Tuesday evening November 20

Wednesday evening
Monday evening

Preparation

Opening response

Favor us, Lord, and deliver us.

Lord, come quickly and help us.

All your faithful ones bless you.

They speak of the glory of your kingdom.

Prayer of thanksgiving

Blessed are you, Sovereign God,

our light and our salvation,

to you be glory and praise forever.

Now, as darkness is falling,

wash away our transgressions,

cleanse us by your refining fire

and make us temples of your Holy Spirit.

By the light of Christ,

dispel the darkness of our hearts

and make us ready to enter your kingdom,

where songs of praise forever sound.

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

When Christ Doth in My Heart Appear

Charles Wesley

When Christ doth in my heart appear,

And love erects its throne,

I then enjoy salvation here,

And heaven on earth begun.

When God is mine, and I am his,

Of paradise possessed,

I taste unutterable bliss,

And everlasting rest.

The bliss of those that fully dwell,

Fully in thee believe,

‘Tis more than angel tongues can tell,

Or angel minds conceive.

Thou only knowest who did obtain,

And die to make it known:

The great salvation now explain,

And perfect us in one.

May I, may all who humbly wait,

The glorious joy receive —

Joy above all conception great,

Worthy of God to give.

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 67

Refrain:

Let the people thank you, God! Let all the people thank you!

Let God grant us grace and bless us;

let God make his face shine on us,

so that your way becomes known on earth,

so that your salvation becomes known among all the nations.

Let the people thank you, God!

Let all the people thank you!

Let the people celebrate

and shout with joy

because you judge the nations fairly

and guide all nations on the earth.

Let the people thank you, God!

Let all the people thank you!

The earth has yielded its harvest.

God blesses us—our God blesses us!

Let God continue to bless us;

let the far ends of the earth honor him.

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:

Let the people thank you, God! Let all the people thank you!

Psalm prayer

In the face of Jesus Christ

your light and glory have blazed forth,

O God of all the nations;

with all your people,

may we make known your grace

and walk in the ways of peace;

for your name’s sake.

Psalm 72

Refrain:

The Lord rules! Let the earth rejoice!

God, give your judgments to the king.

Give your righteousness to the king’s son.

Let him judge your people with righteousness

and your poor ones with justice.

Let the mountains bring peace to the people;

let the hills bring righteousness.

Let the king bring justice to people who are poor;

let him save the children of those who are needy,

but let him crush oppressors!

Let the king live as long as the sun,

as long as the moon,

generation to generation.

Let him fall like rain upon fresh-cut grass,

like showers that water the earth.

Let the righteous flourish throughout their lives,

and let peace prosper until the moon is no more.

Let the king rule from sea to sea,

from the river to the ends of the earth.

Let the desert dwellers bow low before him;

let his enemies lick the dust.

Let the kings of Tarshish and the islands bring tribute;

let the kings of Sheba and Seba present gifts.

Let all the kings bow down before him;

let all the nations serve him.

Let it be so, because he delivers the needy who cry out,

the poor, and those who have no helper.

He has compassion on the weak and the needy;

he saves the lives of those who are in need.

He redeems their lives from oppression and violence;

their blood is precious in his eyes.

Let the king live long!

Let Sheba’s gold be given to him!

Let him be prayed for always!

Let him be blessed all day long!

Let there be abundant grain in the land.

Let it wave on the mountaintops.

Let its fruit flourish like Lebanon.

Let it thrive like grass on the land.

Let the king’s name last forever.

Let his name endure as long as the sun.

Let all the nations be blessed through him and call him happy.

Bless the Lord God, the God of Israel—

the only one who does wondrous things!

Bless God’s glorious name forever;

let his glory fill all the earth!

Amen and Amen!

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:

The Lord rules! Let the earth rejoice!

Psalm prayer

God, may your kingdom come,

with deliverance for the needy,

with peace for the righteous,

with overflowing blessing for all nations,

with glory, honor and praise

for Christ, the only Savior.

