Fri. evening Mar. 13
Opening response
Make haste, O God, to deliver me!
Make haste to help me, O LORD!
Hear my voice according to your lovingkindness.
O LORD, give me life according to your judgment.
Prayer of thanksgiving
Blessed are you, Lord God of our salvation, to you be glory and praise forever. In the darkness of our sin you have shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. Open our eyes to acknowledge your presence, that freed from the misery of sin and shame we may grow into your likeness from glory to glory.
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
Gratitude
Confession of Sin
Come, Holy Spirit of God,
and search our hearts with the light of Christ.
Our Lord Jesus Christ said:
“The first of all the commandments is, ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these. On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”
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 faithfulness is like a morning cloud, and like the early dew, it goes away. 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.
Psalm 69
𝙍: Hide not Your face from Your servant, O LORD.
Save me, O God!
For the waters have come up to my neck.
I sink in deep mire,
where there is no foothold;
I have come into deep waters,
and the flood overflows me.
I am weary with my crying;
my throat is parched;
my eyes grow dim
while I wait for my God.
𝙍: Hide not Your face from Your servant, O LORD.
Those who hate me without cause
are more than the hairs of my head;
they are mighty
who would destroy me, being my enemies wrongfully;
what I did not steal,
I must now restore.
O God, You know my folly,
and my sins are not hidden from You.
Let not those who wait on You,
O Lord GOD of Hosts,
be ashamed because of me;
let not those who seek You
be dishonored because of me,
O God of Israel,
because for Your sake I have borne reproach;
shame has covered my face.
𝙍: Hide not Your face from Your servant, O LORD.
I have become a stranger to my brothers,
and an alien to my mother’s children;
for zeal for Your house has consumed me,
and the reproaches of those who reproach You have fallen upon me.
𝙍: Hide not Your face from Your servant, O LORD.
When I wept and chastened my soul with fasting,
it became my reproach.
When I made sackcloth my clothing,
I became a proverb to them.
Those who sit in the gate speak against me,
and I am the song of the drunkards.
𝙍: Hide not Your face from Your servant, O LORD.
But as for me, my prayer is to You, O LORD,
at an acceptable time; O God,
in the abundance of Your mercy,
answer me in the truth of Your salvation.
Deliver me out of the mire
and let me not sink;
let me be delivered from those who hate me,
and out of the deep waters.
𝙍: Hide not Your face from Your servant, O LORD.
Let not the flood overflow me,
nor let the deep swallow me up;
and let not the pit close its mouth on me.
Hear me, O LORD, for Your lovingkindness is good;
turn to me according to the abundance of Your tender mercies.
Hide not Your face from Your servant,
for I am in trouble; answer me quickly.
𝙍: Hide not Your face from Your servant, O LORD.
Draw near to my soul, and redeem it;
deliver me because of my enemies.
You know my reproach, my shame, and my dishonor;
my adversaries are all known to You.
Reproach has broken my heart,
and I am in despair.
I looked for pity, but there was none,
and for comforters, but I found none.
They also gave me poison in my food,
and for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.
𝙍: Hide not Your face from Your servant, O LORD.
Let their table become a snare before them,
and let their peace be a trap.
Let their eyes be darkened so they do not see,
and make their loins tremble continually.
Pour out Your indignation upon them,
and let Your wrathful anger overtake them.
Let their camp be desolate,
and let no one dwell in their tents.
𝙍: Hide not Your face from Your servant, O LORD.
For they persecute him whom You have struck,
and they recount the pain of those whom You have wounded.
Add guilt to their iniquity,
and let them not come into Your righteousness.
Let them be blotted out of the book of the living,
and let them not be recorded with the righteous.
𝙍: Hide not Your face from Your servant, O LORD.
But I am afflicted and in pain;
let Your salvation, O God, set me safely on high.
I will praise the name of God with a song,
and will magnify Him with thanksgiving.
This will please the LORD
more than an ox or bull with horns and hoofs.
