Mon. evening Jun. 22
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
Leaning on the Everlasting Arms
Confession of Sin
Let us confess our sins to God.
A time of silence and self-examination may be kept.
My God, for love of you, I desire to hate and forsake all sins by which I have ever displeased you; and I resolve by the help of your grace to commit them no more; and to avoid all opportunities of sin. Help me to do this, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
The Lord enrich us with his grace, and nourish us with his blessing; the Lord defend us in trouble and keep us from all evil; the Lord accept our prayers, and absolve us from our offenses, for the sake of Jesus Christ, our Savior.
Amen.
Psalm 72
𝙍: The LORD reigns; let the earth rejoice.
Give the king Your justice, O God,
and Your righteousness to the king’s son!
May he judge Your people with righteousness
and Your poor with justice.
May the mountains bring peace to the people,
and the hills, in righteousness.
May he vindicate the afflicted of the people,
save the children of the needy,
and crush the oppressor.
𝙍: The LORD reigns; let the earth rejoice.
May they fear You while the sun endures
and as long as the moon shines, throughout all generations.
May he descend like rain upon the mown grass,
like showers that water the earth.
In his days may the righteous flourish
and peace abound, until the moon is no more.
𝙍: The LORD reigns; let the earth rejoice.
May he have dominion from sea to sea,
and from the Euphrates River to the ends of the earth.
May those who dwell in the wilderness bow before him,
and his enemies lick the dust.
May the kings of Tarshish and of the isles
bring gifts;
may the kings of Sheba and Seba
render tribute.
May all kings bow down before him,
all nations serve him.
𝙍: The LORD reigns; let the earth rejoice.
For he will deliver the needy when he cries,
the poor also, and him who has no helper.
He will have compassion on the poor and needy,
and will save the lives of the needy.
He will redeem their life from oppression and violence,
and precious shall be their blood in his sight.
𝙍: The LORD reigns; let the earth rejoice.
So may he live,
and may the gold of Sheba be given to him.
May prayer also be made for him continually,
and blessings invoked for him all day long.
May there be an abundance of grain in the land;
may it wave on the tops of the mountains;
may its fruit be like Lebanon;
and may those from the city flourish like grass of the earth.
May his name endure forever;
may his name continue as long as the sun shines.
And may men be blessed in him;
and may all nations call him blessed!
𝙍: The LORD reigns; let the earth rejoice.
Blessed be the LORD God, the God of Israel,
who alone does wondrous things.
And blessed be His glorious name forever;
and may the whole earth be filled with His glory.
Amen and Amen.
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 LORD reigns; let the earth rejoice.
Psalm prayer
O God, may your kingdom come, with deliverance for the needy, with peace for the righteous, with overflowing blessing for all nations, with glory, honor, and praise for Christ, the only Savior.
Psalm 75
𝙍: God is the Judge.
We give thanks to You, O God;
we give thanks, for Your name is near;
Your wondrous works declare it.
When I set the appointed time,
I will judge with equity.
The earth and all its inhabitants are dissolving;
I bear up its pillars.
I said to the boastful, “Do not boast,”
and to the wicked, “Do not lift up your horn.
Do not lift up your horn on high;
do not speak with a stiff neck.”
𝙍: God is the Judge.
For exaltation comes neither from the east, nor from the west,
nor from the south.
But God is the Judge;
He puts down one and exalts another.
For in the hand of the LORD there is a cup,
full of foaming wine; it is well mixed,
and He pours it out;
indeed the wicked of the earth drain and drink its dregs.
𝙍: God is the Judge.
But I will declare it forever;
I will sing praises to the God of Jacob.
All the horns of the wicked will I cut off,
but the horns of the righteous will be exalted.
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: God is the Judge.
Psalm prayer
Judge of all the earth, restrain the ambition of the proud, and establish among us the reign of the Messiah, who drained for us the cup of judgment and is alive with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.
Old Testament reading
Ezra 7
Now after these things, in the reign of Artaxerxes king of Persia, Ezra the son of Seraiah, the son of Azariah, the son of Hilkiah, the son of Shallum, the son of Zadok, the son of Ahitub, the son of Amariah, the son of Azariah, the son of Meraioth, the son of Zerahiah, the son of Uzzi, the son of Bukki, the son of Abishua, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the high priest— this Ezra went up from Babylon. He was a scribe skilled in the Law of Moses, given by the LORD God of Israel. Because the hand of the LORD his God was upon him, the king granted him all his requests. Some of the Israelites, along with some of the priests, and the Levites, the singers, the porters, and the temple servants, went up to Jerusalem in the seventh year of King Artaxerxes.
