Were You There When They Crucified My Lord? Lenten Vespers Four (In a Series of Five) St. John s (Dixie) Anglican Church March 28, 2017
Prelude People: All: Light and joy in Je - sus Christ our Lord! Thanks be to God! The congregations candles are lit. Let us pray. Heavenly Father, we light these candles to thank you for the light of the world, Jesus Christ our Lord. May we who journey through the darkness of Lent be led by the radiance of your one true light. This we ask in the name of Jesus, your son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, world without end. Amen.Amen. Hymn: #24 ABIDE WITH ME All sing Abide with me: fast falls the eventide; the darkness deepens; Lord, with me abide. When other helpers fail, and comforts flee, Help of the helpless, O abide with me. I need thy presence every passing hour; What but thy grace can foil the tempter s power? Who like thyself my guide and stay can be? Through cloud and sunshine, Lord, abide with me. I fear no foe with thee at hand to bless; ills have no weight, and tears no bitterness. Where is death's sting? Where, grave, thy victory? I triumph still, if thou abide with me. Hold thou thy cross before my closing eyes; shine through the gloom, and point me to the skies; heaven's morning breaks, and earth's vain shadows flee: in life, in death, O Lord, abide with me The Blessing of the Light People: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. It is right to give our thanks and praise.
The choir sings the refrain, all repeat: Bless-ed are you! Bless-ed are you! Bless-ed are you, O Lord our God! Blessed are you, O Lord our God, the shepherd of Israel, their pillar of cloud by day, their pillar of fire by night. In these forty days you lead us into the desert of repentance That in this pilgrimage of prayer we might learn to be your people once more. In fasting and service you bring us back to your heart. You open our eyes to your presence in the world and you free our hands to lead others to the radiant splendour of your mercy. Be with us in these journey days, for without you we are lost and will perish. To you alone be dominion and glory, forever and ever. Amen. Reader: A Reading from the Letter to the Hebrews. Hebrews 3: 12-19 Take care, brothers and sisters, that none of you may have an evil, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called today, so that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have become partners of Christ, if only we hold our first confidence firm to the end. As it is said, Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion. Now who were they who heard and yet were rebellious? Was it not all those who left Egypt under the leadership of Moses? But with whom was he angry for forty years? Was it not those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? And to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest, if not to those who were disobedient? So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief. The reader concludes saying,
Reader: The word of the Lord. People: Thanks be to God. Psalm 23 The Cantor sings the refrain, all repeat Please remain seated Cantor: The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures and lead me beside still waters. Refrain Cantor: He revives my soul and guides me along right pathways for his name s sake. Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I shall fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. Refrain Cantor: You spread a table before me in the presence of those who trouble me; you have anointed my head with oil, and my cup is running over. Surely your goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever. Refrain Reader: A Reading from the Gospel of Matthew. Matthew 26: 69-75 Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard. A servant-girl came to him and said, You also were with Jesus the Galilean. But he denied it before all of them, saying, I do not know what you are talking about. When he went out to the porch, another servant-girl saw him, and she said to the bystanders, This man was with Jesus of Nazareth. * Again he denied it with an oath, I do not know the man. After a little while the bystanders came up and said to Peter, Certainly you are also one of them, for your accent betrays you. Then he began to curse, and he swore an oath, I do not know the man! At that moment the cock crowed. Then Peter remembered what Jesus had said: Before the cock crows, you will deny me three times. And he went out and wept bitterly. Reader: The word of the Lord. People: Thanks be to God. Reflection - Father Daniel Brereton The reader concludes saying,
Musical Offering - Justine Owen The Prayers & Lenten Prose All join the Cantor in singing: Hear us, O Lord, have mer-cy up-on us: for we have sin-ned a - gainst thee. Cantor: To thee, Redeemer, on thy throne of glory, lift we our weeping eyes in holy pleadings; listen, O Jesu, to our supplications. Cantor: O thou chief corner-stone, Right Hand of the Father, Way of salvation, Gate of life celestial; cleanse thou our sinful souls from all defilement. Cantor: God, we implore thee, in thy glory seated, bow down and hearken to thy weeping children; pity and pardon all our grievous trespasses. Cantor: Sins oft committed now we lay before thee; with true contrition, now no more we veil them; grant us, Redeemer, loving absolution. Cantor: Innocent captive, taken unresisting, falsely accused, and for us sinners sentenced; save us, we pray thee, Jesu our Redeemer. Lord it is night. People: The night is for stillness. Let us be still in the presence of God. It is night after a long day. People: What has been done has been done; what has not been done has not been done; let it be.
The night is dark. People: Let our fears of the darkness of the world and of our own lives rest in you. The night is quiet. People: Let the quietness of your peace enfold us, all dear to us, and all who have no peace. The night heralds the dawn. People: Let us look expectantly to a new day, new joys, new possibilities. In your name we pray. Amen. Come, O Spirit of God, and make within us your dwelling place and home. May our darkness be dispelled by your light, and our troubles calmed by your peace; may all evils be redeemed by your love, all pain transformed through the suffering of Christ, and all dying glorified by his risen life. People: Amen. Hymn: OUT OF THE DEPTHS All sing Out of the depths I turn to you on high; Lord, hear my call. Bend down your ear and listen to my cry, forgiving all. If you should mark our sins, who then could stand? But grace and mercy dwell at your right hand. I wait for you, I trust your holy word; You hear my sighs. My soul still waits and looks unto you, Lord; my prayers arise. I look for you to drive away my night, yes, more than those who watch for morning light. Hope in the Lord: unfailing is God s love; trust and confide. Mercy and full redemption from above does grace provide. From sin and evil, mighty though they seem, God s saving arm will all the saints redeem.
Act of Faith Like Peter, we have all denied Jesus; in our failure to communicate our faith to others, in our mockery of his Word, in turning against the Body of Christ, his Church, in calling ourselves Christians, yet failing to follow his ways. Like, Peter, the Lord still loves us and calls to us but, also like Peter, we need to own our denial of him. Therefore, I invite you in the name of the Lord to come to the altar and blow out one candle, symbolizing your choice to sometimes turn away from the light, and hide in darkness. The spiritual Were You There When They Crucified My Lord? will be played softly as people come forward. O living God, in Jesus Christ you were laid in the tomb at this evening hour, and thereby sanctified the grave to be a bed of hope to your people. Give us courage and faith to die daily to all that separates us from your love, and renew us in the waters of your salvation. This we ask in the name of Jesus Christ, the Lord. All: Amen. The Lord s Prayer All: Gathering all our cares into one, let us pray, 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, the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen. Hymn: BE THOU MY VISION All sing Be thou my vision, O Lord of my heart, be all else but naught to me, save that thou art; be thou my best thought in the day and the night, both waking and sleeping, thy presence my light. Be thou my wisdom, and thou my true word, thou ever with me, and I with thee Lord; thou my great Father, thine own may I be; thou in me dwelling and I one with thee.
Riches I heed not, nor the worlds s empty praise: be thou mine inheritance now and always; thou and thou only the first in my heart; High King of heaven, my treasure thou art. High King of heaven, when victory is won May I reach heaven s joys, bright heaven s sun! Heart of my own heart, whatever befall, be thou my vision, O Ruler of all. Go forth in hope, fixing your vision on Christ, knowing that though we may deny him, he does not deny us. People: Thanks be to God. All music is reproduced under CCLI #11166483. Thank you to all who contributed to the music tonight.