Wed. evening Aug. 26
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
O For a Thousand tongues
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 119:129-152
𝙍: The unfolding of Your words gives light.
Your testimonies are wonderful;
therefore my soul keeps them.
The unfolding of Your words gives light;
it gives understanding to the simple.
I opened my mouth and panted,
for I long for Your commandments.
Look upon me and be merciful to me,
as is Your manner toward those who love Your name.
𝙍: The unfolding of Your words gives light.
Direct my steps according to Your word,
and let no iniquity have dominion over me.
Redeem me from the oppression of man,
that I may keep Your precepts.
Make Your face shine upon Your servant,
and teach me Your statutes.
Rivers of water run down from my eyes,
because they keep not Your law.
Righteous are You, O LORD,
and upright are Your judgments.
You have commanded Your testimonies in righteousness
and great faithfulness.
My zeal has consumed me,
because my enemies have forgotten Your words.
Your word is very pure;
therefore Your servant loves it.
𝙍: The unfolding of Your words gives light.
I am small and despised,
yet I do not forget Your precepts.
Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness,
And Your law is the truth.
Trouble and anguish have taken hold of me,
but Your commandments are my delight.
The righteousness of Your testimonies is everlasting;
give me understanding that I may live.
𝙍: The unfolding of Your words gives light.
I cry out with my whole heart; hear me, O LORD!
I will keep Your statutes.
I cried unto You; save me,
that I may keep Your testimonies.
I rise before the dawning of the morning and cry for help;
I hope in Your word.
My eyes are awake before each watch of the night,
that I may meditate on Your word.
𝙍: The unfolding of Your words gives light.
Hear my voice according to Your lovingkindness;
O LORD, give me life according to Your judgment.
Those who pursue wickedness draw near;
they are far from Your law.
You are near, O LORD,
and all Your commandments are truth.
Concerning Your testimonies, I have known long ago
that You have established them 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.
𝙍: Keep me as the apple of Your eye.
Psalm prayer
Lord, you are just, and your commandments are eternal; teach us to love you with all our heart and our neighbor as ourselves, for the sake of Jesus Christ our Lord.
Old Testament reading
Habakkuk 1:1-11
The oracle that Habakkuk the prophet saw.
O LORD, how long shall I cry,
and You will not hear?
Or cry to You, “Violence!”
and You will not save?
Why do You make me see wickedness,
and cause me to see trouble?
Plundering and violence are before me;
strife and contention arise.
Therefore the law is powerless,
and justice never goes forth.
For the wicked surround the righteous;
therefore injustice proceeds.
Look among the nations, and watch—
wonder and be amazed!
For I am doing a work in your days
that you would not believe,
though it were told you.
For I am raising up the Chaldeans,
that bitter and hasty nation
which marches through the breadth of the earth,
to possess dwelling places that are not theirs.
They are terrible and dreadful;
their justice and their dignity
proceed from themselves.
Their horses are swifter than leopards,
more fierce than evening wolves.
Their horsemen charge on;
their horsemen come from afar;
they fly like the eagle that hastens to eat.
They all come for violence;
their forces advance like the east wind.
They gather captives like sand.
They scoff at kings,
and they scorn rulers.
They deride every stronghold,
for they build up siege ramps to capture it.
Then their mind changes,
and they transgress and commit offense;
their own power is their god.
Silence may be kept.
New Testament reading
Mark 7:14-23
When He had called all the people to Him, He said, “Listen to Me, every one of you, and understand: There is nothing from outside a man that by entering him can defile him. But the things which come out of the man are what defile him. If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.”
When He had left the people and entered the house, His disciples asked Him concerning the parable. He said to them, “Are you so without understanding also? Do you not know that anything from the outside that enters a man cannot defile him, because it does not enter his heart, but into his stomach, and goes out into the sewer, thus purifying all foods?”
And He said, “What comes out of a man is what defiles a man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adultery, fornication, murder, theft, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, licentiousness, an envious eye, blasphemy, pride, and foolishness. All these evil things come from within and defile a man.”
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
Lord, hear your people
and answer our prayers.
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.