The livestream may be found here.
EVENING
PRAYER for Wednesday after 24 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 28
1 O Lord, I call to you; my rock, do not be
deaf | to my cry;*
lest, if you do not hear me,
I become like those who go down | to the
pit.
2 Hear the voice of
my prayer when I cry | out to you,*
when I lift up my hands to your
ho- | ly of holies.
3 Do not snatch me
away with the wicked or with the | evildoers,*
who speak peaceably with their
neighbors,
while strife is | in their hearts.
4 Repay them
according | to their deeds,*
and according to the wickedness
| of their actions.
5 According to the
work of their | hands repay them,*
and give them their | just
deserts.
6 They have no
understanding of the Lord's
doings,
nor of the works | of his hands;*
therefore he will break them
down and not | build them up.
7 Blessed | is the Lord!*
for he has heard the voice | of
my prayer.
8 The Lord is my strength | and my shield;*
my heart trusts in him, and I |
have been helped;
9 therefore my heart
danc- | es for joy,*
and in my song | will I praise
him.
10 The Lord is the strength | of his people,*
a safe refuge for | his
anointed.
11 Save your people
and bless | your inheritance;*
shepherd them and carry | them
forever.
Strong
Shepherd of your people, when your Son stretched out his hands on the cross,
you heard him and he did not become like those who go down into the pit. By his
resurrection strengthen your people to offer you thanks for the mighty works
that you have done, and make our hearts dance for joy; through your Son, Jesus
Christ our Lord.
Hymn Rise, My Soul, To Watch and
Pray
Lutheran Book of Worship 443
READING 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11
Now
concerning the times and the seasons, brothers and sisters, you do not need to
have anything written to you. 2For you yourselves know very well
that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. 3When
they say, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon
them, as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and there will be no escape! 4But
you, beloved, are not in darkness, for that day to surprise you like a thief; 5for
you are all children of light and children of the day; we are not of the night
or of darkness. 6So then let us not fall asleep as others do, but
let us keep awake and be sober; 7for those who sleep sleep at night,
and those who are drunk get drunk at night. 8But since we belong to
the day, let us be sober, and put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for
a helmet the hope of salvation. 9For God has destined us not for
wrath but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10who
died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep we may live with him. 11Therefore
encourage one another and build up each other, as indeed you are doing.
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
COLLECTS
Lord
God, so rule and govern our hearts and minds by your Holy Spirit that, always
keeping in mind the end of all things and the day of judgment, we may be
stirred up to holiness of life here and may live with you forever in the world
to come, through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
(Other
collects are said with the congregation responding Amen to each).
The
final collect is said:
O
Lord, 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 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 Trinity, O Blessed Light
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
