Evening Prayer (Vespers), April 15, 2020

The livestream will begin shortly before 7 p.m. You do not need to have a Facebook account to view it. 

Order of Worship
EVENING PRAYER for EASTER

Vespers

(Lutheran Book of Worship, page 142).

Jesus Christ is risen from the dead.

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

We are illumined by the brightness of his rising.

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

Death has no more dominion over us.

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

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.

The Lord be with you.

And also with you.

Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.

It is right to give him thanks and praise.

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

Psalm 9

¹ I will give thanks to you, O Lord, with | my whole heart;*

                I will tell of all your mar- | velous works.

² I will be glad and re- | joice in you;*

                I will sing to your name, | O Most High.

³ When my enemies are | driven back,*

            they will stumble and perish | at your presence.

⁴ For you have maintained my right | and my cause;*

            you sit upon your throne | judging right.

⁵ You have rebuked the ungodly and de- | stroyed the wicked;*

                you have blotted out their name forev- | er and ever.

⁶ As for the enemy, they are finished, in per- | petual ruin,*

                their cities plowed under, the memory | of them perished;

⁷ but the Lord is en- | throned forever;*

            he has set up his | throne for judgment.

⁸ It is he who rules the | world with righteousness;*

            he judges the peo- | ples with equity.

⁹ The Lord will be a refuge for | the oppressed,*

                a refuge in | time of trouble.

¹⁰ Those who know your name will put their | trust in you,*

                for you never forsake those who seek | you, O Lord.

¹¹ Sing praise to the Lord who | dwells in Zion;*

            proclaim to the peoples the things | he has done.

¹² The avenger of blood will re- | member them;*

            he will not forget the cry of | the afflicted.

¹³ Have pity on | me, O Lord;*

                see the misery I suffer from those who hate me,

                O you who lift me up from the | gate of death;

¹⁴ so that I may tell of all your praises and rejoice in | your salvation*

                in the gates of the cit- | y of Zion.

¹⁵ The ungodly have fallen into the | pit they dug,*

            and in the snare they set is their | own foot caught.

¹⁶ The Lord is known by his | acts of justice;*

            the wicked are trapped in the works of | their own hands.

¹⁷ The wicked shall be given over | to the grave,*

                and also all the peoples | that forget God.

¹⁸ For the needy shall not always | be forgotten,*

                and the hope of the poor shall not per- | ish forever.

¹⁹ Rise up, O Lord, let not the ungodly have the | upper hand;*

            let them be | judged before you.

²⁰ Put fear upon | them, O Lord;*

            let the ungodly know they | are but mortal.

Hymn              Christ the Lord is Risen Today

Lutheran Book of Worship 130

1              “Christ the Lord is ris’n today!”

                All on earth with angels say;

                raise your joys and triumphs high;

                sing, ye heav’ns; and earth, reply.

2             Love’s redeeming work is done,

                fought the fight, the battle won.

                Lo! The sun’s eclipse is o’er.

                Lo! He sets in blood no more.

3              Vain the stone, the watch, the seal;

                Christ has burst the gates of hell.

                Death in vain forbids his rise;

                Christ has opened paradise.

4             Lives again our glorious king!

                Where, O death, is now thy sting?

                Once he died our souls to save;

                where thy victory, O grave?

5             Hail the Lord of earth and heav’n!

                Praise to thee by both be giv’n.

                Thee we greet triumphant now;

                hail, the resurrection, thou!

6             King of glory, soul of bliss,

                everlasting life is this:

                thee to know, thy pow’r to prove,

                thus to sing, and thus to love!

Text: Charles Wesley, 1707-1788, alt.

Lesson                                                                                                                                Luke 24:13-49

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   

Lutheran Book of Worship 278

1              All praise to thee, my God, this night

                for all the blessings of the light.

                Keep me, oh, keep me, King of kings,

                beneath thine own almighty wings.

2             Forgive me, Lord, for thy dear Son,

                the ill that I this day have done;

                that with the world, myself, and thee,

                I, ere I sleep, at peace may be.

3              Teach me to live, that I may dread

                the grave as little as my bed.

                Teach me to die, that so I may

                rise glorious at the awesome day.

4             Oh, may my soul in thee repose,

                and may sweet sleep mine eyelids close,

                sleep that shall me more vig’rous make

                to serve my God when I awake!

5             Praise God, from whom all blessings flow;

                praise him, all creatures here below;

                praise him above, ye heav’nly host;

                praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

Text: Thomas Ken, 1637-1711

Sermon

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