Thu. evening Mar. 12
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
Ask Ye What Great Thing I Know
Words: Johann C. Schwedler (1741); trans. Benjamin H. Kennedy (1863)
Music: Henri A. Cesar Malan (1827); harm. Lowell Mason (1841)
Our Great Redeemer’s Praise (#107)
Ask ye what great thing I know
that delights and stirs me so?
What the high reward I win?
Whose the name I glory in?
Jesus Christ, the Crucified.
Who defeats my fiercest foes?
Who consoles my saddest woes?
Who revives my fainting heart,
healing all its hidden smart?
Jesus Christ, the Crucified.
Who is life in life to me?
Who the death of death will be?
Who will place me on His right,
with the countless hosts of light?
Jesus Christ, the Crucified.
This is that great thing I know;
this delights and stirs me so:
faith in Him who died to save,
Him who triumphed o'er the grave:
Jesus Christ, the Crucified.
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 59
𝙍: You, O God, are my fortress.
Deliver me from my enemies, O my God;
protect me from those who rise up against me.
Deliver me from the workers of iniquity,
and save me from bloodthirsty men.
For behold, they lie in wait for my life;
the mighty gather against me,
not for my transgression nor for my sin, O LORD.
For no fault of mine, they run and prepare themselves.
Awake to help me, and take notice!
You, O LORD God of Hosts, the God of Israel,
awake to punish all the nations;
do not be merciful to any wicked transgressors.
𝙍: You, O God, are my fortress.
They return at evening,
howling like dogs,
prowling around the city.
Behold, they bellow with their mouth;
swords are in their lips;
for they say, “Who hears us?”
But You, O LORD, shall laugh at them;
You shall have all the nations in derision.
O my strength, I will wait for You;
for You, O God, are my fortress.
My God in His lovingkindness will go before me;
God will cause me to look in triumph on my enemies.
𝙍: You, O God, are my fortress.
Do not slay them,
lest my people forget;
scatter them by Your power,
and bring them down, O Lord our shield.
For the sin of their mouths
and the words of their lips,
let them be taken in their pride,
and for the cursing and lies that they utter.
Consume them in wrath,
consume them that they may be no more;
and let them know that God rules in Jacob
to the ends of the earth.
𝙍: You, O God, are my fortress.
They return at evening,
howling like dogs,
prowling around the city.
They roam around for food,
and growl if they are not satisfied.
But I will sing of Your power;
I will sing aloud of Your lovingkindness in the morning,
for You have been my defense
and a refuge in the day of my trouble.
To You, O my strength, will I sing,
for God is my defense, the God who shows me lovingkindness.
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, O God, are my fortress.
Psalm prayer
Strong and merciful God, stand with the oppressed against the triumph of evil and the complacency of your people, and establish in Jesus Christ your new order of generosity and joy, for he is alive and reigns now and forever.
Psalm 60
𝙍: Restore us, O God of our salvation.
O God, You have rejected us; You have broken our defenses;
You have been displeased; oh, restore us.
You have made the earth tremble; You have split it open;
heal its breaches, for it is shaking.
You have shown Your people hardship;
You have given us wine to drink that makes us stagger.
You have given a banner to those who fear You,
that they may flee to it from the bow.
That Your beloved may be delivered,
save with Your right hand and answer us!
𝙍: Restore us, O God of our salvation.
God has spoken in His holiness:
“With exultation will I divide Shechem,
and measure out the Valley of Sukkoth.
Gilead is Mine, and Manasseh is Mine;
Ephraim also is My helmet;
Judah is My scepter;
Moab is My wash basin;
upon Edom will I cast My shoe;
Philistia, shout in triumph because of Me.”
𝙍: Restore us, O God of our salvation.
Who will bring me to the fortified city?
Who will lead me to Edom?
Have You not rejected us, O God?
And will You not go forth with our armies, O God?
O grant us help against the adversary,
for vain is the help of man.
With God we shall do valiantly,
for it is He who will tread down our enemies.
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: Restore us, O God of our salvation.
Psalm prayer
Risen Christ, you claim your own among the nations; mend what is broken in us, loving Savior; do not forsake us when we fail, but in your service grant us daring and love; for your name’s sake.
