Friday evening April 17
Saturday evening
Thursday evening
Preparation
Opening response
Favor us, Lord, and deliver us.
Lord, come quickly and help us.
In your resurrection, O Christ,
let heaven and earth rejoice.
Prayer of thanksgiving
Blessed are you, Sovereign Lord,
the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
to you be glory and praise forever.
From the deep waters of death
you brought your people to new birth
by raising your Son to life in triumph.
Through him dark death has been destroyed
and radiant life is everywhere restored.
As you call us out of darkness into his marvelous light
may our lives reflect his glory
and our lips repeat the endless song.
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
Into a World of Ruffians Sent
Charles Wesley
Into a world of ruffians sent,
I walk on hostile ground,
Wild human bears on slaughter bent,
And ravening wolves, surround.
The lion seeks my soul to slay,
In some unguarded hour,
And waits to tear his sleeping prey,
And watches to devour.
But worse than all my foes I find
The enemy within,
The evil heart, the carnal mind,
My own insidious sin.
My nature every moment waits
To render me secure,
And all my paths with ease besets,
To make my ruin sure.
But thou hast given a loud alarm;
And thou shalt still prepare
My soul for all assaults, and arm
With never-ceasing prayer.
O do not suffer me to sleep,
Who on thy love depend;
But still thy faithful servant keep,
And save me to the end!
Confession of sin
Seek the Lord when he can still be found;
call him while he is yet near.
Let the wicked abandon their ways
and the sinful their schemes.
Let them return to the Lord so that he may have mercy on them,
to our God, because he is generous with forgiveness.
cf Isaiah 55
A time of silence and self-examination may be kept.
Lord God,
we have sinned against you;
we have committed evil in your sight.
We are sorry and repent.
Have mercy on us according to your faithful love.
Wash us completely clean of our guilt; purify us from our sin.
Put a new, faithful spirit deep inside us,
and return the joy of your salvation to us
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
cf Psalm 51
May the Father of all mercies
cleanse us from our sins,
and restore us in his image
to the praise and glory of his name,
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Bless the Lord,
because he has listened to our request for mercy.
Therefore our hearts will rejoice
and we will thank him with our song.
cf Psalm 28:7,9
The Word of God
Psalm 107
Refrain:
Give thanks to the Lord because he is good, because his faithful love lasts forever!
“Give thanks to the Lord because he is good,
because his faithful love lasts forever!”
That’s what those who are redeemed by the Lord say,
the ones God redeemed from the power of their enemies,
the ones God gathered from various countries,
from east and west, north and south.
Some of the redeemed had wandered into the desert, into the wasteland.
They couldn’t find their way to a city or town.
They were hungry and thirsty;
their lives were slipping away.
So they cried out to the Lord in their distress,
and God delivered them from their desperate circumstances.
God led them straight to human habitation.
Let them thank the Lord for his faithful love
and his wondrous works for all people,
because God satisfied the one who was parched with thirst,
and he filled up the hungry with good things!
Some of the redeemed had been sitting in darkness and deep gloom;
they were prisoners suffering in chains
because they had disobeyed God’s instructions
and rejected the Most High’s plans.
So God humbled them with hard work.
They stumbled, and there was no one to help them.
So they cried out to the Lord in their distress,
and God saved them from their desperate circumstances.
God brought them out from the darkness and deep gloom;
he shattered their chains.
Let them thank the Lord for his faithful love
and his wondrous works for all people,
because God has shattered bronze doors
and split iron bars in two!
Some of the redeemed were fools because of their sinful ways.
They suffered because of their wickedness.
They had absolutely no appetite for food;
they had arrived at death’s gates.
So they cried out to the Lord in their distress,
and God saved them from their desperate circumstances.
God gave the order and healed them;
he rescued them from their pit.
Let them thank the Lord for his faithful love
and his wondrous works for all people.
Let them offer thanksgiving sacrifices
and declare what God has done in songs of joy!
Some of the redeemed had gone out on the ocean in ships,
making their living on the high seas.
They saw what the Lord had made;
they saw his wondrous works in the depths of the sea.
God spoke and stirred up a storm
that brought the waves up high.
The waves went as high as the sky;
they crashed down to the depths.
The sailors’ courage melted at this terrible situation.
They staggered and stumbled around like they were drunk.
None of their skill was of any help.
So they cried out to the Lord in their distress,
and God brought them out safe from their desperate circumstances.
God quieted the storm to a whisper;
the sea’s waves were hushed.
So they rejoiced because the waves had calmed down;
then God led them to the harbor they were hoping for.
Let them thank the Lord for his faithful love
and his wondrous works for all people.
