Wednesday evening October 10

Thursday evening
Tuesday evening

Preparation

Opening response

Favor us, Lord, and deliver us.

Lord, come quickly and help us.

Prayer of thanksgiving

Blessed are you, Lord God, creator of day and night:

to you be praise and glory forever.

As darkness falls you renew your promise

to reveal among us the light of your presence.

By the light of Christ, your living Word,

dispel the darkness of our hearts

that we may walk as children of light

and sing your praise throughout the world.

Blessed be God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Blessed be God forever.

That this evening may be holy, good and peaceful,

let us pray with one heart and mind.

Silence is kept.

As our evening prayer rises before you, O God,

so may your mercy come down upon us

to cleanse our hearts

and set us free to sing your praise

now and forever.

Amen.

Hymn

But, Above All, Lay Hold

Charles Wesley

But, above all, lay hold

On faith's victorious shield;

Armed with that adamant and gold,

Be sure to win the field:

If faith surround your heart,

Satan shall be subdued,

Repelled his every fiery dart,

And quenched with Jesus’ blood.

Jesus hath died for you!

What can his love withstand?

Believe, hold fast your shield, and who

Shall pluck you from his hand?

Believe that Jesus reigns,

All power to him is given;

Believe, till freed from sin's remains,

Believe yourselves to heaven!

To keep your armor bright,

Attend with constant care,

Still walking in your Captain's sight,

And watching unto prayer.

Ready for all alarms,

Steadfastly set your face,

And always exercise your arms,

And use your every grace.

Pray, without ceasing pray,

Your Captain gives the word;

His summons cheerfully obey,

And call upon the Lord;

To God your every want

In instant prayer display;

Pray always; pray, and never faint;

Pray, without ceasing pray!

Confession of sin

Let us confess our sins against God and our neighbor.

Silence may be kept.

Most merciful God,

we confess that we have sinned against you

in thought, word, and deed,

by what we have done,

and by what we have left undone.

We have not loved you with our whole heart;

we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves.

We are truly sorry and we humbly repent.

For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ,

have mercy on us and forgive us;

that we may delight in your will,

and walk in your ways,

to the glory of your name. Amen.

Almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us all our sins

through our Lord Jesus Christ, strengthen us in all

goodness, and by the power of the Holy Spirit keep us in

eternal life.

Amen.

The Word of God

Psalm 119:129-152

Refrain:

Access to your words gives light.

Your laws are wonderful!

That’s why I guard them.

Access to your words gives light,

giving simple folk understanding.

I open my mouth up wide, panting,

because I long for your commandments.

Come back to me and have mercy on me;

that’s only right for those who love your name.

Keep my steps steady by your word;

don’t let any sin rule me.

Redeem me from the people who oppress me

so I can keep your precepts.

Shine your face on your servant,

and teach me your statutes.

Rivers of tears stream from my eyes

because your Instruction isn’t being kept.

Lord, you are righteous,

and your rules are right.

The laws you commanded are righteous,

completely trustworthy.

Anger consumes me

because my enemies have forgotten what you’ve said.

Your word has been tried and tested;

your servant loves your word!

I’m insignificant and unpopular,

but I don’t forget your precepts.

Your righteousness lasts forever!

Your Instruction is true!

Stress and strain have caught up with me,

but your commandments are my joy!

Your laws are righteous forever.

Help me understand so I can live!

I cry out with all my heart:

“Lord, answer me so I can guard your statutes!”

I cry out to you, “Save me

so I can keep your laws!”

I meet the predawn light and cry for help.

I wait for your promise.

My eyes encounter each hour of the night

as I think about your word.

Listen to my voice, according to your faithful love.

Lord, make me live again, according to your justice.

The people who love to plot wicked schemes are nearby,

but they are so far from your Instruction!

But you, Lord, are nearby too,

and all your commandments are true.

Long ago I learned from your laws

that you had established them 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.

Refrain:

Access to your words gives light.

Psalm prayer

Lord, you are just

and your commandments are eternal;

teach us to love you with all our heart

and our neighbor as ourselves,

for the sake of Jesus Christ our Lord.

Old Testament reading
Ezekiel 33:21-33

In the twelfth year, on the fifth day of the tenth month of our exile, a survivor from Jerusalem came to me and reported, “The city has fallen!” The Lord’s power was with me in the evening before the survivor arrived, and just before he arrived in the morning, God opened my mouth. So my mouth was opened, and I was no longer speechless.

The Lord’s word came to me: Human one, those who live among those ruins in Israel’s fertile land are saying, “Abraham was just one man, and he inherited the land. We are many, so certainly the land has been given to us as an inheritance.”

