Thu. evening Jul. 16
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
Breathe on Me, Breath of God
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 138
𝙍: Your mercy, O LORD, endures forever.
I will give You thanks, O LORD, with all my heart;
before the gods will I sing Your praise.
I will bow down toward Your holy temple
and give thanks to Your name
for Your lovingkindness and for Your truth,
for You have magnified above all things
Your name and Your word.
On the day I called, You answered me,
and made me bold with strength of soul.
𝙍: Your mercy, O LORD, endures forever.
All the kings of the earth shall give you thanks, O LORD,
when they hear the words of Your mouth.
Yes, they shall sing of the ways of the LORD,
for great is the glory of the LORD.
Though the LORD is exalted, yet has He regard for the lowly,
but the proud He knows from afar.
𝙍: Your mercy, O LORD, endures forever.
Though I walk in the midst of trouble,
You will preserve me;
You will stretch Your hand out against the wrath of my enemies,
and Your right hand will deliver me.
The LORD will fulfill that which concerns me;
Your mercy, O LORD, endures forever;
forsake not the works of Your hands.
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: Your mercy, O LORD, endures forever.
Psalm prayer
Lord our God, supreme over all things, look upon the humble and lowly and put new strength into our souls to complete your purpose for us in Jesus Christ our Lord.
Psalm 140
𝙍: Keep me, O LORD, from the hands of the wicked.
Deliver me, O LORD, from evil men;
preserve me from violent men,
who devise evil things in their hearts;
continually do they stir up wars.
They sharpen their tongues like a serpent’s;
under their lips is the venom of vipers.
Keep me, O LORD, from the hands of the wicked;
preserve me from violent men,
who have purposed to make my steps stumble.
The proud have hidden a snare for me;
they have spread cords as a net;
by the wayside they have set traps for me.
𝙍: Keep me, O LORD, from the hands of the wicked.
I said to the LORD, “You are my God;
give ear to the voice of my supplications, O LORD.”
O GOD, the Lord, the strength of my salvation,
You have covered my head in the day of battle.
Grant not, O LORD, the desires of the wicked;
do not further his evil scheme,
lest they be exalted.
𝙍: Keep me, O LORD, from the hands of the wicked.
As for the head of those who surround me,
let the evil of their lips overwhelm them.
Let burning coals fall upon them;
let them be cast into the fire,
into deep pits, from which they cannot rise.
Let not a slanderer be established in the land;
let evil hunt the violent man to overthrow him.
𝙍: Keep me, O LORD, from the hands of the wicked.
I know that the LORD will maintain the cause of the afflicted,
and justice for the poor.
Surely the righteous shall give thanks to Your name;
the upright shall dwell in Your presence.
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: Keep me, O LORD, from the hands of the wicked.
Psalm prayer
Glorious Savior, rescue us from the subtle evils that are too strong for us, from poisonous words and the spirit of war; by your judgment overthrow the forces of violence, that all the world may join to worship you in thanksgiving and peace, now and forever.
Psalm 141
𝙍: Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth.
O LORD, I cry unto You; make haste to me!
Give ear to my voice when I cry unto You.
Let my prayer be set as incense before You,
and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.
Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth;
keep watch over the door of my lips.
Let not my heart incline to any evil thing,
to practice deeds of wickedness
with men who work iniquity;
and let me not eat of their delicacies.
𝙍: Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth.
Let the righteous strike me;
it shall be a kindness.
Let him rebuke me;
it shall be an excellent oil for my head;
let my head not refuse it.
Yet my prayer is still against the deeds of the wicked.
Their judges are thrown over the sides of the cliff,
and they hear my words, for they are pleasant.
As when one plows and breaks up the earth,
our bones are scattered at the mouth of Sheol.
𝙍: Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth.
But my eyes are toward You, O GOD, my Lord;
in You do I take refuge; leave not my soul destitute.
Keep me from the snares which they have laid for me,
and from the traps of those who work iniquity.
Let the wicked fall into their own nets,
while I escape safely.
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: Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth.
Psalm prayer
Lord God, our protector and guide, who made us knowing both good and evil, help us to desire all that is good, that the offering of our lives may be acceptable to you; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Old Testament reading
Esther 6:14-7:10
While they were still talking with him, the king’s eunuchs arrived and rushed Haman to the banquet that Esther had prepared.
So the king and Haman entered to feast and drink with Queen Esther. The king repeated to Esther what he had said on the previous day while drinking wine, “For what are you asking, Queen Esther? It shall be granted to you. Now, what is your request? Even if it is half of the kingdom, it will be done!”
Queen Esther replied, “If I have found favor in your sight, O king, and if it pleases the king, at my petition, let my life be given me, and my people at my request. For we have been sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, to be slain, and to be annihilated. If only we had been sold as male and female slaves, I could have kept quiet, for that distress would not be sufficient to trouble the king.”
Then King Ahasuerus answered and demanded of Queen Esther, “Who is he, and where is he, who would dare presume in his heart to do so?”
Esther said, “This wicked Haman is the adversary and enemy!”
Then Haman was seized with terror before the king and the queen. And the king arose from the banquet of wine in his wrath and went into the palace garden. But Haman remained to plead for his life from Queen Esther, for he saw that harm was determined against him by the king.
Now the king returned from the palace garden back to the hall of the banquet as Haman was falling on the couch where Esther was.
Then the king said, “Will he also violate the queen while I am in the room?”
As the shout erupted from the king’s mouth, they covered the face of Haman. Then Harbona, one of the eunuchs in the king’s presence, said, “The gallows, fifty cubits high, which Haman had constructed for Mordecai (who had spoken good on behalf of the king), stands at the house of Haman.”
Then the king said, “Hang him on it!” So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. Then the king’s wrath was pacified.
Silence may be kept.
New Testament reading
2 Corinthians 8:16-9:5
But thanks be to God, who placed the same sincere care in the heart of Titus for you. For indeed he accepted the exhortation. But being more zealous, he went to you of his own accord. And we have sent with him the brother whose praise is in the gospel throughout all the churches. And not only that, but he was also chosen by the churches to travel with us with this gift, which we administer to the glory of the same Lord, and to declare your willing mind, to prevent any man from blaming us in administering this abundant gift, providing for honest things, not only in the sight of the Lord but also in the sight of men.
Furthermore, we have sent with them our brother whom we have frequently proved diligent in many things, but now is much more diligent, due to the great confidence which he has in you. If anyone inquires about Titus, he is my partner and fellow helper concerning you. Or if our brothers are inquired about, they are the messengers of the churches, and the glory of Christ. Therefore show to them, and before the churches, the proof of your love and of our boasting on your behalf.
It is redundant for me to write to you concerning the ministry to the saints. I know your willingness, for which I boast of you to those in Macedonia, that Achaia was ready a year ago, and your zeal has stirred up most of them. Yet I have sent the brothers, lest our boasting of you might be in vain in this case, that, as I said, you may be ready; and lest if any Macedonians come with me and find you unprepared, we (not to mention you) should be ashamed of this confident boasting. Therefore I thought it necessary to exhort the brothers to go ahead to you and arrange beforehand your bountiful gift you previously promised, that it might be prepared as a gift, not as a matter of greed.
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:
Local government, community leaders
All who provide local services
Those who work with young or elderly people
Schools, colleges and universities
Emergency and rescue organizations
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
Merciful God, you have prepared for those who love you such good things as pass our understanding: pour into our hearts such love toward you that we, loving you in all things and above all things, may obtain your promises, which exceed all that we can desire; 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.