Opening response

O God, make speed to save us.
O Lord, make haste to 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

Angels, Wherever We Go, Attend

Charles Wesley

Angels, wherever we go, attend
Our steps, whatever betide,
With watchful care their charge defend,
And evil turn aside.

Myriads of bright cherubic bands,
Sent by the King of kings,
Rejoice to bear us in their hands,
And shade us with their wings.

Jehovah's charioteers surround;
The ministerial choir
Encamp wherever his heirs are found,
And form our wall of fire.

Ten thousand offices unseen
For us they gladly do,
Deliver in the furnace keen,
And safe escort us through.

But thronging round, with busiest love
They guard the dying breast,
The lurking fiend far off remove,
And sing our souls to rest.

And when our spirits we resign,
On outstretched wings they bear,
And lodge us in the arms of divine,
And leave us ever there.

Confession of sin

Seek the LORD while he may be found;
call on him while he is near.
Let the wicked forsake their own ways
and the unrighteous their own thoughts.
Let them return to the LORD so that he may have compassion,
and to our God, for he will freely pardon.

cf Isaiah 55

A time of silence and self-examination may be kept.

Lord God,
we have sinned against you;
we have done what is evil in your sight.
We are sorry and repent.
Have mercy on us according to your loving devotion.
Wash us clean of our iniquity and cleanse us from our sin.
Renew a right spirit within us,
and restore to us the joy of your salvation
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 be the LORD,
for he has heard our cry for mercy.
Therefore our hearts rejoice
and we give thanks to him with our song.

cf Psalm 28:7, 9

Psalm 94

𝙍: Righteous are You, O LORD, and upright are Your judgments.

O LORD, God of vengeance,
O God of vengeance, shine forth.
Rise up, O Judge of the earth;
render a reward to the proud.
How long will the wicked, O LORD,
how long will the wicked exult? 𝙍

They pour out arrogant words;
all workers of iniquity boast.
They crush Your people, O LORD;
they oppress Your heritage.
They kill the widow and the foreigner;
they murder the fatherless.
They say, “The LORD does not see;
the God of Jacob pays no heed.” 𝙍

Take notice, O senseless among the people!
O fools, when will you be wise?
He who affixed the ear, can He not hear?
He who formed the eye, can He not see?
He who admonishes the nations, does He not discipline?
He who teaches man, does He lack knowledge?
The LORD knows the thoughts of man,
that they are futile. 𝙍

Blessed is the man You discipline, O LORD,
and teach from Your law,
to grant him relief from days of trouble,
until a pit is dug for the wicked.
For the LORD will not forsake His people;
He will never abandon His heritage.
Surely judgment will again be righteous,
and all the upright in heart will follow it. 𝙍

Who will rise up for me against the wicked?
Who will stand for me against the workers of iniquity?
Unless the LORD had been my helper,
I would soon have dwelt in the abode of silence.
If I say, “My foot is slipping,”
Your loving devotion, O LORD, supports me.
When anxiety overwhelms me,
Your consolation delights my soul. 𝙍

Can a corrupt throne be Your ally—
one devising mischief by decree?
They band together against the righteous
and condemn the innocent to death.
But the LORD has been my stronghold,
and my God is my rock of refuge.
He will bring upon them their own iniquity
and destroy them for their wickedness.
The LORD our God will destroy them.

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.

𝙍: Righteous are You, O LORD, and upright are Your judgments.

Psalm prayer

Lord God, judge of all,
before whom no secrets are hidden,
let your justice shine out
and your righteousness sweep wickedness from its throne,
that we may live free from fear and stumbling;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Old Testament reading

Job 40

And the LORD said to Job:

“Will the faultfinder contend with the Almighty?
Let him who argues with God give an answer.”

Then Job answered the LORD:

“Behold, I am insignificant. How can I reply to You?
I place my hand over my mouth.
I have spoken once, but I have no answer—
twice, but I have nothing to add.”

Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind and said:

“Now brace yourself like a man;
I will question you, and you shall inform Me.

Would you really annul My justice?
Would you condemn Me to justify yourself?
Do you have an arm like God’s?
Can you thunder with a voice like His?
Then adorn yourself with majesty and splendor,
and clothe yourself with honor and glory.
Unleash the fury of your wrath;
look on every proud man and bring him low.
Look on every proud man and humble him;
trample the wicked where they stand.
Bury them together in the dust;
imprison them in the grave.
Then I will confess to you
that your own right hand can save you.

Look at Behemoth, which I made along with you.
He feeds on grass like an ox.
See the strength of his loins
and the power in the muscles of his belly.
His tail sways like a cedar;
the sinews of his thighs are tightly knit.
His bones are tubes of bronze;
his limbs are rods of iron.
He is the foremost of God’s works;
only his Maker can draw the sword against him.
The hills yield him their produce,
while all the beasts of the field play nearby.
He lies under the lotus plants,
hidden among the reeds of the marsh.
The lotus plants conceal him in their shade;
the willows of the brook surround him.
Though the river rages, Behemoth is unafraid;
he remains secure, though the Jordan surges to his mouth.
Can anyone capture him as he looks on,
or pierce his nose with a snare?

Silence may be kept.

New Testament reading

Romans 15:22-33

That is why I have often been hindered from coming to you.

But now that there are no further opportunities for me in these regions, and since I have longed for many years to visit you, I hope to see you on my way to Spain. And after I have enjoyed your company for a while, you can equip me for my journey.

Now, however, I am on my way to Jerusalem to serve the saints there. For Macedonia and Achaia were pleased to make a contribution for the poor among the saints in Jerusalem. They were pleased to do it, and indeed they owe it to them. For if the Gentiles have shared in their spiritual blessings, they are obligated to minister to them with material blessings.

So after I have completed this service and have safely delivered this bounty to them, I will set off to Spain by way of you. I know that when I come to you, I will come in the fullness of the blessing of Christ.

Now I urge you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to join me in my struggle by praying to God for me. Pray that I may be delivered from the unbelievers in Judea, and that my service in Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints there, so that by God’s will I may come to you with joy and together with you be refreshed.

The God of peace be with all of you. Amen.

Silence may be kept.

The Magnificat (The Song of Mary)

Luke 1:46-55

𝙍: My spirit rejoices in you, O God; my soul proclaims your greatness.

My soul magnifies the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior!
For He has looked with favor on the humble state of His servant.
From now on all generations will call me blessed.
For the Mighty One has done great things for me.
Holy is His name.
His mercy extends to those who fear Him,
from generation to generation.
He has performed mighty deeds with His arm;
He has scattered those who are proud
in the thoughts of their hearts.
He has brought down rulers from their thrones,
but has exalted the humble.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
but has sent the rich away empty.
He has helped His servant Israel,
remembering to be merciful,
as He promised to our fathers,
to Abraham and his descendants 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.

𝙍: My spirit rejoices in you, O God; my soul proclaims your greatness.

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.
He was conceived by the Holy Spirit
and born of the Virgin Mary.
He 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,
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He 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.

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:

Local government, community leaders
All who provide local services
Those who work with young or elderly people
Schools, colleges and universities
Emergency and rescue organizations

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

O God, the protector of all who trust in you,
without whom nothing is strong, nothing is holy:
increase and multiply upon us your mercy;
that with you as our ruler and guide
we may so pass through things temporal
that we lose not our hold on things eternal;
grant this, heavenly Father,
for our Lord Jesus Christ's sake,
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, 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. 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.