Thursday Evenings at All Hallows (August 20, 2026)
Jesus used stories taken from everyday life to teach eternal truths. In this evening’s message we unpack Jesus’ "The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector."
GATHER IN GOD’S NAME
Open this link in a new tab to hear Claude Goudimel’s arrangement of GENEVAN 143 for viola da gamba.
Silence
Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness; let the whole earth
stand in awe of him. Psalm 96:9
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 Christopher Idle’s “Light of Gladness, Lord of Glory.”
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 to hear David W. Music’s arrangement of Timothy Dudley-Smith’s “Come Quickly, Lord (Psalm 141).”
1 Come quickly, Lord, and hear the cries
my heart and hands uplifted raise;
and let my prayer as incense rise,
an evening sacrifice of praise.
Guard now the lips that speak your Name,
lest they, and I, be put to shame.
2 And if my steps should go astray
and from the path of truth I move,
restore me to your narrow way
and in your mercy, Lord, reprove;
from love of self my soul defend,
and wound me as a faithful friend.
3 We fix our eyes upon you, Lord,
and tune our ears to hear your voice;
our hearts by faith receive your word
and in your promises rejoice.
Till morning breaks and night is gone,
in God we trust, and journey on.
Silence
Lord God, our protector and guide,
who made us knowing both good and evil:
receive our prayer and, by your wisdom,
help us to discern and desire all that is good,
that the offering of our lives may be acceptable to you;
through Jesus Christ,
who suffered the darkness of torment and trial
and now is alive and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
for ever and ever. Amen.
THE MINISTRY OF THE WORD
A reading from the Book of Ezekiel.
Ezekiel 33: 1-20
The word of the Lord came to me: ‘Son of man, speak to your people and say to them: “When I bring the sword against a land, and the people of the land choose one of their men and make him their watchman, and he sees the sword coming against the land and blows the trumpet to warn the people, then if anyone hears the trumpet but does not heed the warning and the sword comes and takes their life, their blood will be on their own head. Since they heard the sound of the trumpet but did not heed the warning, their blood will be on their own head. If they had heeded the warning, they would have saved themselves. But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet to warn the people and the sword comes and takes someone’s life, that person’s life will be taken because of their sin, but I will hold the watchman accountable for their blood.”
‘Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the people of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me. When I say to the wicked, “You wicked person, you will surely die,” and you do not speak out to dissuade them from their ways, that wicked person will die for their sin, and I will hold you accountable for their blood. But if you do warn the wicked person to turn from their ways and they do not do so, they will die for their sin, though you yourself will be saved.
‘Son of man, say to the Israelites, “This is what you are saying: ‘Our offences and sins weigh us down, and we are wasting away because of them. How then can we live?’” Say to them, “As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! Why will you die, people of Israel?”
‘Therefore, son of man, say to your people, “If someone who is righteous disobeys, that person’s former righteousness will count for nothing. And if someone who is wicked repents, that person’s former wickedness will not bring condemnation. The righteous person who sins will not be allowed to live even though they were formerly righteous.” If I tell a righteous person that they will surely live, but then they trust in their righteousness and do evil, none of the righteous things that person has done will be remembered; they will die for the evil they have done. And if I say to a wicked person, “You will surely die,” but they then turn away from their sin and do what is just and right – if they give back what they took in pledge for a loan, return what they have stolen, follow the decrees that give life, and do no evil – that person will surely live; they will not die. None of the sins that person has committed will be remembered against them. They have done what is just and right; they will surely live.
‘Yet your people say, “The way of the Lord is not just.” But it is their way that is not just. If a righteous person turns from their righteousness and does evil, they will die for it. And if a wicked person turns away from their wickedness and does what is just and right, they will live by doing so. Yet you Israelites say, “The way of the Lord is not just.” But I will judge each of you according to your own ways.’
May your word live in us
and bear much fruit to your glory.
Silence
Opens this link in a new tab to hear Timothy Dudley Smith’s “Tell Out, My Soul” (Magnificat).
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 the 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 forevermore!
A reading from the Gospel according to Luke.
Luke 18:9-14
To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable: ‘Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: “God, I thank you that I am not like other people – robbers, evildoers, adulterers – or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.”
‘But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, “God, have mercy on me, a sinner.”
‘I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.’
May your word live in us
and bear much fruit to your glory.
Silence
Open this link in a new tab to hear Timothy Dudley Smith’s "Faithful Vigil Ended" (Nunc dimittis).
1 Faithful vigil ended,
watching, waiting cease
Master, grant your servant
his discharge in peace.
2 All the Spirit promised,
all the Father willed
now these eyes behold it
perfectly fulfilled.
3 This your great deliverance
sets your people free
Christ their light uplifted
all the nations see.
4 Christ, your people's glory!
Watching, doubting cease
grant to us your servants
our discharge in peace.
The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector
This is what the Lord says:
‘Heaven is my throne,
and the earth is my footstool.
Where is the house you will build for me?
Where will my resting-place be?
Has not my hand made all these things,
and so they came into being?’
declares the Lord.
‘These are the ones I look on with favour:
those who are humble and contrite in spirit,
and who tremble at my word.
But whoever sacrifices a bull
is like one who kills a person,
and whoever offers a lamb
is like one who breaks a dog’s neck;
whoever makes a grain offering
is like one who presents pig’s blood,
and whoever burns memorial incense
is like one who worships an idol.