The humble shall see this and be glad;
and you who seek God, let your hearts revive.
𝙍: Hide not Your face from Your servant, O LORD.
For the LORD hears the poor,
and does not despise His prisoners.
Let heaven and earth praise Him,
the seas and everything that moves in them.
For God will save Zion,
and will build the cities of Judah,
that they may dwell there and possess it.
The descendants of His servants shall inherit it,
and those who love His name shall dwell in it.
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: Hide not Your face from Your servant, O LORD.
Psalm prayer
Thirsting on the cross, your Son shared the reproach of the oppressed and carried the sins of all; in him, O God, may the despairing find you, the afflicted gain life and the whole creation know its true king, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Old Testament reading
Jeremiah 15:10-21
Woe is me, my mother, that you have borne me
as a man of strife and a man of contention to the whole earth!
I have not lent with usury, nor have men lent to me on usury,
yet every one of them curses me!
The LORD said:
Truly I will set you free for good purposes.
Truly I will cause the enemy to entreat you
in the time of evil and in the time of affliction.
Can anyone break the northern iron
or the bronze?
Your wealth and your treasures
I will give to the destroyer without price,
and that for all your sins,
even within all your borders.
I will make you to pass with your enemies
into a land which you do not know;
for a fire is kindled in My anger,
which shall burn upon you.
O LORD, You who know, remember me,
and take notice of me,
and take vengeance on my persecutors.
Because of your longsuffering, do not take me away.
Know that for Your sake I have suffered rebuke.
Your words were found and I ate them.
And Your word became to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart,
for I am called by Your name,
O LORD God of Hosts.
I did not sit in the assembly of mockers,
nor did I rejoice;
I sat alone because of Your hand,
for You have filled me with indignation.
Why is my pain perpetual
and my wound incurable, which refuses to be healed?
Shall You be altogether to me as a deceptive stream
and as waters that fail?
Therefore thus says the LORD:
If you return, then I will bring you back,
and you shall stand before Me;
and if you take out the precious from the worthless,
you will be My spokesman.
Let them return to you,
but do not return to them.
I will make you to this people
a fortified bronze wall;
and they shall fight against you,
but they shall not prevail against you;
for I am with you
to save you and to deliver you,
says the LORD.
I will deliver you out of the hand of the wicked,
and I will redeem you out of the hand of the violent.
Silence may be kept.
New Testament reading
John 8:48-59
The Jews answered Him, “Do we not rightly say that You are a Samaritan and have a demon?”
Jesus answered, “I do not have a demon. But I honor My Father, and you dishonor Me. I do not seek glory for Myself. There is One who seeks it and judges. Truly, truly I say to you, if anyone keeps My word, he shall never see death.”
Then the Jews said to Him, “Now we know that You have a demon. Abraham and the prophets died, and You say, ‘If a man keeps My word, he shall never taste death.’ Are You greater than our father Abraham, who died? The prophets are dead! Who do You make Yourself out to be?”
Jesus answered, “If I glorify Myself, My glory is nothing. It is My Father who glorifies Me, of whom you say that He is your God. Yet you have not known Him, but I know Him. If I say, ‘I do not know Him,’ I shall be a liar like you. But I know Him and keep His word. Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day. He saw it and was glad.”
Then the Jews said to Him, “You are not yet fifty years old. Have You seen Abraham?”
Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly I say to you, before Abraham was born, I AM.” Then they took up stones to throw at Him. But Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple. Going through their midst, He passed by.
Silence may be kept.
The Magnificat (The Song of Mary)
Luke 1:46-55
My soul magnifies the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.
For He has regarded
the low estate of His servant.
For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed.
For He who is mighty has done great things for me,
and holy is His name.
His mercy is on those who fear Him
from generation to generation.
He has shown strength with His arm;
He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
He has pulled down the mighty from their thrones
and exalted those of low degree.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich He has sent away empty.
He has helped His servant Israel,
in remembrance of His mercy,
as He spoke to our fathers,
to Abraham and to 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.
