Thursday Evenings at All Hallows (September 17, 2026)
Near where I live was a beanfield. At the edge of the field morning glories grew among the bean plants. Their blue, trumpet-shaped flowers always reminded me of the flowers of the fields of this evening’s New Testament reading. To farmers, they are a nuisance weed. To me, they were reminders of God's grace.The morning glories and the beans plants among which they grew are now gone. The field is the future site of a new elementary school.
In this evening’s message we reflect upon God’s call to choose this day whom we will serve.
GATHER IN GOD’S NAME
Open this link in a new tab to hear Dennis Doyle’s arrangement of the traditional Irish melody, Domhnach Trionoide, for harp and flute.
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 tab to hear John L Bell’s “O Lord, Our Lord, Throughout the Earth” (Psalm 8).
1 O Lord, our Lord, throughout the earth how glorious is your name,
and glorious too where unseen heavens your majesty proclaim.
On infant lips, in children’s song a strong defense you raise
to counter enemy and threat, and foil the rebel’s ways.
2 When I look up and see the skies which your own fingers made,
and wonder at the moon and stars, each perfectly displayed;
then must I ask, “Why do you care? Why love humanity?
And why keep every mortal name fixed in your memory?”
3 Yet such as us you made and meant just less than gods to be;
with honor and with glory, Lord, you crowned humanity.
And then dominion you bestowed for all made by your hand,
all sheep and cattle, birds and fish that move through sea or land.
Coda:
O Lord, our Lord, throughout the earth how glorious is your name
Silence
O God the Word and Son of God,
exalted is your name in all creation,
yet you have stooped to become one with us:
as you have ordained humanity the steward of your creation,
so minister through us the mystery of your salvation;
to the glory of your holy Name. Amen.
Open this link in a new tab to hear Paul Inwood’s “Holy Is God (Psalm 117).”
Holy is God, holy and strong!
God everliving, alleluia.
Holy is God, holy and strong!
God everliving, alleluia.
1 Sing the Lord’s praise, ev’ry nation,
Give him all honor and glory.
Strong is his love for his people,
His faithfulness is eternal.
Holy is God, holy and strong!
God everliving, alleluia.
(Holy is God, holy and strong!
God everliving, alleluia.)
2 Praise to the Father almighty,
Praise to his Son, Christ the Lord;
Praise to the life giving Spirit;
Both now and forever, Amen
(Praise to the Father almighty,
Praise to his son, Christ the Lord;
Praise to the life giving Spirit;
Both now and forever, Amen)
Holy is God, holy and strong!
God everliving, alleluia.
(Holy is God, holy and strong!
God everliving, alleluia.)
Holy is God, holy and strong!
God everliving, alleluia.
(Holy is God, holy and strong!
God everliving, alleluia.)
Silence
From the rising of the sun to its setting,
your name, O Lord, is extolled among the nations;
as your abiding love has been revealed to all peoples,
so receive the tribute of lips which acknowledge your name;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
THE MINISTRY OF THE WORD
A reading from the Book of Joshua.
Joshua 24:14-25
“Now fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”
Then the people answered, “Far be it from us to forsake the Lord to serve other gods! It was the Lord our God himself who brought us and our parents up out of Egypt, from that land of slavery, and performed those great signs before our eyes. He protected us on our entire journey and among all the nations through which we traveled. And the Lord drove out before us all the nations, including the Amorites, who lived in the land. We too will serve the Lord, because he is our God.”
Joshua said to the people, “You are not able to serve the Lord. He is a holy God; he is a jealous God. He will not forgive your rebellion and your sins. If you forsake the Lord and serve foreign gods, he will turn and bring disaster on you and make an end of you, after he has been good to you.”
But the people said to Joshua, “No! We will serve the Lord.”
Then Joshua said, “You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen to serve the Lord.”
“Yes, we are witnesses,” they replied.
“Now then,” said Joshua, “throw away the foreign gods that are among you and yield your hearts to the Lord, the God of Israel.”
