Wednesday, July 14, 2021

Evening Prayer, Wednesday, July 14, 2021, 7 p.m.

The livestream may be found here.


EVENING PRAYER

for Wednesday after 7 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 130

 

1 Out of the depths have I called to you, O Lord; Lord, | hear my voice;*

                let your ears consider well the voice of my | supplication.

2 If you, Lord, were to note what is | done amiss,*

                O Lord, | who could stand?

3 For there is forgive- | ness with you;*

                therefore you | shall be feared.

4 I wait for the Lord; my soul | waits for him;*

                in his word | is my hope.

5 My soul waits for the Lord, more than watchmen | for the morning,*

                more than watchmen | for the morning.

6 O Israel, wait | for the Lord,*

                for with the Lord | there is mercy;

7 with him there is plen- | teous redemption,*

                and he shall redeem Israel from | all their sins.


Psalm 131

 

1 O Lord, I | am not proud;*

                I have no | haughty looks.

2 I do not occupy myself | with great matters,*

                or with things that are too | hard for me.

3 But I still my soul and make it quiet,

like a child upon its | mother's breast;*

                my soul is quiet- | ed within me.

4 O Israel, wait up- | on the Lord,*

                from this time forth for- | evermore.

 

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

 

Hymn                   Come, thou Fount of Every Blessing                              LBW 499

 

1      Come, thou Fount of ev'ry blessing,

        tune my heart to sing thy grace;

        streams of mercy, never ceasing,

        call for songs of loudest praise.

        While the hope of endless glory

        fills my heart with joy and love,

        teach me ever to adore thee;

        may I still thy goodness prove.

 

2      Here I raise my Ebenezer:

        "Hither by thy help I've come";

        and I hope, by thy good pleasure,

        safely to arrive at home.

        Jesus sought me when a stranger,

        wand'ring from the fold of God;

        he, to rescue me from danger,

        interposed his precious blood.

 

3      Oh, to grace how great a debtor

        daily I'm constrained to be;

        let that grace now like a fetter

        bind my wand'ring heart to thee.

        Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it;

        prone to leave the God I love.

        Here's my heart, oh, take and seal it;

        seal it for thy courts above.

 

Text: Robert Robinson, 1735-1790, alt.

 

Reading                                                                              Ephesians 1:3-14

 

3Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, 4just as he chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before him in love. 5He destined us for adoption as his children through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of his will, 6to the praise of his glorious grace that he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. 7In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace 8that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and insight 9he has made known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure that he set forth in Christ, 10as a plan for the fullness of time, to gather up all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. 11In Christ we have also obtained an inheritance, having been destined according to the purpose of him who accomplishes all things according to his counsel and will, 12so that we, who were the first to set our hope on Christ, might live for the praise of his glory. 13In him you also, when you had heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and had believed in him, were marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit; 14this is the pledge of our inheritance toward redemption as God’s own people, to the praise of his glory.

                                                                                                                   

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