Tue. evening Jul. 7
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
Jesus Paid It All
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 107
Oh give thanks to the LORD, for He is good,
for His mercy endures forever!
Let the redeemed of the LORD say so,
whom He has redeemed from the hand of the enemy,
and gathered from the lands,
from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south.
They wandered in the wilderness in a desolate way;
they found no city to dwell in.
Hungry and thirsty,
their soul fainted within them.
Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble,
and He delivered them from their distress.
He led them forth by a straight way,
That they might go to a habitable city.
Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness,
and for His wonderful works to the sons of men!
For He satisfies the longing soul,
and fills the hungry soul with goodness.
There were those who sat in darkness and in the shadow of death,
prisoners in affliction and irons,
because they rebelled against the words of God,
and scorned the counsel of the Most High.
Therefore He humbled their heart with labor;
they fell down and there was no one to help.
Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble,
and He saved them from their distress.
He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death,
and broke their bonds apart.
Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness,
and for His wonderful works to the sons of men!
For He has broken the gates of bronze
and cut the bars of iron in two.
Fools, because of their transgressions,
and because of their iniquities, were afflicted.
They abhorred all manner of food,
and they drew near to the gates of death.
Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble,
and He saved them from their distress.
He sent His word and healed them,
and delivered them from their destruction.
Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness,
and for His wonderful works to the sons of men!
Let them offer the sacrifices of thanksgiving,
and declare His works with rejoicing.
Some go down to the sea in ships,
who do business in the vast waters;
they have seen the works of the LORD,
and His wonders in the deep.
For He commanded and raised the stormy wind,
which lifted up the waves of the sea.
They mounted up to the heavens, they went down to the depths;
their soul melted in their misery.
They reeled to and fro and staggered like a drunken man,
and were at their wits’ end.
Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble,
and He brought out of their distress.
He made the storm to be calm,
and the waves of the sea were hushed.
Then they were glad because they were quiet;
so He brought them to their desired haven.
Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness,
and for His wonderful works to the sons of men!
Let them exalt Him in the congregation of the people,
and praise him in the assembly of the elders.
He turns rivers into a desert,
springs of water into dry ground,
a fruitful land into barrenness,
because of the wickedness of those who dwell therein.
He turns a wilderness into a pool of water,
and dry land into springs of water.
There He makes the hungry dwell,
so that they may establish a city to live in,
and sow fields and plant vineyards,
and gather a fruitful harvest.
He also blesses them, and they multiply greatly;
and He does not let their livestock decrease.
When they are diminished and brought low
through oppression, affliction, and sorrow,
He pours contempt upon princes,
and causes them to wander in a pathless wilderness;
yet He sets the poor on high out of affliction,
and makes their families like a flock.
The righteous see it and rejoice,
and all wickedness shuts its mouth.
Whoever is wise will observe these things,
and they will consider the lovingkindness of the LORD.
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.
Psalm prayer
Living Christ, rescue us from foolish passion and still the storms of our self-will; and, as you are our anchor in this life, so bring us to the haven you have prepared for us; for your mercy’s sake.
Old Testament reading
Nehemiah 13:1-14
On that day they read aloud from the Book of Moses in the hearing of the people. In it there was found written that no Ammonite or Moabite should ever enter the congregation of God, because they did not meet the Israelites with bread and water, but hired Balaam to curse them. However, our God turned the curse into a blessing. When they heard the Law, they separated from Israel all the racially mixed.
Before this, Eliashib the priest, who had been appointed to govern the chambers of the house of our God, was related to Tobiah. So, he had prepared a great chamber hall for him, where previously they had stored the contributions, the frankincense, the vessels, and the tithes of grain, new wine, and fresh oil, as required, for the Levites, the singers, the gatekeepers, and the contribution for the priests.
But during this time I was not in Jerusalem, since in the thirty-second year of King Artaxerxes of Babylon I had gone to the king. At the conclusion of those days I requested a leave of the king. When I came to Jerusalem and understood the evil that Eliashib did for Tobiah by preparing him a chamber in the courts of the house of God, I was very grieved. So, from the chamber I threw all of the household belongings of Tobiah outside. Then I commanded, and they cleansed the chambers so that I could return there the vessels of the house of God, the contributions for the offerings, and the frankincense.
When I perceived that the supplies for the Levites had not been given and that the Levites and the singers doing the work had fled, everyone to his own field, I confronted the officials and asked, “Why is the house of God forsaken?” So I gathered them and stationed them at their posts.
Then all Judah brought the tithe of the grain, the new wine, and the fresh oil to the storehouses. Overseeing the replenishing of the storehouse, I appointed Shelemiah the priest, Zadok the scribe, and Pedaiah from the Levites, and to assist them Hanan the son of Zakkur, the son of Mattaniah, for they were considered reliable, and their task was to distribute to their relatives.
Remember me, O my God, concerning this. Do not blot out my good deeds that I have done for the house of my God and its workings.
Silence may be kept.
New Testament reading
2 Corinthians 1:15-2:4
In this confidence I planned to come to you before, that you might have a second benefit: to visit you while going to Macedonia, and to come again to you from Macedonia, and then be sent by you on my way to Judea. Therefore, when I was planning this, did I do this lightly? Or the things that I plan, do I plan according to the flesh, so that I would tell you “Yes, yes” and “No, no”?
But as God is true, we did not tell you “Yes” and “No.” For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us, even by Silas, Timothy, and me, was not “Yes” and “No.” In Him it was “Yes.” For all the promises of God in Him are “Yes,” and in Him “Amen,” to the glory of God through us. Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us is God, who also has sealed us and established the guarantee with the Spirit in our hearts.
Moreover I call God as a witness upon my soul, that it is to spare you that I have not yet gone to Corinth. Not that we have dominion over your faith, but we are fellow workers for your joy, for by faith you stand.
But I determined this for myself, that I would not come again to you in sorrow. For if I make you sorrowful, who then will there be to make me rejoice, but the one whom I have made sorrowful? I wrote concerning this matter to you, so that when I came, I would not be grieved by those in whom I ought to rejoice, having confidence in you all, that my joy is your joy. For out of much affliction and anguish of heart I wrote to you with many tears, not that you should be grieved, but that you might know the love which I have more abundantly for you.
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, by whose Spirit the whole body of the Church is governed and sanctified: hear our prayer which we offer for all your faithful people, that in their vocation and ministry they may serve you in holiness and truth to the glory of your name; through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, 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.