Thursday Evenings at All Hallows (April 2, 2026)

Welcome to Thursday Evenings at All Hallows.

This Thursday is the Thursday before Easter, also called Maundy Thursday, the day in Holy Week, Christians in the Western Church commemorate the events of the Last Supper and celebrate our Lord’s institution of the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper. It is also known as Holy Thursday.

This Thursday evening, we complete our Lenten series on the means of grace, practices of Christian faith in which God meets us and works in us.

The topic of this Thursday evening’s message is fasting and abstinence.

GATHER IN GOD’S NAME

Opens this link in a new tab to hear Lester Le Roux’s arrangement of Joseph Barnby’s O PERFECT LOVE for solo piano.

Silence

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit,
A broken and a contrite heart—
These, O God, You will not despise.
Psalm 51: 17

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 we may be cleansed from all our 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.

Opens this link in a new tab to hear Christopher Idle’s “Light of Gladness, Lord of Glory” (Phos hilaron).

Organ accompaniment only. Introduction; 3 verses. No vocals.

1 Light of gladness, Lord of glory,
Jesus Christ our king most holy,
shine among us in your mercy:
earth and heaven join their hymn.

2 Let us sing at sun's descending
as we see the lights of evening,
Father, Son, and Spirit praising
with the holy seraphim.

3 Son of God, through all the ages
worthy of our holiest praises,
yours the life that never ceases,
light which never shall grow dim.

Open this link in a new tab to hear Isaac Watts’ “My Shepherd Will Supply My Need.”

1 My Shepherd, you supply my need,
most holy is your name;
in pastures fresh you make me feed,
beside the living stream.
You bring my wand'ring spirit back
when I forsake your ways;
and lead me, for your mercy's sake,
in paths of truth and grace.

2 When through the shades of death I walk,
your presence is my stay;
one word of your supporting breath
drives all my fears away.
Your hand in sight of all my foes,
does still my table spread;
my cup with blessings overflows,
your oil anoints my head.

3 The sure provisions of my God
attend me all my days;
oh, may your house be my abode,
and all my work be praise.
Here would I find a settled rest,
while others go and come;
no more a stranger, or a guest,
but like a child at home.

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 for ever. Amen.

THE MINISTRY OF THE WORD

A reading from Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians.
1 Corinthians 11:17-34

In the following directives I have no praise for you, for your meetings do more harm than good. In the first place, I hear that when you come together as a church, there are divisions among you, and to some extent I believe it. No doubt there have to be differences among you to show which of you have God’s approval. So then, when you come together, it is not the Lord’s Supper you eat, for when you are eating, some of you go ahead with your own private suppers. As a result, one person remains hungry and another gets drunk. Don’t you have homes to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God by humiliating those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you? Certainly not in this matter!

For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

So then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup. For those who eat and drink without discerning the body of Christ eat and drink judgment on themselves. That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep. But if we were more discerning with regard to ourselves, we would not come under such judgment. Nevertheless, when we are judged in this way by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be finally condemned with the world.

So then, my brothers and sisters, when you gather to eat, you should all eat together. Anyone who is hungry should eat something at home, so that when you meet together it may not result in judgment.

And when I come I will give further directions.

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

Fasting and Abstinence

Last on the list of six “ordinances,” or means of grace, given in John Wesley’s General Rules for Methodist Societies is “fasting and abstinence.”
From what l have been able to gather, Wesley, in placing fasting and abstinence at the bottom of the list was not in any way suggesting that these practices were the least important of the means of grace ordained by God.

The means of grace are not things we do to show ourselves to be worthy of God’s kindness. They are simply the way we gratefully receive the grace we need. They are basic disciplines of Christian life from which we can greatly benefit if we practice them regularly.

The means of grace have no power of their own, something we should not forget, and we receive no automatic benefit from them. What benefit we receive from them is God’s doing. It is God’s gift to us, an expression of his goodwill and favour. In practicing these spiritual disciplines, we acknowledge our utter dependence upon God for our salvation and our sanctification.

According to Thomas A. Tarrants, author and president emeritus of the C.S. Lewis Institute, from the earliest days of the church, fasting has been recognized as an important way to draw near to God, deepen our relationship with God, and seek God’s help in times of special need. The Hebrew word for fasting used in the Old Testament means “to abstain from food.” The Greek word for fasting used in the NewTestament mean “to abstain from eating.” In both the Old Testament and the NewTestament, fasting is intentionally choosing to go without food in order to seek God for some special reason.

While we may sometimes refer to refraining from doing or enjoying something other than food as fasting, this is not what the Bible means by fasting. When we stop ourselves from doing something that is a hinderance to our relationship with God, what we are doing is more accurately described as abstinence. While we tend to narrowly define abstinence as refraining from indulging in various forms of sexual activity, it can mean stopping ourselves from doing any number of things that are limiting the development of our relationship with God. Abstinence also carries with it the implication that we will be refraining from doing something over the long term, if not permanently.

