Fri. evening Jul. 24

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

Here Is Love Vast as the Ocean

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;
and all that is within me, bless His holy name.

Bless the LORD, O my soul,
and forget not all His benefits.

Psalm 22

𝙍: Be not far from me, O Lord.

My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?
Why are You so far from helping me,
and from the words of my groaning?
O my God, I cry in the daytime, but You do not answer;
and at night, and have no rest.

But You are holy,
enthroned on the praises of Israel.
Our fathers trusted in You;
they trusted, and You delivered them.
They cried to You, and were delivered;
they trusted in You, and were not put to shame.

𝙍: Be not far from me, O Lord.

But I am a worm, and not human;
a reproach of men and despised by the people.
All who see me mock me;
they sneer with the lip; they shake the head, saying,
“Trust in the LORD,
let Him rescue him;
let Him deliver him,
since He delights in him.”

But You are He who took me out of the womb;
You kept me safe
on my mother’s breasts.
Upon You was I cast from birth;
from my mother’s womb You have been my God.

Be not far from me,
for trouble is near
and there is no one to help.

𝙍: Be not far from me, O Lord.

Many bulls surround me;
strong bulls of Bashan encircle me.
They open wide their mouths at me,
like a raging and roaring lion.
I am poured out like water,
and all my bones are out of joint;
my heart is like wax;
it is melted within me.
My strength is dried up like a potsherd,
and my tongue cleaves to my jaws;
You have set me in the dust of death.

𝙍: Be not far from me, O Lord.

For dogs have encompassed me;
the assembly of the wicked has encircled me;
they pierced my hands and my feet;
I can count all my bones;
they look and stare at me.
They divide my garments among themselves,
and for my clothing they cast lots.

But You, O LORD, do not be far from me;
O my Strength, come quickly to help me!
Deliver my soul from the sword,
my precious life from the power of the dog!
Save me from the lion’s mouth!
From the horns of the wild oxen You have rescued me.

𝙍: Be not far from me, O Lord.

I will declare Your name to my brethren;
in the midst of the assembly I will praise You.
You who fear the LORD, praise Him!
All you descendants of Jacob, glorify Him;
fear Him, all you descendants of Israel!
For He has not despised nor abhorred
the affliction of the afflicted;
nor has He hidden His face from him;
but heard when he cried to Him.

My praise will be from You in the great congregation;
I will pay my vows before those who fear Him.
The meek will eat and be satisfied;
those who seek Him will praise the LORD.
May your hearts live forever.

𝙍: Be not far from me, O Lord.

All the ends of the world
will remember and turn to the LORD,
and all the families of the nations
will worship before You.
For kingship belongs to the LORD,
and He rules over the nations.

All the prosperous ones of the earth will eat and worship;
all who go down to the dust will bow before Him,
even he who cannot preserve his own life.
Their descendants will serve Him;
the next generation will be told about the Lord;
they will come and declare His righteousness
to a people yet to be born,
saying that He has this.

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: Be not far from me, O Lord.

Psalm prayer

Restless with grief and fear, the abandoned turn to you: in every hour of trial, good Lord, deliver us, O God most holy, God most strong, whose wisdom is the cross of Christ.

Old Testament reading

Jeremiah 30:12-22

For thus says the LORD:

Your bruise is incurable
and your wound is severe.
There is no one to plead your cause
that you may be bound up.
You have no healing medicines.
All your lovers have forgotten you;
they do not seek you;
for I have wounded you with the wound of an enemy,
with the chastisement of a cruel one,
because of the multitude of your iniquities, because your sins are numerous.
Why do you cry because of your affliction?
Your sorrow is incurable.
Because of the multitude of your iniquities, because your sins are numerous,
I have done these things to you.

Therefore all who devour you will be devoured;
and all your adversaries, every one of them, will go into captivity.
And those who plunder you will become plunder,
and all who prey upon you I will give for prey.
For I will restore health to you,
and I will heal you of your wounds,
says the LORD,
because they called you an outcast, saying,
“This is Zion whom no man cares for.”

Thus says the LORD:

Behold, I will restore the fortunes of Jacob’s tents
and have mercy on his dwelling places;
and the city will be built upon her own heap,
and the palace will remain on its rightful place.
Out of them will proceed thanksgiving
and the voice of those who make merry;
and I will multiply them,
and they will not be few.
I will also glorify them,
and they will not be small.
Their children also will be as before,
and their congregation will be established before Me;
and I will punish all who oppress them.
Their leader shall be one of them,
and their ruler shall proceed from their midst;
and I will cause him to draw near and he will approach Me;
for who is this that dares
to approach Me?
says the LORD.
You shall be My people,
and I will be your God.

Silence may be kept.

New Testament reading

James 1:1-11

James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ,

To the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad:

Greetings.

My brothers, count it all joy when you fall into diverse temptations, knowing that the trying of your faith develops patience. But let patience complete its work, that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all men liberally and without criticism, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, without wavering. For he who wavers is like a wave of the sea, driven and tossed with the wind. Let not that man think that he will receive anything from the Lord. A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways.

Let the brother of low degree rejoice in that he is exalted, but the rich in that he is made low, because as the flower of the grass he will pass away. For the sun rises with a burning heat and it withers the grass, and its flowers fall, and its beauty perishes. So will the rich man wither away in his ways.

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:

National leaders, public officials, and the armed forces
Peace and justice in the world
Those who work for reconciliation
All whose lives are devastated by war and civil strife
Prisoners, refugees, and homeless people

Other intercessions and supplications may be offered as the Holy Spirit leads. 

Response

Lord, hear your people
and answer our prayers.

Silence may be kept.

Collect of the day

Lord of all power and might, the author and giver of all good things: graft in our hearts the love of your name, increase in us true religion, nourish us with all goodness, and of your great mercy keep us in the same; 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.