Tue. evening Mar. 10
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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
More Love to Thee, O Christ
Words: Elizabeth P. Prentiss (1869)
Music: William H. Doane (1870)
Our Great Redeemer’s Praise (#588)
More love to Thee, O Christ,
More love to Thee!
Hear Thou the prayer I make
On bended knee;
This is my earnest plea:
More love, O Christ, to Thee,
More love to Thee,
More love to Thee!
Once earthly joy I craved,
Sought peace and rest;
Now Thee alone I seek,
Give what is best;
This all my prayer shall be:
More love, O Christ, to Thee,
More love to Thee,
More love to Thee!
Then shall my latest breath
Whisper Thy praise;
This be the parting cry
My heart shall raise;
This still its prayer shall be:
More love, O Christ, to Thee,
More love to Thee,
More love to Thee!
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 61
𝙍: You are my refuge, O Lord, a strong tower against the enemy.
Hear my cry, O God;
listen to my prayer.
From the end of the earth will I call to You,
when my heart is faint.
Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.
For You have been my refuge,
a strong tower against the enemy.
I will abide in Your tent forever;
I will take refuge in the shelter of Your wings.
𝙍: You are my refuge, O Lord, a strong tower against the enemy.
For You, O God, have heard my vows;
You have given me the heritage of those who fear Your name.
Prolong the life of the king,
and may his years be like many generations!
May he sit enthroned before God forever;
appoint mercy and truth to guard him.
So will I sing praise to Your name forever,
as I fulfill my vows day by day.
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 are my refuge, O Lord, a strong tower against the enemy.
Psalm prayer
Risen Christ, as you knew the discipline of suffering and the victory that brings us salvation, so grant us your presence in our weakness and a place in your unending kingdom now and forevermore.
Psalm 62
𝙍: My soul, wait in silence for God alone.
For God alone my soul silently waits;
from Him comes my salvation.
He alone is my rock and my salvation;
He is my refuge; I shall not be greatly shaken.
How long will you assault a man?
So you can murder all of you,
like a leaning wall and a tottering fence.
They only conspire to cast him down
from his high position;
they delight in lies,
they bless with their mouth,
but they curse inwardly.
My soul, wait in silence for God alone,
for my expectation is from Him.
He alone is my rock and my salvation;
He is my defense; I shall not be moved.
𝙍: My soul, wait in silence for God alone.
On God rests my salvation and my glory;
the rock of my strength, my refuge is in God.
Trust in Him at all times, O people;
pour out your heart before Him;
God is a refuge for us.
Surely men of low degree are but a vapor;
men of high degree are a lie;
in the balances they go up;
they are together lighter than vapor.
Trust not in oppression;
put no vain hope in robbery;
if riches increase,
set not your heart on them.
God has spoken once;
twice have I heard this:
that power belongs to God.
Also to You, O Lord, belongs mercy.
For You render to every man
according to his work.
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: My soul, wait in silence for God alone.
Psalm prayer
God, teach us to seek security, not in money or theft, not in human ambition or malice, not in our own ability or power, but in you, the only God, our rock and our salvation.
Psalm 64
𝙍: The righteous will be glad in the LORD.
Hear my voice, O God, concerning my complaint;
preserve my life from dread of the enemy.
Hide me from the secret schemes of the wicked,
from the turmoil of the workers of iniquity,
who sharpen their tongues like a sword,
and aim bitter words like arrows,
that they may shoot in secret at the blameless;
suddenly they shoot at him and do not fear.
They encourage themselves in an evil matter;
they talk of laying snares secretly;
they say, “Who will see them?”
They devise injustice,
saying “We have perfected a secret plot.”
For the inward thought and the heart of man are deep.
𝙍: The righteous will be glad in the LORD.
But God will shoot an arrow at them;
suddenly they will be wounded.
So He will bring ruin to them
with their own tongues;
all who see them will shake their heads.
All men will fear,
and will declare the work of God;
they will wisely consider His deeds.
The righteous will be glad in the LORD,
and take refuge in Him.
And all the upright in heart will exult.
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: The righteous will be glad in the LORD.
Psalm prayer
Cut through the malice of our hearts, redeeming God, with the Spirit’s sword, wound the pride of our rebellion with the grace that makes righteous and bring near the day of Christ, when love shall reign in joy; for he is alive and reigns, now and forever.
Old Testament reading
Jeremiah 11:18-12:6
The LORD has made it known to me and I knew it; then You showed me their deeds. But I was like a gentle lamb that is brought to the slaughter, and I did not know that they had devised plots against me, saying,
“Let us destroy the tree with the fruit,
and let us cut him off from the land of the living
so that his name may be remembered no more.”
But, O LORD of Hosts, who judges righteously,
who tries the feelings and the heart,
let me see Your vengeance on them,
for to You I have revealed my cause.
Therefore thus says the LORD of the men of Anathoth who seek your life, saying, “Do not prophesy in the name of the Lord so that you not die by our hand.” Therefore thus says the LORD of Hosts: Behold, I will punish them. The young men shall die by the sword. Their sons and their daughters shall die by famine. And there shall be no remnant of them, for I will bring calamity upon the men of Anathoth, even the year of their punishment.
Righteous are You, O LORD,
that I plead with You.
Indeed, let me talk with You about matters of justice.
Why does the way of the wicked prosper?
Why are all those happy who deal very treacherously?
You have planted them; indeed, they have taken root;
they grow; indeed, they bring forth fruit.
You are near in their mouth,
but far from their mind.
But You, O LORD, know me;
You have seen me and tested my heart toward You.
Pull them out like sheep for the slaughter,
and prepare them for the day of slaughter.
How long shall the land mourn
and the herbs of every field wither?
For the wickedness of those who dwell in it,
the beasts and the birds have been snatched away,
because they said,
“He will not see our latter end.”
God Answers Jeremiah
If you have run with the footmen,
and they have wearied you,
then how can you contend with horses?
And if in the land of peace in which you trusted, they wearied you,
then how will you do in the thicket of the Jordan?
For even your brothers and the household of your father,
even they have dealt treacherously with you.
Indeed, they have cried aloud after you.
Do not believe them
though they speak fair words to you.
Silence may be kept.
New Testament reading
John 7:53-8:11
Then everyone went to his own house.
But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. Early in the morning He returned to the temple. All the people came to Him, and He sat down and taught them. The scribes and Pharisees brought a woman caught in adultery. When they had put her in the middle, they said to Him, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the very act of adultery. Now Moses in the law commanded us to stone such, but what do You say?” They said this, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him.
But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear them. So when they continued asking Him, He stood up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” Again He stooped down and wrote on the ground.
Being convicted by their conscience, those who heard it went out one by one, beginning with the eldest even to the last. Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. When Jesus had stood up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, “Woman, where are your accusers? Did no one condemn you?”
She said, “No one, Lord.”
Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you. Go and sin no more.”
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
In faith we pray
We pray to you, our God.
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.