EVENING
PRAYER for Wednesday after 2 Pentecost
Vespers
(Lutheran
Book of Worship, page 142)
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 125
1 Those who trust in
the Lord are | like Mount Zion,*
which cannot be moved, but
stands | fast forever.
2 The hills stand a-
| bout Jerusalem;*
so does the Lord stand round about his people,
from this time forth for- |
evermore.
3 The scepter of the
wicked shall not hold sway over the land allotted | to the just,*
so that the just shall not put
their | hands to evil.
4 Show your
goodness, O Lord, to those | who
are good*
and to those who are | true of
heart.
5 As for those who
turn aside to crooked ways,
the
Lord will lead them away with the
| evildoers;*
but peace be | upon Israel.
The
proper psalm prayer is said, to which the congregation responds: Amen
Lord,
surround your people with your presence. Do not let us stretch out our hands to
evil deeds, nor be destroyed by the snares of the enemy, but bring us to share
the land prepared for the saints in light, where you live and reign, God, now
and forever.
Hymn There’s a Wideness in God’s Mercy
1 There’s
a wideness in God’s mercy,
like
the wideness of the sea;
there’s
a kindness in his justice
which
is more than liberty.
There
is no place where earth’s sorrows
are
more felt than up in heav’n.
There
is no place where earth’s failings
have
such kindly judgment giv’n.
2 There
is welcome for the sinner,
and
a promised grace made good;
there
is mercy with the Savior;
there
is healing in his blood.
There
is grace enough for thousands
of
new worlds as great as this;
there
is room for fresh creations
in
that upper home of bliss.
3 For
the love of God is broader
than
the measures of our mind;
and
the heart of the eternal
is
most wonderfully kind.
There
is plentiful redemption
in
the blood that has been shed;
there
is joy for all the members
in
the sorrows of the head.
4 ’Tis
not all we owe to Jesus;
it
is something more than all:
greater
good because of evil,
larger
mercy through the fall.
If
our love were but more simple,
we
should take him at his word;
and
our lives would be all sunshine
in
the sweetness of our Lord.
Text: Frederick W. Faber, 1814-1863
Reading Romans 5:1-8
[The
apostle Paul writes:] 1Since we are justified
by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2through whom we
have obtained access to this grace in which we stand; and we boast in our hope
of sharing the glory of God. 3And not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings,
knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4and endurance
produces character, and character produces hope, 5and hope does not
disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the
Holy Spirit that has been given to us.
6For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died
for the ungodly. 7Indeed, rarely will anyone die for a righteous person—though
perhaps for a good person someone might actually dare to die. 8But God proves his
love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us.
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.
Lord God of all nations, you have revealed your
will to your people and promised your help to us all. Help us to hear and to do
what you command, that the darkness may be overcome by the power of your light;
through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
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. Amen
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
