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EVENING
PRAYER
for
Wednesday in 3 Epiphany
Vespers
(Lutheran
Book of Worship, page 142)
The
people who walked in darkness
have seen a great light.
The
light shines in the darkness,
and the darkness has not overcome it.
Those
who dwelt in the land of deep darkness,
on them light has shined.
We
have beheld Christ’s glory,
glory as of the only Son from the Father.
For
to us a child is born,
to us a Son is given.
In
him was life,
and the life was the light of all people.
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.
We praise and thank you, O God, for you are
without beginning and without end. Through Christ you are the creator and
preserver of the whole world; but, above all, you are his God and Father, the
giver of the Spirit, and the ruler of all that is, seen and unseen. You made
the day for the works of light and the night for the refreshment of our
weakness. O loving Lord and source of all that is good, mercifully accept our
evening sacrifice of praise. As you have conducted us through the day and
brought us to night’s beginning, keep us now in Christ; grant us a peaceful
evening and a night free from sin, and at the end, bring us to everlasting life
through Christ our Lord. Through him we offer glory, honor, and worship to you
in the Holy Spirit, now and always and forever and ever.
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
Come,
you peoples of the earth:
drink from the wells of the Savior.
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.
Come,
you peoples of the earth:
drink from the wells of the Savior.
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. (369)
Hymn Holy Spirit, Ever Dwelling LBW 523
1 Holy Spirit, ever
dwelling
in the holiest realms
of light;
Holy Spirit, ever
brooding
o'er a world of gloom
and night;
Holy Spirit, ever
raising
those of earth to
thrones on high;
living,
life-imparting Spirit,
you we praise and
magnify.
2 Holy Spirit, ever
living
as the church's very
life;
Holy Spirit, ever
striving
through us in a ceaseless
strife;
Holy Spirit, ever
forming
in the church the
mind of Christ:
you we praise with
endless worship
for your gifts and
fruits unpriced.
3 Holy Spirit, ever
working
through the church's
ministry;
quick'ning,
strength'ning, and absolving,
setting captive
sinners free;
Holy Spirit, ever
binding
age to age and soul
to soul
in communion never
ending,
you we worship and
extol.
Text: Timothy Rees, 1874-1939, alt.
READING Ephesians 1:15-23
15I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and
your love toward all the saints, and for this reason 16I do not cease to give thanks for you as I
remember you in my prayers. 17I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the
Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to
know him, 18so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened,
you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches
of his glorious inheritance among the saints, 19and what is the immeasurable greatness of his
power for us who believe, according to the working of his great power. 20God put this power to work in Christ when he
raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly
places, 21far above all rule and authority and power and
dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in
the age to come. 22And he has put all things under his feet and has
made him the head over all things for the church, 23which is his body, the fullness of him who fills
all in all.
The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.
Response
In
many and various ways
God
spoke to this 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.
Antiphon:
Our
Lord and Savior, begotten before all ages,
revealed himself to the world. Alleluia.
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
Antiphon:
Our
Lord and Savior, begotten before all ages,
revealed himself to the world. Alleluia.
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 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.
To you, O Lord.
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.
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 To You Before the
Close of Day Hymn 277
1 To
you, before the close of day,
Creator
of the world, we pray!
Your
grace and peace to us allow
and
be our guard and keeper now.
2 From
evil dreams defend our sight,
from
all the terrors of the night,
from
all deluding thoughts that creep
on
heedless minds disarmed by sleep.
3 O
Father, this we ask be done
through
Jesus Christ, your only Son,
who
with the Holy Ghost and you
shall
live and reign all ages through. Amen
Text: compline office hymn, c. 8th cent.;
tr. John M. Neale, 1818-1866, adapt.
Prayer
and Benediction
Accept,
O Lord, our praises and supplications, and look graciously on our households
and our faith family, that we may abide this night in peace and safety under
the shadow of your wings, and so assist us by your grace that we may be made
fit for that kingdom where there shall be no more sin, nor sorrow, nor pain,
but all shall be joy and peace in the Holy Spirit, to whom, with you, O Father,
and you, O blessed Jesus, be all glory, both now and evermore.
Amen
The
almighty and merciful Lord, the Father, + the Son, and the Holy Spirit, bless
and preserve you. Amen