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:
Those preparing for baptism and confirmation
Those serving through leadership
Those looking for forgiveness
Those misled by the false gods of this present age
All who are hungry
Other intercessions and supplications may be offered as the Holy Spirit leads.
Response
Lord, in your mercy
hear our prayer.
Silence may be kept.
Collect of the day
Almighty God, whose beloved Son did not ascend to joy without first enduring pain, and did not enter into glory before being crucified: Grant us mercy, that as we follow the way of the cross, we may discover it to be the path of true life and lasting peace; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer
Trusting in the compassion of God, 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
May God our Redeemer show us compassion and love.
Amen.
Thu. evening Mar. 12
Opening response
Make haste, O God, to deliver me!
Make haste to help me, O LORD!
Hear my voice according to your lovingkindness.
O LORD, give me life according to your judgment.
Prayer of thanksgiving
Blessed are you, Lord God of our salvation, to you be glory and praise forever. In the darkness of our sin you have shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. Open our eyes to acknowledge your presence, that freed from the misery of sin and shame we may grow into your likeness from glory to glory.
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
Ask Ye What Great Thing I Know
Words: Johann C. Schwedler (1741); trans. Benjamin H. Kennedy (1863)
Music: Henri A. Cesar Malan (1827); harm. Lowell Mason (1841)
Our Great Redeemer’s Praise (#107)
Ask ye what great thing I know
that delights and stirs me so?
What the high reward I win?
Whose the name I glory in?
Jesus Christ, the Crucified.
Who defeats my fiercest foes?
Who consoles my saddest woes?
Who revives my fainting heart,
healing all its hidden smart?
Jesus Christ, the Crucified.
Who is life in life to me?
Who the death of death will be?
Who will place me on His right,
with the countless hosts of light?
Jesus Christ, the Crucified.
This is that great thing I know;
this delights and stirs me so:
faith in Him who died to save,
Him who triumphed o'er the grave:
Jesus Christ, the Crucified.
Confession of Sin
Seek the LORD while He may be found,
call upon Him while He is near.
Let the wicked forsake his way,
and the unrighteous man his thoughts;
and let him return to the LORD, and He will have mercy upon him,
and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.
cf Isaiah 55
A time of silence and self-examination may be kept.
Lord God, I have sinned against you; I have done what is evil in your sight. I am sorry and repent. Have mercy on me according to your lovingkindness. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. Renew a right spirit within me, and restore unto me the joy of your salvation, through Jesus Christ my 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.
Blessed be the LORD,
because He has heard the voice of my supplications.
Therefore my heart rejoices,
and with my song I will thank Him.
cf Psalm 28:7,9
Psalm 59
𝙍: You, O God, are my fortress.
Deliver me from my enemies, O my God;
protect me from those who rise up against me.
Deliver me from the workers of iniquity,
and save me from bloodthirsty men.
For behold, they lie in wait for my life;
the mighty gather against me,
not for my transgression nor for my sin, O LORD.
For no fault of mine, they run and prepare themselves.
Awake to help me, and take notice!
You, O LORD God of Hosts, the God of Israel,
awake to punish all the nations;
do not be merciful to any wicked transgressors.
𝙍: You, O God, are my fortress.
They return at evening,
howling like dogs,
prowling around the city.
Behold, they bellow with their mouth;
swords are in their lips;
for they say, “Who hears us?”
But You, O LORD, shall laugh at them;
You shall have all the nations in derision.
O my strength, I will wait for You;
for You, O God, are my fortress.
My God in His lovingkindness will go before me;
God will cause me to look in triumph on my enemies.
𝙍: You, O God, are my fortress.
Do not slay them,
lest my people forget;
scatter them by Your power,
and bring them down, O Lord our shield.
For the sin of their mouths
and the words of their lips,
let them be taken in their pride,
and for the cursing and lies that they utter.
Consume them in wrath,
consume them that they may be no more;
and let them know that God rules in Jacob
to the ends of the earth.
