Friday evening September 14

Saturday evening
Thursday 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

Jesus, My Lord, Mighty to Save

Charles Wesley

Jesus, my Lord, mighty to save,

What can my hopes withstand,

While thee, my advocate, I have

Enthroned at God’s right hand?

Nature is subject to thy word,

All power to thee is given,

The uncontrolled, almighty Lord

Of hell, and earth, and heaven.

And shall my sins thy will oppose?

Master, thy right maintain;

Oh, let not thy usurping foes,

In me, thy servant, reign.

Come, then and claim me for thine own,

Savior thy right assert,

Come gracious Lord, set up thy throne,

And reign within my heart.

So shall I bless thy pleasing sway,

And, sitting at thy feet,

Thy laws with all my heart obey,

With all my soul submit.

So shall I do thy will below,

As angels do above,

The virtue of thy passion show,

The triumphs of thy love.

Thy love, the conquest more than gains,

To all I shall proclaim,

“Jesus, the King, the Conqueror reigns,

Bow down to Jesus’ name.”

To thee shall earth and hell submit,

And every foe shall fall,

Till death expires beneath thy feet,

And God is all in all.

Confession of sin

Come, Holy Spirit of God,

and search our hearts with the light of Christ.

Our Lord Jesus Christ said:

The first commandment is this:

‘Israel, listen! Our God is the one Lord,

and you must love the Lord your God with all your heart,

with all your being, with all your mind,

and with all your strength.’

The second is this: ‘You must love your neighbor as yourself.’

No other commandment is greater than these.

All the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commandments.

Amen. Lord, have mercy.

After a period of reflection

Come, let us return to the Lord and say:

Lord our God,

in our sin we have avoided your call.

Our love for you is like a morning cloud,

like the dew that goes away early.

Have mercy on us;

deliver us from judgment;

bind up our wounds and revive us;

in Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

cf Hosea 6

May almighty God,

who sent his Son into the world to save sinners,

bring us his pardon and peace, now and forever.

Amen.

The Word of God

Psalm 110

Refrain:

The Lord is king and has put on glorious apparel.

What the Lord says to my master:

“Sit right beside me

until I make your enemies

a footstool for your feet!”

May the Lord make your mighty scepter

reach far from Zion!

Rule over your enemies!

Your people stand ready

on your day of battle.

“In holy grandeur, from the dawn’s womb, fight!

Your youthful strength is like the dew itself.”

The Lord has sworn a solemn pledge and won’t change his mind:

“You are a priest forever in line with Melchizedek.”

My master, by your strong hand,

God has crushed kings on his day of wrath.

God brings the nations to justice,

piling the dead bodies, crushing heads throughout the earth.

God drinks from a stream along the way,

then holds his head up high.

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 is king and has put on glorious apparel.

Psalm prayer

Lord Jesus, divine Son and eternal priest,

inspire us with the confidence of your final conquest of evil,

and grant that daily on our way

we may drink of the brook of your eternal life

and so find courage against all adversities;

for your mercy’s sake.

Psalm 150

Refrain:

Let every living thing praise the Lord!

Praise the Lord!

Praise God in his sanctuary!

Praise God in his fortress, the sky!

Praise God in his mighty acts!

Praise God as suits his incredible greatness!

Praise God with the blast of the ram’s horn!

Praise God with lute and lyre!

Praise God with drum and dance!

Praise God with strings and pipe!

Praise God with loud cymbals!

Praise God with clashing cymbals!

Let every living thing praise the Lord!

Praise the Lord!

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 every living thing praise the Lord!

Psalm prayer

God of life and love,

whose Son was victorious over sin and death,

make us alive with his life,

that the whole world may resound with your praise;

through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Old Testament reading
Isaiah 63:1-16

Who is this coming from Edom,

from Bozrah in bright red garments,

this splendidly dressed one, striding with great power?

It is I, proclaiming righteousness, powerful to save!

Why is your clothing red,

and your garments like those of one who stomps on grapes?

I have pressed out in the vat by myself—from the peoples, no one was with me.

I stomped on them in my anger,

trampled them in my wrath.

Their blood splashed on my garments,

and stained all my clothing,

because I intended a day of vengeance;

the year of my deliverance had arrived.

I looked and found no helper;

I was astonished to find no supporter.

But my arm brought victory for me;

my wrath helped me.

I trampled down nations in my anger

and made them drunk on my wrath;

I spilled their blood on the ground.

I will recount the Lord’s faithful acts;

I will sing the Lord’s praises,

because of all the Lord did for us,

for God’s great favor toward the house of Israel.

God treated them compassionately

and with deep affection.

God said, “Truly, they are my people,

children who won’t do what is wrong.”

God became their savior.

During all their distress, God also was distressed,

so a messenger who served him saved them.

In love and mercy God redeemed them,

lifting and carrying them throughout earlier times.

But they rebelled,

and made God’s holy spirit terribly sad,

so that he turned into their enemy—

he fought against them!

Then they remembered earlier times,

when he rescued his people.

Where was the one who drew them up from the sea,

the shepherd of the flock?

Where was the one who put within them his holy spirit;

the one who guided Moses’ strong hand

with his glorious arm;

who split the water for them

to create an enduring reputation for himself,

and who guided them through the depths?

Like a horse in the desert, they didn’t stumble.

Like cattle descending to the valley,

the Lord’s spirit brought them to rest.

In this way you led your people

and made for yourself a glorious reputation.

Look down from heaven and see,

from your holy and glorious perch.

Where are your energy and your might,

your concern and your pity?

Don’t hold back!

You are surely our father,

even though Abraham doesn’t know us,

and Israel doesn’t recognize us.

You, Lord, are our father;

your reputation since long ago is that of our redeemer.

Silence may be kept.

New Testament reading
1 Corinthians 1:18-25

The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are being destroyed. But it is the power of God for those of us who are being saved. It is written in scripture: I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and I will reject the intelligence of the intelligent. Where are the wise? Where are the legal experts? Where are today’s debaters? Hasn’t God made the wisdom of the world foolish? In God’s wisdom, he determined that the world wouldn’t come to know him through its wisdom. Instead, God was pleased to save those who believe through the foolishness of preaching. Jews ask for signs, and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, which is a scandal to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles. But to those who are called—both Jews and Greeks—Christ is God’s power and God’s wisdom. This is because the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.

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:

National leaders, public officials and the armed forces

Peace and justice in the world

Those who work for reconciliation

All whose lives are devastated by war and civil strife

Prisoners, refugees and homeless people

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

God, who in generous mercy sent the Holy Spirit

upon your church in the burning fire of your love:

grant that your people may be fervent

in the fellowship of the gospel

that, always abiding in you,

they may be found steadfast in faith and active in service;

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.