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
He Died for Me
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
Ecclesiastes 5
Guard your steps when you enter the house of God. Drawing near to obey is better than the sacrifice of fools, because they do not know that they are committing evil.
Do not be quick to speak with your mouth,
or be hasty to utter a word before God
with your heart.
For God is in heaven,
and you are on the earth;
therefore may your words be few.
For a dream comes when there is a great burden,
and a foolish voice when there are many words.
When you make a vow to God, do not delay in fulfilling it, because He has no pleasure in fools. Fulfill what you have vowed. Better it is that you not make a vow, than make a vow and not fulfill it. Do not let your mouth cause you to sin, and do not say to the priestly messenger that it is an inadvertent sin. Why should God be angry with your words and destroy the work of your hands? For when there is an abundance of dreams and futilities, then words increase too. Therefore it is God you should fear.
If you observe in a district the oppression of the poor and violation of justice and righteousness, do not be astounded by the matter. For the high official is watched over by an even higher official, and there are even higher officials over them. But this is an advantage to the land in every way: a king committed to a cultivated field.
The one who loves silver will not be satisfied with silver;
the one who loves money desires revenues in abundance.
This also is vanity.
When there is an increase of good things,
there is an increase of those who devour them.
And what profit is there to the one who owns good things,
except to see them with his eyes?
Sweet is the sleep of one who works hard,
whether he eats little or much;
but due to the excess of the rich,
there will be no sleep for him.
There is a grave misery that I have observed under the sun:
when riches were kept by an owner to his hurt,
and those riches were lost in an unfortunate business deal;
and although he has a son,
there is nothing left to put in his hand.
As he came from his mother’s womb,
naked he will depart, as he came;
he will not take anything for his labor,
which he may carry away with his hands.
And this also is a grave misery:
As he entered, so will he leave;
what benefit is there to the one who toils for the wind?
Moreover, in all his days he eats in darkness,
while he is greatly irritated in sickness and anger.
This is what I have observed to be good and pleasing: to eat and drink and see benefit in all one’s labor with which he toils under the sun the few days of his life, which God has given to him, for this is his reward. Likewise, everyone to whom God has given wealth and possessions, and the ability to eat from it, and to receive his reward and to rejoice in his labor—this is a gift from God. For he will seldom remember the passing days of his life, because God keeps him occupied with joy in his heart.
Silence may be kept.
New Testament reading
John 18:12-27
Then the detachment of soldiers and the commander and the officers of the Jews arrested Jesus and bound Him. First they led Him to Annas, for he was the father-in-law to Caiaphas, who was the high priest that year. Now it was Caiaphas who advised the Jews that it was expedient that one man should die for the people.
Simon Peter followed Jesus, and so did another disciple. That disciple was known to the high priest and went with Jesus into the courtyard of the high priest. But Peter stood at the door outside. Then the other disciple, who was known to the high priest, went out and spoke to the doorkeeper and brought Peter in.
Then the servant girl, being the doorkeeper, said to Peter, “Are you not also one of this Man’s disciples?”
He said, “I am not.”
Now the servants and officers stood there and warmed themselves, having made a fire of coals, for it was cold. Peter also stood with them and warmed himself.
The high priest then asked Jesus about His disciples and His teaching.
Jesus answered him, “I spoke openly to the world. I always taught in the synagogue and in the temple, where the Jews always meet, and I said nothing in secret. Why do you ask Me? Ask those who heard Me and what I have said to them. Certainly they know what I said.”
When He had said this, one of the officers who stood by struck Jesus with the palm of his hand, saying, “Is that how You answer the high priest?”
Jesus answered him, “If I have spoken evil, bear witness of the evil, but if well, why do you strike me?” Then Annas sent Him bound to Caiaphas the high priest.
Meanwhile Simon Peter was standing and warming himself. So they said to him, “Are you not also one of His disciples?”
He denied it and said, “I am not!”
One of the servants of the high priest, being a relative of the man whose ear Peter cut off, said, “Did I not see you in the garden with Him?” Peter then denied it again, and immediately a cock crowed.
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
Blessed Lord, who caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning: help us so to hear them, to read, mark, learn and inwardly digest them that, through patience, and the comfort of your holy word, we may embrace and for ever hold fast the hope of everlasting life, which you have given us in our 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.