𝙍: You, O God, are my fortress.
They return at evening,
howling like dogs,
prowling around the city.
They roam around for food,
and growl if they are not satisfied.
But I will sing of Your power;
I will sing aloud of Your lovingkindness in the morning,
for You have been my defense
and a refuge in the day of my trouble.
To You, O my strength, will I sing,
for God is my defense, the God who shows me lovingkindness.
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: You, O God, are my fortress.
Psalm prayer
Strong and merciful God, stand with the oppressed against the triumph of evil and the complacency of your people, and establish in Jesus Christ your new order of generosity and joy, for he is alive and reigns now and forever.
Psalm 60
𝙍: Restore us, O God of our salvation.
O God, You have rejected us; You have broken our defenses;
You have been displeased; oh, restore us.
You have made the earth tremble; You have split it open;
heal its breaches, for it is shaking.
You have shown Your people hardship;
You have given us wine to drink that makes us stagger.
You have given a banner to those who fear You,
that they may flee to it from the bow.
That Your beloved may be delivered,
save with Your right hand and answer us!
𝙍: Restore us, O God of our salvation.
God has spoken in His holiness:
“With exultation will I divide Shechem,
and measure out the Valley of Sukkoth.
Gilead is Mine, and Manasseh is Mine;
Ephraim also is My helmet;
Judah is My scepter;
Moab is My wash basin;
upon Edom will I cast My shoe;
Philistia, shout in triumph because of Me.”
𝙍: Restore us, O God of our salvation.
Who will bring me to the fortified city?
Who will lead me to Edom?
Have You not rejected us, O God?
And will You not go forth with our armies, O God?
O grant us help against the adversary,
for vain is the help of man.
With God we shall do valiantly,
for it is He who will tread down our enemies.
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: Restore us, O God of our salvation.
Psalm prayer
Risen Christ, you claim your own among the nations; mend what is broken in us, loving Savior; do not forsake us when we fail, but in your service grant us daring and love; for your name’s sake.
Old Testament reading
Jeremiah 14
The word of the LORD which came to Jeremiah concerning the drought:
Judah mourns,
and the gates languish;
they sit on the ground while mourning,
and the cry of Jerusalem has gone up.
Their nobles have sent their servants for water;
they came to the cisterns and found no water.
They returned with their vessels empty;
they were ashamed and humiliated,
and covered their heads.
Because the ground is chapped,
for there was no rain in the earth,
the plowmen were ashamed;
they have covered their heads.
Indeed, the hind also calved in the field
and abandoned her young
because there was no grass.
The wild donkeys stand in the high places;
they pant for air like jackals;
their eyes fail
because there is no grass.
O LORD, though our iniquities testify against us,
do it for Your name’s sake.
Indeed, our backslidings are many;
we have sinned against You.
O the Hope of Israel,
its Savior in time of trouble,
why should You be as a stranger in the land,
and as a wayfaring man who turns aside to pitch his tent for a night?
Why should You be as a man dismayed,
as a mighty man who cannot save?
Yet You, O LORD, are in our midst,
and we are called by Your name.
Do not forsake us!
Thus says the LORD to this people:
Even so they have loved to wander;
they have not restrained their feet.
Therefore, the LORD does not accept them;
He will now remember their iniquity
and punish their sins.
Then the LORD said to me: Do not pray for the good of this people. When they fast, I will not hear their cry. And when they offer a burnt offering and a grain offering, I will not accept them. But I will consume them by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence.
Yet I said, “Ah, Lord GOD! Behold, the prophets say to them, ‘You shall not see the sword nor shall you have famine, but I will give you assured peace in this place.’ ”
Then the LORD said to me: The prophets prophesy lies in My name. I have not sent them, nor have I commanded them, nor have I spoken to them. They prophesy to you a false vision and divination, and emptiness, and the deceit of their heart. Therefore thus says the LORD concerning the prophets who prophesy in My name though I did not send them, yet they say, “Sword and famine will not be in this land.” By sword and famine those prophets will be consumed. The people to whom they prophesy will be cast out in the streets of Jerusalem because of the famine and the sword. And they will have no one to bury them, not them, or their wives, or their sons, or their daughters, for I will pour out their wickedness upon them.
