Mon. evening Sep. 7
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
Jesus Paid It All
Confession of Sin
Come, Holy Spirit of God,
and search our hearts with the light of Christ.
Our Lord Jesus Christ said:
“The first of all the commandments is, ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these. On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”
Amen. Lord, have mercy.
After a period of reflection
Come, let us return to the Lord and say:
Lord our God, in our sin, we have avoided your call. Our faithfulness is like a morning cloud, and like the early dew, it goes away. Have mercy on us; deliver us from judgment; bind up our wounds and revive us; in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
cf Hosea 6
May Almighty God, who sent his Son into the world to save sinners, bring us his pardon and peace, now and forever.
Amen.
Psalm 4
𝙍: I will both lie down in peace and sleep.
Answer me when I call,
O God of my righteousness!
You have given me relief when I was in distress;
have mercy on me, and hear my prayer.
O people, how long will you turn my glory into shame?
How long will you love vanity and seek after lies?
Know that the LORD set apart the faithful for Himself;
the LORD hears when I call to Him.
Tremble in awe, and do not sin.
Meditate within your own heart on your bed,
and be still.
𝙍: I will both lie down in peace and sleep.
Offer sacrifices of righteousness,
and trust in the LORD.
There are many who say, “Who will show us any good?”
Lord, let the light of Your countenance shine upon us.
You have placed gladness in my heart,
more than when their grain and new wine abound.
I will both lie down in peace and sleep;
for You, LORD,
make me dwell safely and securely.
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: I will both lie down in peace and sleep.
Psalm prayer
Give us today, O God, a glad heart and a clear conscience, that when we come to this day’s end, we may rest in peace with Christ our Lord.
Psalm 7
𝙍: Grant me justice, O LORD, according to my righteousness, and according to my integrity within me.
O LORD my God, in You I put my trust;
save me from all those who persecute me, and deliver me,
lest they tear my soul like a lion,
rending it in pieces, while there is none to deliver.
O LORD my God, if I have done this,
if there is iniquity in the palms of my hands,
if I have repaid evil to him who was at peace with me,
or have delivered my adversary without cause,
then may the enemy pursue my life and overtake me;
may my enemy trample my life to the ground,
and lay my honor in the dust.
𝙍: Grant me justice, O LORD, according to my righteousness, and according to my integrity within me.
Arise, O LORD, in Your anger;
rise up because of the rage of my adversaries,
and awaken Yourself for me; You have commanded justice.
So shall the congregation of the peoples surround You;
For their sakes, therefore, return on high.
The LORD will judge the peoples;
grant me justice, O LORD, according to my righteousness,
and according to my integrity within me.
May the evil of the wicked come to an end;
may You vindicate the righteous;
You are a righteous God who examines the minds and hearts.
𝙍: Grant me justice, O LORD, according to my righteousness, and according to my integrity within me.
My defense depends on God,
who saves the upright in heart.
God is a righteous judge,
and God has indignation every day.
If a man does not repent,
God will sharpen His sword;
He has bent His bow and made it ready.
He has prepared for Himself deadly weapons;
He makes His arrows flaming shafts.
𝙍: Grant me justice, O LORD, according to my righteousness, and according to my integrity within me.
Behold, the wicked man writhes in pain of iniquity;
he has conceived mischief and brought forth falsehood.
He who digs a hole and hollows it
will then fall into his own pit.
His mischief will return on his own head;
his violence will descend on the crown of his own head.
I will thank the LORD according to His righteousness,
and will sing praise to the name of the LORD Most High.
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: Grant me justice, O LORD, according to my righteousness, and according to my integrity within me.
Psalm prayer
Lord, your justice turns evil on itself: move us to examine our hearts and repent of all duplicity; for the sake of Jesus Christ, our Judge and righteous Savior.
Old Testament reading
Zechariah 4
And the angel who was speaking with me returned and woke me up like a man who is roused from his sleep. And he said to me, “What do you see?”
And I said, “I see a completely golden lampstand and a bowl at its top, with seven lights on it, and seven pipes on it for each lamp in order to light them. And there are two olive trees next to it, one on the right of the bowl and one on the left.”
So I answered and I asked the angel speaking with me, “What are these, my lord?”
Then the angel speaking with me responded, “Do you really not know what these are?”
And I said, “No, my lord.”
And he said to me: “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel, saying: Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the LORD of Hosts.
“Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you will be made level ground, and he will bring out the top stone amidst shouting of ‘Grace! Grace to the stone!’ ”
Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying: “The hands of Zerubbabel have established the foundation of this house, and they will even complete it. Then you will know that the LORD of Hosts has sent Me to all of you.
“For who has despised the day of small things? These seven will rejoice and see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel. These are the eyes of the LORD, which survey to and fro throughout the earth.”
Then I answered and I asked, “What are these two olives trees on the right and left of the lampstand?”
And I asked a second time, “What are these two branches of the olive trees that are next to the two golden pipes from which they pour out the gold oil?”
And he asked me, “Do you not know what these are?”
I responded, “No, my lord.”
He answered, “These are the two anointed ones who stand by the Lord of all the earth.”
Silence may be kept.
New Testament reading
Mark 9:38-50
John answered Him, “Teacher, we saw one who does not follow us casting out demons in Your name, and we forbade him, because he was not following us.”
But Jesus said, “Do not forbid him, for no one who does a miracle in My name can quickly speak evil of Me. For he who is not against us is for us. Truly I say to you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink in My name, because you belong to Christ, will not lose his reward.
“Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea. If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched, where
‘their worm does not die,
and the fire is not quenched.’
And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame than with two feet to be thrown into hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched, where
‘their worm does not die,
and the fire is not quenched.’
And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into the hell of fire, where
‘their worm does not die,
and the fire is not quenched.’
Everyone will be salted with fire, and every sacrifice will be salted with salt.
“Salt is good. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how will you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace with one another.”
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 media and the arts
Farming and fishing
Commerce and industry
Those whose work is unfulfilling, stressful, or fraught with danger
All who are unemployed
Other intercessions and supplications may be offered as the Holy Spirit leads.
Response
Lord, in your mercy
hear our prayer.
Silence may be kept.
Collect of the day
Almighty God, whose only Son has opened for us a new and living way into your presence: give us pure hearts and steadfast wills to worship you in spirit and in truth; 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.