MAY 21, 20218 PM

v i g i l o fhope

Vigil of Hope May 21, 2021

The people’s responses are in bold.

gathering Hear My Prayer Henry Purcell (1659–1695)

Hear my prayer, O Lord, and let my crying come unto thee.

(Psalm 102:1)

The BiddingWhen ancient Israel had suffered the great pain and tragedy of death and destruction, God said to them through the prophet Jeremiah:

Thus says the Lord:A voice is heard in Ramah, lamentation and bitter weeping.Rachel is weeping for her children; she refuses to be comforted for her children, because they are no more.Thus says the Lord:Keep your voice from weeping, and your eyes from tears;for there is a reward for your work, says the Lord:there is hope for your future.(Jeremiah 31:15-17a)

Tonight we gather to be reassured that God hears the “lamenting and bitter weeping” of this nation, because so many of her children are no more due to the pandemics of COVID-19 and systemic racism. May we now seek that assurance in prayer, for the healing of our grief-stricken hearts, for the souls and sacred memory of those who have died. Let us pray for Divine wisdom and guidance as our nation and the world seek to heal. May we always turn in the direction of love and hope.

We meet in the presence of God who knows our needs, hears our cries, feels our pain, and heals our wounds.

As we come together for worship, the lit Paschal Candle bears witness to the presence of the risen Christ in our midst.

choral responseLux aeterna plainsong

Sung in Latin. May light eternal shine upon them, O Lord, with thy saints for evermore: for thou art gracious. Eternal rest give to them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them: with thy saints for evermore, for thou art gracious.

Sung by the choir.

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the opening prayerLord God, the maker and redeemer of all, as we come before you in grief and praise this night, comfort us with your presence, make us attentive to your voice, and sustain us with the hope of your kingdom; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

the lord’s prayerLet us pray together,

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, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.

The First Reading • Lamentations 3:1-3, 21-24, 31-33

God’s steadfast love endures

I am one who has seen affliction under the rod of God’s wrath;he has driven and brought me into darkness without any light;against me alone he turns his hand, again and again, all day long.But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope:The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end;they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.“The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.”For the Lord will not reject forever.Although he causes grief, he will have compassion according to the abundance of his steadfast love;for he does not willingly afflict or grieve anyone.

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psalm 121:1-2 chant: H. Walford Davies (1869–1941)I lift up my eyes to the hills; from where is my help to come?My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth.

candle lighting We light this candle in memory of all people whose lives were lost too soon from COVID-19.

hymn Abide with Me EventideSung by all.

Sung by the choir.

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The Second Reading • Selection from “If the Trees Can Keep Dancing, So Can I”

A crowdsourced poem written by National Public Radio listeners in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic

What I'm learning about griefis that it can turn you into someone you don't want to be, can help you become someone you never thought you could beis that it transcends color, race, Religion, gender.

is that it's an old lover that won't leave. trying to hold your hand again –that it aches in the arches of feetthat its mother is loss, its father, changeMake room for it.

Is that tiny losses add upThe missed first party my son was to attendThe school days he yearns for with his friends I tell him it will be over soon

What I'm learning about griefI learned a long time ago.Knead grief, as you would bread.Weave grief, as you would thread.there is no vaccine against it—we can't develop antibodies against it, it is something I have and something you have—but in these times it is something we haveIt is anger and denialIt is chaotic laughter from splintered memoriesIt is jagged cries and single tearsIt is numb and indifferentIt is the pinprick of light, promisingA slow semblance of normality returnedWhat I'm learning about griefIs to acknowledge its presenceIts many forms and guisesThen, to use it, while reaching outConnected to everyone who is braving this same stormWhat I'm learning about grief is that it is still learning about meLearning that I am strong and resilientIf the trees can keep dancing,So can I.

psalm 121:3-4 chant: H. W. DaviesHe will not let your foot be moved and he who watches over you will not fall asleep.Behold, he who keeps watch over Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.

candle lighting We light this candle in memory of all people whose lives were lost from systemic racism or any form of hate.

Sung by the choir.

