Choral Evensong - Church of the Incarnation

Kit Jacobson: 00:02

Welcome to the even song from Church of the Incarnation in Dallas, Texas. I invite you to tune in each week as we gather at day's end for a sacred time of prayer, music, and scripture. An invitation to pause and lift our hearts and minds in thanksgiving toward the creator of all truth and beauty. The rich Anglican choral tradition spans repertoire from ancient monastic chants to the soaring anthems of the Victorian era to masterpieces of the twentieth century. This afternoon, we celebrate the eve of candleness.

Kit Jacobson: 00:32

The choir will sing Psalm 122, George Dyson's service in Dee, and Benjamin Britten's rejoice in the lamb with poetry of Christopher Smart. We begin with an invocation of God's presence, asking him to open our lips that we may rightly sing his praise. Please join us now as we begin together in prayer.

Bishop Greg Brewer: 00:55

For the feast of the presentation, the ancient embraced the infant. Yet the infinite ruled the ancient. He whom a virgin bear the same was worshiped by her who bear him. We have waited for thy loving kindness, oh god, in the midst of thy temple. Hallelujah.

Reader: 05:14

A reading from the first book of Samuel. In due time, Hannah conceived and bore a son. She named him Samuel for she said, I have asked him of the Lord. The man Al Qaeda and all his household went up to offer to the Lord the yearly sacrifice and to pay his vow. But Hannah did not go up, for she said to her husband, as soon as the child is weaned, I will bring him, that he may appear in the presence of the Lord and remain there forever.

Reader: 05:52

I will offer him as a Nazarite all time. Her husband, Elkanah, said to her, do what seems best to you. Wait until you have weaned him. Only may the Lord establish your word. So the woman remained and her son until she weaned him.

Reader: 06:12

When she weaned him, she took him up with her along with a three year old bowl, an ephah of flour, and a skin of wine. She brought him to the house of the Lord at Shiloh, and the child was young. Then they slaughtered the bull and brought the child to Eli. And she said, oh my Lord, as you live my lord, I am the woman who was standing here in your presence praying to the lord. For this child, I prayed and the lord has granted me the petition that I made to him.

Reader: 06:48

Therefore, I have lent him to the lord. As long as he lives, he is given to the lord. And they worshiped the lord there. Here ended the lesson. Romans.

Reader: 11:18

For all who are led by the spirit of God are children of God. For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you received a spirit of adoption. When we cry, Abba, father, it is that very spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs. Heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ. If we in fact suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.

Reader: 11:52

I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its enslavement to decay and will obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. Here ended the lesson.

Bishop Greg Brewer: 17:23

Pray. Oh god, may clean our hearts with within us. O son was this day presented in the temple, so we may be presented unto thee with pure and clean hearts by the same thy son, Jesus Christ, our lord, who live it and reigneth with thee and the holy spirit, one god, now and forever. Oh god, from whom all holy desires, all good counsels, and all just works do proceed. Give unto thy servants that peace which the world

Kit Jacobson: 21:44

spirit of through the merits of Jesus Christ, our savior.

Bishop Greg Brewer: 22:02

Of Light in our darkness, we beseech thee, oh lord, and by thy great mercy, defend us from all perils and the dangers of this night for the love of thy only son, our savior, Jesus Christ. The Lord be with you. Let us pray. Oh lord Jesus Christ, the true light, the lightest every man that cometh into the world. Pour forth thy blessing upon these candles and sanctify them with the light of thy grace and mercifully grant that even as these lights kindled with visible fire to scatter the darkness of night, so our hearts, illumined by invisible fire, that is by the brightness of the holy spirit, may be delivered from all blindness of iniquity, that the eyes of our under understanding being enlightened, we may discern such things as are pleasing under thee and profitable for our salvation.

Bishop Greg Brewer: 24:03

So that finally after the darkness and danger of this world, we may be found meet to attain unto the light everlasting. Through thee Christ Jesus, our savior of the world, who in perfect trinity, livest and reignest god throughout all ages, world without end. Amen. Please be seated. Welcome to the Church of the Incarnation and this service of choral evensong, particularly this evening as we celebrate the feast of the presentation and candle mass.

Bishop Greg Brewer: 24:55

If you are a guest new to Incarnation, I invite you to use the gold tipped communication card in the pew rack in front of you to let us know you are here so that we can help you find out more about this parish. Following Evensong, you are warmly invited to a reception in the Narthex. Let us kneel to pray. Almighty god, father of all mercies, we, thine and worthy servants, to give thee most humble and hearty thanks for all thy goodness and loving kindness to us and to all men. We bless thee for our creation, preservation, and all the blessings of this life.

Bishop Greg Brewer: 43:19

But above all, for thine andestimable love in the redemption of the world by our lord Jesus Christ for the means of grace and for the hope of glory. And we beseech thee, give us that due sense of all thy mercies that our hearts may be unfailingly thankful, and that we show forth thy praise, not only with our lips, but in our lives, by giving up ourselves to thy service, by walking before thee in holiness and righteousness all our days. Through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom with thee and the Holy Ghost be all honor and glory, world without end. Amen. Almighty god, who has given us grace at this time with one accord to make our common supplications unto thee and thus promise that when two or three are gathered together in thy name, thou wilt grant their requests.

Bishop Greg Brewer: 44:24

Fulfill now, o lord, the desires and petitions of thy servants as may be most expedient for them, granting us in this world knowledge of thy truth and in the world to come, life everlasting. Amen. The lord be with you. Let us bless the lord. The grace of our lord Jesus Christ and the love of god and the fellowship of the holy ghost be with us all evermore.