EVENING
PRAYER for Wednesday after 6 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 91
1 He who dwells in
the shelter of | the Most High,*
abides under the shadow of | the
Almighty.
2 He shall say to
the Lord, "You are my refuge
| and my stronghold,*
my God in whom I | put my
trust."
3 He shall deliver
you from the snare | of the hunter*
and from the | deadly pestilence.
4 He shall cover you
with his pinions, and you shall find refuge un- | der his wings;*
his faithfulness shall be a | shield
and buckler.
5 You shall not be
afraid of any ter- | ror by night,*
nor of the arrow that | flies by
day;
6 of the plague that
stalks | in the darkness,*
nor of the sickness that lays |
waste at midday.
7 A thousand shall
fall at your side and ten thousand at | your right hand,*
but it shall | not come near you.
8 Your eyes have
only | to behold*
to see the reward | of the wicked.
9 Because you have
made the | Lord your refuge,*
and the Most High your | habitation,
10 there shall no
evil hap- | pen to you,*
neither shall any plague come | near
your dwelling.
11 For he shall give
his angels charge | over you,*
to keep you in | all your ways.
12 They shall bear
you | in their hands,*
lest you dash your foot a- | gainst
a stone.
13 You shall tread
upon the li- | on and the adder;*
you shall trample the young lion and
the serpent un- | der your feet.
14 Because he is
bound to me in love, therefore will I de- | liver him;*
I will protect him, because he |
knows my name.
15 He shall call upon
me, and I will | answer him;*
I am with him in trouble; I will
rescue him and bring | him to honor.
16 With long life
will I sat- | isfy him,*
and show him | my salvation.
Lord
Jesus Christ, when tempted by the devil, you remained true to your Father, who
commanded his angels to watch over you. Guard your Church from the plague of
sin, so that we may remain faithful to you until the day when we enjoy the
fullness of your salvation; for you live and reign with the Father and the Holy
Spirit, now and forever.
Amen
Hymn Come Down, O Love Divine
LBW 508
1 Come down, O Love divine;
seek thou this soul of mine
and visit it with thine own
ardor glowing;
O Comforter, draw near;
within my heart appear
and kindle it, thy holy flame
bestowing.
2 Oh, let it freely burn,
till worldly passions turn
to dust and ashes in its heat
consuming;
and let thy glorious light
shine ever on my sight,
and clothe me round, the while
my path illuming.
3 Let holy charity
mine outward vesture be,
and lowliness become mine inner
clothing--
true lowliness of heart,
which takes the humbler part,
and o’er its own shortcomings
weeps with loathing.
4 And so the yearning strong,
with which the soul will long,
shall far outpass the pow’r of
human telling;
no soul can guess his grace
till it become the place
where in the Holy Spirit makes
his dwelling.
Text:
Bianco da Siena, d. 1434; tr. Richard F. Littledale, 1833-1890
Reading Romans 8:1-11
1There is
therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2For
the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of
sin and of death. 3For God has done what the law, weakened by the
flesh, could not do: by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh,
and to deal with sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, 4so that the
just requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to
the flesh but according to the Spirit. 5For those who live according
to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live
according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. 6To
set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life
and peace. 7For this reason the mind that is set on the flesh is
hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law—indeed it cannot, 8and
those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
9But you are not in the flesh; you are in the Spirit, since the
Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does
not belong to him. 10But if Christ is in you, though the body is
dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11If
the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised
Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through his
Spirit that dwells in you.
The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to
God.
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 of the heavens, God of the earth,
all creation awaits your gift of new life.
Prepare our hearts to
receive the word of your Son,
that his gospel may grow
within us
and yield a harvest that
is a hundredfold.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your
Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the
Holy Spirit,
God for ever and ever.
Amen
O
God, it is your will to hold both heaven and earth in a single peace. Let the
design of your great love shine on the waste of our wraths and sorrows, and
give peace to your Church, peace among nations, peace in our homes, and peace
in our hearts; through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen
O
God, you made us in your own image and redeemed us through Jesus your Son. Look
with compassion on the whole human family; take away the arrogance and hatred
which infect our hearts; break down the walls that separate us; unite us in
bonds of love, and through our struggle and confusion, work to accomplish your
purposes on earth; that, in your good time, all nations and races may serve you
in harmony around your heavenly throne; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen
O
God, giver and sustainer of life, in this time of need send us the gentle rain,
so that we may receive the fruits of the earth for our benefit and for your
praise; through 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 O Christ, You Are
the Light and Day
LBW
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
