EVENING
PRAYER for Wednesday after 4 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 33
1 Rejoice in the | Lord, you righteous;*
it is good for the just | to
sing praises.
2 Praise the Lord | with the harp;*
play to him upon the psalter- |
y and lyre.
3 Sing for him | a
new song;*
sound a fanfare with all your
skill up- | on the trumpet.
4 For the word of
the | Lord is right,*
and all his | works are sure.
5 He loves
righteous- | ness and justice;*
the lovingkindness of the Lord fills | the whole earth.
6 By the word of the
Lord were the | heavens made,*
by the breath of his mouth all
the heav- | enly hosts.
7 He gathers up the
waters of the ocean as | in a water-skin*
and stores up the depths | of
the sea.
8 Let all the earth
| fear the Lord;*
let all who dwell in the world
stand in | awe of him.
9 For he spoke, and
it | came to pass;*
he commanded, and | it stood
fast.
10 The Lord brings the will of the na- | tions
to naught;*
he thwarts the designs | of the
peoples.
11 But the Lord's will stands | fast forever,*
and the designs of his heart
from | age to age.
12 Happy is the
nation whose God | is the Lord!*
Happy the people he has chosen
to | be his own!
13 The Lord looks | down from heaven,*
and beholds all the people | in
the world.
14 From where he sits
enthroned he | turns his gaze*
on all who dwell | on the earth.
15 He fashions all
the | hearts of them*
and understands | all their
works.
16 There is no king
that can be saved by a | mighty army;*
a strong man is not delivered by
| his great strength.
17 The horse is a
vain hope | for deliverance;*
for all its strength it | cannot
save.
18 Behold, the eye of
the Lord is upon | those who fear
him,*
on those who wait up- | on his
love,
19 to pluck their |
lives from death,*
and to feed them in | time of
famine.
20 Our soul waits |
for the Lord;*
he is our help | and our shield.
21 Indeed, our heart
rejoic- | es in him,*
for in his holy name we | put
our trust.
22 Let your
lovingkindness, O Lord, | be upon
us,*
as we have put our | trust in
you.
Lord
God, through your Son you made the heavens and earth; through him you continue
to accomplish the intentions of your heart. Make your chosen people witnesses
of your truth among the nations and heralds of your glory in the heavens; for
the sake of your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Hymn Give to Our God Immortal
Praise
1 Give
to our God immortal praise!
Mercy
and truth are all his ways;
wonders
of grace to God belong;
repeat
his mercies in your song.
2 He
sent his Son with pow’r to save
from
guilt and darkness and the grave.
Wonders
of grace to God belong;
repeat
his mercies in your song.
3 Give
to the Lord of lords renown;
the
King of kings with glory crown.
His
mercies ever shall endure
when
lords and kings are known no more!
Text: Isaac Watts, 1674-1748
Reading Romans 6:12-23
12Do not let sin exercise dominion
in your mortal bodies, to make you obey their passions. 13No longer
present your members to sin as instruments of wickedness, but present
yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and
present your members to God as instruments of righteousness. 14For
sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under
grace.
15What then? Should we sin because we are not under law but under
grace? By no means! 16Do you not know that if you present yourselves
to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either
of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? 17But
thanks be to God that you, having once been slaves of sin, have become obedient
from the heart to the form of teaching to which you were entrusted, 18and
that you, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness. 19I
am speaking in human terms because of your natural limitations. For just as you
once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to greater and greater
iniquity, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness for
sanctification.
20When you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to
righteousness. 21So what advantage did you then get from the things
of which you now are ashamed? The end of those things is death. 22But
now that you have been freed from sin and enslaved to God, the advantage you
get is sanctification. The end is eternal life. 23For the wages of
sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our
Lord.
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, our maker and redeemer, you have made us a new
company of priests to bear witness to the Gospel. Enable us to be faithful to
our calling to make known your promises to all the world; through Jesus Christ
our Lord.
Amen
Almighty God, by your
gracious providence your servant John the Baptist was born to Elizabeth and
Zechariah. Grant to your people the wisdom to see your purpose and the openness
to hear your will, that the light of Christ may increase in us, through Jesus
Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and 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. 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 The Day You Gave
Us, Lord, Has Ended
Lutheran Book of
Worship 274
1 The day you gave us,
Lord, has ended;
the darkness falls at
your behest.
To you our morning
hymns ascended;
your praise shall
hallow now our rest.
2 We thank you that your
church, unsleeping
while earth rolls
onward into light,
through all the world
its watch is keeping,
and never rests by
day or night.
3 As to each continent
and island
the dawn leads on another
day,
the voice of prayer
is never silent,
nor dies the strain
of praise away.
4 The sun, here having
set, is waking
your children under
western skies,
and hour by hour, as
day is breaking,
fresh hymns of
thankful praise arise.
5 So be it, Lord; your
realm shall never,
like earth's proud
empires, pass away;
but stand and grow
and rule forever,
till all your
creatures own your sway.
Text: John Ellerton, 1826-1893, 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
