EVENING
PRAYER for EASTER
Vespers
(Lutheran
Book of Worship, page 142)
Jesus
Christ is risen from the dead.
Alleluia, alleluia,
alleluia.
We
are illumined by the brightness of his rising.
Alleluia, alleluia,
alleluia.
Death
has no more dominion over us.
Alleluia, alleluia,
alleluia.
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 11
1 In the Lord have I | taken refuge;*
how then can you say to me,
"Fly away like a bird | to the
hilltop;
2 for see how the
wicked bend the bow
and fit their arrows | to the string,*
to shoot from ambush at the |
true of heart.
3 When the
foundations are be- | ing destroyed,*
what can the | righteous
do?"
4 The Lord is in his | holy temple;*
the Lord's throne | is in heaven.
5 His eyes behold
the inhab- | ited world;*
his piercing eye | weighs our
worth.
6 The Lord weighs the righteous as well | as
the wicked,*
but those who delight in
violence | he abhors.
7 Upon the wicked he
shall rain coals of fire
and | burning sulphur;*
a scorching wind shall | be their
lot.
8 For the Lord is righteous; he delights in |
righteous deeds;*
and the just shall | see his
face.
The
proper psalm prayer is said, to which the congregation responds: Amen
Lord
God, heavenly Father, your Son has fulfilled your holy will so that we might
stand before you. Fill us with your Spirit and move us to place our confidence
only in you, and then on the day of judgment we shall rejoice to see you face
to face; through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Hymn How Firm A Foundation
Lutheran Book of Worship 507
1 How
firm a foundation, O saints of the Lord,
is
laid for your faith in his excellent word!
What
more can he say than to you he has said
who
unto the Savior for refuge have fled?
2 “Fear
not, I am with you, oh, be not dismayed,
for
I am your God and will still give you aid;
I’ll
strengthen you, help you, and cause you to stand,
upheld
by my righteous, omnipotent hand.
3 “When
through fiery trials your pathway shall lie,
my
grace, all-sufficient, shall be your supply.
The
flames shall not hurt you; I only design
your
dross to consume and your gold to refine.
4 “Throughout
all their lifetime my people shall prove
my
sov’reign, eternal, unchangeable love;
and
then, when gray hairs shall their temples adorn,
like
lambs they shall still in my bosom be borne.”
Text:
J. Rippon, A Selection of Hymns, 1787, alt.
Reading
1 Peter 4:12-14, 5:6-11
12Beloved, do not be
surprised at the fiery ordeal that is taking place among you to test you, as though
something strange were happening to you. 13But rejoice insofar as
you are sharing Christ’s sufferings, so that you may also be glad and shout for
joy when his glory is revealed. 14If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed,
because the spirit of glory, which is the Spirit of God, is resting on you.
5:6Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, so
that he may exalt you in due time. 7Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you. 8Discipline yourselves, keep alert. Like a
roaring lion your adversary the devil prowls around, looking for someone to
devour. 9Resist him,
steadfast in your faith, for you know that your brothers and sisters in all the
world are undergoing the same kinds of suffering. 10And after you have
suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his
eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, support, strengthen, and
establish you. 11To him be
the power forever and ever. Amen.
Silence for meditation.
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
The
LITANY is sung.
In
peace, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord,
have mercy.
For
the peace from above, and for our salvation, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord,
have mercy.
For
the peace of the whole world, for the well-being of the Church of God, and for
the unity of all, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord,
have mercy.
For
all who offer today their worship and praise, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord,
have mercy.
For
Dan, our bishop; for your unworthy servant; for all pastors in Christ, for all
servants of the Church, and for all the people, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord,
have mercy.
For
our public servants, for the government and those who protect us, that they may
be upheld and strengthened in every good deed, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord,
have mercy.
For
those who work to bring peace, justice, health, and protection in this and
every place, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord,
have mercy.
For
those who bring offerings, those who do good works in this congregation, those
who toil, those who sing, and all the people here present who await from the
Lord great and abundant mercy, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord,
have mercy.
For
favorable weather, for an abundance of the fruits of the earth, and for
peaceful times, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord,
have mercy.
For
our deliverance from all affliction, wrath, danger, and need, let us pray to
the Lord.
Lord,
have mercy.
For
the faithful who have gone before us and are at rest, let us give thanks to the
Lord.
Alleluia.
Help,
save, comfort, and defend us, gracious Lord.
Silence
for meditation.
Rejoicing
in the fellowship of all the saints, let us commend ourselves, one another, and
our whole life to Christ, our Lord.
To
you, O Lord.
Almighty and eternal God, your Son our Savior is
with you in eternal glory. Give us faith to see that, true to his promise, he
is among us still, and will be with us to the end of time; who lives and reigns
with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
Amen
We
pray to you, almighty God, in this time of pandemic. You are our refuge and our
strength, a very present help in time of trouble. Do not let us fail in the face
of these events. Uphold us with your love, and give us the strength we need.
Help us in our confusion, and guide our actions. Heal the sick, console the
bereaved and afflicted, protect the innocent and helpless, and deliver all who
are in peril; through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen
Watch,
dear Lord, with those who wake or watch or weep, and give your angels charge
over those who sleep. Tend the sick, rest the weary, bless the dying, soothe
the suffering, pity the afflicted, shield the joyous. In your love, give us all
this, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen
O
God, from whom come all holy desires, all good counsels, and all just works:
Give to us, your servants, that peace which the world cannot give, that our
hearts may be set to obey your commandments; and also that we, being defended
from the fear of our enemies, may live in peace and quietness; through the
merits of Jesus Christ our Savior, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy
Spirit, God forever.
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.
Hymn All Praise to Thee,
My God, This Night
Lutheran Book of Worship 278
1 All
praise to thee, my God, this night
for
all the blessings of the light.
Keep
me, oh, keep me, King of kings,
beneath
thine own almighty wings.
2 Forgive
me, Lord, for thy dear Son,
the
ill that I this day have done;
that
with the world, myself, and thee,
I,
ere I sleep, at peace may be.
3 Teach
me to live, that I may dread
the
grave as little as my bed.
Teach
me to die, that so I may
rise
glorious at the awesome day.
4 Oh,
may my soul in thee repose,
and
may sweet sleep mine eyelids close,
sleep
that shall me more vig’rous make
to
serve my God when I awake!
5 Praise
God, from whom all blessings flow;
praise
him, all creatures here below;
praise
him above, ye heav’nly host;
praise
Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
Text: Thomas Ken, 1637-1711
Sermon
Prayer
and Benediction
Lord
God, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the
ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown. Give us faith to go
out with good courage, not knowing where we go, but only that your hand is
leading us and your love supporting us; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen
The
almighty and merciful Lord, the Father, + the Son, and the Holy Spirit, bless
and preserve you.
Amen