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anthem Healing Richard Smallwood (b. 1948)

Don't be discouraged Joy comes in the morningKnow that God is nighStand still and look upGod is going to show upHe is standing byThere's healing for your sorrowHealing for your painHealing for your spiritThere's shelter from the rainLord send the healingFor this we knowThere is a balm in GileadFor there's a balm in GileadThere is a balm in GileadTo heal the soulHealing for the soul

The Third Reading • Philippians 4:4-9

Moving from anxiety to peace by remaining firm in faith

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Keep on doing the things that you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you.

anthem Luminous Awakening Elizabeth Alexander (b. 1962)

Holy Spirit, breath of every being,root of every creature,moving in all.Bathing all liveswith forgiveness and grace,and caressing woundswith the balm of boundless joy.Pure light beyond light,luminous awakening,radiant, bountiful,resurrecting everythingagain and again and again.

(Original Latin by Hildegard of Bingen, 1098–1179; English translation by E. Alexander)

Sung by the cantor.

Sung by the choir.

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The Fourth Reading • Excerpt from Desmond Tutu Nobel Lecture

The Most Reverend Desmond Tutu received the 1984 Nobel Peace Prize and delivered this lecture on December 11, 1984.

Unless we work assiduously so that all of God’s children, our brothers and sisters, members of our one human family, all will enjoy basic human rights, the right to a fulfilled life, the right of movement, of work, the freedom to be fully human, with a humanity measured by nothing less than the humanity of Jesus Christ himself, then we are on the road inexorably to self-destruction, we are not far from global suicide; and yet it could be so different.When will we learn that human beings are of infinite value because they have been created in the image of God, and that it is a blasphemy to treat them as if they were less than this and to do so ultimately recoils on those who do this? In dehumanizing others, they are themselves dehumanized. Perhaps oppression dehumanizes the oppressor as much as, if not more than, the oppressed. They need each other to become truly free, to become human. We can be human only in fellowship, in community, in koinonia, in peace.Let us work to be peacemakers, those given a wonderful share in our Lord’s ministry of reconciliation. If we want peace, so we have been told, let us work for justice. Let us beat our swords into ploughshares.God calls us to be fellow workers with him, so that we can extend his Kingdom of Shalom, of justice, of goodness, of compassion, of caring, of sharing, of laughter, joy and reconciliation, so that the kingdoms of this world will become the Kingdom of our God and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever. Amen.

psalm 121:5-6 chant: H. W. DaviesThe Lord himself watches over you; the Lord is your shade at your right hand,So that the sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night.

candle lighting

We light this candle for the peace that we seek in our lives. May we find comfort, solace, and strength in the midst of our pain.

anthem God Is Robert J. Fryson (1944–1994)God is my protection.God is my all and all.God is my light in darkness.God is my all and all.God is my joy in time of sorrow.God is my all and all.God is my today and tomorrow.God is my all and all.Refrain God is the joy and the strength of my life, He removes all pain, misery, and strife. He promised to keep me, never to leave me. He’ll never ever fall short of his word. I’ve got to fast and pray, stay in that narrow way. I’ll keep my life clean every day. I want to go with him, when he comes back. I’ve come to far and I’ll never turn back! God is my all and all.

Sung by the choir.

Sung by the cantor.

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The Fifth Reading • Juan 14:25-27; John 14:25-27

La promesa del Espíritu Santo • The promise of the Holy Spirit

Jesús dijo: «Les estoy diciendo todo esto mientras estoy con ustedes; pero el Defensor, el Espíritu Santo que el Padre va a enviar en mi nombre, les enseñará todas las cosas y les recordará todo lo que yo les he dicho. Les dejo la paz. Les doy mi paz, pero no se la doy como la dan los que son del mundo. No se angustien ni tengan miedo.»

Jesus said, “I have said these things to you while I am still with you. But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Fa-ther will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.”

psalm 121:7-8 chant: H. W. Davies The Lord shall preserve you from all evil; it is he who shall keep you safe.The Lord shall watch over your going out and your coming in, from this time forth for evermore.

candle lighting We light this candle for our hope as we face the future. Although our lives have been marked by pain and loss, and although pain will remain, we hope for a future that also has healing and joy.

hymnGreat Is Thy Faithfulness Faithfulness

Sung by the choir.

Sung by all.

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The Covenant of Hope

Rooted in Presiding Bishop Michael Curry’s sermon at Washington National Cathedral on All Saints’ Day 2020.

Brothers, sisters, and siblings, we are called to journey together. Following in the way of prophets ancient and modern, we seek the mountaintop.We yearn for God’s promised land.

We look not for the world as it is, but as it is meant to be.We lift our gaze beyond the nightmare of reality as it often is, to behold the dream of God’s new reality.We look for the world God is determined will one day come to be, a promised land made not of soil and earth, but of Spirit and freedom, of justice, compassion, and love.We yearn for God’s promised land.

