeds
and gently leads
in pastures green.

4 Come, hear his voice today,
receive what love imparts;
his holy will obey
and harden not your hearts.
His ways are best;
and lead at last,
all troubles past,
to perfect rest.

Blessed be God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
And blessed be his kingdom, now and for ever.
Amen.

If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the
truth is not in us. But if we confess our sins, God, who is
faithful and just, will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all
unrighteousness. 1 John 1:8,9

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 Timothy Dudley Smith’s “God of Gods, We Sound His Praises (Te Deum laudamus).”

1 God of gods, we sound his praises,
highest heaven its homage brings;
earth and all creation raises
glory to the King of kings.
Holy, holy, holy name him,
Lord of all his hosts proclaim him;
to the everlasting Father
every tongue in triumph sings.

2 Christians in their hearts enthrone him,
tell his praises wide abroad;
prophets, priests, apostles own him
martyrs' crown and saints' reward.
Three-in-One his glory sharing,
earth and heaven his praise declaring,
praise the high majestic Father,
praise the everlasting Lord!

3 Hail the Christ, the King of glory,
he whose praise the angels cry;
born to share our human story,
love and labour, grieve and die:
by his cross his work completed,
sinners ransomed, death defeated;
in the glory of the Father
Christ ascended reigns on high.

4 Lord, we look for your returning;
teach us so to walk your ways,
hearts and minds your will discerning,
lives alight with joy and praise:
in your love and care enfold us,
by your constancy uphold us;
may your mercy, Lord and Father,
keep us now and all our days.

The Lord be with you.
And also with you.

Let us pray.

Silence

Blessed Lord, who caused all holy Scriptures to be written for
our learning: Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn,
and inwardly digest them, that we may embrace and ever
hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life, which you have
given us in our Savior Jesus Christ; 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 Isaiah.
Isaiah 65: 17-25

Look! I’m creating a new heaven and a new earth:
past events won’t be remembered;
they won’t come to mind.
Be glad and rejoice forever
in what I’m creating,
because I’m creating Jerusalem as a joy
and her people as a source of gladness.
I will rejoice in Jerusalem and be glad about my people.
No one will ever hear the sound of weeping or crying in it again.
No more will babies live only a few days,
or the old fail to live out their days.
The one who dies at a hundred will be like a young person,
and the one falling short of a hundred will seem cursed.
They will build houses and live in them;
they will plant vineyards and eat their fruit.
They won’t build for others to live in,
nor plant for others to eat.
Like the days of a tree will be the days of my people;
my chosen will make full use of their handiwork.
They won’t labor in vain,
nor bear children to a world of horrors,
because they will be people blessed by the Lord,
they along with their descendants.
Before they call, I will answer;
while they are still speaking, I will hear.
Wolf and lamb will graze together,
and the lion will eat straw like the ox,
but the snake—its food will be dust.
They won’t hurt or destroy at any place on my holy mountain,
says the Lord.

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Silence

Open this link to hear Carl P. Daw, Jr.’s “Surely It Is God Who Saves Me” (First Song of Isaiah).

1 Surely it is God who saves me;
trusting him, I shall not fear.
For the Lord defends and shields me
and his saving help is near.
So rejoice as you draw water
from salvation's living spring;
in the day of your deliverance
thank the Lord, his mercies sing.

2 Make his deeds known to the peoples:
tell out his exalted Name.
Praise the Lord, who has done great things;
all his works his might proclaim.
Zion, lift your voice in singing;
for with you has come to dwell,
in your very midst the great and
Holy One of Israel.

A reading from Paul’s Second Letter to the Thessalonians
2 Thessalonians 3: 6-13

Brothers and sisters, we command you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to stay away from every brother or sister who lives an undisciplined life that is not in line with the traditions that you received from us. You yourselves know how you need to imitate us because we were not undisciplined when we were with you. We didn’t eat anyone’s food without paying for it. Instead, we worked night and day with effort and hard work so that we would not impose on you. We did this to give you an example to imitate, not because we didn’t have a right to insist on financial support. Even when we were with you we were giving you this command: “If anyone doesn’t want to work, they shouldn’t eat.” We hear that some of you are living an undisciplined life. They aren’t working, but they are meddling in other people’s business. By the Lord Jesus Christ, we command and encourage such people to work quietly and put their own food on the table. Brothers and sisters, don’t get discouraged in doing what is right.

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Silence

Open this link to hear Henry U. Onderdonk’s “How Wondrous and Great” (Magna et Mirabilia).

1 How wondrous and great
Thy works, God of praise!
How just, King of Saints,
And true are thy ways!
Oh, who shall not fear thee
And honor thy name?
Thou only art holy,
Thou only supreme.

2 To nations long dark
Thy light shall be shown.
Their worship and vows
Shall come to thy throne.
Thy truth and thy judgments
Shall spread all abroad,
Till earth’s ev’ry people
Confess thee their God.

The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ
according to Luke.
Luke 21: 5-19
Glory to you, Lord Christ.

