Wednesday, June 30, 2021

Evening Prayer for June 30, 2021, 7 p.m.

The livestream may be found here.

EVENING PRAYER

for Wednesday after 5 Pentecost

Vespers

(Lutheran Book of Worship, page 142)

 

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.

 

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

 

The psalmody begins with this prayer for forgiveness and protection:

 

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.   Ps. 141:1-7

 

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 15

 

1 Lord, who may dwell in your | tabernacle?*

                Who may abide upon your | holy hill?

2 Whoever leads a blameless life and does | what is right,*

                who speaks the truth | from his heart,

3 there is no guile upon his tongue; he does no evil | to his friend;*

                he does not heap contempt up- | on his neighbor.

4 In his sight the wicked | is rejected,*

                but he honors those who | fear the Lord.

5 He has sworn to | do no wrong*

                and does not take | back his word.

6 He does not give his money in | hope of gain,*

                nor does he take a bribe a- | gainst the innocent.

7 Whoever | does these things*

                shall never be | overthrown.

Lord Jesus, you first chose to live among us, and in returning to your Father you made an eternal home for us. Help us walk blamelessly in your ways and bring us at last to your holy mountain, where you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.  

 

Hymn                   God, Whose Giving Knows No Ending                        LBW 408

                                               

                (TEXT MAY NOT BE REPRODUCED HERE)

 

READING                                                                          2 Corinthians 8:7-15

 

But as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all earnestness, and in our love for you—see that you excel in this act of grace also.

I say this not as a command, but to prove by the earnestness of others that your love also is genuine. For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich. 10 And in this matter I give my judgment: this benefits you, who a year ago started not only to do this work but also to desire to do it. 11 So now finish doing it as well, so that your readiness in desiring it may be matched by your completing it out of what you have. 12 For if the readiness is there, it is acceptable according to what a person has, not according to what he does not have. 13 For I do not mean that others should be eased and you burdened, but that as a matter of fairness 14 your abundance at the present time should supply their need, so that their abundance may supply your need, that there may be fairness. 15 As it is written, “Whoever gathered much had nothing left over, and whoever gathered little had no lack.”

The Word of the Lord.                                        Thanks be to God.

Silence for reflection.

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

 

L             Holy God, holy and mighty, holy and immortal,

 

C             have mercy and hear us.

 

C             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

 

C             I believe in God, the Father almighty,

                                creator of heaven and earth.

 

                I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord.

                                He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit

                                                and born of the virgin Mary.

                                He suffered under Pontius Pilate,

                                                was crucified, died, and was buried.

                                He descended into hell.

                                On the third day he rose again.

                                He ascended into heaven,

                                                and is seated at the right hand of the Father.

                                He will come again to judge the living and the dead.

 

                I believe in the Holy Spirit,

                                the holy catholic Church,

                                the communion of saints,

                                the forgiveness of sins,

                                the resurrection of the body,

                                and the life everlasting. Amen

 

L             Show us your mercy, O Lord,

C             and grant us your salvation.

L             Clothe your ministers with righteousness.

C             Let your people sing with joy.

L             Give peace, O Lord, in all the world;

C             for only in you can we live in safety.

L             Lord, keep this nation under your care,

C             and guide us in the way of justice and truth.

L             Let your way be known upon earth;

C             your saving health among all nations.

L             Let not the needy, O Lord, be forgotten,

C             nor the hope of the poor be taken away.

L             Create in us clean hearts, O God,

C             and sustain us with your Holy Spirit.

 

L             The Lord be with you.

C             And also with you.

 

L             Let us pray. . . .

C             Amen

 

6.                    The final prayer is that appropriate to the time of day:

 

 

EVENING

L             We give thanks to you, heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ your dear Son, that you have this day so graciously protected us. We beg you to forgive us all our sins and the wrong which we have done. By your great mercy defend us from all the perils and dangers of this night. Into your hands we commend our bodies and souls, and all that is ours. Let your holy angels have charge of us, that the wicked one have no power over us.   

 

L             Let us bless the Lord.

C            Thanks be to God.

 

L             The Lord bless us, defend us from all evil, and bring us to everlasting life.

C            Amen