All Hallows Evening Prayer for Saturday Evening (August 1, 2020)

I have posted All Hallows Evening Prayer for Saturday Evening (August 1, 2020) on the All Hallows Murray weblog.

The order of service for this service is taken from the Anglican Church of Canada’s The Book of Alternative Services (1985), as has the order of service for the preceding services. This order of service was selected for its flexibility and adaptability. It also incorporates features of the ancient cathedral (or popular) office of Vespers, which predates the monastic cycle of prayer. These features include the ancient lamp-lighting hymn Phos hilaron and the penitential evening psalm Psalm 141. The cathedral office of Vespers uses a limited number of variable psalms selected for their suitability to the evening.

The Phos hilaron is the “O Gladsome Light O Grace” from the traditional Anglican hymn repertory.

Psalm 141 is Randall DeBruyn’s arrangement of the Camoldolese Monks OBS’ setting of that penitential evening psalm from the Grail Psalms, an English translation of the psalms modeled upon a French translation. This setting may be sung antiphonally between two sections of the choir or the congregation or responsorially with a cantor or cantors or the choir singing the verses and the congregation singing the antiphon as a refrain. Responsorial singing of the psalms was widely used in the early Church.

The psalm prayer that follows Psalm 141 comes from the Lutheran Book of Worship Ministers Edition (1978).

Psalm 93 is the variable psalm. This metrical version of the psalm is taken from the Scottish Metrical Psalter of 1650, also known as The Psalms of David in Metre. It is set to common meter. In the video it is sung to the tune PEMBROKE. I have not been able to identify the composer of the tune. The style in which this metrical psalm is sung was common in England in the seventeenth century, eighteenth century, and well into the nineteenth century. It is associated with what is called West Gallery Music.

The psalm prayer that follows Psalm 93 is taken from the Church of England’s service book, Common Worship (2000).

The reading is Mark 8: 1-9.

The homily is titled “Hard Tack and Sun-Dried Sardines.” The thrust of the homily is that in feeding the four thousand Jesus models for us the compassion which he taught that we should show others.

The Gospel Canticle is Lucien Deiss’ antiphonal setting of the Magnificat, the Song of Mary.

The Prayers of Intercession are taken from Praise God in Song: Ecumenical Daily Prayer (1979). Praise God in Song influenced the order of service for Evening Prayer in The Book of Alternatives Services (1985) and the order of service for A Service of Light in A Prayer Book for Australia (1998).

The dismissal hymn is Albert Bayly’s “What Does the Lord Require.” The hymn tune is Eric Routley’s SHARPTHORNE.

The benediction is a form of the Aaronic Blessing that may be used by deacons and lay persons.

I recommend lighting a candle at the very beginning of the service and then after saying the versicle and response, “Jesus Christ is the light of the world…,” lighting additional candles. The candles should be extinguished at the end of the service. The lighting and extinguishing of the candles help to set the time of prayer apart.

The link to the service is: https://allhallowsmurray.blogspot.com/2020/07/all-hallows-evening-prayer-for-saturday_31.html#more.

Please feel free to share the link with anyone whom you think might benefit from the service.

I hope that the service will be a blessing to you and will provide a fitting beginning to your Sunday.