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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
The psalmody begins with this prayer for
forgiveness and protection:
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. Ps. 141:1-7
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 124
Our
help is in the name of the LORD;
the maker of heaven and earth.
1 If the Lord had not been | on our side,*
let Isra- | el now say;
2 if the Lord had not been | on our side,*
when enemies rose | up against
us,
3 then would they
have swallowed us | up alive*
in their fierce | anger toward
us;
4 then would the
waters have | overwhelmed us*
and the torrent gone | over us;
5 then would the |
raging waters*
have gone right | over us.
6 Blessed | be the Lord!*
He has not given us over to be a
prey | for their teeth.
7 We have escaped
like a bird from the snare | of the fowler;*
the snare is broken, and we |
have escaped.
8 Our help is in the
name | of the Lord,*
the maker of heav- | en and
earth.
Our
help is in the name of the LORD;
the maker of heaven and earth.
Lord
Jesus, you foretold that your disciples would be despised on account of your
name, yet you number the very hairs of their heads. In times of persecution,
defend and revive us by the power and comfort of the Holy Spirit, so that we
can be freed from our enemies and praise your saving help now and forever. Amen
Hymn We Walk By Faith and Not by Sight WOV 675
1 We
walk by faith and not by sight;
with
gracious words draw near,
O
Christ, who spoke as none e’er spoke:
“My
peace be with you here.”
2 We
may not touch your hands and side,
nor
follow where you trod;
but
in your promise we rejoice,
and
cry, “My Lord and God!”
3 Help
then, O Lord, our unbelief;
and
may our faith abound
to
call on you when you are near
and
seek where you are found:
4 That,
when our life of faith is done,
in
realms of clearer light
we
may behold you as you are,
with
full and endless sight.
Text: Henry Alford, 1810-1871, alt.
READING 2 Corinthians 5:6-10, 14-17
6So we
are always confident; even though we know that while we are at home in the body
we are away from the Lord—7for we walk by faith, not by sight. 8Yes, we do have
confidence, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the
Lord. 9So
whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him. 10For all of us must
appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each may receive recompense
for what has been done in the body, whether good or evil.
14For the love of
Christ urges us on, because we are convinced that one has died for all;
therefore all have died. 15And he died for all, so that those who live might live no
longer for themselves, but for him who died and was raised for them.
16From now
on, therefore, we regard no one from a human point of view; even though we once
knew Christ from a human point of view, we know him no longer in that
way. 17So if
anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away;
see, everything has become new!
The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.
Silence for reflection.
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 Lord
be with you.
And also with you.
The prayers are said with the
congregation saying ‘Amen’ to each.
The final prayer is said:
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 Lord’s Prayer is said.
Then is said:
Let us
bless the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Homily
Prayer
and Benediction
Almighty
God, grant to your Church your Holy Spirit and the wisdom which comes down from
heaven, that your Word may not be bound but have free course and be preached to
the joy and edifying of Christ’s holy people, that in steadfast faith we may
serve you and in the confession of your name may abide to the end; through
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
The
almighty and merciful Lord,
the
Father, + the Son, and the Holy Spirit, bless and preserve us.
Amen
