Evening Prayer (Vespers) will be livestreamed this evening, April 1, at 7 p.m. Please join us for a time of reflective prayer and meditation. The stream will go live at approximately 6:55 pm at facebook.com/ststephenpittsburgh. Click the 'Read the whole post' link to access the order of service.
EVENING PRAYER
Vespers
Jesus Christ is the Light of the world,
the light no
darkness can overcome.
Stay with us, Lord, for it is evening,
and the day is
almost over.
Let your light scatter the darkness,
and illumine your
Church.
Joyous light of glory:
of the immortal
Father;
heavenly, holy, blessed
Jesus Christ.
We have come to the setting of the sun,
and we look to the
evening light.
We sing to God, the Father, Son,
and Holy Spirit:
You are worthy of being praised
with pure voices
forever.
O Son of God, O Giver of life:
The universe proclaims
your glory.
Blessed are you, O Lord our God, king of the universe,
who led your people Israel by a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by
night: Enlighten our darkness by the light of your Christ; may his Word be a
lamp to our feet and a light to our path; for you are merciful, and you love
your whole creation, and we, your creatures, glorify you, Father, Son, and Holy
Spirit.
Amen
Let my prayer rise
before you as incense;
the lifting up of my
hands as the evening sacrifice.
O Lord, I call to
you; come to me quickly;
hear my voice when I cry
to you.
Let my prayer rise
before you as incense;
the lifting up of my
hands as the evening sacrifice.
Set a watch before
my mouth, O Lord,
and guard the door of my
lips.
Let not my heart
incline to any evil thing;
let me not be occupied
in wickedness with evildoers.
But my eyes are
turned to you, Lord God;
in you I take refuge.
Strip me not of my life.
Glory to the
Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the
beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.
Let my prayer rise
before you as incense;
the lifting up of my
hands as the evening sacrifice.
Silence for meditation.
Let the incense of our repentant prayer ascend before
you, O Lord, and let your lovingkindness descend upon us, that with purified
minds we may sing your praises with the Church on earth and the whole heavenly
host, and may glorify you forever and ever.
Amen
Hymn Children of the Heavenly Father
Lutheran Book of Worship 474
Lesson Matthew 6:24-34
In many and various ways God spoke to his people of old
by the prophets.
But now in these last days he has spoken to us by his
Son.
10. The GOSPEL CANTICLE
is sung.
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord;
my
spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for
he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.
From
this day all generations will call me blessed.
The
Almighty has done great things for me,
and
holy is his name.
He
has mercy on those who fear him
in
every generation.
He
has shown the strength of his arm;
he
has scattered the proud in their conceit.
He
has cast down the mighty from their thrones,
and
has lifted up the lowly.
He
has filled the hungry with good things,
and
the rich he has sent away empty.
He
has come to the help of his servant Israel,
for
he has remembered his promise of mercy,
the
promise he made to our fathers,
to
Abraham and his children forever.
Glory
to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit;
as
it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen
11. The LITANY is sung or said.
In peace, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
For the peace from above, and for our salvation, let us
pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
For the peace of the whole world, for the well-being of
the Church of God, and for the unity of all, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
For all who offer today their worship and praise, let us
pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
For Dan, our bishop; for all pastors in Christ, for all
servants of the Church, and for all the people, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
For our public servants, for the government and those who
protect us, that they may be upheld and strengthened in every good deed, let us
pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
For those who work to bring peace, justice, health, and
protection in this and every place, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
For those who bring offerings, those who do good works in
this congregation, those who toil, those who sing, and all the people here
present who await from the Lord great and abundant mercy, let us pray to the
Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
For favorable weather, for an abundance of the fruits of
the earth, and for peaceful times, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
For our deliverance from all affliction, wrath, danger,
and need, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
For the faithful who have gone before us and are at rest,
let us give thanks to the Lord.
To you, O Lord.
Help, save, comfort, and defend us, gracious Lord.
Silence for meditation.
Rejoicing in the fellowship of all the saints, let us
commend ourselves, one another, and our whole life to Christ, our Lord.
To you, O Lord.
O God, from whom come all holy desires, all good
counsels, and all just works: Give to us, your servants, that peace which the
world cannot give, that our hearts may be set to obey your commandments; and
also that we, being defended from the fear of our enemies, may live in peace
and quietness; through the merits of Jesus Christ our Savior, who lives and
reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, God forever.
Amen
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,
forever
and ever. Amen
Let us bless the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Hymn All
Praise to Thee, My God, This Night LBW
278
The SERMON. Following
the sermon one of these prayers is said.
Lord God, you have called your servants to ventures of
which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils
unknown. Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go,
but only that your hand is leading us and your love supporting us; through
Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen
The almighty and merciful Lord, the Father, + the Son,
and the Holy Spirit, bless and preserve you.
Amen
(Liturgy from Lutheran Book of Worship, copyright 1978 Augsburg Fortress.)
