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

Rejoice and Sing, the Lord is King

Charles Wesley

Rejoice and sing, the Lord is King,
And make a cheerful noise,
To God your ceaseless praises bring,
Again, I say, rejoice!

The great I Am, from heaven he came,
To make that heaven our own,
Bow every knee to Jesus’ name,
And kiss the incarnate Son.

The Son of God poured out his blood
And soul in sacrifice;
Plunge all in that mysterious flood,
That bears you to the skies.

The Victim slain arose again,
Returning from the dead:
Ye saints, essay your choicest strain,
And shout your living Head.

His glorious reign he shall maintain—
Your crowns from him receive;
And live, redeemed from death and pain,
As long as God shall live.

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 114

𝙍: Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord.

When Israel departed from Egypt,
the house of Jacob from a people of foreign tongue,
Judah became God’s sanctuary,
and Israel His dominion.

The sea observed and fled;
the Jordan turned back;
the mountains skipped like rams,
the hills like lambs. 𝙍

Why was it, O sea, that you fled,
O Jordan, that you turned back,
O mountains, that you skipped like rams,
O hills, like lambs?

Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord,
at the presence of the God of Jacob,
who turned the rock into a pool,
the flint into a fountain of water!

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: Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord.

Psalm prayer

Strike the rock of our hard hearts, God,
and let our tears of joy and sorrow
mold us to bear the imprint of your love,
given in Christ our risen Lord.

Psalm 116

𝙍: The LORD is gracious and righteous.

I love the LORD, for He has heard my voice—
my appeal for mercy.
Because He has inclined His ear to me,
I will call on Him as long as I live.

The ropes of death entangled me;
the anguish of Sheol overcame me;
I was confronted by trouble and sorrow.
Then I called on the name of the LORD:
“O LORD, deliver my soul!”

The LORD is gracious and righteous;
our God is full of compassion. 𝙍

The LORD preserves the simplehearted;
I was helpless, and He saved me.
Return to your rest, O my soul,
for the LORD has been good to you.
For You have delivered my soul from death,
my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling.

I will walk before the LORD
in the land of the living. 𝙍

I believed, therefore I said,
“I am greatly afflicted.”
In my alarm I said,
“All men are liars!”

How can I repay the LORD
for all His goodness to me?
I will lift the cup of salvation
and call on the name of the LORD.
I will fulfill my vows to the LORD
in the presence of all His people. 𝙍

Precious in the sight of the LORD
is the death of His saints.
Truly, O LORD, I am Your servant;
I am Your servant, the son of Your maidservant;
You have broken my bonds.

I will offer to You a sacrifice of thanksgiving
and call on the name of the LORD.
I will fulfill my vows to the LORD
in the presence of all His people,
in the courts of the LORD’s house,
in your midst, O Jerusalem.

Hallelujah!

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: The LORD is gracious and righteous.

Psalm prayer

As we walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
may we call upon your name,
raise the cup of salvation,
and so proclaim your death, Lord,
until you come in glory.

Psalm 117

𝙍: Hallelujah!

Praise the LORD, all you nations!
Extol Him, all you peoples!
For great is His loving devotion toward us,
and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever.

Hallelujah!

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: Hallelujah!

Psalm prayer

Gracious God,
we praise you for your faithfulness
and pray that every nation may find your blessing
in the face of Jesus Christ our Lord.

Old Testament reading

Proverbs 20:1-22

Wine is a mocker, strong drink is a brawler,
and whoever is led astray by them is not wise.

The terror of a king is like the roar of a lion;
whoever provokes him forfeits his own life.

It is honorable for a man to resolve a dispute,
but any fool will quarrel.

The slacker does not plow in season;
at harvest time he looks, but nothing is there.

The intentions of a man’s heart are deep waters,
but a man of understanding draws them out.

Many a man proclaims his loving devotion,
but who can find a trustworthy man?

The righteous man walks with integrity;
blessed are his children after him.

A king who sits on a throne to judge
sifts out all evil with his eyes.

Who can say, “I have kept my heart pure;
I am cleansed from my sin”?

Differing weights and unequal measures —
both are detestable to the LORD.

Even a young man is known by his actions—
whether his conduct is pure and upright.

Ears that hear and eyes that see—
the LORD has made them both.

Do not love sleep, or you will grow poor;
open your eyes, and you will have plenty of food.

“Worthless, worthless!” says the buyer,
but on the way out, he gloats.

There is an abundance of gold and rubies,
but lips of knowledge are a rare treasure.

Take the garment of the one who posts security for a stranger;
get collateral if it is for a foreigner.

Food gained by fraud is sweet to a man,
but later his mouth is full of gravel.

Set plans by consultation,
and wage war under sound guidance.

He who reveals secrets is a constant gossip;
avoid the one who babbles with his lips.

Whoever curses his father or mother,
his lamp will be extinguished in deepest darkness.

An inheritance gained quickly
will not be blessed in the end.

Do not say, “I will avenge this evil!”
Wait on the LORD, and He will save you.

Silence may be kept.

New Testament reading

Mark 7:24-30

Jesus left that place and went to the region of Tyre. Not wanting anyone to know He was there, He entered a house, but was unable to escape their notice. Instead, a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit soon heard about Jesus, and she came and fell at His feet. Now she was a Greek woman of Syrophoenician origin, and she kept asking Jesus to drive the demon out of her daughter.

“First let the children have their fill,” He said. “For it is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.”

“Yes, Lord,” she replied, “even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.”

Then Jesus told her, “Because of this answer, you may go. The demon has left your daughter.” And she went home and found her child lying on the bed, and the demon was gone.

Silence may be kept.

The Magnificat (The Song of Mary)

Luke 1:46-55

𝙍: Come, let us return to the Lord, for our God will freely pardon.

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: Come, let us return to the Lord, for our God will freely pardon.

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

Almighty and everlasting God,
you are always more ready to hear than we to pray
and to give more than either we desire or deserve:
pour down upon us the abundance of your mercy,
forgiving us those things of which our conscience is afraid
and giving us those good things
which we are not worthy to ask
but through the merits and mediation
of 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, 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.