Wed. evening Sep. 30
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
Man of sorrows
Confession of Sin
Let us admit to God the sin which always confronts us.
A time of silence and self-examination may be kept.
Almighty God, patient and of great goodness: I confess to you, I confess with my whole heart my neglect and forgetfulness of your commandments, my wrong doing, thinking, and speaking; the hurts I have done to others, and the good I have left undone. O God, forgive me, for I have sinned against you; and raise me to newness of life; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
May the God of love and power forgive us and free us from our sins, heal and strengthen us by his Spirit, and raise us to new life in Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Psalm 119:81-104
𝙍: Revive me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness.
My soul languishes for Your salvation,
but I hope in Your word.
My eyes fail from reading Your word,
saying, “When will You comfort me?”
For I have become like a wineskin in the smoke,
yet have I not forgotten Your statutes.
How many are the days of Your servant?
When will You execute judgment on those who persecute me?
The proud have dug pits for me;
which is not according to Your law.
All Your commandments are faithful;
they persecute me wrongfully; help me!
They have almost destroyed me on earth,
but I did not forsake Your precepts.
Revive me according to Your lovingkindness,
that I may keep the testimony of Your mouth.
𝙍: Revive me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness.
Forever, O LORD, Your word
is established in heaven.
Your faithfulness endures to all generations;
You have established the earth, and it stands.
They continue this day according to Your ordinances,
for all things are Your servants.
If Your law had not been my delight,
I would then have perished in my affliction.
𝙍: Revive me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness.
I will never forget Your precepts,
for by them You have given me life.
I am Yours; save me,
for I have sought Your precepts.
The wicked lie in wait to destroy me,
but I will consider Your testimonies.
I have seen a limit to all perfection,
but Your commandment is exceedingly broad.
𝙍: Revive me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness.
Oh, how I love Your law!
It is my meditation all the day.
Your commandments make me wiser than my enemies,
for they are ever with me.
I have more understanding than all my teachers,
for Your testimonies are my meditation.
I understand more than the ancients,
because I keep Your precepts.
I have restrained my feet from every evil way,
that I may keep Your word.
𝙍: Revive me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness.
I have not departed from Your judgments,
for You have taught me.
How sweet are Your words to my taste,
sweeter than honey to my mouth!
Through Your precepts I get understanding;
therefore I hate every false way.
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: Revive me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness
Psalm prayer
Lord Christ, as we sit at your feet, teach us your living way; for you are our Word and Wisdom, one God with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and forever.
Old Testament reading
Ezekiel 12:1-16
The word of the LORD also came to me, saying: Son of man, you dwell in the midst of a rebellious house, which has eyes to see and does not see, ears to hear and does not hear, for they are a rebellious house.
Therefore, son of man, prepare baggage for captivity and go into captivity by day in their sight. And you shall go into captivity from your place to another place in their sight. It may be that they understand, though they are a rebellious house. You shall bring out your belongings by day in their sight, as baggage for exile; and you shall go out at evening in their sight, as those who go into exile. Dig a hole through the wall in their sight, and go out thereby. In their sight you shall bear it on your shoulders and carry it out in the twilight. You shall cover your face so that you cannot see the land, for I have set you as a sign to the house of Israel.
I did so as I was commanded. I brought out my baggage by day as baggage for captivity, and in the evening I dug through the wall with my own hands. I brought it out at twilight, carrying it on my shoulder in their sight.
In the morning the word of the LORD came to me, saying: Son of man, has not the house of Israel, the rebellious house, said to you, “What are you doing?”
Say to them, “Thus says the Lord GOD: This oracle concerns the prince in Jerusalem and all the house of Israel who are in it.” Say, “I am your sign.
“As I have done, so it shall be done to them. They shall go into exile, into captivity.”
The prince who is among them shall bear his baggage on his shoulder in the twilight and go out. They shall dig through the wall to carry it out thereby. He shall cover his face so that he cannot see the land with his eyes. My net also I will spread upon him, and he shall be taken in My snare. And I will bring him to Babylon to the land of the Chaldeans. Yet he shall not see it, though he shall die there. I will scatter toward every wind all who are about him, his helpers and all his troops. And I will draw out the sword after them.
Then they shall know that I am the LORD when I scatter them among the nations and disperse them among the countries. But I will spare a few men of them from the sword, from famine, and from pestilence, so that they may declare all their abominations among the nations where they go and know that I am the LORD.
Silence may be kept.
New Testament reading
Mark 14:26-42
When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.
Jesus said to them, “All of you will fall away on account of Me this night, for it is written:
‘I will strike the shepherd,
and the sheep will be scattered.’
But after I have risen, I will go before you to Galilee.”
Peter said to Him, “Even if all fall away, I will not.”
Jesus said to him, “Truly, I say to you that this day, during the night, before the cock crows twice, you will deny Me three times.”
But he said more vehemently, “If I must die with You, I will not deny You.” They all said the same thing.
They came to a place which was named Gethsemane. And He said to His disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” He took Peter and James and John with Him and began to be greatly distressed and very troubled. And He said to them, “My soul is deeply sorrowful unto death. Remain here and keep watch.”
He went a little farther and fell on the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from Him. He said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for You. Remove this cup from Me; yet not what I will, but what You will.”
Then He came and found them sleeping and said to Peter, “Simon, are you sleeping? Could you not keep watch one hour? Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
Again He went away and prayed the same words. When He returned, He again found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy. And they did not know what to answer Him.
When He returned a third time, He said to them, “Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? It is enough! The hour has come. Look, the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise up, let us go. Look! He who betrays Me is at hand.”
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:
The social services
All who work in the criminal justice system
Victims and perpetrators of crime
The work of aid agencies throughout the world
Those living in poverty or under oppression
Other intercessions and supplications may be offered as the Holy Spirit leads.
Response
God of grace,
hear our prayer.
Silence may be kept.
Collect of the day
Almighty God, you have made us for yourself, and our hearts are restless till they find their rest in you: pour your love into our hearts and draw us to yourself, and so bring us at last to your heavenly city where we shall see you face to face; 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.