Let them exalt God in the congregation of the people
and praise God in the assembly of the elders.
God turns rivers into desert,
watery springs into thirsty ground,
fruitful land into unproductive dirt,
when its inhabitants are wicked.
But God can also turn the desert into watery pools,
thirsty ground into watery springs,
where he settles the hungry.
They even build a city and live there!
They plant fields and vineyards
and obtain a fruitful harvest.
God blesses them, and they become many.
God won’t even let their cattle diminish.
But when they do diminish—
when they’re brought down by oppression, trouble, and grief—
God pours contempt on their leaders,
making them wander aimlessly in the wastelands.
But God raises the needy from their suffering;
he makes their families as numerous as sheep!
Those who do right see it and celebrate,
but every wicked person shuts their mouth.
Whoever is wise will pay attention to these things,
carefully considering the Lord’s faithful love.
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:
Give thanks to the Lord because he is good, because his faithful love lasts forever!
Psalm prayer
O living Christ,
rescue us from foolish passion
and still the storms of our self-will;
and, as you are our anchor in this life,
so bring us to the haven you have prepared for us;
for your mercy’s sake.
Old Testament reading
Song of Solomon 7:10-8:4
I belong to my lover,
and his longing is only for me.
The ripeness of love
Come, my love:
Let’s go out to the field
and rest all night among the flowering henna.
Let’s set out early for the vineyards.
We will see if the vines have budded
and the blossoms opened,
see if the pomegranates have bloomed.
There I’ll give my loving to you.
The mandrakes give off their scent,
and at our doorways is every delicacy—
fresh or ripened—
my love, I have kept them hidden for you.
If only you were as my brother—
the one who nursed at my mother’s breast.
I would find you in the street and kiss you,
and no one would shame me for it.
I would lead you, I would bring you
to my mother’s house;
she would teach me what to do.
I would give you spiced wine to drink,
some of my fresh pomegranate juice.
His left arm is beneath my head,
and his right embraces me!
Make a solemn pledge,
daughters of Jerusalem,
never to rouse, never to arouse love
until it desires.
Silence may be kept.
New Testament reading
Luke 8:41-56
A man named Jairus, who was a synagogue leader, came and fell at Jesus’ feet. He pleaded with Jesus to come to his house because his only daughter, a twelve-year-old, was dying.
As Jesus moved forward, he faced smothering crowds. A woman was there who had been bleeding for twelve years. She had spent her entire livelihood on doctors, but no one could heal her. She came up behind him and touched the hem of his clothes, and at once her bleeding stopped.
“Who touched me?” Jesus asked.
When everyone denied it, Peter said, “Master, the crowds are surrounding you and pressing in on you!”
But Jesus said, “Someone touched me. I know that power has gone out from me.”
When the woman saw that she couldn’t escape notice, she came trembling and fell before Jesus. In front of everyone, she explained why she had touched him and how she had been immediately healed.
“Daughter, your faith has healed you,” Jesus said. “Go in peace.”
While Jesus was still speaking, someone came from the synagogue leader’s house, saying to Jairus, “Your daughter has died. Don’t bother the teacher any longer.”
When Jesus heard this, he responded, “Don’t be afraid; just keep trusting, and she will be healed.”
When he came to the house, he didn’t allow anyone to enter with him except Peter, John, and James, and the child’s father and mother. They were all crying and mourning for her, but Jesus said, “Don’t cry. She isn’t dead. She’s only sleeping.”
They laughed at him because they knew she was dead.
Taking her hand, Jesus called out, “Child, get up.” Her life returned and she got up at once. He directed them to give her something to eat. Her parents were beside themselves with joy, but he ordered them to tell no one what had happened.
Silence may be kept.
Gospel canticle
The Magnificat (The Song of Mary)
Refrain:
The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone.
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:
The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone.
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 people of God, that they may proclaim the risen Lord
God’s creation, that the peoples of the earth may meet their responsibility to care
Those in despair and darkness, that they may find the hope and light of Christ
Those in fear of death, that they may find faith through the resurrection
Prisoners and captives
Other intercessions and supplications may be offered as the Holy Spirit leads.
Response
Father, hear our prayer,
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Silence may be kept.
Collect of the day
Lord of all life and power,
who through the mighty resurrection of your Son
overcame the old order of sin and death
to make all things new in him:
grant that we, being dead to sin
and alive to you in Jesus Christ,
may reign with him in glory;
to whom with you and the Holy Spirit
be praise and honor, glory and might,
now and in all eternity.
Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer
Rejoicing in God’s new creation, 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 the risen Christ grant us the joys of eternal life.
Amen.