And the people said to Joshua, “We will serve the Lord our God and obey him.”
On that day Joshua made a covenant for the people, and there at Shechem he reaffirmed for them decrees and laws.
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 Matthew.
Matthew 6: 24-34
“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.
“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?
“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
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.
Who Do You Choose to Serve?
Despite the pledge their ancestors made at Shechem, the people of Israel were not faithful in serving God. and obeying him. They did not fully yield their hearts to the Lord. The time would come when they would reject God as their true King and clamor for a human king like the rulers of the other nations. Through the prophet Samuel God warned that they would regret their choice and directed Samuel to anoint Saul as their king.
Saul was the first of long line of kings who would disobey God and who led the people of Israel astray. They would serve foreign gods, and God would withdraw from them his blessing and protection. The kingdom of Israel would be divided into two kingdoms, Samaria in the North and Judah in the south. First Samaria and then Judah would fall to foreign invaders.
Even though the people of Israel were faithless, God himself was faithful and did not abandon them entirely. God sent prophets to call them to turn from their rebellious ways and to return to him. God grieved over the people of Israel as a father grieves over a wayward child, a child who willfully does whatever they want.
In the fullness of time God would visit their descendants in the person of the Son. The purpose of the visit was not just to reconcile the people of Israel to himself but all the peoples of the world. God would fulfill an ancient prophesy that God himself would teach his people and make them his disciples. A hidden truth would be revealed. All the peoples of the world, not the people of Israel alone, are God’s people.
Even though the people of Israel were faithless, God himself was faithful and did not abandon them entirely. God sent prophets to call them to turn from their rebellious ways and to return to him. God grieved over the people of Israel as a father grieves over a wayward child, a child who willfully does whatever they want.
In the fullness of time God would visit their descendants in the person of the Son. The purpose of the visit was not just to reconcile the people of Israel to himself but all the peoples of the world. God would fulfill an ancient prophesy that God himself would teach his people and make them his disciples. A hidden truth would be revealed. All the peoples of the world, not the people of Israel alone, are God’s people.
In the person of the Son God would make expiation for the sins of the whole world, for humanity’s rebellion against God. He would accept the consequences of that rebellion in himself upon the cross. With the suffering, death, and resurrection of the Son, God opened the way of salvation for all humankind, the way for a restored relationship with himself, through faith in the Son, in Jesus, the Christ, God’s Anointed One. To those who believe in the Son, God would give the gift of the Holy Spirit. God himself would live in them.
What then is the connection between this evening’s Old Testament reading and this evening’s New Testament reading? In the New Testament reading, Jesus points the attention of his disciples to an important truth:
“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”
He also pointed this truth to their attention on another occasion when he told them the Parable of the Dishonest Manager (Luke 16: 1-15).
What then is the connection between this evening’s Old Testament reading and this evening’s New Testament reading? In the New Testament reading, Jesus points the attention of his disciples to an important truth:
“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”
He also pointed this truth to their attention on another occasion when he told them the Parable of the Dishonest Manager (Luke 16: 1-15).
What Jesus says about money can apply to anything that we value highly, which we value more than God. They are the things that take God’s place in our hearts as foreign gods took God’s place in the hearts of the people of Israel. Money is just one of them.
In our day power and influence is an all too common one. So are fame and prominence. Even those who profess to be disciples of Jesus are not free from these obsessions. The news is filled with accounts of those in positions of leadership and trust in the Christian community using their positions to sexually exploit and abuse individuals in that community and outside it.
Just as Joshua at Shechem called upon the people of Israel to choose whom they would serve, the Holy Spirit calls upon us to make the same choice. Do we fully yield our hearts to God and choose to faithfully serve and obey him all of our days, putting the kingdom of God and its righteousness first, before everything else? Or do we continue to bow down to what we have made an idol to take God’s place in our hearts just as the people of Israel prostrated themselves before the graven images of foreign gods in ancient times?