Old Testament reading
Isaiah 10:5-19

Doom to Assyria, rod of my anger,

in whose hand is the staff of my fury!

Against a godless nation I send him;

against an infuriating people

I direct him to seize spoil, to steal plunder,

and to trample them like mud in the streets.

But he has other plans;

he schemes in secret;

destruction is on his mind,

extermination of nation after nation.

He says: Aren’t my commanders all kings?

Isn’t Calno like Carchemish?

Isn’t Hamath like Arpad?

Isn’t Samaria like Damascus?

Just as I took control of idolatrous kingdoms

with more images than Jerusalem and Samaria,

just as I did to Samaria and her false gods,

won’t I also do this to Jerusalem and her idols?

But when the Lord has finished all this work on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, he will punish the Assyrian king’s arrogant actions and the boasting of his haughty eyes.

He said, “By my own strength I have achieved it,

and by my wisdom, since I’m so clever.

I disregarded national boundaries; I raided their treasures;

I knocked down their rulers like a bull.

My hand found the wealth of the peoples

as if it were in a nest.

Just as one gathers abandoned eggs,

I have gathered the entire earth;

no creature fluttered a wing or opened a mouth to chirp.”

Will the ax glorify itself over the one who chops with it?

Or will the saw magnify itself over its user?

As if a rod could wave the one who lifts it!

As if a staff could lift up the one not made of wood!

Therefore, the Lord God of heavenly forces

will make the well-fed people waste away;

and among his officials,

a blaze will burn like scorching fire.

The light of Israel will become a fire,

its holy one a flame,

which will burn and devour

its thorns and thistles

in a single day.

Its abundant forest and farmland

will be finished completely,

as when a sick person wastes away;

its forest’s remaining trees will be no more than a child can count.

Silence may be kept.

New Testament reading
Matthew 7:13-29

“Go in through the narrow gate. The gate that leads to destruction is broad and the road wide, so many people enter through it. But the gate that leads to life is narrow and the road difficult, so few people find it.

“Watch out for false prophets. They come to you dressed like sheep, but inside they are vicious wolves. You will know them by their fruit. Do people get bunches of grapes from thorny weeds, or do they get figs from thistles? In the same way, every good tree produces good fruit, and every rotten tree produces bad fruit. A good tree can’t produce bad fruit. And a rotten tree can’t produce good fruit. Every tree that doesn’t produce good fruit is chopped down and thrown into the fire. Therefore, you will know them by their fruit.

“Not everybody who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will get into the kingdom of heaven. Only those who do the will of my Father who is in heaven will enter. On the Judgment Day, many people will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, didn’t we prophesy in your name and expel demons in your name and do lots of miracles in your name?’ Then I’ll tell them, ‘I’ve never known you. Get away from me, you people who do wrong.’

“Everybody who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise builder who built a house on bedrock. The rain fell, the floods came, and the wind blew and beat against that house. It didn’t fall because it was firmly set on bedrock. But everybody who hears these words of mine and doesn’t put them into practice will be like a fool who built a house on sand. The rain fell, the floods came, and the wind blew and beat against that house. It fell and was completely destroyed.”

When Jesus finished these words, the crowds were amazed at his teaching because he was teaching them like someone with authority and not like their legal experts.

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 saints on earth, that they may live as citizens of heaven

All people, that they may hear and believe the word of God

All who fear the winter months

All sovereigns and political leaders, that they may imitate the righteous rule of Christ

All who grieve or wait with the dying

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

Response

Lord of life

In your mercy, hear us.

Silence may be kept.

Collect of the day

Heavenly Father,

whose blessed Son was revealed

to destroy the works of the devil

and to make us the children of God and heirs of eternal life:

grant that we, having this hope,

may purify ourselves even as he is pure;

that when he shall appear in power and great glory

we may be made like him in his eternal and glorious kingdom;

where he 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

May Christ, who has opened the kingdom of heaven, bring us to reign with him in glory.

Amen.