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EVENING PRAYER
Vespers
(Lutheran Book of Worship, page 142)
L Jesus Christ is risen from the dead.
C Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.
L We are illumined by the brightness of his rising.
C
L Death has no more dominion over us.
C
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
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 99
Antiphon:
The glory of the Lord shines on the city. Alleluia.
Its lamp is the Lamb. Alleluia.
1The Lord is
King; let the | people tremble.*
He is enthroned upon the cherubim; let | the earth shake.
2The Lord is | great in Zion;*
he is high a- | bove all peoples.
3Let them confess his name, which is | great and awesome;*
he is the | Holy One.
4“O mighty King, lover of justice, you have | established equity;*
you have executed justice and righteous- | ness in Jacob.”
5Proclaim the greatness of the Lord our God and fall down be- | fore his footstool;*
he is the | Holy One.
6Moses and Aaron among his priests, and Samuel among those
who call up- | on his name,*
they called upon the Lord,
and he | answered them.
7He spoke to them out of the pil- | lar of cloud;*
they kept his testimonies and the decree | that he gave them.
8O Lord our God,
you answered | them indeed;*
you were a God who forgave them, yet punished them for their
|
evil deeds.
9Proclaim the greatness of the Lord our God and worship him upon his | holy hill;*
for the Lord
our God is the | Holy One.
Antiphon:
The glory of the Lord shines on the city. Alleluia.
Its lamp is the Lamb. Alleluia.
The psalm prayer is said.
R. Amen
Hymn Come, You Faithful, Raise the Strain LBW 132
1 Come, you
faithful, raise the strain
of triumphant
gladness!
God has brought
his Israel
into joy from
sadness,
loosed from
Pharaoh’s bitter yoke
Jacob’s sons
and daughters,
led them with
unmoistened foot
through the Red
Sea waters.
2 ’Tis the spring
of souls today:
Christ has
burst his prison,
and from three
days’ sleep in death
as a sun has
risen;
all the winter
of our sins,
long and dark,
is flying
from his light,
to whom is giv’n
laud and praise
undying.
3 Now the queen of
seasons, bright
with the day of
splendor,
with the royal
feast of feasts
comes its joy
to render;
comes to
gladden faithful hearts
which with true
affection
welcome in
unwearied strain
Jesus’
resurrection!
4 For today among
the twelve
Christ
appeared, bestowing
his deep peace,
which evermore
passes human
knowing.
Neither could
the gates of death,
nor the tomb’s
dark portal,
nor the
watchers, nor the seal,
hold him as a
mortal.
5 Alleluia! Now we
cry
to our King
immortal,
who,
triumphant, burst the bars
of the tomb’s
dark portal.
Come, you
faithful, raise the strain
of triumphant
gladness!
God has brought
his Israel
into joy from
sadness!
Text: John of Damascus, c.
696-c. 754; tr. John M. Neale, 1818-1866, alt.
READING
Ezekiel 36:33-38
Following the reading:
The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.
Response
In many and various ways
God spoke to this 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 Lindeman, Daily Prayer
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 crafters; 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 people; for 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.
COLLECTS
For the fourth week of Easter
For the conservation of natural resources
For peace among the nations
For our own needs and for the needs of others
For peace at the end of the day
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.
The almighty and merciful Lord, the Father, + the Son, and the Holy Spirit, bless and preserve us. Amen