Therefore you will say this word to them:
Let my eyes run down with tears
night and day, and let them not cease;
for the virgin daughter of my people
has been broken with a great blow,
with a very infected wound.
If I go out into the field,
behold, those slain with the sword!
And if I enter the city,
behold, those who are sick with famine!
Indeed, both the prophet and the priest
go about into a land that they do not know.
Have You utterly rejected Judah?
Has Your soul loathed Zion?
Why have You stricken us
so that there is no healing for us?
We looked for peace,
but there was nothing good;
and for the time of healing,
but behold, trouble!
We acknowledge, O LORD, our wickedness
and the iniquity of our fathers,
for we have sinned against You.
Do not abhor us. For Your name’s sake,
do not disgrace Your glorious throne.
Remember and do not break
Your covenant with us.
Are there any among the idols of the nations that can cause rain?
Or can the heavens give showers?
Is it not You, O LORD our God?
Therefore, we will wait upon You,
for You have done all these things.
Silence may be kept.
New Testament reading
John 8:31-47
Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you remain in My word, then you are truly My disciples. You shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free.”
They answered Him, “We are Abraham’s seed and have never been in bondage to anyone. Why do You say, ‘You shall be set free’?”
Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. Now a slave does not remain in the house forever, but a son remains forever. Therefore if the Son sets you free, you shall be free indeed. I know that you are Abraham’s seed. But you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you. I am telling what I have seen with My Father, and you are doing what you have seen with your father.”
They answered Him, “Abraham is our father.”
Jesus said to them, “If you were Abraham’s children, you would do the works of Abraham. But now you seek to kill Me, a Man who has told you the truth which I heard from God. Abraham did not do this. You are doing the works of your father.”
Then they said to Him, “We were not born of sexual immorality. We have one Father: God.”
Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I came from God and proceeded into the world. I did not come of My own authority, but He sent Me. Why do you not understand My speaking? Because you cannot bear to hear My word. You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies. Yet because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me. Which of you convicts Me of sin? If I speak the truth, why do you not believe Me? He who is of God hears God’s words. Therefore, you do not hear them, because you are not of God.”
Silence may be kept.
The Magnificat (The Song of Mary)
Luke 1:46-55
My soul magnifies the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.
For He has regarded
the low estate of His servant.
For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed.
For He who is mighty has done great things for me,
and holy is His name.
His mercy is on those who fear Him
from generation to generation.
He has shown strength with His arm;
He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
He has pulled down the mighty from their thrones
and exalted those of low degree.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich He has sent away empty.
He has helped His servant Israel,
in remembrance of His mercy,
as He spoke to our fathers,
to Abraham and to 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.
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:
Those preparing for baptism and confirmation
Those serving through leadership
Those looking for forgiveness
Those misled by the false gods of this present age
All who are hungry
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 God, whose beloved Son did not ascend to joy without first enduring pain, and did not enter into glory before being crucified: Grant us mercy, that as we follow the way of the cross, we may discover it to be the path of true life and lasting peace; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer
Trusting in the compassion of God, 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
May God our Redeemer show us compassion and love.
Amen.
Wed. evening Mar. 11
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Opening response
Make haste, O God, to deliver me!
Make haste to help me, O LORD!
Hear my voice according to your lovingkindness.
O LORD, give me life according to your judgment.
Prayer of thanksgiving
Blessed are you, Lord God of our salvation, to you be glory and praise forever. In the darkness of our sin you have shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. Open our eyes to acknowledge your presence, that freed from the misery of sin and shame we may grow into your likeness from glory to glory.
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
Stand Up, Stand Up for Jesus
Words: George Duffield, Jr. (1858)
Music: George J. Webb (1830)
Our Great Redeemer’s Praise (#477)
Stand up, stand up for Jesus,
ye soldiers of the cross;
lift high His royal banner,
it must not suffer loss.
