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A full Choral Evensong service broadcast from the Church of the Incarnation, Dallas, TX. Each Sunday afternoon, the Incarnation Choir presents Choral Evensong, one of the Anglican tradition's finest liturgical offerings. Begin your week with rest and quietness, surrounded by the beauty of the Church of the Incarnation. Join in prayer and reflection through the exquisite music.
Welcome to choral evensong from church of the incarnation in Dallas, Texas. We invite you to tune in each week as we gather at today'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, the choir will sing Psalms eight and eighty four, the Saint John's service by Herbert Howells, and as the anthem, Look Down, O Lord, by William Byrd. We begin with an invocation of God's presence, asking him to open our lips that we may rightly sing his praise.
Kit Jacobson:Please join us now as we begin together in prayer.
Pastor Shawn Torres:Rend your heart and not your garments and turn unto the Lord your God for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and of great kindness and repenteth him of the evil.
Reader:A reading from the book of Genesis. Pharaoh sent for Joseph, and he was hurriedly brought out of the dungeon. When he had shaved himself and changed his clothes, he came in before Pharaoh. And Pharaoh said to Joseph, I had a dream, and there is no one who can interpret it. I have heard it is said of you that you can hear a dream.
Reader:You can interpret it. Joseph answered Pharaoh, it is not I. God will give favor Pharaoh a favorable answer. Then pharaoh said to Joseph, in my dream, I was standing on the banks of the Nile and seven cows, fat and sleek, came up out of the Nile and fed on the reed grass. Then seven other cows came up after them, poor, very ugly, and thin.
Reader:Never have I seen such ugly ones in all the land of Egypt. The thin and ugly cows ate up the first seven fat cows. But when they'd eaten them, no one would have known they had done so for they were still as ugly as before. Then I awoke. I fell asleep a second time and I saw in my dream seven ears of grain, full and good, growing on one stalk and seven ears withered thin and blighted by the east wind sprouting after them and the thin ears swallowed up the seven good ears.
Reader:But when I told it to the magicians, there was no one who could explain it to me. Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, Pharaoh's dreams are one and the same. God has revealed to Pharaoh what he is about to do. The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven good ears are seven years. The dreams are one.
Reader:The seven lean and ugly cows that came up after them are seven years as are the seven empty years blighted by the east wind. They are seven years of famine. It is as I told pharaoh, God has shown to pharaoh what he is about to do. There will come seven years of great plenty throughout all the land of Egypt. After them, there will arise seven years of famine and all the plenty will be forgotten in the land of Egypt.
Reader:The famine will consume the land. The plenty will no longer be known in the land because of the famine that will follow for it will be very grievous. And the doubling of pharaoh dreams mean that thing is fixed by God, and God will shortly bring it about. Now, therefore, let pharaoh select a man who is discerning and wise and set him over the land of Egypt. Let pharaoh proceed to appoint overseers over the land and take one fifth of the produce of the land of Egypt during the seven plenteous years.
Reader:Let them all gather all the food of these good years that are coming and lay up grain under the authority of pharaoh for food in the cities and let them keep it. That food shall be a reserve for the land against the seven years of famine that are to befall the land of Egypt. So that the land may not perish through the famine. The proposal pleased Pharaoh and all his servants. Pharaoh said to his servants, can we find someone else like this?
Reader:One in whom is the spirit of God? So Pharaoh said to Joseph, since God has shown you all this, there is no one so discerning as wise as you. You shall be over my house and all my people should order themselves as you command. Only with regard to the throne will I be greater than you. And Pharaoh said to Joseph, see, I have sent you over all the land of Egypt.
Reader:Removing his signet ring from his hand, Pharaoh put it on Joseph's hand. He arrayed him in garments of fine linen put a gold chain around his neck. He had him ride in the chariot of the second in command, and they cried out in front of him, bow the knee. Thus he set him over all the land of Egypt. Moreover, Pharaoh said to Joseph, I am Pharaoh and without your consent, no one shall lift up hand or foot in all the land of Egypt.
Reader:Pharaoh gave Joseph the name Sephanathionel, and he gave him Asnath, his daughter of Papavero, priest of On, as his wife. Thus, Joseph gained authority over all the land of Egypt. Here in the Talisin. A reading from the gospel according to Saint John. Jesus said to the crowd, very truly I tell you, the son can do nothing on his own but only what he sees the father doing.
Reader:For whatever the father does, the son does likewise. The father loves the son and shows him all that he himself is doing, and he will show him greater works than these so that you will be astonished. Indeed, just so the father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the son gives life to whomever he wishes. The father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the son so that all may honor the son just as they honor the father. Anyone who's does not honor the son does not honor the father who sent him.
Reader:Very truly, I tell you, anyone who hears my word and believes him him who sent me has eternal life and does not come under judgment but has passed from death to life. Here ended the lesson.
Pastor Shawn Torres:Please be seated. Let me welcome you to the church of incarnation in this service of Coral Evensong. If you are a guest or new to incarnation, I invite you to use the gold top communication card in the pew rack in front of you to let us know that you are here so we can help you find out more about the parish. Following evensong, you're warmly invited to a reception in the Narthex. Again, thank you for coming.
Pastor Shawn Torres:Let us kneel to pray. Almighty God, father of all mercies, we thine unworthy servants, do give thee most humble and hearty thanks for 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. But above all for thine inestimable love and 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 unfeignedly thankful, and that we show forth thy praise not only with our lips, but in our lives by giving up ourselves to thy service and by walking before thee in holiness and righteousness all our days through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Pastor Shawn Torres: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 does promise that when two or three are gathered together in thy name, that will grant their request. 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.
Pastor Shawn Torres:Amen.