Tue. evening Jun. 2
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
Are You Washed in the Blood?
Confession of Sin
Let us confess our sins against God and our neighbor.
Silence may be kept.
Most merciful God, we confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done, and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We are truly sorry and we humbly repent. For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and forgive us; that we may delight in your will, and walk in your ways, to the glory of your name. Amen.
Almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us all our sins through our Lord Jesus Christ, strengthen us in all goodness, and by the power of the Holy Spirit keep us in eternal life.
Amen.
Psalm 9
𝙍: You, LORD, have not forsaken those who seek You.
I will give thanks to You, O LORD, with my whole heart;
I will declare all Your marvelous works.
I will be glad and rejoice in You;
I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High.
When my enemies are turned back,
they will stumble and perish at Your presence.
For You have maintained my right and my cause;
You sat on the throne judging what is right.
𝙍: You, LORD, have not forsaken those who seek You.
You have rebuked the nations,
You have destroyed the wicked,
You have wiped out their name forever and ever.
O enemy, destructions are finished forever!
You have destroyed cities;
even the memory of them has perished.
But the LORD remains forever;
He has established His throne for judgment.
He will judge the world in righteousness;
He will give judgment to the peoples in uprightness.
The LORD also will be a refuge for the oppressed,
a refuge in times of trouble.
Those who know Your name will put their trust in You,
for You, LORD, have not forsaken those who seek You.
𝙍: You, LORD, have not forsaken those who seek You.
Sing praises to the LORD who dwells in Zion;
declare His deeds among the people.
He who avenges deaths remembers them;
He does not forget the cry of the humble.
Be gracious to me, O LORD; consider my trouble from those who hate me,
O You who lifts me up from the gates of death,
that I may recount all Your praise
in the gates of the daughter of Zion,
that I may rejoice in Your salvation.
The nations have sunk down in the pit that they made;
their own foot is caught in the net which they hid.
The LORD is known by the judgment that He executes;
the wicked is snared in the work of his own hands.
𝙍: You, LORD, have not forsaken those who seek You.
The wicked will depart to Sheol,
all the nations that forget God.
For the needy will not always be forgotten,
nor will the hope of the poor perish forever.
Arise, O LORD, may mortals not prevail;
let the nations be judged in Your sight.
Put them in fear, O LORD,
that the nations themselves may know that they are mortals.
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, LORD, have not forsaken those who seek You.
Psalm prayer
Remember, Lord, all who cry to you from death’s dark gates; do not forget those whom the world forgets, but raise your faithful ones to Zion’s gate, with your all-conquering Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Psalm 10
𝙍: You, LORD, have not forsaken those who seek You.
Why do You stand far off, O LORD?
Why do You hide Yourself in times of trouble?
In arrogance the wicked persecutes the poor;
let them be caught in the devices they have planned.
For the wicked boasts of his soul’s desire,
and blesses the greedy and despises the LORD.
The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek God;
God is not in all his thoughts.
𝙍: You, LORD, have not forsaken those who seek You.
His ways are always prosperous;
Your judgments are high and distant from him;
as for all his enemies, he scoffs at them.
He says in his heart, “I shall not be moved;
for generations I shall not meet adversity.”
His mouth is filled with cursing and deceit and oppression;
under his tongue is mischief and iniquity.
He sits in the lurking places of the villages;
in the secret places he murders the innocent;
his eyes lurk against the unfortunate.
He lies in wait secretly as a lion in his den;
he lies in wait to catch the poor;
he catches the poor, drawing them into his net.
He crouches; he lies low,
so that the unfortunate falls by his strength.
He says in his heart, “God has forgotten;
He hides His face; He will never see it.”
𝙍: You, LORD, have not forsaken those who seek You.
Arise, O LORD! O God, lift up Your hand!
Do not forget the humble.
Why do the wicked despise God?
He says in his heart,
“You will not require an account.”
You have seen it, for You observe trouble and grief,
to repay it with Your hand.
The helpless commits himself to You;
You are the helper of the orphan.
Break the arm of the wicked and the evil man;
seek out his wickedness
until You find none.
𝙍: You, LORD, have not forsaken those who seek You.
The LORD is King forever and ever;
the nations perished from His land.
The desire of the humble You have heard, O LORD;
You make their heart attentive; You bend Your ear
to judge the orphan and the oppressed;
man on earth no longer trembles.
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, LORD, have not forsaken those who seek You.
Psalm prayer
When wickedness triumphs, and the poor are betrayed, come to your kingdom, strong and holy God, destroy the masks of evil and reign in our broken hearts; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Old Testament reading
2 Chronicles 28
Ahaz was twenty years old when he began to reign, and he was king in Jerusalem for sixteen years. And he did not do what was correct in the eyes of the LORD as David his father. And he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, and he cast images for Baal worship. And he made sacrifices in the Valley of Ben-hinnom, and he burned his sons in the fire according to the detestable acts of the nations that the LORD had displaced before the Israelites. He even made sacrifices and offered incense on the high places of the hills and under every green tree.
