Fri. evening Feb. 6
Support Methodist Prayer with a one-time or monthly gift!
Opening response
Make haste, O God, to deliver me!
Make haste to help me, O LORD!
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
O Word of God Incarnate
Words: William W. How (1876)
Music: Neuvermehrtes Gesangbuch (1693)
Our Great Redeemer’s Praise (#126)
O Word of God incarnate,
O Wisdom from on high,
O Truth, unchanged, unchanging,
O Light of our dark sky,
we praise Thee for the radiance
that from the hallowed page,
a lantern to our footsteps,
shines on from age to age.
The church from thee Our Savior,
received the gift divine,
and still that light is lifted
o'er all the earth to shine.
It is the sacred vessel,
where gems of truth are stored;
it is the heav'n-drawn picture
Of Christ, the living Word.
The Scripture is a banner
before God's host unfurled;
it is a shining beacon
above the darkling world.
It is the chart and compass
that o'er life's surging tide,
mid mists and rocks and quicksands,
to Thee, O Christ, will guide.
O make Thy Church, dear Savior,
a lamp of purest gold,
to bear before the nations
Thy true light as of old.
O teach Thy wand'ring pilgrims
by this, their path to trace,
'til, clouds and darkness ended,
they see Thee face to face.
Confession of Sin
The LORD is merciful and gracious,
slow to anger and abounding in mercy.
He has not dealt with us according to our sins,
nor recompensed us according to our iniquities.
For as the heavens are high above the earth,
so great is his mercy toward those who fear Him.
Silence is kept for reflection.
Holy God,
Holy and strong,
Holy and immortal,
have mercy upon us.
As far as the east is from the west,
so far has He removed our transgressions from us.
As a father pities his children,
so the LORD pities those who fear Him.
Bless the LORD, O my soul;
and all that is within me, bless His holy name.
Bless the LORD, O my soul,
and forget not all His benefits.
Psalm 22
𝙍: Be not far from me, O Lord.
My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?
Why are You so far from helping me,
and from the words of my groaning?
O my God, I cry in the daytime, but You do not answer;
and at night, and have no rest.
But You are holy,
enthroned on the praises of Israel.
Our fathers trusted in You;
they trusted, and You delivered them.
They cried to You, and were delivered;
they trusted in You, and were not put to shame.
𝙍: Be not far from me, O Lord.
But I am a worm, and not human;
a reproach of men and despised by the people.
All who see me mock me;
they sneer with the lip; they shake the head, saying,
“Trust in the LORD,
let Him rescue him;
let Him deliver him,
since He delights in him.”
But You are He who took me out of the womb;
You kept me safe
on my mother’s breasts.
Upon You was I cast from birth;
from my mother’s womb You have been my God.
Be not far from me,
for trouble is near
and there is no one to help.
𝙍: Be not far from me, O Lord.
Many bulls surround me;
strong bulls of Bashan encircle me.
They open wide their mouths at me,
like a raging and roaring lion.
I am poured out like water,
and all my bones are out of joint;
my heart is like wax;
it is melted within me.
My strength is dried up like a potsherd,
and my tongue cleaves to my jaws;
You have set me in the dust of death.
𝙍: Be not far from me, O Lord.
For dogs have encompassed me;
the assembly of the wicked has encircled me;
they pierced my hands and my feet;
I can count all my bones;
they look and stare at me.
They divide my garments among themselves,
and for my clothing they cast lots.
But You, O LORD, do not be far from me;
O my Strength, come quickly to help me!
Deliver my soul from the sword,
my precious life from the power of the dog!
Save me from the lion’s mouth!
From the horns of the wild oxen You have rescued me.
𝙍: Be not far from me, O Lord.
I will declare Your name to my brethren;
in the midst of the assembly I will praise You.
You who fear the LORD, praise Him!
All you descendants of Jacob, glorify Him;
fear Him, all you descendants of Israel!
For He has not despised nor abhorred
the affliction of the afflicted;
nor has He hidden His face from him;
but heard when he cried to Him.
My praise will be from You in the great congregation;
I will pay my vows before those who fear Him.
The meek will eat and be satisfied;
those who seek Him will praise the LORD.
May your hearts live forever.
𝙍: Be not far from me, O Lord.
All the ends of the world
will remember and turn to the LORD,
and all the families of the nations
will worship before You.
For kingship belongs to the LORD,
and He rules over the nations.
All the prosperous ones of the earth will eat and worship;
all who go down to the dust will bow before Him,
even he who cannot preserve his own life.
Their descendants will serve Him;
the next generation will be told about the Lord;
they will come and declare His righteousness
to a people yet to be born,
saying that He has this.
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: Be not far from me, O Lord.
Psalm prayer
Restless with grief and fear, the abandoned turn to you: in every hour of trial, good Lord, deliver us, O God most holy, God most strong, whose wisdom is the cross of Christ.
Old Testament reading
Hosea 13:1-14
When Ephraim spoke, trembling,
he was exalted in Israel.
But he incurred guilt through Baal worship and he died.
And now they continue sinning
and have made a cast image for themselves,
idols of their silver, according to their understanding;
all of them the work of craftsmen.
They say of them,
“Those who sacrifice
are kissing calves!”
Therefore they will be like the morning cloud,
or like the early dew that passes away,
like chaff blown off the threshing floor,
or like the smoke from a chimney.
Yet I am the LORD your God
ever since the land of Egypt.
You know no God but Me,
and there is no savior besides Me.
I knew you in the wilderness,
in the land of great drought.
When they had pasture, they were satisfied.
They were satisfied, and their heart was exalted;
therefore they forgot Me.
So I will be like a lion to them,
like a leopard I will lurk by the path.
I will attack them like a bear bereaved of her cubs,
and will tear open their rib cage.
There I will devour them like a lion,
as the wild beast would tear them to pieces.
O Israel, you are destroyed,
but in Me is your help.
Where now is your king
that he may save you in all your cities?
And where are your judges of whom you said,
“Give me a king and princes”?
I gave you a king in My anger,
and took him away in My wrath.
The iniquity of Ephraim is bound up;
his sin is stored up.
The pains of childbirth come for him.
He is an unwise son,
for he does not present himself
at the opening of the womb.
I will ransom them from the power of Sheol.
I will redeem them from Death.
O Death, where are your plagues?
O Sheol, where is your sting?
Compassion is hidden from My eyes.
Silence may be kept.
New Testament reading
1 Corinthians 16:1-9
Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given instruction to the churches of Galatia, so even you must do. On the first day of the week let every one of you lay in store, as God has prospered him, so that no collections be made when I come. And when I come, I will send whomever you approve with your letters to take your generous gifts to Jerusalem. If it is fitting that I go also, they will go with me.
Now I will come to you after I pass through Macedonia. For I will pass through Macedonia. It may be that I will remain, of course, and spend the winter with you, that you may send me on my journey wherever I go. For I do not wish to see you now in passing. Instead, I trust to remain a while with you, if the Lord permits. But I will remain at Ephesus until Pentecost. For a great and effective door has opened to me, and there are many adversaries.
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:
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
Lord, hear your people
and answer our prayers.
Silence may be kept.
Collect of the day
God our creator, who in the beginning commanded the light to shine out of darkness: we pray that the light of the glorious gospel of Christ may dispel the darkness of ignorance and unbelief, shine into the hearts of all your people, and reveal the knowledge of your glory in the face 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.