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EVENING
PRAYER
for Wednesday
in 4 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.
We
praise and thank you, O God, through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, through
whom you have enlightened us by revealing the light that never fades.
Night
is falling and day’s allotted span draws to a close.
The
daylight which you created for our pleasure has fully satisfied us, and yet, of
your own free gift, now the evening lights do not fail us.
We
praise you and glorify you through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord; through him
be glory, honor, and power to you in the Holy Spirit, now and always and
forever and ever.
Amen
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 116
The glory of the Lord shines on the city. Alleluia.
Its lamp is the Lamb. Alleluia.
1 I love the Lord, because he has heard the voice of
my | supplication,*
because he has inclined his ear
to me
whenever I | called upon him.
2 The cords of death
entangled me;
the
grip of the grave took | hold of me;*
I came to | grief and sorrow.
3 Then I called upon
the name | of the Lord:*
"O Lord, I pray you, | save my life."
4 Gracious is the | Lord and righteous;*
our God is full | of compassion.
5 The Lord watches o- | ver the innocent;*
I was brought very low, | and he
helped me.
for the Lord has treat- | ed you well.
7 For you have
rescued my | life from death,*
my eyes from tears, and my |
feet from stumbling.
8 I will walk in the
presence | of the Lord*
in the land | of the living.
9 I believed, even
when I said, "I have been brought | very low."*
In my distress I said, "No
one | can be trusted."
10 How shall I re- |
pay the Lord*
for all the good things he has |
done for me?
11 I will lift up the
cup | of salvation*
and call upon the name | of the Lord.
12 I will fulfill my
vows | to the Lord*
in the presence of | all his
people.
13 Precious in the
sight | of the Lord*
is the death | of his servants.
14 O Lord, I | am your servant;*
I am your servant and the child
of your handmaid;
you have freed me | from my
bonds.
15 I will offer you
the sacrifice | of thanksgiving*
and call upon the name | of the Lord.
16 I will fulfill my
vows | to the Lord*
in the presence of | all his
people,
17 in the courts of |
the Lord's house,*
in the midst of you, O
Jerusalem. | Hallelujah!
The
glory of the Lord shines on the city. Alleluia.
Its lamp is the Lamb. Alleluia.
God
of power and mercy, through the Passion and resurrection of your Son you have
freed us from the bonds of death and the anguish of separation from you. Be
with us on our pilgrimage, and help us offer you a sacrifice of praise, fulfill
our vows, and glorify you in the presence of all your people; through Jesus
Christ our Lord.
Amen
Hymn I Love Your Kingdom, Lord LBW 368
1 I
love your kingdom, Lord,
the
place of your abode;
the
church our blest Redeemer saved
with
his own precious blood.
2 I
love your church, O God!
Its
walls before you stand,
dear
as the apple of your eye
and
graven on your hand.
3 Beyond
my highest joy
I
prize its heav’nly ways,
its
sweet communion, solemn vows,
its
hymns of love and praise.
4 Sure
as your truth shall last,
to
Zion shall be giv’n
the
brightest glories earth can yield,
and
brighter bliss of heav’n.
Text: Timothy Dwight, 1752-1817, alt.
15 Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the best use of the
time, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be
foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. 18 And do not get drunk with wine, for
that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, 19 addressing one another in psalms
and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your
heart, 20 giving thanks always and
for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, 21 submitting to one another out of
reverence for Christ.
The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.
Silence for meditation.
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.
Antiphon:
This is
the day the Lord has made. Alleluia.
Let us rejoice and be glad in it.
Alleluia.
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
Antiphon:
This is
the day the Lord has made. Alleluia.
Let us rejoice and be glad in it. Alleluia.
An Expression of
Joy and Humility[1]
Let us praise God in gladness and humility
for all great and simple joys and for the weak things of the earth which have
confounded the strong.
For the gift of wonder and joy in
discovery; for the everlasting freshness of experience; for the newness of life
each day as we grow older: Glory to you, O Lord.
For the fireside; for the intimacies of
friendship; for the traditions and customs of the home; for meals eaten
together in fellowship; and for all the holy things of family life: Glory
to you, O Lord.
For games and holidays in the open air; for
books and pictures and all our small possessions: Glory to you, O Lord.
For forest trees in spring and for fruit
blossoms; for the smell of the earth after the rain; for the green grass and
the flowers; for cloud and sun, hills and mountain streams: Glory to
you, O Lord.
For birds; for children and the joys of
innocence; for the satisfaction of work attempted and achieved; for the joy of
harvest and the wedding feast: Glory to you, O Lord.
For the happiness which is born of sympathy
and sorrow; for the rapture of the lost soul finding love again; and for the
joy of the angels of God over one sinner that repents: Glory to you, O
Lord.
For all purging comedy and laughter; and
for the gift of humor and gaiety of heart: Glory to you, O Lord.
For all the Lord’s merry ones, who have
consecrated mirth with the love of Christ: Glory to you, O Lord.
For all singers and musicians and all who
work in form or color to increase the joy of life: Glory to you, O
Lord.
For poets and craftsmen; for all who
rejoice in their work and make things well: Glory to you, O Lord.
For all who have loved the unfortunate and
borne their sorrows in their hearts: Glory to you, O Lord.
For all obscure and humble saints; for
village pastors and ministering women, who have made life sweet and
gentler: Glory to you, O Lord.
For those disciples who have not fully
understood all Christian doctrines and yet have lived in the companionship of
Christ: Glory to you, O Lord.
For the image of Christ in all folk, their
forbearance and generosity, their good temper in crowds, their courage and
their kindness: Glory to you, O Lord.
For the glory of God shining in unsung
lives; for husband and wife devising ways to please each other, and for the
sacrifices of both for their children: Glory to you, O Lord.
For all holy and humble of heart, in whom
the loveliness of our Savior Christ has been made manifest in the world: Glory
to you, O Lord.
Rejoicing in the fellowship of all the
saints, we commend ourselves, one another, and our whole life to Christ our
Lord.
To you, O Lord.
Let us
pray for our own needs and the needs of others.
Silent
prayer.
Into
your hands, Father, we commend all for whom we pray, trusting in your mercy,
through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen
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 O Christ, You Are the Light and Day LBW 273
1 O
Christ, you are the light and day;
you
drive the gloom of night away;
grant,
Light of light, your word to show
the
light of heav’n to us below.
2 Arise,
O God, our shield, repel
the
darts and subtleties of hell;
let
your right hand, outstretched above,
guard
those who serve the Lord they love.
3 All-holy
Lord, in humble prayer
we
ask tonight your watchful care
and
pray that our repose may be
a
quiet night, from perils free.
4 To
God the Father and the Son
and
Holy Spirit, Three in One,
be
glory in the highest giv’n
by
all on earth and all in heav’n!
Text: Latin hymn, 6th cent., sts. 1-3; Isaac Watts, 1674-1748, st.
4; tr. William J. Copeland, 1804-1885, sts. 1-3, alt.
Prayer
and Benediction
Accept,
O Lord, our praises and supplications, and look graciously on our households
and our faith family, that we may abide this night in peace and safety under
the shadow of your wings, and so assist us by your grace that we may be made fit
for that kingdom where there shall be no more sin, nor sorrow, nor pain, but
all shall be joy and peace in the Holy Spirit, to whom, with you, O Father, and
you, O blessed Jesus, be all glory, both now and evermore.
Amen
The
almighty and merciful Lord, the Father, + the Son, and the Holy Spirit, bless
and preserve us. Amen
