St Stephen Lutheran Church Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: Evening Prayer

Hymns:

ELW 563 (WOV 728) O Light Whose Splendor Thrills and Gladdens

ELW 233 Let My Prayer Rise Before You

ELW 345 (LBW 115) Jesus, I Will Ponder Now

ELW 251 (WOV 730) My Soul Proclaims Your Greatness

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Stand

Opening Sentences for Lent

Behold, now is the acceptable time.

Now is the day of salvation.

Turn us again, O God of our salvation;

that the light of your face may shine upon us.

May your justice shine like the sun,

And may the poor be lifted up.

Phos Hilaron (O Joyous light)

O Light Whose Splendor Thrills ELW 563 (WOV 728)

Thanksgiving for light

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,

for you are without beginning and without end.

Through Christ you are the creator and preserver of the whole world;

but, above all, you are his God and Father, the giver of the Spirit,

and the ruler of all that is, seen and unseen.

You made the day for the works of light

and the night for the refreshment of our weakness.

O loving Lord and source of all that is good,

mercifully accept our evening sacrifice of praise.

As you have conducted us through the day

and brought us to night's beginning; keep us now in Christ;

grant us a peaceful evening and a night free from sin;

and, at the end, bring us to everlasting life through Christ our Lord.

Through him

we offer glory, honor, and worship to you in the Holy Spirit,

now and always and forever and ever.

Amen

Sit

Psalmody Let My Prayer Arise (Ps. 141:1-7) ELW 233

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

Reading John 13:21-32

²¹Jesus was troubled in spirit, and declared, “Very truly, I tell you, one of you will betray me.” ²²The disciples looked at one another, uncertain of whom he was speaking. ²³One of his disciples—the one whom Jesus loved—was reclining next to him; ²⁴Simon Peter therefore motioned to him to ask Jesus of whom he was speaking. ²⁵So while reclining next to Jesus, he asked him, “Lord, who is it?” ²⁶Jesus answered, “It is the one to whom I give this piece of bread when I have dipped it in the dish.” So when he had dipped the piece of bread, he gave it to Judas son of Simon Iscariot. ²⁷After he received the piece of bread, Satan entered into him. Jesus said to him, “Do quickly what you are going to do.” ²⁸Now no one at the table knew why he said this to him. ²⁹Some thought that, because Judas had the common purse, Jesus was telling him, “Buy what we need for the festival”; or, that he should give something to the poor. ³⁰So, after receiving the piece of bread, he immediately went out. And it was night.
³¹When he had gone out, Jesus said, “Now the Son of Man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him. ³²If God has been glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself and will glorify him at once.”

The Word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

Hymn Jesus, I Will Ponder Now ELW 345 (LBW 115)

Homily Pastor Frontz

Stand

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.

Gospel Canticle My Soul Proclaims Your Greatness ELW 251

The Litany

In peace, let us pray to the Lord.

R./ Lord, have mercy.

For the peace from above, and for our salvation, let us pray to the Lord. R./

For the peace of the whole world,

for the well-being of the Church of God, and for the unity of all,