Fri. evening Feb. 13
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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
Nothing But the Blood
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 35
𝙍: Vindicate me, O LORD, my God, according to Your righteousness.
Plead my cause, O LORD, with those who contend with me;
fight against those who fight against me!
Take hold of shield and buckler,
and rise up to help me!
Draw the spear and javelin
against those who pursue me.
Say to my soul,
“I am your salvation.”
Let them be put to shame and dishonor
who seek after my life.
Let them be turned back and confounded
who devise evil against me.
Let them be like chaff before the wind,
and let the angel of the LORD drive them away.
Let their way be dark and slippery,
and let the angel of the LORD pursue them.
𝙍: Vindicate me, O LORD, my God, according to Your righteousness.
For without cause they have hidden their net for me in a pit,
which they have dug without cause for my life.
Let destruction come upon him unawares,
and let the net that he hid ensnare him;
let him fall in it, to his destruction.
Then my soul shall rejoice in the LORD;
it shall rejoice in His salvation.
All my bones shall say,
“LORD, who is like You,
delivering the poor from him who is too strong for him,
the poor and the needy from him who plunders him?”
𝙍: Vindicate me, O LORD, my God, according to Your righteousness.
Malicious witnesses rise up;
they ask me of things I do not know.
They repay me evil for good,
to the sorrow of my soul.
But as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth;
I humbled my soul with fasting;
and my prayer would return to my own heart.
I paced about as though he were my friend or brother;
I bowed down lamenting,
as one who mourns for his mother.
𝙍: Vindicate me, O LORD, my God, according to Your righteousness.
But in my adversity they rejoiced and gathered together;
assailants gathered against me, and I did not know it;
they tore me apart without ceasing;
with hypocritical mockers at feasts,
they gnashed at me with their teeth.
Lord, how long will You look on?
Rescue me from their destruction,
my precious life from the lions!
I will give You thanks in the great assembly;
I will praise You in the mighty throng.
𝙍: Vindicate me, O LORD, my God, according to Your righteousness.
Let not my treacherous enemies
rejoice over me,
nor let those who hate me without cause
wink the eye.
For they do not speak peace,
but they devise deceitful matters
against those who are quiet in the land.
They opened wide their mouths against me,
and said, “Aha, aha, our eyes have seen it.”
This You have seen, O LORD; do not be silent!
O Lord, be not far from me!
Stir up Yourself, and awake for my defense,
for my cause, my God and my Lord!
Vindicate me, O LORD, my God, according to Your righteousness,
and let them not rejoice over me.
𝙍: Vindicate me, O LORD, my God, according to Your righteousness.
Let them not say in their hearts, “Ah, we have our heart’s desire!”
Let them not say, “We have swallowed him up.”
Let those who rejoice at my calamity be ashamed
and brought to confusion;
let them be clothed with shame and dishonor
who exalt themselves against me.
Let those who favor my vindication
shout for joy and be glad;
let them say continually, “Let the LORD be magnified,
who delights in the peace of His servant.”
Then my tongue shall speak of Your righteousness
and of Your praise all day long.
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: Vindicate me, O LORD, my God, according to Your righteousness.
Psalm prayer
Free us, righteous God, from all oppression, and bring justice to the nations, that all the world may know you as King of kings and Lord of lords, now and forever.
Old Testament reading
Ecclesiastes 11:1-8
Send out your grain on the waters by ship,
for after many days you will find financial return.
Give a portion to seven, or even eight, investments,
for you do not know what calamity might occur on earth.
If the clouds are full,
they empty rain on the land;
and if a tree falls to the north or south,
in the place where the tree falls, there it will lie.
He who observes the wind will not sow,
and he who observes the clouds will not reap.
Just as you do not know the path of the wind,
or how the bones grow to fullness in the womb of a woman with child;
so you do not know the work of God
who makes everything.
In the morning sow your seed,
and at evening do not let your hands rest;
for you do not know which activity will find success,
this or that,
or whether both alike will be good.
Light is sweet,
and it is pleasant for the eyes to see the sun.
Even if a man lives many years,
let him rejoice in them all;
but let him remember
that the days of darkness will be many.
All that comes is vanity.
Silence may be kept.
New Testament reading
John 20:11-18
But Mary stood outside at the tomb weeping. As she wept, she stooped down and looked into the tomb, and she saw two angels in white sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet.
They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?”
She said to them, “Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have put Him.” When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus.
Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?”
Supposing Him to be the gardener, she said to Him, “Sir, if You have carried Him away, tell me where You have put Him, and I will take Him away.”
Jesus said to her, “Mary.”
She turned and said to Him, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher).
Jesus said to her, “Stop holding on to Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father. But go to My brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to My Father and your Father, to My God and your God.’ ”
Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord and that He had said these things to her.
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, in your mercy
hear our prayer.
Silence may be kept.
Collect of the day
Almighty God, you have created the heavens and the earth and made us in your own image: teach us to discern your hand in all your works and your likeness in all your children; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit reigns supreme over all things, 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.