We affirm that all people everywhere have been created equal by God. We uphold human dignity and march toward equality.We believe in liberty and justice for all.We love our enemies.We promise to do unto others as they would do unto us.We yearn for God’s promised land.

Yearning for the promised land, we hold on to hope.We hold on to hope grounded in values and ideals that can see us through.We hold on to hope in times of trouble and turmoil, in moments of joy and celebration. We hold on to hope whether in the valley of the shadow of death or on the mountain of exaltations.In the assurance of your love, we hold on to hope.

Blessed are those who walk the way of love, live in hope, and strive for righteousness. May we, strengthened by our belief in God’s promised land, depart from this place carrying forth the light of hope into the world.

the concluding prayerGod of love, passionate and strong, tender and caring: watch over us and hold us all the days of our life; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

the blessing

Canon Duncan blesses the people and the people respond, Amen.

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hymnWe’ve Come This Far by Faith Albert A. Goodson (b. 1933)

the sending“This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9)

Go forth in hope bearing the light of Christ. Alleluia. Alleluia. Thanks be to God! Alleluia. Alleluia.

Vayan con esperanza, llevando la luz de Cristo. Aleluya. Aleluya. ¡Demos gracias a Dios! Aleluya. Aleluya.

postlude Jesus Is the Light V. Michael McKay (b. 1952)

Verses sung by the cantor.

Don’t be discouraged when trouble’s in your life. He’ll bear your burdens and move all misery and strife. That’s why… Refrain.Just the other day I heard someone say he didn’t believe in God’s word; but I can truly say that God had made a way and he never failed me yet. That’s why… Refrain.

Refrain sung by all.

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service participants officiants

The Reverend Canon Kelly Brown Douglas Canon Theologian, Washington National Cathedral

The Reverend Canon Rosemarie Logan Duncan Canon for Worship, Washington National Cathedral

The Reverend Canon Leonard L. Hamlin, Sr. Canon Missioner and Minister of Equity and Inclusion, Washington National Cathedral

The Reverend Patrick L. Keyser Priest Associate, Washington National Cathedral

readersArrieanna

Head Acolyte, Washington National Cathedral

David Acolyte, Washington National Cathedral

Mildred J. ReyesMissioner for Latino/Hispanic Ministries & Diocesan Initiatives, Episcopal Diocese of Washington

G. Scott SandersCathedral Verger, Washigton National Cathedral

musiciansThe Professional Cathedral Choir

Canon Michael McCarthy Director of Music and Director of Institutional Planning, Washigton National Cathedral

Thomas M. SheehanOrganist and Associate Director of Music, Washigton National Cathedral

Daryl L. A. Hunt Associate Director of Music for Contemporary Worship, Washigton National Cathedral

Imani-Grace Cooper, singer

permissions Texts of the Old Testament, Epistle, and Gospel taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, Copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA. All rights reserved. Lord’s Prayer and psalm text taken from the Book of Common Prayer, 1979. Public domain. “If the Trees Can Keep Dancing, So Can I,” Copyright 2020, National Public Radio. Used by permission. [Accessed at www.npr.org/2020/04/30/845910766/if-the-trees-can-keep-dancing-so-can-i-a-community-poem-to-cope-in-crisis]. Desmond Tutu Nobel lecture, December 11, 1984, Copyright 1984, The Nobel Foundation. Used by permission.

Abide with Me. Text: Henry Francis Lyte (1793–1847). Music: Eventide. William Henry Monk (1823–1889). Public domain. Healing. Richard Smallwood, Copyright 2004, Bridge Building Music and T. Autumn Music (both admin. by Brentwood-Benson Music Publishing, Inc.). Reprinted under CCLI License #3058209. Luminous Awakening. English translation by Elizabeth Alexander, Copyright 2016, E. Alexander. Reprinted under One License #A-709283. God Is. Robert J. Fryson. Copyright 1976, R. J. Fryson. Reprinted under One License #A-709283. Great Is Thy Faithfulness. Text: Thomas O. Chisholm (1866–1960). Music: Faithfulness. William M. Runyan (1870–1957). Public domain. We’ve Come This Far by Faith. Text and music: Albert A. Goodson, Copyright 1993, Manna Music, Inc. Reprinted under One License #A-709283.

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