Ezra arrived at Jerusalem in the fifth month, during the king’s seventh year. From the first day of the first month when the journey from Babylon began, until the first day of the fifth month when he arrived at Jerusalem, the good hand of his God was upon him. Because Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the Law of the LORD, he was doing so and teaching the statutes and judgments in Israel.
Now this is the copy of the letter that King Artaxerxes gave to Ezra the priest, who was likewise the scribe, the one responsible for the words of the commandments of the LORD and His statutes to Israel:
“Artaxerxes, king of kings,
“To Ezra the priest, scribe of the law of the God of heaven:
“Perfect peace, and so forth.
“I have issued a decree that all the people of Israel, and their priests, and the Levites in my realm, who are inclined to go up to Jerusalem, may go with you. For you are sent by the king and his seven counselors to inquire concerning Judah and Jerusalem in accordance with the Law of your God which is in your hand, and to carry the silver and gold, which the king and his counselors have freely offered to the God of Israel, whose habitation is in Jerusalem, along with all the silver and gold that you can find in all the province of Babylon, plus the freewill offering of the people and priests, who are voluntarily giving for the house of their God in Jerusalem. Diligently use this money to buy bulls, rams, lambs, with their grain offerings and their drink offerings, and offer them on the altar of the house of your God in Jerusalem.
“Whatever seems good to you and your brothers to do with the rest of the silver and the gold, do that according to the will of your God. The vessels also that are given to you for the service of the house of your God, deliver before the God of Jerusalem. And whatever else is needed for the house of your God and is your responsibility to provide, use the king’s treasury to pay for it.
“I, even I Artaxerxes the king, issue a decree to all the treasurers of the province Beyond the River, that whatever Ezra the priest, scribe of the law of the God of heaven, should request from you, you should do it with all diligence— as much as a hundred talents of silver, a hundred measures of wheat, a hundred baths of wine, a hundred baths of oil, and salt (without prescribing how much). Whatever is decreed by the God of heaven, let it be zealously done for the house of the God of heaven so as to avoid there being wrath against the realm of the king and his sons. Also we are informing you that with regard to all the priests, Levites, singers, doorkeepers, temple servants, or other servants of this house of God, it is not permitted to impose toll, tribute, or custom on them.
“You, Ezra, according to the wisdom of your God who empowers you, appoint magistrates and judges to judge all the people of the province Beyond the River, all those who know the laws of your God and those who do not, whom you must teach. Whoever will not observe the law of your God or the law of the king, let judgment be executed speedily on him, whether that be death, banishment, confiscation of goods, or imprisonment.”
Blessed be the LORD God of our fathers, who has put such a thing as this in the king’s heart, to beautify the house of the LORD in Jerusalem, and has extended mercy to me before the king, his counselors, and all the king’s mighty princes. Thus I had been strengthened, because the hand of the LORD my God was upon me. As a result, I gathered together some of the chief men of Israel to go up with me.
Silence may be kept.
New Testament reading
Romans 11:25-36
For I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, lest you be wise in your own estimation, for a partial hardening has come upon Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written:
“The Deliverer will come out of Zion,
and He will remove ungodliness from Jacob”;
“for this is My covenant with them,
when I shall take away their sins.”
As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sake, but as regarding the election, they are beloved for the sake of the patriarchs. For the gifts and calling of God are irrevocable. For just as you once were disobedient to God, but have now received mercy through their disobedience, so these also have now been disobedient, that they also may receive mercy by the mercy shown to you. For God has imprisoned them all in disobedience, so that He might be merciful to all.
Oh the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God!
How unsearchable are His judgments
and unfathomable are His ways!
“For who has known the mind of the Lord?
Or who has become His counselor?”
“Or who has first given to Him,
and it shall be repaid to him?”
For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things.
To Him be glory forever! Amen.
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 media and the arts
Farming and fishing
Commerce and industry
Those whose work is unfulfilling, stressful, or fraught with danger
All who are unemployed
Other intercessions and supplications may be offered as the Holy Spirit leads.
Response
Father, by your Spirit
Bring in your kingdom.
Silence may be kept.
Collect of the day
Almighty God, you have broken the tyranny of sin and have sent the Spirit of your Son into our hearts whereby we call you Father: give us grace to dedicate our freedom to your service, that we and all creation may be brought to the glorious liberty of the children of God; 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.