The Old Testament is filled with examples of various individuals fasting and even large numbers of people fasting and how God reacted to their fasting. It also contains example of people who practiced abstinence, for example, the Nazarites who took a vow which required them to abstain from wine or any kind of strong drink as well as products such as raisins and vinegar made from grapes, to refrain from cutting the hair on their heads, and to avoid contact with corpses or graves, even those of family members (Numbers 6:1-21). Touching a corpse or a grave would render them ritually impure.

From the New Testament we learn that Jesus himself fasted (Matthew 4:1-11, Mark 1:12-13, and Luke 4:1-13). While Jesus did not command his disciples to fast, he assumed that they would fast. He warned them against making a public display of their fasting. He instructed them to maintain a normal, cheerful appearance and to fast solely for God, not to impress people or to show how pious they are (Matthew 6:16-17). In Mark 9: 29 Jesus tells his disciples that some exorcisms require both fasting and prayer.

From the New Testament, from Luke’s Acts of the Apostles we also learn that early Christians practiced fasting. See Acts 9:1–19, Acts 13:1–2, and Acts 14:23.

A high value was placed on fasting in the early church. Those who were able to fast did so on Wednesday and Fridays until the ninth hour of the day, or 3:00 PM in the afternoon.

By the sixth century fasting was increasingly seen, not as a way to draw closer to God and to grow spiritually as had been practiced by the Desert Fathers and other pious individuals in the third, fourth, and fifth centuries, but rather as a way of earning merit with God. The Second Council of Orange would make fasting compulsory, something people had to do, rather than something they did because they wanted to. Unless an individual was excused from fasting, their failure to fast was regarded as a sin. The Middle Ages would see a multiplication of obligatory fast days and a multiplication of the different ways that clergy and religious would wiggle around the rules for fasting on a particular fast day. Since they were only permitted to eat fish on Fridays, they made the determination that since ducks and geese were aquatic, they must be fish and therefore they were free to enjoy roast duck or goose on Fridays!

The sixteenth century Protestant Reformers rejected the obligatory medieval Catholic fast days. They, however, kept the practice of fasting. Both Martin Luther and John Calvin praised the value of fasting and encouraged its proper use.

During the second phase of the English Reformation, during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, national days of fasting were called on several occasion in response to the outbreak of plague and the threat of invasion by the Spanish in 1588. The Puritan movement emerged within the Church of England early in the same period. The Puritans in particular embraced what they called days of humiliation and fasting, a custom which they subsequently brought to New England. Days of humiliation and fasting were community-wide days of fasting and prayer proclaimed in response to what was believed to be a sign of God's judgement such as a drought, flood, fire, military defeat, or plague. They might also be proclaimed before embarking upon a difficult undertaking. As well as taking part in days of humiliation and fasting, individual Puritans fasted privately for personal reasons, praying and rigorously examining themselves for unrepented sins.

During the reign of Charles I, the Caroline High Churchmen rose to prominence. Like the Puritans, they also practiced fasting as spiritual discipline. Jeremy Taylor’s Holy Living set out rules for Christian fasting. 

John Cosin’s A Collection of Private Devotions contains this collect for Advent.

"Grant, we most humbly beseech Thee, O heavenly Father, that with holy Simeon and Anna, and all Thy devout servants, who waited for the consolation of Israel, we may at this time so serve Thee with fasting and prayer, that by the celebration of the advent and birth of our blessed Redeemer, we may with them be filled with true joy and consolation, through the same Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen."

The Bible and the writings of the early Church Fathers, the Puritans, and the Caroline High Churchmen strongly influenced Wesley’s thinking about fasting as a means of grace and as a spiritual discipline. He thought so highly of fasting that he did not regard as fit for Christian ministry anyone who did not fast two days a week. His reasoning was that if they were unwilling to deny themselves food on those two days, they would be unwilling to deny themselves in other ways. Wesley’s own life was characterized by self-denial.

What follows was extracted from an article, “The Wesley Fast” on the Methodist Prayer website.

"What is the Wesley Fast?

"For a portion of John Wesley's ministry, he advocated fasting on both Wednesday and Friday each week as a regular spiritual discipline. It's fairly well known that Wesley would not ordain anyone to the Methodist ministry who was unwilling to fast those days.

"But as time passed, Wesley fasted mostly on Fridays, which was the Anglican norm. (Actually, as early as August 1739, he advocated Friday fasting for Methodists in his journal, according to the Anglican rule.)

"Wesley usually began a Friday fast at sundown on Thursday. This was in continuity with Jewish and early Christian tradition, which both marked the beginning of the day at sundown, not midnight. Wesley typically ended his fast at 3:00 p.m. on Friday.

"Guidelines for observing the Wesley Fast

"1. Be flexible and listen to the Holy Spirit. Don't get so caught up with the act of fasting itself that you forget why you're doing it in the first place.

"2. Decide whether you're going to do a complete fast (water only), a no-solid-food fast that allows milk, juice, coffee and tea, a no-meat fast, or some other kind of fast. There are no fixed rules here but it's always good to try to keep the fast you set out to do. Some fasts are more difficult than others, and there will be times you may feel led to switch things up.

