Thursday Evenings at All Hallows (April 23, 2026)
During the Easter Season and beyond we will continue our examination of Jesus’ teaching. In Great Commission Jesus commands us not only to make disciples of all people groups but also pass on to them what he taught.
The topic of this evening’s message is the necessity of God’s grace.
GATHER IN GOD’S NAME
Open this link in a new tab to hear David Baroni’s instrumental version of his song, “Draw Me Lord.”
Silence
Christ is risen!
The Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia!
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.
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 in a new tab to hear David Preston’s “Shout with Joy to God, All Nations” (Palm 66).
1 Shout with joy to God, all nations,
Sing the glory of his name;
Praise with loudest acclamations!
His tremendous deeds proclaim!
All his foes in fear and trembling
Bow beneath his mighty arm,
While all earth with joy assembling
Sounds his praise in song and psalm.
2 Come and see, with awe and wonder,
See displayed the power of God!
As he held the waves asunder
Israel crossed the sea dry-shod;
Praise him, then, with jubilation,
Who for ever rules by might,
Keeping watch lest any nation
Dare contest his sovereign right.
3 Praise him, who has stood beside us
And not let our footsteps slide!
In the fires of life you tried us
Till, like silver, purified:
You sent fierce affliction to us,
Conquerors trampled on our head,
Yet through flame and flood you drew us
And to peace and freedom led.
4 What thank-offering shall I render,
My most solemn vows to pay,
Made to you, my strong defender,
When I faced the evil day?
Here I offer on your altar
All I am and have to do;
May my purpose never falter,
All my life be spent for you.
5 Come and listen, all who fear him,
Hear what God has done for me:
With my praises I drew near him,
And poured out my urgent plea;
Had I cherished sin within me,
God would not have heard my prayer ;
Praise him for the answer given me:
In his gracious love and care.
Coda:
Had I cherished sin within me,
God would not have heard my prayer ;
Praise him for the answer given me:
In his gracious love and care.
Silence
How generous is your goodness, O God,
how great is your salvation,
how faithful is your love!
Help us to trust in you in trial,
to praise you in deliverance
and to rejoice before you with overflowing hearts;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
THE MINISTRY OF THE WORD
A reading from the Acts of the Apostles.
Acts 8: 26-40
Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, ‘Go south to the road – the desert road – that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.’ So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of the Kandake (which means ‘queen of the Ethiopians’). This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship, and on his way home was sitting in his chariot reading the Book of Isaiah the prophet. The Spirit told Philip, ‘Go to that chariot and stay near it.’
Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. ‘Do you understand what you are reading?’ Philip asked.
‘How can I,’ he said, ‘unless someone explains it to me?’ So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.
This is the passage of Scripture the eunuch was reading:
‘He was led like a sheep to the slaughter,
and as a lamb before its shearer is silent,
so he did not open his mouth.
In his humiliation he was deprived of justice.
Who can speak of his descendants?
For his life was taken from the earth.’
The eunuch asked Philip, ‘Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?’ Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.
As they travelled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, ‘Look, here is water. What can stand in the way of my being baptised?’ And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptised him. When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing. Philip, however, appeared at Azotus and travelled about, preaching the gospel in all the towns until he reached Caesarea.
May your word live in us
and bear much fruit to your glory.
Silence
Opens this link in a new tab to hear Carl P. Daw, Jr.’s paraphrase of the Magnificat, “My Soul Proclaims with Wonder.”
My soul proclaims with wonder
the greatness of the Lord;
rejoicing in God's goodness,
my spirit is restored.
1 To me God has shown favor,
to one the world though frail;
and every age will echo
the angel's first "All hail."
My soul proclaims with wonder
the greatness of the Lord;
rejoicing in God's goodness,
my spirit is restored.
2 God's mercy shields the faithful
and saves them from defeat
with strength that turns to scatter
the proud in their conceit.
My soul proclaims with wonder
the greatness of the Lord;
rejoicing in God's goodness,
my spirit is restored.
3 The mighty have been vanquished;
the lowly lifted up.
The hungry find abundance;
the rich, an empty cup.
My soul proclaims with wonder
the greatness of the Lord;
rejoicing in God's goodness,
my spirit is restored.
4 To Abraham's descendants
the Lord will steadfast prove,
for God has made with Israel
a covenant of love.
My soul proclaims with wonder
the greatness of the Lord;
rejoicing in God's goodness,
my spirit is restored.
A reading from the Gospel according to John.
John 6: 44-51
‘No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day. It is written in the Prophets: “They will all be taught by God.” Everyone who has heard the Father and learned from him comes to me. No one has seen the Father except the one who is from God; only he has seen the Father. Very truly I tell you, the one who believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, yet they died. But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which anyone may eat and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live for ever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.’
May your word live in us
and bear much fruit to your glory.
Silence
Opens this link in a new tab to hear Paul Gibson’s paraphrase of the Nunc dimittis, “Lord, let your servant go in peace.”
1 Lord, let your servant go in peace:
your promises have been fulfilled;
your saving power has been displayed
before the face of all the world.
2 My eyes have seen salvation’s dawn:
The Sun of life ascending bright;
Your people’s glory evermore,
The nation’s everlasting light.
The Necessity of God’s Grace
While the three main schools of Protestantism, Lutheran, Reformed, and Arminian, have differences of opinion on a number of matters, they do agree on one very important matter—the necessity of God’s grace. They share the common belief that we are saved by grace alone through faith alone in Jesus Christ alone. Without God’s intervention we are unable to recognize the desperate state in which are spiritually and our need for a Saviour, much less to turn in repentance from sin and in faith to Jesus Christ. We cannot do anything pleasing in God’s eyes unless God gives us the will and power to do so.
