Order of Worship for Evening Prayer, September 23, 2020, 7 p.m.

 The livestream may be found here.

EVENING PRAYER for Wednesday after 16 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 1

 

 

¹ Happy are they who have not walked

in the counsel | of the wicked,*

                nor lingered in the way of sinners,

nor sat in the seats | of the scornful!

² Their delight is in the law | of the Lord,*

                and they meditate on his law | day and night.

³ They are like trees planted by streams of water,

bearing fruit in due season, with leaves that | do not wither;*

                everything they | do shall prosper.

⁴ It is not so | with the wicked;*

                they are like chaff which the wind | blows away.

⁵ Therefore the wicked shall not stand upright

when | judgment comes,*

                nor the sinner in the council | of the righteous.

⁶ For the Lord knows the way | of the righteous,*

                but the way of the wick- | ed is doomed.

 

Lord God, in your loving wisdom you have set us beside the fountain of life, like a tree planted by running streams. Grant that the cross of your Son may become our tree of life in the paradise of your saints, through Jesus Christ our Lord.

  Amen

 

Hymn                                                            For All Your Saints, O Lord

LBW 176

1              For all your saints, O Lord,

                who strove in you to live,

                who followed you, obeyed, adored,

                our grateful hymn receive.

 

2             For all your saints, O Lord,

                who strove in you to die,

                who counted you their great reward,

                accept our thankful cry.

 

3              They all in life and death,

                with you, their Lord, in view,

                learned from your Holy Spirit’s breath

                to suffer and to do.

 

4             For this, your name we bless

                and humbly pray anew

                that we like them in holiness

                may live and die in you.

 

5             To God, the Father, Son,

                and Spirit, ever blest,

                the One in Three, the Three in One,

                be endless praise addressed.

 

Text: Richard Mant, 1776-1848, alt.

 

READING                                                                Philippians 1:21-30

 

²¹For to me, living is Christ and dying is gain. ²²If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me; and I do not know which I prefer. ²³I am hard pressed between the two: my desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better; ²⁴but to remain in the flesh is more necessary for you. ²⁵Since I am convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with all of you for your progress and joy in faith, ²⁶so that I may share abundantly in your boasting in Christ Jesus when I come to you again.
  ²⁷Only, live your life in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that, whether I come and see you or am absent and hear about you, I will know that you are standing firm in one spirit, striving side by side with one mind for the faith of the gospel, ²⁸and are in no way intimidated by your opponents. For them this is evidence of their destruction, but of your salvation. And this is God’s doing. ²⁹For he has graciously granted you the privilege not only of believing in Christ, but of suffering for him as well—³⁰since you are having the same struggle that you saw I had and now hear that I still have.

 

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                                                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