They have chosen their own ways,
and they delight in their abominations…
James the elder, Jesus’ brother, reiterates this biblical truth in his letter: “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up” (James 4:10). This suggests that it was widely known at least among the more devote segment of the Jewish population of Judah and Jerusalem and of the Jewish diaspora, the Jews living in different parts of the world outside this ancient remnant of Israel. I believe that we can safely conclude that it was a truth with which the Pharisee would have been familiar or should have been familiar.
The Pharisees were one of four religious sects in Judaism, the Jewish religion, at the time of Jesus’ earthly ministry. The other three sects were the Sadducees, the Zealots, and the Essenes. The Pharisees set great store in the observance of the rules and regulations of Judaism and believed in a general resurrection of the dead. They are the forebears of modern Judaism, and some Bible scholars argue that Jesus himself belonged to their sect.
Under the Roman tax system, the collection of taxes was farmed out to private collectors. The Roman state set a fixed tax for each region, and the private collectors would pay this tax in return for the legal right to collect from the population what they had paid the Roman state. This system resulted in tax gouging and other abuses, and as a consequence tax collectors were hated by those from whom they collected taxes. In Judah they were treated as collaborators with the despised Romans and outcasts from Jewish society. The Pharisees regarded them as sinners who were so vile that neither they nor God would have anything to do with them. Jesus, on the other hand, treated them as the very people who needed him the most and to whom he had been sent by God. This boggled the minds of the Pharisees. The Pharisees thought of themselves as righteous due to their scrupulous observance of the rules and regulations of their religion. It was this attitude which prompted Jesus to tell the parable in this evening’s New Testament reading.
Since both men went to the Temple to pray, I believe that we can safely conclude that the tax collector was a Jew or a God-fearer, a Gentile, a non-Jewish, adherent of Judaism. The outermost courtyard, the Court of the Gentiles, was the only precinct of the Temple that Gentiles, foreigners, the uncircumcised, and the impure might enter. They were prohibited from entering the other three courts and the punishment for violating this prohibition was death.
As in the Parable of the Good Samaritan, Jesus used someone who was despised by the Jews to make a point. Tax collectors were widely seen as sinners, a reputation which they had earned from the way that they treated the people from whom they collected taxes. They were regarded as an odious, immoral lot and were shunned by most of Judaean society.
Note how the Pharisee is boastful about his righteousness. He believes that he has gained a right standing with God by his own efforts.
The tax collector, on the other hand, recognizes that he has an impaired relationship with God. He acknowledges his sinfulness and is deeply grieved by it. He throws himself upon God’s mercy. He evidences the humble and contrite spirit of Isaiah 66:1-3. The tax collector puts his trust not in his own efforts but God’s kindness and forgiveness. He humbles himself before God.
I wonder how those to whom Jesus told this parable reacted to what he said. When Jesus proclaimed the year of jubilee, the year of God’s favor, in the synagogue at Nazareth and then told the congregation that God would be showing his mercy to Gentiles, the congregation tried to kill him, so enraged were they by his words.
A survey on the state of theology in the United States conducted jointly by LifeWay Research and Ligonier Ministries found that a surprising number of American Christians believed that they could enjoy a right relationship with God by their own efforts just like the Pharisee in the parable. Following his encounter with the rich young man, Jesus had told his disciples that this was humanly impossible, dismaying his disciples. He would go on to assure them that nothing, however, was impossible for God.
What we subsequently learn from the Scriptures is that God has opened the way to a right relationship with him through faith in Jesus. Like the tax collector of the parable, we must recognize our impaired relationship with God and acknowledge where we have gone wrong. We must throw ourselves on God’s mercy, the mercy that God shows us in Jesus, humbling ourselves before God. By his grace, the power of the Holy Spirit working in us, God enables us to take these steps—to turn in repentance from what impairs our relationship with God and to turn in faith to Jesus, to trust wholeheartedly in God’s mercy shown us in his Son.
As Jesus assured his disciples, what was impossible for a human being was not impossible for God. Our justification, our being put right with God, is all God’s doing. Without God’s grace enabling us, we can do nothing on our own. We have nothing about which we can boast. All we can do is humbly give thanks to God for the mercy that he has shown us.
Silence
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.
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.
Lord God, you declare your almighty power chiefly in showing
mercy and pity: grant us such a measure of your grace that,
running in the way of your commandments, we may obtain your
promises, and share in your heavenly treasure; 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 Sister Susanna Barrett’s “Stubborn Oak.”
I will not be like the stubborn oak
But I will be like the willow tree
I’ll bow and bend unto God’s will
And I will seek his mercy still.
I will not be like the stubborn oak
But I will be like the willow tree
I’ll bow and bend unto God’s will
And I will seek his mercy still.
I’ll bow and bend unto God’s will
And I will seek his mercy still.
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 Edwin Hatch’s “Breathe on Me, Breath of God.”
1 Breathe on me, Breath of God
fill me with life anew,
that I may love what thou dost love,
and do what thou wouldst do.
2 Breathe on me, Breath of God,
until my heart is pure;
until with thee I will one will,
to do and to endure.
3 Breathe on me, Breath of God,
till I am wholly thine;
until this earthly part of me
glows with thy fire divine.
4 Breathe on me, Breath of God:
so shall I never die,
but live with thee the perfect life
of thine eternity.
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 John A. Behnke’s “Benediction.”
The Lord bless you
The Lord keep you
The Lord make his face to shine upon you
And be gracious
And be gracious
The Lord look upon you with favor
And give you peace.
The Lord bless you
The Lord keep you
The Lord make his face to shine upon you
And be gracious
And be gracious
The Lord look upon you with favor
And give you peace.
Amen. Amen.
Amen. Amen.
Amen. Amen.
Comments
Post a Comment