Some people were talking about the temple, how it was decorated with beautiful stones and ornaments dedicated to God. Jesus said, “As for the things you are admiring, the time is coming when not even one stone will be left upon another. All will be demolished.”

They asked him, “Teacher, when will these things happen? What sign will show that these things are about to happen?”

Jesus said, “Watch out that you aren’t deceived. Many will come in my name, saying, ‘I’m the one!’ and ‘It’s time!’ Don’t follow them. When you hear of wars and rebellions, don’t be alarmed. These things must happen first, but the end won’t happen immediately.”

Then Jesus said to them, “Nations and kingdoms will fight against each other. There will be great earthquakes and wide-scale food shortages and epidemics. There will also be terrifying sights and great signs in the sky. But before all this occurs, they will take you into custody and harass you because of your faith. They will hand you over to synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors because of my name. This will provide you with an opportunity to testify. Make up your minds not to prepare your defense in advance. I’ll give you words and wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to counter or contradict. You will be betrayed by your parents, brothers and sisters, relatives, and friends. They will execute some of you. Everyone will hate you because of my name. Still, not a hair on your heads will be lost. By holding fast, you will gain your lives.

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

By Your Bootstraps (or How to Fly Over the Cumberland River)

What may be one of the more frequently abused and misused passages from Paul’s writings is found in this Sunday’ epistle, Paul’s Second Letter to the Thessalonians. It is the verse, “If anyone doesn’t want to work, they shouldn’t eat.” This verse is often taken out of context and misapplied in a variety of ways such as to justify not helping the poor and those in need and denying them any kind of assistance.

In this Sunday’s epistle the apostle is not talking about the population at large in the city of Thessalonica but a part of the city’s small Christian community. This group of individuals, while they are able-bodied and even may have skills that they can use to support themselves nonetheless choose not work. As well as sponging off the other members of the Christian community, they are also meddlesome busybodies, poking their noses into other members’ business and having a disruptive effect upon the community. Paul attributes their conduct to a lack of self-discipline.

Paul does not claim or infer that the command he is giving comes from God. In his writings Paul distinguishes between his commands and God’s commands.

Paul tells the members of the Christian community at Thessalonica that he set an example for them. He supported himself and he paid for his food, even though he was entitled to their support.

Paul is not contradicting what he wrote elsewhere in his letters about fulfilling the entire law in keeping the command to love your neighbor as yourself (Galatians 5:14) and not to become weary in doing good and at every opportunity to do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers (Galatians 6:9-10). It is not only right for Christians to give material assistance to the poor and those in need and to provide them with other forms of assistance but also to advocate for them. It is also not wrong for Christians to seek the help of their fellow Christians when they need help or to receive government assistance for which they may be eligible.

In his teaching Jesus instructs and urges his disciples to show compassion and mercy to their fellow human beings (Luke 6:36), to do good even to those who hate them (Luke 6:27), and to do to others as they would have others do to them (Luke 6:31). Those who serve the needy, Jesus taught, serve him (Matthew 25:35-40)

Paul and the other apostles echo his teaching. In James 2:14-17 Jesus’ older brother warns us, “What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,’ but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.”

Being generous, helpful, and caring about other people is not being weak or woke. It is being a faithful disciple of Jesus.

We sometimes hear that the Bible teaches us that we are to “pull ourselves up by our bootstraps.” We are not to turn to others for help but to rely solely on our own hard work and effort. This phrase was originally used to describe doing the impossible. It has no connection to the Bible. It was coined by a Nashville newspaper in the late nineteenth century. The newspaper was poking fun at a man who claimed to have invented a perpetual motion machine. Due to the laws of thermodynamics this kind of machine is impossible. The newspaper urged the inventor to fly across the Cumberland River as his next accomplishment, pulling himself up by his bootstraps, an impossible feat!

The notion of not relying on others is an integral part of the myth of rugged individualism. In reality in the day of westward expansion of the United States many who went into the wilderness on their own did not survive. A pioneer family on the frontier had a better chance of survival if they had neighbors. Neighbors helped neighbors.

What the Bible does teach is that we should depend upon God and God’s grace, his goodwill and favor toward us. God’s grace works not only directly in us but also through the people God places in our lives.

Silence

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

If those present have a list of people and concerns for which they desire prayer, the list should be read at this point in the service. It may be introduced with these or similar words: "Your prayers are asked for...." 

Let us pray for the Church and for the world.

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.

Everliving God, whose will it is that all should come to you
through your Son Jesus Christ: Inspire our witness to him,
that all may know the power of his forgiveness and the hope
of his resurrection; who lives and reigns with you and the
Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

THE SENDING FORTH OF GOD’S PEOPLE

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

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

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

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

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

And now, as our Savior 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,
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.

Open this link in a new tab to hear St. Aidan’s Community’s "The Grace" (2 Corinthians 13:14).

May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,
and the love of God our Father,
and the fellowship, the fellowship
of the Holy Spirit be with us
for evermore and evermore and evermore. Amen.
May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,
and the love of God our Father,
and the fellowship, the fellowship
of the Holy Spirit be with us
for evermore and evermore and evermore. n.Ame