Thursday Evenings at All Hallows (November 6, 2025)

Welcome to Thursday Evenings at All Hallows.

This year Thanksgiving falls on November 27. Thanksgiving is not just an occasion for family and friends to get together and to share a meal. It is a time to give heart-felt thanks to God for all the blessing, great and small, God has bestowed upon us during the past year, especially for God’s grace working in our lives and in the world.

We have twenty-one days to look back over the past year and reflect on how God has blessed us. What situations in which we found ourselves could have been far worse had events not taken a turn for the better, for example? That sort of thing is not coincidence. It is God’s doing.

The topic of this evening’s message is the second greatest commandment, the commandment to love our neighbor as ourselves.

GATHER IN GOD’S NAME

Open this link in a new tab to hear Keith Duke’ arrangement of THE BLESSING OF THE THREE 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.

Open this link to hear Howard Goodall’s choral arrangement of “The Lord Is My Shepherd (Psalm 23).”

The Lord is my Shepherd
I shall not want
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures
He leadeth me besides the still waters

The Lord is my Shepherd
I shall not want
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures
He leadeth me besides the still waters

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death
I will fear no evil

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death
I will fear no evil

For you are with me
You will comfort me

You are with me
You will comfort me

Comfort me

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
All the days of my life
And I will dwell in the House of the Lord forever
Forever
Forever
Forever

Silence

For your name’s sake, O God,
lead us in the paths of righteousness
and let your mercy follow us
that we may dwell with you forever.
Amen.

THE MINISTRY OF THE WORD

A reading from the Gospel according to Matthew.
Matthew 22:34-40

When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they came together, and one of them, a teacher of the Law, tried to trap him with a question. “Teacher,” he asked, “which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”

Jesus answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest and the most important commandment. The second most important commandment is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as you love yourself.’ The whole Law of Moses and the teachings of the prophets depend on these two commandments.”

May your word live in us
and bear much fruit to your glory.

Silence

The Second Most Important Commandment

The statement, “you can’t love someone if you don’t like them,” made in a article that I read earlier this week prompted me to select the particular teaching of Jesus found in this evening’ reading from the Gospel of Matthew. The writer of the article then explained what his mentor who had made that statement had meant. When, however, the statement is considered apart from the explanation, it can be understood as a way of rationalizing not loving our neighbors as we love ourselves. “I don’t like them, so how can I love them?”

In identifying loving God above all else and loving our neighbor as we love ourselves as the most important commandments, Jesus is not talking about how we feel toward God and our neighbor. What he is talking about is our attitude toward God and our neighbor and our resulting behavior.

When it comes to our neighbors, we do not have to like them or approve of them in order to treat them with compassion, empathy, forgiveness, generosity, humility, kindness, patience, respect, self-control, all the different ways that Christians show their love for others. How we treat them is not tied to how we feel toward them.

We don’t look for imaginary loopholes in God’s commandment to love our neighbors as we love ourselves, anything that we convince ourselves gives us a chance not to love a particular individual or group of people, to indulge our natural suspicion and distrust of anyone outside our family, clan, tribe, race, ethnicity, nationality, and so on; to say to ourselves, “God can’t mean them! Not them!” and give rein to our feelings of dislike or disapproval or even hatred of those different from ourselves.

We don’t tell ourselves that we cannot love our neighbor until we have learned to love ourselves. We don’t tell ourselves that loving our neighbor is too old-fashioned, too liberal, too unmanly, too whatever else we use to keep from obeying God’ commandment to love our neighbor.

We don’t exploit the belief that that God is only well disposed or favorably disposed to one segment of humanity to set ourselves up as the judge of who enjoy God’s favor and who does not, let our biases influence our judgement, and think, “If God does not love them, why should we?”

We don’t allow this way of thinking to lead to indifference to our neighbor on our part, a lack of interest, sympathy, and caring. Nor do we permit it to encourage feelings of strong dislike for a particular individual or group of people and the expression of these feelings in acts of cruelty and unkindness.

Rather we are open to God’s grace, the power of the Holy Spirit working in us, which enable us to will and do what is pleasing to God. We allow grace to do its work in us, recognizing that we can do nothing to please God on our own apart from Christ. It is grace that makes it possible for us to love our neighbor as we love ourselves. It is grace that enables us to love our neighbor despite ourselves.

We have no inherent qualities in our character that enable us to love others. Nor does the freedom of will by which we are able to decide not to resist God’ grace exist as a natural or basic part of us. It is a gift of God’s grace, grace which is extended to us through the cross and the gospel.

When we and our fellow Christians treat others, including one another, with compassion, empathy, forgiveness, generosity, humility, kindness, patience, respect, self-control, all the different ways that Christians show their love for others, we are demonstrating that God is present and active in our lives and in the world. We are witnessing to the graciousness of a God who is love.

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.

Almighty and merciful God, of your bountiful goodness keep us
from everything that may hurt us, that we may be ready in body
and soul cheerfully to accomplish whatever you want us to do;
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 Michael Joncas’ choral arrangement of Timothy Dudley Smith’s hymn, “Not for Tongues of Heaven’s Angels.”

1 Not for tongues of heaven's angels,
not for wisdom to discern,
not for faith that masters mountains,
for this better gift we yearn.

May love be ours, O Lord;
may love be ours.
May love be ours, O Lord.

2 Love is humble; love is gentle;
love is tender, true and kind;
love is gracious, ever patient,
generous of heart and mind.

May love be ours, O Lord;
may love be ours.
May love be ours, O Lord.

3 Never jealous, never selfish,
love will not rejoice in wrong;
never boastful, nor resentful,
love believes and suffers long.

May love be ours, O Lord;
may love be ours.
May love be ours, O Lord.

4 Soon will fade the word of wisdom
faith and hope be one day past:
When we see our Savior clearly
love it is alone will last.

May love be ours, O Lord;
may love be ours.
May love be ours, O Lord.

Silence may be kept.

Those present may offer their own 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 Bazi Baker, Mary Beattie, Andy Campbell, Chloe Williams, and Jason Henderson’s “To Be Like You (Full of Compassion).”

Verse 1
Jesus you delight in showing mercy
You have shared a table with a thief
You embrace the orphan and you say “now follow me...
I am fighting for the least of these”

Verse 2
You have graced this world with your forgiveness
You have turned the tables with a kiss
You have laid your life down and you say “now follow me...
You will find me with the least of these”

Chorus
To be like You, full of compassion
To be like You, Jesus
To do as You do, to love without measure
To be like You, Jesus

Verse 3
You are moved to heal the brokenhearted
You have laid a table for a feast
You invite the outcast and you say “now come and eat...
There’s enough to fill your every need”
You're enough to fill our every need

Chorus
To be like You, full of compassion
To be like You, Jesus
To do as You do, to love without measure
To be like You, Jesus

Bridge
And let our lives be a pure reflection of You God
The thoughts of our hearts
And the words of our mouths be of You
And let our lives be a pure reflection of You God
The thoughts of our hearts
And the words of our mouths be of You
And let our lives be a pure reflection of You God
The thoughts of our hearts
And the words of our mouths be of You
And let our lives be a pure reflection of You God
The thoughts of our hearts
And the words of our mouths be of You

Chorus
To be like You, full of compassion
To be like You, Jesus
To do as You do, to love without measure
To be like You, Jesus

Outro
To do as You do, to love without measure
To be like You, Jesus

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.

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. Amen.