Tue. evening Aug. 25
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
I stand Amazed in the Presence
Confession of Sin
The LORD is merciful and gracious,
slow to anger and abounding in mercy.
He has not dealt with us according to our sins,
nor recompensed us according to our iniquities.
For as the heavens are high above the earth,
so great is his mercy toward those who fear Him.
Silence is kept for reflection.
Holy God,
Holy and strong,
Holy and immortal,
have mercy upon us.
As far as the east is from the west,
so far has He removed our transgressions from us.
As a father pities his children,
so the LORD pities those who fear Him.
Bless the LORD, O my soul;
andall that is within me, bless His holy name.
Bless the LORD, O my soul,
and forget not all His benefits.
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
Micah 7:8-20
Do not rejoice over me, my enemy!
Although I have fallen, I will rise;
although I dwell in darkness,
the LORD is my light.
I will endure the rage of the LORD,
because I have sinned against Him,
until the time when He pleads my case
and executes judgment for me.
He will bring me out into the light;
I will look upon His vindication.
Then my enemy will see,
and shame will cover her
who said to me,
“Where is the LORD your God?”
My eyes will look upon her;
now she will be trampled
like muck in the streets.
A day for building your walls,
in that day the boundary will be extended.
In that day they will come to you
from Assyria and the cities of Egypt,
and from Egypt to the Euphrates River,
from sea to sea,
and from mountain to mountain.
The earth will become desolate because of its inhabitants,
from the fruit of their deeds.
Shepherd your people with your staff,
the flock of your inheritance,
which live alone in a forest,
in the midst of a fertile land;
let them graze in Bashan and Gilead,
as in the days of old.
As in the days when you came out of Egypt,
I will display wonders.
Nations will see and be ashamed,
despite all their might;
they will put their hand on their mouth,
and their ears will be deaf.
They will lick dust like the serpent,
like crawling creatures of the earth;
they will come shuddering from their lairs.
They will turn in dread to the LORD our God,
and they will be afraid of You.
Who is a God like You,
bearing iniquity and passing over transgression
for the remnant of His inheritance?
He does not remain angry forever,
because He delights in benevolence.
He will again have compassion upon us.
He will tread down our iniquities,
and cast all of our sins into the depths of the sea.
You will give faithfulness to Jacob
and benevolence to Abraham,
which You swore to our fathers
from the days of old.
Silence may be kept.
New Testament reading
Mark 7:1-13
The Pharisees and certain scribes who came from Jerusalem gathered around Him. When they saw some of His disciples eat bread with defiled, that is, ritually unwashed hands, they found fault. For the Pharisees and all the Jews, unless they wash their hands ritually, do not eat, keeping the tradition of the elders. When they come from the market, unless they wash, they do not eat. And there are many other traditions which they have received and observe, such as the washing of cups and pitchers and bronze vessels and dining couches.
So the Pharisees and scribes asked Him, “Why do Your disciples not live according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashed hands?”
He answered, “Isaiah has prophesied well about you hypocrites, as it is written:
‘These people honor Me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from Me.
In vain do they worship Me,
teaching as instructions from the precepts of men.’
For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men—the washing of pitchers and cups, and many other such things you do.”
And He said to them, “You full well reject the commandment of God so that you may keep your own tradition. For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘Whoever curses father or mother, let him be put to death.’ But you say, ‘If a man says to his father or mother, “It is Corban,” that is to say, “What you would have profited from me is a gift to God,” he shall be free.’ Then you no longer let him do anything for his father or his mother, making the word of God of no effect through your tradition, which you have delivered. And you do many similar things.”
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
Father, by your Spirit
Bring in your kingdom.
Silence may be kept.
Collect of the day
Almighty and everlasting God, you are always more ready to hear than we to pray and to give more than either we desire or deserve: pour down upon us the abundance of your mercy, forgiving us those things of which our conscience is afraid and giving us those good things which we are not worthy to ask but through the merits and mediation of Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.
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.