By God’s grace I mean God’s goodwill and favour which we neither merit nor deserve. This includes God’s divine influence operating in our lives, the power of the Holy Spirit working in us.
In this evening’s reading from the Gospel according to John, Jesus points the necessity of God’s grace to those who sought him out after he miraculously feeds five thousand men, not counting women and children. “No one can come to me,” he tells them, “unless the Father draws them.”
Elsewhere in the Gospels, in Matthew 19:16-30, Mark 10:17-29, and Luke 18:18-30, Jesus points to the necessity of God’s grace in response to the disciples’ question, “Who can be saved?” He replies, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” No one can save themselves. However, God, he assures them, is able to save them. God can do anything. Jesus puts our salvation squarely in God’s hands.
In this evening’s reading from the Acts of the Apostles, we see God’s grace working in the lives of both Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch and, in Philip’s case, also through him. (According to tradition, God’s grace worked through the Ethiopian eunuch too: he evangelized the Ethiopians and is a saint and a foundational figure of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church.) The eunuch would not have undertaken the arduous journey to Jerusalem unless prompted by God nor would he had been reading the Book of Isaiah and struggling to make sense of one of its passages. It is clear from the narrative that Philip’s meeting with the eunuch was God’s doing and not by chance. God enabled Philip to tell the eunuch about Jesus and the eunuch to believe.
What we learn from this particular reading and other passages in the New Testament is that God is present and active in the world, drawing people to Jesus. While God work directly in an individual’s life, God also works through people like ourselves, through our words, actions, and lives.
God empowered the apostles to be witnesses to Jesus to the very ends of the earth.
God, however, did not stop there. God has also likewise empowers all believers to be Jesus’ witnesses. This means moving out of our comfort zones and mingling with those who do not yet believe. It means taking advantage of the fateful encounters that God arranges for us, encounters like Philip’s with the Ethiopian eunuch. It means being ministers of God’s grace in our workplaces, our communities, and the world at large. Not just Jesus’ hands and feet. But also, his voice, repeating his call. “Come, follow me.”
Silence
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.
Almighty Father,
who in your great mercy gladdened the disciples
with the sight of the risen Lord:
Give us such knowledge of his presence with us,
that we may be strengthened
and sustained by his risen life
and serve you continually in righteousness and truth;
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.
Opens this link in a new tab to hear Thomas Edward Morgan’s vocal arrangement of Cecil Frances Alexander’s “Jesus Calls Us o'er the Tumult” to the American folk hymn tune RESTORATION from Southern Harmony.
1 Jesus calls us o'er the tumult
of our life's wild restless sea;
day by day His clear voice soundeth,
saying "Christian, follow me!"
2 Jesus calls us from the worship
of the vain world's golden store,
from each idol that would keep us,
saying "Christian, love me more."
3 In our joys and in our sorrows,
days of toil and hours of ease,
still He calls in cares and pleasures,
"Christian, love Me more than these."
4 Jesus calls us: by Thy mercies,
Savior, may we hear Thy call,
give our hearts to full obedience,
serve and love Thee best of all.
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.
Opens this link in a new tab to hear Timothy Dudley-Smith’s “Christ Be My Leader.”
1 Christ be my leader by night as by day;
safe through the darkness for he is the way.
Gladly I follow, my future his care,
darkness is daylight when Jesus is there.
2 Christ be my teacher in age as in youth,
drifting or doubting, for he is the truth.
Grant me to trust him; though shifting as sand,
doubt cannot daunt me; in Jesus I stand.
3 Christ be my Saviour in calm as in strife;
death cannot hold me, for he is the life.
Nor darkness nor doubting nor sin and its stain
can touch my salvation: with Jesus I reign.
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.
God, however, did not stop there. God has also likewise empowers all believers to be Jesus’ witnesses. This means moving out of our comfort zones and mingling with those who do not yet believe. It means taking advantage of the fateful encounters that God arranges for us, encounters like Philip’s with the Ethiopian eunuch. It means being ministers of God’s grace in our workplaces, our communities, and the world at large. Not just Jesus’ hands and feet. But also, his voice, repeating his call. “Come, follow me.”
Silence
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.
Almighty Father,
who in your great mercy gladdened the disciples
with the sight of the risen Lord:
Give us such knowledge of his presence with us,
that we may be strengthened
and sustained by his risen life
and serve you continually in righteousness and truth;
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.
Opens this link in a new tab to hear Thomas Edward Morgan’s vocal arrangement of Cecil Frances Alexander’s “Jesus Calls Us o'er the Tumult” to the American folk hymn tune RESTORATION from Southern Harmony.
1 Jesus calls us o'er the tumult
of our life's wild restless sea;
day by day His clear voice soundeth,
saying "Christian, follow me!"
2 Jesus calls us from the worship
of the vain world's golden store,
from each idol that would keep us,
saying "Christian, love me more."
3 In our joys and in our sorrows,
days of toil and hours of ease,
still He calls in cares and pleasures,
"Christian, love Me more than these."
4 Jesus calls us: by Thy mercies,
Savior, may we hear Thy call,
give our hearts to full obedience,
serve and love Thee best of all.
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.
Opens this link in a new tab to hear Timothy Dudley-Smith’s “Christ Be My Leader.”
1 Christ be my leader by night as by day;
safe through the darkness for he is the way.
Gladly I follow, my future his care,
darkness is daylight when Jesus is there.
2 Christ be my teacher in age as in youth,
drifting or doubting, for he is the truth.
Grant me to trust him; though shifting as sand,
doubt cannot daunt me; in Jesus I stand.
3 Christ be my Saviour in calm as in strife;
death cannot hold me, for he is the life.
Nor darkness nor doubting nor sin and its stain
can touch my salvation: with Jesus I reign.
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.
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