Evening Prayer, May 27, 2020, 7 p.m.

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