EVENING
PRAYER for the 2nd Wednesday after Pentecost
Vespers
(Lutheran
Book of Worship, page 142)
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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
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 48
1 Great is the Lord, and highly | to be praised;*
in the city of our God is his |
holy hill.
2 Beautiful and
lofty, the joy of all the earth, is the | hill of Zion,*
the very center of the world and
the city of | the great king.
3 God is in her
citadels;*
he is known to be | her sure
refuge.
4 Behold, the kings
of the | earth assembled*
and marched for- | ward
together.
5 They looked and |
were astounded;*
they retreated and | fled in
terror.
6 Trembling | seized
them there;*
they writhed like a woman in
childbirth,
like ships of the sea when the |
east wind shatters them.
7 As we have heard,
so have we seen,
in
the city of the Lord of hosts, in
the city | of our God;*
God has established | her
forever.
8 We have waited in
silence on your lovingkind- | ness, O God,*
in the midst | of your temple.
9 Your praise, like
your name, O God, reaches | to the world's end;*
your right hand is | full of
justice.
10 Let Mount Zion be
glad and the cities of Ju- | dah rejoice,*
because | of your judgments.
11 Make the circuit
of Zion; walk | round about her;*
count the number | of her
towers.
12 Consider well her
bulwarks; exam- | ine her strongholds;*
that you may tell those | who
come after.
13 This God is our
God forev- | er and ever;*
he shall be our guide for- |
evermore.
The
proper psalm prayer is said, to which the congregation responds: Amen
Father,
the body of your risen Son is the temple not made by human hands and the
bulwark of the new Jerusalem. Make this holy city, built of living stones, so
shine with spiritual radiance that it may show your greatness in the sight of
all nations; for the sake of your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. (326)
Hymn O Christ, our Hope
1 O
Christ, our hope, our hearts’ desire,
creation’s
mighty Lord,
redeemer
of the fallen world,
by
holy love outpoured,
by
holy love outpoured:
2 How
vast your mercy to accept
the
burden of our sin,
and
bow your head in cruel death
to
make us clean within,
to
make us clean within.
3 But
now the bonds of death are burst,
the
ransom has been paid;
you
now ascend the Father’s throne
in
robes of light arrayed,
in
robes of light arrayed.
4 Oh,
let your mighty love prevail
to
purge us of our pride,
that
we may stand before your throne
by
mercy purified,
by
mercy purified.
5 Christ
Jesus, be our present joy,
our
future great reward;
our
only glory, may it be
to
glory in the Lord,
to
glory in the Lord!
6 All
praise to you, ascended Lord;
all
glory ever be
to
Father, Son, and Holy Ghost
through
all eternity,
through
all eternity!
Text: Latin hymn, c. 8th cent.; tr. John Chandler, 1806-1876,
adapt.
Reading Romans 1:16-17, 3:22b-31
16For I
am not ashamed of the gospel; it is the power of God for salvation to everyone
who has faith, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 17For
in it the righteousness of God is revealed through faith for faith; as it is
written, “The one who is righteous will live by faith.”
22bFor
there is no distinction, 23since all have sinned and fall short of the
glory of God; 24they are now justified by his grace as a gift,
through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25whom
God put forward as a sacrifice of atonement by his blood, effective through faith.
He did this to show his righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had
passed over the sins previously committed; 26it
was to prove at the present time that he himself is righteous and that he
justifies the one who has faith in Jesus.
27Then what
becomes of boasting? It is excluded. By what law? By that of works? No, but by
the law of faith. 28For we hold that a person is justified by faith
apart from works prescribed by the law. 29Or is
God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles
also, 30since God is one; and he will justify the
circumcised on the ground of faith and the uncircumcised through that same
faith. 31Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By
no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law.
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.
God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, as you
sent upon the disciples the promised gift of the Holy Spirit, look upon your
Church and open our hearts to the power of the Spirit. Kindle in us the fire of
your love, and strengthen our lives for service in your kingdom, through your
Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the
Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
Amen
Almighty
God, you have given us this good land as our heritage. Make us always remember
your generosity and constantly do your will. Bless our land with honest
industry, truthful education, and an honorable way of life. Save us from
violence, discord, and confusion; from pride and arrogance, and from every evil
course of action. Make us who came from many nations with many different
languages a united people. Defend our liberties and give those whom we have
entrusted with the authority of government the spirit of wisdom, that there
might be justice and peace in our land. When times are prosperous, let our
hearts be thankful; and, in troubled times, do not let our trust in you fail.
We ask all this through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen
Look
with pity, O heavenly Father, upon the people in this land who live with
injustice, terror, disease, and death as their constant companions. Have mercy
upon us. Help us to eliminate cruelty to these our neighbors. Strengthen those
who spend their lives establishing equal protection of the law and equal
opportunities for all. And grant that every one of us may enjoy a fair portion
of the abundance of this land; through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
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
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 O Christ, You Are
the Light and Day
Lutheran Book of
Worship
273
1 O
Christ, you are the light and day;
you
drive the gloom of night away;
grant,
Light of light, your word to show
the
light of heav’n to us below.
2 Arise,
O God, our shield, repel
the
darts and subtleties of hell;
let
your right hand, outstretched above,
guard
those who serve the Lord they love.
3 All-holy
Lord, in humble prayer
we
ask tonight your watchful care
and
pray that our repose may be
a
quiet night, from perils free.
4 To
God the Father and the Son
and
Holy Spirit, Three in One,
be
glory in the highest giv’n
by
all on earth and all in heav’n!
Text: Latin hymn, 6th cent., sts. 1-3;
Isaac Watts, 1674-1748, st. 4; tr. William J. Copeland, 1804-1885, sts. 1-3,
alt.
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
