Thursday evening September 27

Friday evening
Wednesday 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

Thee in the Watches of the Night

Charles Wesley

Thee in the watches of the night,

Do I not, Lord, remember still,

And meditate with calm delight,

On the dear counsels of thy will?

Thy will is my perfection here;

And sighs for this, my whole desire,

To attain the heavenly character,

And spotless in thy arms expire

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 78:40-72

Refrain:

Earth: Tremble before the Lord!

How often they rebelled against God in the wilderness

and distressed him in the desert!

Time and time again they tested God,

provoking the holy one of Israel.

They didn’t remember God’s power—

the day when he saved them from the enemy;

how God performed his signs in Egypt,

his marvelous works in the field of Zoan.

God turned their rivers into blood;

they couldn’t drink from their own streams.

God sent swarms against them to eat them up,

frogs to destroy them.

God handed over their crops to caterpillars,

their land’s produce to locusts.

God killed their vines with hail,

their sycamore trees with frost.

God delivered their cattle over to disease,

their herds to plagues.

God unleashed his burning anger against them—

fury, indignation, distress,

a troop of evil messengers.

God blazed a path for his wrath.

He didn’t save them from death,

but delivered their lives over to disease.

God struck down all of Egypt’s oldest males;

in Ham’s tents, he struck their pride and joy.

God led his own people out like sheep,

guiding them like a flock in the wilderness.

God led them in safety—they were not afraid!

But the sea engulfed their enemies!

God brought them to his holy territory,

to the mountain that his own strong hand had acquired.

God drove out the nations before them

and apportioned property for them;

he settled Israel’s tribes in their tents.

But they tested and defied the Most High God;

they didn’t pay attention to his warnings.

They turned away, became faithless just like their ancestors;

they twisted away like a defective bow.

They angered God with their many shrines;

they angered him with their idols.

God heard and became enraged;

he rejected Israel utterly.

God abandoned the sanctuary at Shiloh,

the tent where he had lived with humans.

God let his power be held captive,

let his glory go to the enemy’s hand.

God delivered his people up to the sword;

he was enraged at his own possession.

Fire devoured his young men,

and his young women had no wedding songs.

God’s priests were killed by the sword,

and his widows couldn’t even cry.

But then my Lord woke up—

as if he’d been sleeping!

Like a warrior shaking off wine,

God beat back his foes;

he made them an everlasting disgrace.

God rejected the tent of Joseph

and didn’t choose the tribe of Ephraim.

Instead, he chose the tribe of Judah,

the mountain of Zion, which he loves.

God built his sanctuary like the highest heaven

and like the earth, which he established forever.

And God chose David, his servant,

taking him from the sheepfolds.

God brought him from shepherding nursing ewes

to shepherd his people Jacob,

to shepherd his inheritance, Israel.

David shepherded them with a heart of integrity;

he led them with the skill of his hands.

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:

Earth: Tremble before the Lord!

Psalm prayer

God our shepherd,

in all our wanderings and temptations,

teach us to rest in your mercy

and trust in your defense;

through him who laid down his life for us,

Jesus Christ our Lord.

Old Testament reading
Ezekiel 12:17-28

The Lord’s word came to me: Human one, eat your bread in trembling, and drink your water in anxious agitation. Say to the land’s people, The Lord God proclaims to those living in Jerusalem regarding Israel’s fertile land: As they anxiously eat up their bread and drink up their water in dismay, the land will be emptied of everything in it because of the violence of all who live there. The inhabited cities will be laid waste, the land left desolate, and you will know that I am the Lord.

The Lord’s word came to me: Human one, what is this proverb of your people concerning Israel’s fertile land? They say, “The days go by, and every vision vanishes.” Therefore, say to them, The Lord God proclaims: I’ll put an end to this proverb! It will never again be uttered in Israel. Tell them instead: The days are coming soon for the fulfillment of every vision. Never again will there be any worthless vision or deceptive divination in the house of Israel. I am the Lord! The word that I speak is the word that I will speak! It will happen and be delayed no longer. In your own days, household of rebels, I speak a word and make it happen. This is what the Lord God says!

The Lord’s word came to me: Human one, the house of Israel is now saying, “The vision that he sees is for distant days; he prophesies about future times.” Therefore, say to them, The Lord God proclaims: It will be delayed no longer. Every word of mine that I’ve spoken is certain, and it will happen. This is what the Lord God says.

Silence may be kept.

New Testament reading
Mark 14:43-52

Suddenly, while Jesus was still speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, came with a mob carrying swords and clubs. They had been sent by the chief priests, legal experts, and elders. His betrayer had given them a sign: “Arrest the man I kiss, and take him away under guard.”

As soon as he got there, Judas said to Jesus, “Rabbi!” Then he kissed him. Then they came and grabbed Jesus and arrested him.

One of the bystanders drew a sword and struck the high priest’s slave and cut off his ear. Jesus responded, “Have you come with swords and clubs to arrest me, like an outlaw? Day after day, I was with you, teaching in the temple, but you didn’t arrest me. But let the scriptures be fulfilled.” And all his disciples left him and ran away. One young man, a disciple, was wearing nothing but a linen cloth. They grabbed him, but he left the linen cloth behind and ran away naked.

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:

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 God,

you have made us for yourself,

and our hearts are restless till they find their rest in you:

pour your love into our hearts and draw us to yourself,

and so bring us at last to your heavenly city

where we shall see you face to face;

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.