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EVENING PRAYER for Wednesday after 15 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 134
1 Behold now! Bless the Lord, all you servants | of the Lord,*
you that stand by night in the house | of the Lord.
2 Lift up your hands in the holy place and | bless the Lord;*
the Lord who made heaven and earth
bless you | out of Zion.
Lord, where two or three gather in your name, you promised to be with them and share their fellowship. Look down upon your family gathered in your name, and graciously pour out your blessing upon us; for the sake of Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen
Hymn Take My Life, That I May Be Consecrated
LBW 406
1 Take my life, that I may be
consecrated, Lord, to thee;
take my moments and my days;
let them flow in ceaseless praise.
2 Take my hands and let them move
at the impulse of thy love;
take my feet and let them be
swift and beautiful for thee.
3 Take my voice and let me sing
always, only, for my King;
take my lips and let them be
filled with messages from thee.
4 Take my silver and my gold,
not a mite would I withhold;
take my intellect and use
ev'ry pow'r as thou shall choose.
5 Take my will and make it thine,
it shall be no longer mine.
Take my heart, it is thine own,
it shall be thy royal throne.
6 Take my love; my Lord, I pour
at thy feet its treasure store;
take myself, and I will be
ever, only, all for thee.
Text: Frances R. Havergal, 1836-1879, alt.
READING Romans 14: 1-12
1Welcome those who are weak in faith, but not for the purpose of quarreling over opinions. 2Some believe in eating anything, while the weak eat only vegetables. 3Those who eat must not despise those who abstain, and those who abstain must not pass judgment on those who eat; for God has welcomed them. 4Who are you to pass judgment on servants of another? It is before their own lord that they stand or fall. And they will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make them stand.
5Some judge one day to be better than another, while others judge all days to be alike. Let all be fully convinced in their own minds. 6Those who observe the day, observe it in honor of the Lord. Also those who eat, eat in honor of the Lord, since they give thanks to God; while those who abstain, abstain in honor of the Lord and give thanks to God.
7We do not live to ourselves, and we do not die to ourselves. 8If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord; so then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s. 9For to this end Christ died and lived again, so that he might be Lord of both the dead and the living.
10Why do you pass judgment on your brother or sister? Or you, why do you despise your brother or sister? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God. 11For it is written,
“As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me,
and every tongue shall give praise to God.”
12So then, each of us will be accountable to God.
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 GREAT LITANY is sung.
L Lord, have mercy. R Lord, have mercy.
L Christ, have mercy. R Christ, have mercy.
L Lord, have mercy. R Lord, have mercy.
L O Christ, hear us. R In mercy hear us.
L God, the Father in heaven, R have mercy on us.
L God, the Son, redeemer of the world,
R have mercy on us.
L God, the Holy Spirit, R have mercy on us.
L Holy Trinity, one God, R have mercy on us.
L Be gracious to us. R Spare us, good Lord.
L Be gracious to us. R Spare us, good Lord.
L From all sin, from all error, from all evil;
from the cunning assaults of the devil;
from an unprepared and evil death:
R Good Lord, deliver us.
L From war, bloodshed, and violence;
from corrupt and unjust government;
from sedition and treason:
R Good Lord, deliver us.
L From epidemic, drought, and famine;
from fire and flood, earthquake, lightning and storm;
and from everlasting death:
R Good Lord, deliver us.
L By the mystery of your incarnation;
by your holy birth:
R Help us, good Lord.
L By your baptism, fasting, and temptation;
by your agony and bloody sweat;
by your cross and suffering;
by your death and burial:
R Help us, good Lord.
L By your resurrection and ascension;
by the gift of the Holy Spirit:
R Help us, good Lord.
L In all time of our tribulation;
in all time of our prosperity;
in the hour of death;
and in the day of judgment:
R Save us, good Lord.
L Though unworthy, we implore you
R to hear us, Lord our God.
L To rule and govern your holy catholic Church;
to guide all servants of your Church
in the love of your Word
and in holiness of life;
to put an end to all schisms
and causes of offense to those who would believe;
and to bring into the way of truth all who have gone astray:
R We implore you to hear us, good Lord.
L To beat down Satan under our feet;
to send faithful workers into your harvest;
to accompany your Word with your Spirit and power;
to raise up those who fall
and to strengthen those who stand;
and to comfort and help the fainthearted
and the distressed:
R We implore you to hear us, good Lord.
L To give to all nations justice and peace;
to preserve our country from discord and strife;
to direct and guard those who have civil authority;
and to bless and guide all our people:
R We implore you to hear us, good Lord.
L To behold and help all
who are in danger, need, or tribulation;
to protect and guide all who travel;
to preserve and provide for all women in childbirth;
to watch over children and to guide the young;
to heal the sick and to strengthen their families and friends;
to bring reconciliation to families in discord;
to provide for the unemployed and for all in need;
to be merciful to all who are imprisoned;
to support, comfort, and guide
all orphans, widowers, and widows;
and to have mercy on all your people:
R We implore you to hear us, good Lord.
L To forgive our enemies, persecutors, and slanderers,
and to reconcile us to them;
to help us use wisely the fruits and treasures
of the earth, the sea, and the air;
and graciously to hear our prayers:
R We implore you to hear us, good Lord.
L Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God,
R we implore you to hear us.
L Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world; R have mercy on us.
L Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world; R have mercy on us.
L Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world; R give us peace. Amen
L O Christ, hear us. R In mercy hear us.
L Lord, have mercy. R Lord, have mercy.
L Christ, have mercy. R Christ, have mercy.
L Lord, have mercy. R Lord, have mercy.
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
LBW 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
