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EVENING PRAYER (Vespers)
Joseph of Arimathea (transferred from August 1)
Joseph of Arimathea is the disciple of Jesus who is remembered for his brave act of generosity. After the crucifixion he asked Pilate for the body of Jesus and 'wrapped it in a clean linen cloth and laid it in his own new tomb. Matthew says that Joseph was a rich man and that it was he who rolled the great stone to the door of the tomb; Mark describes Joseph as ‘a respected member of the council [the Sanhedrin] who was also himself waiting expectantly for the kingdom of God,’ and adds the detail that Joseph bought the linen burial cloth. Luke notes that although Joseph was a member of the council ‘he had not agreed to their plan and action’ and makes it explicit that no one had ever been put in the new tomb; John indicates that Joseph was a ‘secret’ disciple of Jesus and associates him with Nicodemus. Nothing further is known of him.
By the fourth century, legends about Joseph were in
circulation. In the middle of the thirteenth century appears the story of his
being sent by St Philip from Gaul to be a missionary to Britain. He took with
him, the legend says, the chalice used at the Last Supper, the Holy Grail,
containing the blood of Jesus shed on the cross. At Glastonbury Joseph struck
his staff into the earth and from it grew the Glastonbury Thorn. The thorn was
hacked down by a Puritan but the thorn that grows there to this day came from a
shoot of it. Glastonbury was long honored as the holiest place in England.
A still more curious story is that Joseph was a tin
merchant, and long before he was sent by Philip to preach the Gospel, he came often
to the tin mines of Cornwall. Joseph, the legend says, was an uncle of the
Virgin Mary and brought the young Jesus on one of his voyages. William Blake
with delicate questions refers to this legend in his lines that are still sung
as a hymn,
And did those feet in ancient time/walk upon England’s
mountains green?
And was the holy Lamb of God/in England’s pleasant
pastures seen?
And did the Countenance Divine/shine forth upon our clouded
hills?
And was Jerusalem builded here,/among those dark Satanic
mills?
These stories, lovely as they are but without any historical foundation, were given wide credence and made Joseph of Arimathea a greatly loved figure in England.
- Philip Pfatteicher, New Festivals and Commemorations
(Lutheran Book of Worship, page 142)
L Jesus Christ is the light of the world.
C The light no darkness can overcome.
L Stay with us, Lord, for it is evening,
C
L Let your light scatter the darkness,
C
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 112
1 Hallelujah!
Happy are they who | fear the Lord*
and have great delight in | his commandments!
2 Their
descendants will be mighty | in the land;*
the generation of the upright | will be blessed.
3 Wealth and
riches will be | in their house,*
and their righteousness will | last forever.
4 Light
shines in the darkness | for the upright;*
the righteous are merciful and full | of compassion.
5 It is good
for them to be gener- | ous in lending*
and to manage their af- | fairs with justice.
6 For they
will nev- | er be shaken;*
the righteous will be kept in everlast- | ing
remembrance.
7 They will
not be afraid of any | evil rumors;*
their heart is right; they put their trust | in the Lord.
8 Their heart
is established and | will not shrink,*
until they see their desire up- | on their enemies.
9 They have
given freely | to the poor,*
and their righteousness stands fast forever;
they will hold up their | head with honor.
10 The wicked
will see it and be angry; they will gnash their teeth and | pine away;*
the desires of the wick- | ed will perish.
The Psalm prayer is said:
Lord Jesus, you are the light shining in darkness for the upright. Teach us to love one another as you love us, that we might bring peace and joy to the world and find the happiness of your home, where you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and forever. Amen
Hymn LBW 272 Abide with Me
1 Abide with me, fast falls the eventide.
The darkness deepens; Lord, with me
abide.
When other helpers fail and comforts
flee,
help of the helpless, oh, abide with me.
2 I need thy presence ev’ry passing hour;
what but thy grace can foil the
tempter’s pow’r?
Who like thyself my guide and stay can
be?
Through cloud and sunshine, oh, abide
with me.
3 Swift to its close ebbs out life’s little
day;
earth’s joys grow dim, its glories pass
away;
change and decay in all around I see;
O thou who changest not, abide with me.
4 I fear no foe, with thee at hand to bless;
ills have no weight, and tears no
bitterness.
Where is death’s sting? Where, grave,
thy victory?
I triumph still, if thou abide with me!
5 Hold thou thy cross before my closing
eyes,
shine through the gloom, and point me to
the skies;
heav’n’s morning breaks, and earth’s
vain shadows flee;
in life, in death, O Lord, abide with
me.
Text:
Henry F. Lyte, 1793-1847
From The Gospel of Matthew by William Barclay
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.
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 LITANY is sung. (LBW p. 148)
C Lord, have mercy.
L For the peace from above, and for our salvation, let us pray to the Lord.
C Lord, have mercy.
L 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.
C Lord, have mercy.
L For all who offer their worship and praise, let us pray to the Lord.
C Lord, have mercy.
L 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.
C Lord, have mercy.
L 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.
C Lord, have mercy.
L For those who work to bring peace, justice, health, and protection in this and every place, let us pray to the Lord.
C Lord, have mercy.
L 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.
C Lord, have mercy.
L For favorable weather, for an abundance of the fruits of the earth, and for peaceful times, let us pray to the Lord.
C Lord, have mercy.
L For our deliverance from all affliction, wrath, danger, and need, let us pray to the Lord.
C Lord, have mercy.
L For the faithful who have gone before us and are at rest, let us give thanks to the Lord.
C Alleluia.
L Help, save, comfort, and defend us, gracious Lord.
Silence for meditation.
L Rejoicing in the fellowship of all the saints, let us commend ourselves, one another, and our whole life to Christ, our Lord.
C To you, O Lord.
COLLECTS
Of the day
For peace among the nations
For our own needs and for the needs of others
For peace at the end of the day (Church of Sweden, 1614):
Watch over us, O Lord, our heavenly Father,
preserve us from all evil, and grant that we may this night rest secure beneath your care; bless your Church and our government; remember the sick and those who are in need or peril; have mercy on all your people; and when our last evening shall come, grant that we may fall asleep in your peace and wake in your glory;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. 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.
The almighty and merciful Lord, the Father, + the Son, and the Holy Spirit, bless and preserve us. Amen