Just as Joshua at Shechem called upon the people of Israel to choose whom they would serve, the Holy Spirit calls upon us to make the same choice. Do we fully yield our hearts to God and choose to faithfully serve and obey him all of our days, putting the kingdom of God and its righteousness first, before everything else? Or do we continue to bow down to what we have made an idol to take God’s place in our hearts just as the people of Israel prostrated themselves before the graven images of foreign gods in ancient times?
Who do you choose to serve?
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.
Keep your Church, Lord God, with your continual mercy, and
because of our frailty we cannot but fall without you, keep us
always under your protection, and lead us to everything that
makes for our salvation; 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 Karen Lafferty’s “Seek Ye First.”
1 Seek ye first the kingdom of God
and his righteousness;
and all these things shall be added unto you.
Allelu, alleluia!
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia,
allelu, alleluia!
2 Ask, and it shall be given unto you;
seek, and you shall find.
Knock, and it shall be opened unto you.
Allelu, alleluia!
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia,
allelu, alleluia!
3 We shall not live by bread alone,
but by every word
that proceeds out from the mouth of the Lord.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia,
allelu, alleluia!
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.
Keep your Church, Lord God, with your continual mercy, and
because of our frailty we cannot but fall without you, keep us
always under your protection, and lead us to everything that
makes for our salvation; 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 Karen Lafferty’s “Seek Ye First.”
1 Seek ye first the kingdom of God
and his righteousness;
and all these things shall be added unto you.
Allelu, alleluia!
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia,
allelu, alleluia!
2 Ask, and it shall be given unto you;
seek, and you shall find.
Knock, and it shall be opened unto you.
Allelu, alleluia!
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia,
allelu, alleluia!
3 We shall not live by bread alone,
but by every word
that proceeds out from the mouth of the Lord.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia,
allelu, alleluia!
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 to hear Rory Cooney’s “We Will Serve the Lord.”
1 Wealth can be an idol, built of gleaming gold,
bringing dreams of paradise, futures bought and sold.
Some will choose to gather it, all that they can hoard,
but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord!
2 Pleasure is a siren, promising the flesh,
brief relief from emptiness, a hiding place from death.
Some will choose to chase it until it leaves them bored,
but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord!
As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord,
we will serve the Lord, we will serve the Lord!
As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord,
we will serve the Lord, we will serve the Lord!
3 Power is a hunger, burning in the breast,
to walk among the mighty and trample on the rest.
Some will choose to gain it by lie or guile or sword,
but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord!
As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord,
we will serve the Lord, we will serve the Lord!
As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord,
we will serve the Lord, we will serve the Lord!
[Instrumental interlude]
4 Father of all mercy, giver of all life,
here we speak our covenant above the noisy strife.
Hear us shout in glory above the pagan horde:
as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord!
As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord,
we will serve the Lord, we will serve the Lord!
As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord,
we will serve the Lord, we will serve the Lord!
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.
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 to hear Rory Cooney’s “We Will Serve the Lord.”
1 Wealth can be an idol, built of gleaming gold,
bringing dreams of paradise, futures bought and sold.
Some will choose to gather it, all that they can hoard,
but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord!
2 Pleasure is a siren, promising the flesh,
brief relief from emptiness, a hiding place from death.
Some will choose to chase it until it leaves them bored,
but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord!
As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord,
we will serve the Lord, we will serve the Lord!
As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord,
we will serve the Lord, we will serve the Lord!
3 Power is a hunger, burning in the breast,
to walk among the mighty and trample on the rest.
Some will choose to gain it by lie or guile or sword,
but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord!
As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord,
we will serve the Lord, we will serve the Lord!
As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord,
we will serve the Lord, we will serve the Lord!
[Instrumental interlude]
4 Father of all mercy, giver of all life,
here we speak our covenant above the noisy strife.
Hear us shout in glory above the pagan horde:
as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord!
As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord,
we will serve the Lord, we will serve the Lord!
As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord,
we will serve the Lord, we will serve the Lord!
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.
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