From vict'ry unto vict'ry
His army shall He lead,
till ev'ry foe is vanquished,
and Christ is Lord indeed.
Stand up, stand up for Jesus,
the trumpet call obey;
forth to the mighty conflict,
in this His glorious day.
Ye that are brave now serve him
against unnumbered foes;
let courage rise with danger,
and strength to strength oppose.
Stand up, stand up for Jesus,
stand in His strength alone;
the arm of flesh will fail you,
ye dare not trust your own.
Put on the gospel armor,
each piece put on with prayer;
where duty calls or danger,
be never wanting there.
Stand up, stand up for Jesus,
the strife will not be long;
this day the noise of battle,
the next the victor's song.
To him who overcometh
a crown of life shall be;
they with the King of Glory
shall reign eternally.
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.
Psalm 36
𝙍: With You, O God, is the fountain of life.
An oracle within my heart
about the transgression of the wicked:
There is no fear of God
before their eyes.
For he flatters himself in his own eyes,
so that his iniquity cannot be found out and hated.
The words of his mouth are wickedness and deceit;
he has ceased to be wise and to do good.
He devises mischief on his bed;
he sets himself on a path that is not good;
he does not reject evil.
𝙍: With You, O God, is the fountain of life.
Your mercy, O LORD, extends to the heavens,
and Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.
Your righteousness is like the great mountains,
Your judgments are like the great deep;
O LORD, You preserve man and beast.
How excellent is Your lovingkindness, O God!
Therefore mankind
seeks refuge in the shadow of Your wings.
They will drink their fill from the abundance of Your house,
and You give them drink from the river of Your pleasures.
For with You is the fountain of life;
in Your light we see light.
𝙍: With You, O God, is the fountain of life.
Oh, continue Your lovingkindness to those who know You,
and Your righteousness to the upright in heart.
Let not the foot of the arrogant tread on me,
and let not the hand of the wicked drive me away.
There the workers of iniquity have fallen;
they are cast down and are not able to rise.
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: With You, O God, is the fountain of life.
Psalm prayer
O God, the fountain of life, make us bright with wisdom, that we may be lightened with the knowledge of your glory in the face of Jesus Christ our Lord.
Psalm 39
𝙍: LORD, let me know my end, and what is the measure of my days.
I said, “I will guard my ways,
lest I sin with my tongue;
I will keep a muzzle on my mouth
while the wicked are before me.”
I was mute in silence;
I held my peace to no avail,
but my anguish grew worse.
𝙍: LORD, let me know my end, and what is the measure of my days.
My heart was hot within me.
While I was musing, the fire burned;
then I spoke with my tongue:
“LORD, let me know my end,
and what is the measure of my days,
that I may know how frail I am.
Behold, You have made my days as a few handbreadths,
and my age is as nothing before You.
Surely every man at his best is as a mere breath.”
Surely every man walks around like a shadow;
surely they make an uproar in vain;
he heaps up riches, and does not know who will gather them.
𝙍: LORD, let me know my end, and what is the measure of my days.
Now, O Lord, what do I wait for?
My hope is in You.
Deliver me from all my transgressions;
do not make me the reproach of the foolish.
I was silent; I did not open my mouth,
because it was You who did it.
Remove Your stroke from me;
I am coming to an end by the hostility of Your hand.
When with rebukes You correct man for sin,
You consume like a moth what is precious to him;
surely every man is mere vapor.
𝙍: LORD, let me know my end, and what is the measure of my days.
Hear my prayer, O LORD,
and give ear to my cry;
do not be silent at my tears.
For I am a stranger with You,
and a sojourner, as all my fathers were.
Turn Your gaze away from me, that I may become cheerful again,
before I go away and am no more.
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: LORD, let me know my end, and what is the measure of my days.
