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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 resume Evensong this afternoon on the second Sunday in Eastertide, and I 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 Psalm 113, t Church's nobles evening service in b minor, and as the anthem, if the lord had not helped me Bearstone.
Christopher Jacobson: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.
Father Cody Turner:Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to his great mercy hath begotten us again unto a living hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
Father Cody Turner:Oh Lord, open now our lips. Glory be to the father, and to the son, and to the holy ghost.
Reader:A reading from the book of Exodus. When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, the minds of the pharaoh and his officials were changed toward the people. And they said, what have we done letting Israel leave our service? So he had his chariot made ready and took his army with him. He took 600 elite chariots and all the other chariots of Egypt with officers over all of them.
Reader:The Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and he pursued the Israelites who were going out boldly. The Egyptians pursued him, all Pharaoh's horses and chariots, his chariot drivers, and his army. They overtook them camped by the sea, by Fiathahiroth in front of Baal Zephron. As Pharaoh drew near, the Israelites looked back, and there were the Egyptians advancing on them. In great fear, the Israelites cried out to the lord.
Reader:They said to Moses, was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us bringing us out of Egypt? Is this not the very thing we told you in Egypt? Let us alone so that we can serve the Egyptians. For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.
Reader:But Moses said to the people, do not be afraid. Stand firm and see the deliverance that the Lord will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to keep still. Then the Lord said to Moses, why do you cry out to me?
Reader:Tell the Israelites to go forward, but you lift up your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, that the Israelites may go into the sea on dry ground. Then I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they will go in after them. And so I will gain glory for myself over Pharaoh and all his army, his chariots and his chariot drivers. Then the Egyptians shall know that I am the lord when I have gained glory for myself over Pharaoh, his chariots and his chariot drivers. The angel of god who was going before the Israelite army moved and went behind them, and the pillar of cloud moved from in front of them and took its place behind them.
Reader:It came between the army of Egypt and the army of day, day, Moses stretched out his hand over the sea. The Lord drove the sea back by a strong east wind all night and turned the sea into dry land, and the waters were divided. The Israelites went into the sea on dry ground, the waters forming a wall for them on their right and on their left. Israel saw the great work that the Lord did against the Egyptians. So the people feared the Lord and believed in the Lord and in his servant Moses.
Reader:Here endeth the lesson. A reading from the gospel according to Saint John. Jesus said, do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God. Believe also in me.
Reader:In my father's house, there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself so that where I am, there you may be also. And you know the way to the place where I am going. Thomas said to him, Lord, we do not know where you are going.
Reader:How can we know the way? Jesus said to him, I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the father except through me. If you know me, you will know my father also. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.
Reader:Here endeth the lesson.
Father Cody Turner:I believe in God. The Lord be with you. Let us pray. Into thy ministers with righteousness. Give peace in our time, oh Lord.
Father Cody Turner:The reborn into the fellowship of Christ's body may show forth in their lives what they profess by their faith. Through the same Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever. Almighty God, the giver of all good gifts, who of thy divine providence hast appointed various orders in thy church. Give thy grace, we humbly beseech thee, to all who are called to any office and ministry for thy people. And so fill them with the truth of thy doctrine, and clothe them with holiness of life, that they may faithfully serve before thee to the glory of thy great name and for the benefit of thy holy church through Jesus Christ our lord.
Father Cody Turner:O God, from whom all holy desires, all good counsels, and all just works to proceed. Give unto thy servants that peace which the world cannot give, that our hearts may be set to obey thy commandments. And also that by thee, we being defended from the fear of our enemies, may pass the time and rest and quietness through the merits of Jesus Christ our savior. Light in our darkness we beseech thee, o lord, and by thy great mercy defend us from all perils and dangers of this night. For the love of thy only son, our savior, Jesus Christ.
Father Cody Turner:You may be seated. On behalf of the clergy and vestry team here at Church of the Incarnation, thank you so much for joining us for this special service of Choral Evensong. It's a delight to be able to pray and worship the living God with you here today on the second Sunday of Easter. If you are new and would like more information about our church, there is a gold topped card in the pew rack in front of you. If you would take a moment to fill it out, drop it in the offering plate as it passes by.
Father Cody Turner:We would be delighted to pray for you this week. Which leads me to my next announcement. If you come bearing a specific prayer need, on the backside of that same card, you can fill out your prayer request, drop it in the offering plate, and the clergy team would be honored to pray especially for you this week. Three things add to my joy today. Well, actually four.
Father Cody Turner:The first is a resourceful volunteer team when things go wrong with the thoroughbull. So thank you to Gerrick and Sam for that. But also three other things for you. First, I'm grateful today for Saint Thomas. You can count on Saint Thomas in the gospel to say the quiet things out loud when the Lord says, you know where I'm going.
Father Cody Turner:And Saint Thomas says, we have no idea, sir. Would you please tell us? But by him opening up his mouth in an awkward time, we hear one of the most faithful words of Jesus spoken to us when he says, I am the way, the truth, and the life. So I'm grateful today for Saint Thomas and his example. May we ask honest questions to the Lord and find truthful, life giving answers.
Father Cody Turner:Secondly, I'm also thankful for Mike McCarthy's presence with us here conducting Evensong. He's a special guest who was in town this weekend leading the choristers in a workshop on Saturday and leading the 11:15 service this morning as well. Mike will also be conducting box lunch on Tuesday. We hope that you'll make plans to come back at 12:15 here for a wonderful day of music. Lastly, my third thing that brings me joy.
Father Cody Turner:You may have noticed we prayed an extra collect during the middle of the service just a few moments ago that wasn't in your bulletin. That was specifically a prayer offered for a number of college students that are here this evening. Every year a class from Dallas Baptist University comes to observe our worship and they are here this evening, about 10 or so of them to join us in prayer and in worship. And so we're delighted that you all are here and know that we are praying for you as you discern God's will for your life. We're grateful for your presence here today.
Father Cody Turner:Lastly, for those of you who may not have your calendars marked, this Tuesday evening at 07:30, the Taos Scholars will be performing a concert entitled Mysteries and Miracles, including the works of Gabrieli and Victoria and the like. Please do make plans to join us. It'll be a wonderful evening of music. Again, thank you so much for your presence here this evening. At the conclusion of our service today, there is going to be a fellowship and reception that will take place just in these in the North X just behind you.
Father Cody Turner:Just come out and join in a time of getting to know one another. God bless you. Let us kneel to pray. Almighty God, father of all mercies, we thine unworthy servants, do 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.
Father Cody Turner: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, 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.
Father Cody Turner:And it was promised that when two or three are gathered together in thy name, thou wilt grant their requests. 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.
Father Cody Turner: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.