So the LORD his God gave him into the hand of the king of Aram. They struck Ahaz and took captive many prisoners and brought them to Damascus.
He was even given into the hand of the king of Israel, and he attacked Ahaz with a great slaughter. And Pekah the son of Remaliah killed one hundred and twenty thousand in Judah in one day, and they were all strong men, but they abandoned the LORD God of their fathers. And Zikri, a mighty warrior from Ephraim, killed Maaseiah the son of the king, and Azrikam the official of the palace, and Elkanah second to the king. And the Israelites took captive two hundred thousand of their kin, women, sons, and daughters. They also took much plunder and brought the plunder to Samaria.
And there was a prophet there whose name was Oded, and he went out to the army as it approached Samaria and said to them, “Behold, the anger of the LORD God of your fathers is against Judah, and He gave them into your hand, and you all have killed them in a rage that has reached even to heaven. And now you are planning to subdue for yourselves the people of Judah and Jerusalem as male and female slaves. Do you all not surely have among you guilt before the LORD your God? And now listen to me. Return the captives whom you have taken captive from your relatives because the burning wrath of the LORD is on you all.”
And some men who were heads of the people of Ephraim rose up before those coming from the war: Azariah the son of Jehohanan, Berekiah the son of Meshillemoth, Jehizkiah the son of Shallum, and Amasa the son of Hadlai. And they said, “You will not bring the captives here, for guilt from the LORD will be on us, and you plan to add to our sin and guilt. Our guilt is great, and there is already a burning anger against Israel.”
So the soldiers left the captives and spoil before the officials and all the assembly. Then the men who were designated by name rose and took the captives, and with the plunder they clothed all who were naked among them. They clothed them, gave them sandals, offered them food and drink, and anointed them, and carrying the weak on donkeys, they brought them to their kinsmen at Jericho, the city of palm trees. Then they returned to Samaria.
At that time King Ahaz sent to the king of Assyria for help. The Edomites continually came and struck Judah and carried off captives. And the Philistines made raids on the cities of the lowlands of the Shephelah and the Negev of Judah. And they captured Beth-shemesh, Aijalon, Gederoth, Soko and its villages, Timnah and its villages, and Gimzo and its villages; and they settled there. For the LORD humbled Judah because of Ahaz king of Judah, for he allowed depravity to spread in Judah and continually transgressed against the LORD. So Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria came against him, but he brought him distress and not strength. For Ahaz took a portion from the house of the LORD and palace of the king and the officials, and he gave it to the king of Assyria, but the king did not help Ahaz.
And at the time that he was oppressed he increased in unfaithfulness against the LORD. So he sacrificed to the gods of Damascus that had devastated him, for he said, “Because the gods of the kings of Aram have helped them, I will sacrifice to them so that they might help me.” But they were his downfall in Judah and the downfall for all of Israel.
And Ahaz gathered the vessels from the house of God, and he cut up the vessels. Then he shut the doors of the house of the LORD, and he made altars in every corner of Jerusalem. Then in every city in Judah he made high places to make offerings to other gods. So he provoked the LORD God of his fathers.
Now the rest of the acts and all his ways, from first to last, behold, they are written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel. So Ahaz slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of Jerusalem because they did not bring him to the tombs of the kings of Israel. Then Hezekiah his son was king in his place.
Silence may be kept.
New Testament reading
Romans 4:13-25
It was not through the law that Abraham and his descendants received the promise that he would be the heir of the world, but through the righteousness of faith. For if those who are of the law become heirs, faith would be made void and the promise nullified, because the law produces wrath, for where there is no law, there is no offense.
Therefore the promise comes through faith, so that it might be by grace, that the promise would be certain to all the descendants, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all (as it is written, “I have made you a father of many nations” ) before God whom he believed, and who raises the dead, and calls those things that do not exist as though they did.
Against all hope, he believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations according to what was spoken, “So shall your descendants be.” And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body to be dead (when he was about a hundred years old), nor yet the deadness of Sarah’s womb. He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strong in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully persuaded that what God had promised, He was able to perform. Therefore “it was credited to him as righteousness.” Now the words, “it was credited to him,” were not written for his sake only, but also for us, to whom it shall be credited if we believe in Him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead, who was delivered for our transgressions, and was raised for our justification.
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:
All who are sick in body, mind, or spirit
Those in the midst of famine or disaster
Victims of abuse and violence, intolerance, and prejudice
Those who are bereaved
All who work in the medical and healing professions
Other intercessions and supplications may be offered as the Holy Spirit leads.
Response
Lord of life
In your mercy, hear us.
Silence may be kept.
Collect of the day
Almighty and everlasting God, you have given us your servants grace, by the confession of a true faith, to acknowledge the glory of the eternal Trinity and in the power of the divine majesty to worship the Unity: keep us steadfast in this faith, that we may evermore be defended from all adversities; 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.