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EVENING PRAYER
for Wednesday after 13 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 16
1 Protect me,
O God, for I take ref- | uge in you;*
I have said to the Lord,
"You are my Lord, my good a- | bove all other."
2 All my
delight is upon the godly that are | in the land,*
upon those who are noble a- | mong the people.
3 But those
who run after | other gods*
shall have their troubles | multiplied.
4 Their
libations of blood I | will not offer,*
nor take the names of their gods up- | on my lips.
5 O Lord, you are my portion | and my cup;*
it is you who up- | hold my lot.
6 My
boundaries enclose a | pleasant land;*
indeed, I have a | goodly heritage.
7 I will
bless the Lord who | gives me
counsel;*
my heart teaches me night | after night.
8 I have set
the Lord al- | ways before me;*
because he is at my right hand, I | shall not fall.
9 My heart,
therefore, is glad, and my spir- | it rejoices;*
my body also shall | rest in hope.
10 For you
will not abandon me | to the grave,*
nor let your holy one | see the pit.
11 You will
show me the | path of life;*
in your presence there is fullness of joy,
and in your right hand are pleasures 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
Lord, Teach Us How to Pray Aright
1 Lord, teach us how to pray aright,
with rev'rence and with fear.
Though dust and ashes in your sight,
we may, we must draw near.
2 We perish if we cease from prayer;
oh, grant us pow'r to pray.
And when to meet you we prepare,
Lord, meet us on our way.
3 Give deep humility; the sense
of godly sorrow give;
a strong desire, with confidence,
to hear your voice and live;
4 Faith in the only sacrifice
that can for sin atone;
to cast our hopes, to fix our eyes
on Christ, on Christ alone.
5 Give these, and then your will be done;
thus strengthened with all might,
we, through your Spirit and your Son,
shall pray, and pray aright.
Text:
James Montgomery, 1771-1854, alt.
READING Ephesians 6:10-20
10Be strong in the Lord and in the
strength of his power. 11Put on the whole armor of God, so that you
may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12For our
struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers,
against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness,
against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 13Therefore
take up the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to withstand on that
evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. 14Stand
therefore, and fasten the belt of truth around your waist, and put on the
breastplate of righteousness. 15As shoes for your feet put on
whatever will make you ready to proclaim the gospel of peace. 16With
all of these, take the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench
all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17Take the helmet of
salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.18Pray
in the Spirit at all times in every prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert
and always persevere in supplication for all the saints. 19Pray also
for me, so that when I speak, a message may be given to me to make known with boldness
the mystery of the gospel, 20for which I am an ambassador in chains.
Pray that I may declare it boldly, as I must speak.
The Word
of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
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