Psalm prayer
O Christ, Son of the living God, help us when we are too cast down to pray, and grant that we may trust you all our days, for you are with us in our living and our dying, Jesus, Lord and God.
Old Testament reading
Jeremiah 13:1-11
Thus says the LORD to me, “Go and buy yourself a linen waistband and put it upon your loins, and do not put it in water.” So I bought a waistband according to the word of the LORD and put it on my loins.
The word of the LORD came to me the second time, saying, “Take the waistband that you have, which is upon your loins, and arise, go to the Euphrates and hide it there in a hole of the rock.” So I went and hid it by the Euphrates, as the LORD had commanded me.
After many days the LORD said to me, “Arise, go to the Euphrates and take the waistband from there, which I commanded you to hide there.” Then I went to the Euphrates, and dug, and took the waistband from the place where I had hidden it. And behold, the waistband was destroyed. It was profitable for nothing.
Then the word of the LORD came to me: Thus says the LORD: After this manner I will destroy the pride of Judah and the great pride of Jerusalem. This evil people, who refuse to hear My words, who walk in the imagination of their hearts, and walk after other gods, to serve them, and to worship them, shall be even as this waistband which is good for nothing. For as the waistband cleaves to the loins of a man, so I have caused the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah to cleave to Me, says the LORD, so that they might be to Me a people for renown, and for a praise, and for a glory; but they would not listen.
Silence may be kept.
New Testament reading
John 8:12-30
Again, Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me shall not walk in the darkness, but shall have the light of life.”
The Pharisees therefore said to Him, “You bear witness of Yourself. Your testimony is not true.”
Jesus answered, “Though I bear witness of Myself, My testimony is true. For I know where I came from and where I am going. But you do not know where I came from or where I am going. You judge according to the flesh. I judge no one. Yet if I do judge, My judgment is true. For I am not alone, but I am with the Father who sent Me. Even in your law it is written that the testimony of two men is true. I am One who bears witness of Myself, and the Father that sent Me bears witness of Me.”
Then they said to Him, “Where is Your Father?”
Jesus answered, “You know neither Me nor My Father. If you knew Me, you would know My Father also.” Jesus spoke these words in the treasury, as He taught in the temple. No one arrested Him, for His hour had not yet come.
Again, Jesus said to them, “I am going away, and you will seek Me, and you will die in your sins. Where I am going, you cannot come.”
So the Jews said, “Will He kill Himself? For He said, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come.’ ”
He said to them, “You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins. For unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.”
They said to Him, “Who are You?”
Jesus said to them, “Just who I have been telling you from the beginning. I have many things to say and to judge concerning you, but He who sent Me is true. So I tell the world what I heard from Him.”
They did not understand that He spoke to them of the Father. So Jesus said to them, “When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and I do nothing of Myself. But I speak these things as My Father taught Me. He who sent Me is with Me. The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him.” As He spoke these words, many believed in Him.
Silence may be kept.
The Magnificat (The Song of Mary)
Luke 1:46-55
My soul magnifies the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.
For He has regarded
the low estate of His servant.
For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed.
For He who is mighty has done great things for me,
and holy is His name.
His mercy is on those who fear Him
from generation to generation.
He has shown strength with His arm;
He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
He has pulled down the mighty from their thrones
and exalted those of low degree.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich He has sent away empty.
He has helped His servant Israel,
in remembrance of His mercy,
as He spoke to our fathers,
to Abraham and to 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.
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:
Those preparing for baptism and confirmation
Those serving through leadership
Those looking for forgiveness
Those misled by the false gods of this present age
All who are hungry
Other intercessions and supplications may be offered as the Holy Spirit leads.
Response
Lord, hear your people
and answer our prayers.
Silence may be kept.
Collect of the day
Almighty God, whose beloved Son did not ascend to joy without first enduring pain, and did not enter into glory before being crucified: Grant us mercy, that as we follow the way of the cross, we may discover it to be the path of true life and lasting peace; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer
Trusting in the compassion of God, 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
May God our Redeemer show us compassion and love.
Amen.