So say to them, The Lord God proclaims: You eat with the blood, you lift your eyes to the idols, and you shed blood. Should you inherit the land? You live by the sword, you observe detestable practices, and every one of you commits adultery. Should you inherit the land?

Say to them, The Lord God proclaims: As surely as I live, those in the ruins will fall by the sword, those in the countryside I will give to the wild beasts to consume, and those in the strongholds and caves will die of plague. I will make the land an uninhabitable waste. Its proud strength will come to an end, and Israel’s highlands will become so deserted that no one will cross through them. They will know that I am the Lord when I make the land an uninhabitable waste because of all their detestable practices.

As for you, human one, your people talk about you beside the walls and in their doorways. One by one, they say to each other, “Let’s go hear what sort of message has come from the Lord.” So they come to you as people do, and they sit before you as my people. They listen to your words, but they refuse to do them. Though they speak of their longing for me, they act out of their own interests and opinions. To them you are like a singer of love songs with a lovely voice and skilled technique. They listen to your words, but no one does them. When this comes—and it is certainly coming—they will know that a prophet has been among them.

Silence may be kept.

New Testament reading
John 13:21-30

After he said these things, Jesus was deeply disturbed and testified, “I assure you, one of you will betray me.”

His disciples looked at each other, confused about which of them he was talking about. One of the disciples, the one whom Jesus loved, was at Jesus’ side. Simon Peter nodded at him to get him to ask Jesus who he was talking about. Leaning back toward Jesus, this disciple asked, “Lord, who is it?”

Jesus answered, “It’s the one to whom I will give this piece of bread once I have dipped into the bowl.” Then he dipped the piece of bread and gave it to Judas, Simon Iscariot’s son. After Judas took the bread, Satan entered into him. Jesus told him, “What you are about to do, do quickly.” No one sitting at the table understood why Jesus said this to him. Some thought that, since Judas kept the money bag, Jesus told him, “Go, buy what we need for the feast,” or that he should give something to the poor. So when Judas took the bread, he left immediately. And it was night.

Silence may be kept.

Gospel canticle
The Magnificat (The Song of Mary)

Refrain:

You show mercy to everyone, from one generation to the next, who honors you as God.

With all my heart I glorify the Lord!

In the depths of who I am I rejoice in God my savior.

He has looked with favor on the low status of his servant.

Look! From now on, everyone will consider me highly favored

because the mighty one has done great things for me.

Holy is his name.

He shows mercy to everyone,

from one generation to the next,

who honors him as God.

He has shown strength with his arm.

He has scattered those with arrogant thoughts and proud inclinations.

He has pulled the powerful down from their thrones

and lifted up the lowly.

He has filled the hungry with good things

and sent the rich away empty-handed.

He has come to the aid of his servant Israel,

remembering his mercy,

just as he promised to our ancestors,

to Abraham and to Abraham’s descendants forever.

Luke 1:46-55

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.

Refrain:

You show mercy to everyone, from one generation to the next, who honors you as God.

Brief silence.

The Apostle’s Creed

Let us unite in this historic confession of the Christian faith:

I believe in God, the Father Almighty,

creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,

who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,

born of the Virgin Mary,

suffered under Pontius Pilate,

was crucified, died, and was buried;

he descended to the dead.

On the third day he rose again;

he ascended into heaven,

is seated at the right hand of the Father,

and will come again to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,

the holy catholic church,

the communion of saints,

the forgiveness of sins,

the resurrection of the body,

and the life everlasting. Amen.

Prayers

Thanksgiving and intercession

Thanksgiving may be made for the day.

Intercessions are offered

for peace

for individuals and their needs

Prayers may include the following concerns:

The social services

All who work in the criminal justice system

Victims and perpetrators of crime

The work of aid agencies throughout the world

Those living in poverty or under oppression

Other intercessions and supplications may be offered as the Holy Spirit leads.

Response

God of grace,

hear our prayer.

Silence may be kept.

Collect of the day

O God, forasmuch as without you

we are not able to please you;

mercifully grant that your Holy Spirit

may in all things direct and rule our hearts;

through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,

who is alive and reigns with you,

in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and forever.

Amen.

The Lord’s Prayer

As our Savior taught us, so we pray

Our Father in heaven,

hallowed be your name,

your kingdom come,

your will be done,

on earth as in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread.

Forgive us our sins

as we forgive those who sin against us.

Lead us not into temptation

but deliver us from evil.

For the kingdom, the power,

and the glory are yours

now and forever.

Amen.

Conclusion

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,

and the love of God,

and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit,

be with us all evermore.

Amen.