Old Testament reading
Jeremiah 14
The word of the LORD which came to Jeremiah concerning the drought:
Judah mourns,
and the gates languish;
they sit on the ground while mourning,
and the cry of Jerusalem has gone up.
Their nobles have sent their servants for water;
they came to the cisterns and found no water.
They returned with their vessels empty;
they were ashamed and humiliated,
and covered their heads.
Because the ground is chapped,
for there was no rain in the earth,
the plowmen were ashamed;
they have covered their heads.
Indeed, the hind also calved in the field
and abandoned her young
because there was no grass.
The wild donkeys stand in the high places;
they pant for air like jackals;
their eyes fail
because there is no grass.
O LORD, though our iniquities testify against us,
do it for Your name’s sake.
Indeed, our backslidings are many;
we have sinned against You.
O the Hope of Israel,
its Savior in time of trouble,
why should You be as a stranger in the land,
and as a wayfaring man who turns aside to pitch his tent for a night?
Why should You be as a man dismayed,
as a mighty man who cannot save?
Yet You, O LORD, are in our midst,
and we are called by Your name.
Do not forsake us!
Thus says the LORD to this people:
Even so they have loved to wander;
they have not restrained their feet.
Therefore, the LORD does not accept them;
He will now remember their iniquity
and punish their sins.
Then the LORD said to me: Do not pray for the good of this people. When they fast, I will not hear their cry. And when they offer a burnt offering and a grain offering, I will not accept them. But I will consume them by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence.
Yet I said, “Ah, Lord GOD! Behold, the prophets say to them, ‘You shall not see the sword nor shall you have famine, but I will give you assured peace in this place.’ ”
Then the LORD said to me: The prophets prophesy lies in My name. I have not sent them, nor have I commanded them, nor have I spoken to them. They prophesy to you a false vision and divination, and emptiness, and the deceit of their heart. Therefore thus says the LORD concerning the prophets who prophesy in My name though I did not send them, yet they say, “Sword and famine will not be in this land.” By sword and famine those prophets will be consumed. The people to whom they prophesy will be cast out in the streets of Jerusalem because of the famine and the sword. And they will have no one to bury them, not them, or their wives, or their sons, or their daughters, for I will pour out their wickedness upon them.
Therefore you will say this word to them:
Let my eyes run down with tears
night and day, and let them not cease;
for the virgin daughter of my people
has been broken with a great blow,
with a very infected wound.
If I go out into the field,
behold, those slain with the sword!
And if I enter the city,
behold, those who are sick with famine!
Indeed, both the prophet and the priest
go about into a land that they do not know.
Have You utterly rejected Judah?
Has Your soul loathed Zion?
Why have You stricken us
so that there is no healing for us?
We looked for peace,
but there was nothing good;
and for the time of healing,
but behold, trouble!
We acknowledge, O LORD, our wickedness
and the iniquity of our fathers,
for we have sinned against You.
Do not abhor us. For Your name’s sake,
do not disgrace Your glorious throne.
Remember and do not break
Your covenant with us.
Are there any among the idols of the nations that can cause rain?
Or can the heavens give showers?
Is it not You, O LORD our God?
Therefore, we will wait upon You,
for You have done all these things.
Silence may be kept.
New Testament reading
John 8:31-47
Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you remain in My word, then you are truly My disciples. You shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free.”
They answered Him, “We are Abraham’s seed and have never been in bondage to anyone. Why do You say, ‘You shall be set free’?”
Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. Now a slave does not remain in the house forever, but a son remains forever. Therefore if the Son sets you free, you shall be free indeed. I know that you are Abraham’s seed. But you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you. I am telling what I have seen with My Father, and you are doing what you have seen with your father.”
They answered Him, “Abraham is our father.”
Jesus said to them, “If you were Abraham’s children, you would do the works of Abraham. But now you seek to kill Me, a Man who has told you the truth which I heard from God. Abraham did not do this. You are doing the works of your father.”
Then they said to Him, “We were not born of sexual immorality. We have one Father: God.”
Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I came from God and proceeded into the world. I did not come of My own authority, but He sent Me. Why do you not understand My speaking? Because you cannot bear to hear My word. You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies. Yet because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me. Which of you convicts Me of sin? If I speak the truth, why do you not believe Me? He who is of God hears God’s words. Therefore, you do not hear them, because you are not of God.”
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
Father, hear our prayer,
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
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.