Sun. evening Oct. 4
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
What a Friend We Have in Jesus
Confession of Sin
When we cry to the LORD in our trouble,
He will save us from our distress.
God will bring us out of darkness
and out of the shadow of death.
Lord, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.
A time of silence and self-examination may be kept.
May the Father forgive us by the death of his Son, and strengthen us to live in the power of the Spirit all our days.
Amen.
Let us give thanks to the LORD for His goodness,
and for His wonderful works to all people!
Let us offer sacrifices of thanksgiving,
and declare God’s works with rejoicing.
cf Psalm 107
Psalm 136
Oh give thanks to the LORD, for He is good,
for His mercy endures forever.
Oh give thanks to the God of gods,
for His mercy endures forever.
Oh give thanks to the Lord of lords,
for His mercy endures forever;
to Him who alone does great wonders,
for His mercy endures forever;
to Him who by wisdom made the heavens,
for His mercy endures forever;
to Him who spread out the earth above the waters,
for His mercy endures forever;
to Him who made the great lights,
for His mercy endures forever;
the sun to rule by day,
for His mercy endures forever;
the moon and stars to rule by night,
for His mercy endures forever;
to Him who struck down the firstborn of Egypt,
for His mercy endures forever;
and brought Israel out from among them,
for His mercy endures forever;
with a strong hand and with an outstretched arm,
for His mercy endures forever;
to Him who divided the Red Sea in two,
for His mercy endures forever;
and made Israel pass through the midst of it,
for His mercy endures forever;
but overthrew Pharaoh and his host in the Red Sea,
for His mercy endures forever;
to Him who led His people through the wilderness,
for His mercy endures forever;
to Him who struck down great kings,
for His mercy endures forever;
and slew mighty kings,
for His mercy endures forever;
Sihon, king of the Amorites,
for His mercy endures forever;
and Og, king of Bashan,
for His mercy endures forever;
and gave their land as a heritage,
for His mercy endures forever;
a heritage to Israel His servant,
for His mercy endures forever.
It is He who remembered us in our low estate,
for His mercy endures forever;
and has rescued us from our enemies,
for His mercy endures forever;
who gives food to all flesh,
for His mercy endures forever.
Oh give thanks to the God of heaven,
for His mercy endures 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.
Psalm prayer
Remember us, God, and shape our history, form our inward eyes to see the shadow of the life-giving cross in the turbulence of our time; for his sake who died for all, Christ our Lord.
Old Testament reading
Proverbs 2:1-11
My son, if you will receive my words
and hide my commandments within you,
so that you incline your ear to wisdom
and apply your heart to understanding;
yes, if you cry out for discernment,
and lift up your voice for understanding,
if you seek her as silver
and search for her as for hidden treasures,
then you will understand the fear of the LORD
and find the knowledge of God.
For the LORD gives wisdom;
from His mouth come knowledge and understanding;
He stores up sound wisdom for the righteous;
He is a shield to those who walk uprightly;
He guards the paths of justice
and preserves the way of His faithful ones.
Then you will understand righteousness and justice
and equity, every good path;
for wisdom will enter your heart,
and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul;
discretion will preserve you,
understanding will keep you.
Silence may be kept.
New Testament reading
1 John 2:1-17
My little children, I am writing these things to you, so that you do not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.
By this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. Whoever says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps His word truly has the love of God perfected in him. By this we know we are in Him. Whoever says he remains in Him ought to walk as He walked.
Brothers, I am writing no new commandment to you, but an old commandment which you have had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which you have heard from the beginning. Yet a new commandment I am writing to you, which holds true in Him and in you, because the darkness is passing away, and the true light is already shining.
Whoever says he is in the light but hates his brother is in darkness even until now. Whoever loves his brother lives in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling. But whoever hates his brother is in darkness, and walks in darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.
I am writing to you, little children,
because your sins are forgiven for His name’s sake.
I am writing to you, fathers,
because you have known Him who is from the beginning.
I am writing to you, young men,
because you have overcome the evil one.
I am writing to you, little children,
because you have known the Father.
I have written to you, fathers,
because you have known Him who is from the beginning.
I have written to you, young men,
because you are strong,
and the word of God lives in you,
and you have overcome the evil one.
Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father, but is of the world. The world and its desires are passing away, but the one who does the will of God lives forever.
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:
The universal church
Bishops, superintendents, and all who lead the church
The leaders of the nations
The natural world and the resources of the earth
All who are in any kind of need
Other intercessions and supplications may be offered as the Holy Spirit leads.
Response
In faith we pray
We pray to you, our God.
Silence may be kept.
Collect of the day
Almighty and everlasting God, increase in us your gift of faith that, forsaking what lies behind and reaching out to that which is before, we may run the way of your commandments and win the crown of everlasting joy; 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, 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.