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.
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.
The
proper psalm prayer is said, to which the congregation responds: Amen
Hymn We Know That Christ is Raised
Lutheran Book of Worship 189
(The text of the hymn may not be reproduced online.)
Lesson 1 Peter 1:17-23
17If you invoke as Father the one who judges all people
impartially according to their deeds, live in reverent fear during the time of
your exile. 18You know
that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your ancestors, not
with perishable things like silver or gold, 19but with the
precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without defect or blemish. 20He was destined before
the foundation of the world, but was revealed at the end of the ages for your
sake. 21Through
him you have come to trust in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him
glory, so that your faith and hope are set on God.
22Now that
you have purified your souls by your obedience to the truth so that you have
genuine mutual love, love one another deeply from the heart. 23You have been born
anew, not of perishable but of imperishable seed, through the living and
enduring word of God.
Response
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.
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
The
LITANY is sung.
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 your unworthy servant; 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, by the humiliation of your Son you lifted up this fallen world, rescuing
us from the hopelessness of death. Grant your faithful people a share in the
joys that are eternal; through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and
reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
Amen
Everlasting
God, you so kindled the flame of holy love in the heart of blessed Catherine of
Siena, as she meditated on the passion of your Son our Savior, that she devoted
her life to the poor and the sick, and to the peace and unity of the Church:
Grant that we also may share in the mystery of Christ’s death, and rejoice in
the revelation of his glory; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever.
Amen
We
pray to you, almighty God, in this time of pandemic. You are our refuge and our
strength, a very present help in time of trouble. Do not let us fail in the
face of these events. Uphold us with your love, and give us the strength we
need. Help us in our confusion, and guide our actions. Heal the sick, console
the bereaved and afflicted, protect the innocent and helpless, and deliver all
who are in peril; through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen
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.
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
Prayer
and Benediction
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