"3. Plan on Friday as your regular fasting day, but use Wednesday and other days for additional fasting when you feel called to a time of deeper and more intense prayer. Remember, there's nothing "magic" about Friday. It's simply a historical day for fasting in many Christian traditions, largely because Jesus was crucified on a Friday. If for some reason another day of the week makes more sense for you, then fast on that day.

"4. Only fast for more than one consecutive day after you've consulted with your doctor and only if you're sure you're physically able to handle it.

"5. Make sure you drink plenty of water while fasting, no matter what kind of fast you choose.

"6. The default Wesley Fast is observed from sundown Thursday till 3:00 Friday afternoon. Some Christians go till sundown on Friday. Do whichever you feel led to do in any given week.

"7. Remember, there will be times when it makes sense to skip your Friday fast or move it to another day of the week. For example, if you have an opportunity to have lunch on a Friday with someone you've been wanting to connect with for a while, don't feel compelled to create an awkward situation by sticking to your fast. Just change your fast day that week. Guideline #1 applies here."

These guidelines, while written for Methodists, should prove helpful to Anglicans, Episcopalians, and Christians of other traditions exploring fasting as a spiritual discipline and a means of grace.

A word of caution is in order. According to the National Institutes of Health, not eating can be dangerous for some people. Before fasting talk with your health care provider first, especially if you:

Are under the age of 25.

Are pregnant or breastfeeding.

Take insulin or other medications to control diabetes.

Have been prescribed any medication that must be taken with food.

Have a seizure disorder.

Work the night shift.

Operate heavy machinery at your job.

Fasting is not recommended for people with a history of eating disorders, or those who are underweight.

People who are unable to fast, however, can examine their lives for what may be hindering their relationship with God, say “no” to these things, and stop themselves from doing them. While they may not be able to practice the spiritual discipline of fasting, they can still practice the spiritual discipline of abstinence and benefit from that means of grace, embracing what Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me” (Matthew 16: 24).

Silence

Open this link in a new tab to hear Kate Bluett’s paraphrase of the Magnificat, “Mary’s Hymn of Praise.”

1 My soul proclaims God’s greatness,
rejoicing in the Lord
who looks upon my meekness,
as ages will behold.
Now God does great things for me,
and holy is God’s name.
My spirit sings God’s wonders,
and oh! my soul proclaims!

2 In every generation
God pours such mercy down,
shows might before the nations,
and scatters all the proud.
God lifts up all the humble,
casts princes down in shame.
My spirit sings God’s wonders,
and oh! my soul proclaims!

3 Rejoice now in God’s promise
to Sarah and Abraham
and all of their descendants,
to keep us in God’s hand.
God fills the poor and hungry
and sends the rich away.
My spirit sings God’s wonders,
and oh! my soul proclaims!

I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
I believe 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.
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.

O Lord, who in a wonderful sacrament has left us a memorial of your passion; 

Grant us so to reverence the sacred mysteries of your body and blood that we

may perceive within ourselves the fruits of your redemption; who lives and reign 

with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. 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.

Opens this link in a new tab to hear Charles Wesley’s “O the Depth of Love Divine.”

1 O the depth of love divine,
the unfathomable grace!
Who shall say how bread and wine
God unto us conveys!
How the bread his flesh imparts,
how the wine transmits his blood,
fills his faithful people’s hearts
with all the life of God!

2 Let the wisest mortals show
how we the grace receive;
weak these elements bestow
a power not theirs to give.
Who explains the wondrous way,
how through these the virtue came?
These the virtue did convey,
yet still remain the same.

3 How can spirits heavenward rise,
by earthly matter fed,
drink herewith divine supplies
and eat immortal bread?
Ask the Father’s wisdom how:
Christ who did the means ordain;
angels round our altars bow
to search it out, in vain.

4 Sure and real is this your grace,
the manner be unknown;
come and meet us in thy ways
perfect us all in one.
Let us taste the heavenly powers,
Lord, we ask for nothing more.
Let us taste the heavenly powers,
Lord, we ask for nothing more.
Thine to bless, ’tis only ours
to wonder and adore.

Silence is 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 Charles Wesley and Alanna Glover’s “Love Divine All Loves Excelling.”

1 Love divine, all loves excelling, joy of heav'n, to earth come down
Fix in us thy humble dwelling, all thy faithful mercies crown
Jesus, thou art all compassion; pure, unbounded love Thou art
Visit us with thy salvation; enter ev'ry trembling heart

2 Breathe, O breathe thy loving Spirit into ev'ry troubled breast!
Let us all in thee inherit; let us find the promised rest
Take away the love of sinning; Alpha and Omega be
End of faith, as its beginning, set our hearts at liberty

3 Come, Almighty, to deliver; let us all thy life receive
Suddenly return and never, nevermore thy temples leave
Thee we would be always blessing, serve thee as thy hosts above
Pray and praise thee without ceasing, glory in thy perfect love

4 Finish then thy new creation; pure and spotless let us be
Let us see thy great salvation perfectly restored in thee
Changed from glory into glory, till in heav'n we take our place
Till we cast our crowns before thee, lost in wonder, love, and praise
Changed from glory into glory, till in heav'n we take our place
Till we cast our crowns before thee, lost in wonder, love, and praise

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.