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EVENING
PRAYER
for Wednesday
in 5 Easter (Cantate)
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
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 98
God
feeds us with finest wheat. Alleluia.
He fills us with honey from the rock.
Alleluia.
1 Sing to the Lord | a new song,*
for he has done | marvelous
things.
2 With his right
hand and his | holy arm*
has he won for him- | self the
victory.
3 The Lord has made | known his victory;*
his righteousness has he openly
shown
in the sight | of the nations.
4 He remembers his
mercy and faithfulness to the | house of Israel,*
and all the ends of the earth
have seen the victory | of our God.
5 Shout with joy to
the Lord, | all you lands;*
lift up your voice, re- | joice,
and sing.
6 Sing to the Lord | with the harp,*
with the harp and the | voice of
song.
7 With trumpets and
the sound | of the horn*
shout with joy before the |
king, the Lord.
8 Let the sea make a
noise and all | that is in it,*
the lands and those who | dwell
therein.
9 Let the rivers |
clap their hands,*
and let the hills ring out with
joy before the Lord,
when he comes to | judge the
earth.
10 In righteousness
shall he | judge the world*
and the peo- | ples with equity.
God
feeds us with finest wheat. Alleluia.
He fills us with honey from the rock.
Alleluia.
Lord, we
sing to you a new song, for your victory is ever new. In the empty tomb you
have given us a glimpse of your future, and in your victory over death you have
shown us how we shall overcome the last enemy. As the seas roar and the hills
sing together, we too will praise you for your great triumph, Father, Son, and
Holy Spirit, now and forever.
Hymn O God, My Faithful God LBW 504
1 O God, my faithful
God,
true fountain ever
flowing,
without whom nothing
is,
all perfect gifts
bestowing:
give me a healthy
frame,
and may I have within
a conscience free
from blame,
a soul unstained by
sin.
2 Give me the strength
to do
with ready heart and
willing
whatever you command,
my calling here
fulfilling--
to do it when I
ought,
with all my
might--and bless
whatever I have
wrought,
for you must give
success.
3 Keep me from saying
words
that later need
recalling;
guard me, lest idle
speech
may from my lips be
falling;
but when, within my
place,
I must and ought to
speak,
then to my words give
grace,
lest I offend the
weak.
4 When dangers gather
round,
oh, keep me calm and
fearless;
help me to bear the
cross
when life seems dark
and cheerless;
help me, as you have
taught,
to love both great
and small,
and, by your Spirit's
might,
to live at peace with
all.
Text: Johann Heermann, 1585-1647; tr. Catherine Winkworth,
1827-1878, alt.
READING Ephesians 6:5-9
Bondservants, obey your earthly
masters with fear and trembling, with a sincere heart, as you
would Christ, not by the way of eye-service, as people-pleasers,
but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, rendering service with a good will as to the
Lord and not to man, knowing that whatever good anyone does, this he will
receive back from the Lord, whether he is a bondservant or is free. Masters, do the same to them, and stop
your threatening, knowing that he who is both their Master and yours
is in heaven, and that there is no partiality with him.
The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to 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.
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
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 God, Who Made the Earth and Heaven LBW 281
1 God, who made the
earth and heaven,
darkness and light:
you the day for work
have given,
for rest the night.
May your angel guards
defend us,
slumber sweet your
mercy send us,
holy dreams and hopes
attend us
all through the
night.
2 And when morn again
shall call us
to run life's way,
may we still,
whate'er befall us,
your will obey.
From the pow'r of
evil hide us,
in the narrow pathway
guide us,
never be your smile
denied us
all through the day.
3 Guard us waking, guard
us sleeping,
and, when we die,
may we in your mighty
keeping
all peaceful lie.
When the last dread
call shall wake us,
then, O Lord, do not
forsake us,
but to reign in glory
take us
with you on high.
4 Holy Father, throned in
heaven,
all-holy Son,
Holy Spirit, freely
given,
blest Three in One:
grant us grace, we
now implore you,
till we lay our
crowns before you
and in worthier
strains adore you
while ages run.
Text: Reginald Heber, 1783-1826, st. 1, alt.; William Mercer,
1811-1873, sts. 2, 4, alt.; Richard Whately, 1787-1863, st. 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
