Friends, we hope you have found this service of Evening Prayer an encouraging and helpful practice during this past season. At the end of August, we will be concluding the weekly updates. If you'd like to continue this practice, please send Sandy a note at info@14thstreetcrc.org and she'll get back to you with information about how to do so using another online resource. Grace and peace.
Evening Prayer
The service of evening prayer provided below is adapted from the service outlined in the Book of Common Prayer (ACNA 2019). With the Psalms and Scripture readings, it should take roughly 20-30 minutes.
Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” —John 8:12
Let my prayer be set forth in your sight as incense, and let the lifting up of my hands be an evening sacrifice. —Psalm 141:2
Opening
Our help is in the name of the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.
Jesus Christ is the light of the world,
the light no darkness can overcome.
Stay with us, Lord, for it is evening
and the day is almost over.
Let your light scatter the darkness
and illumine your church.
Confession & Assurance
Let us humbly confess our sins to Almighty God.
Almighty and most merciful Father,
we have erred and strayed from your ways like lost sheep.
We have followed too much the devices and desires of our own hearts.
We have offended against your holy laws.
We have left undone those things which we ought to have done,
and we have done those things which we ought not to have done;
and apart from your grace, there is no health in us.
O Lord, have mercy upon us.
Spare all who confess their faults.
Restore all those who are penitent,
according to your promises declared in Christ Jesus our Lord.
And grant, O most merciful Father, for his sake,
that we may now live a godly, righteous, and sober life,
to the glory of your holy name. Amen.
Grant to your faithful people, merciful Lord, pardon and peace;
that we may be cleansed from all our sins,
and serve you with a quiet mind;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
O Lord, open our lips;
And our mouth shall proclaim your praise.
O God, make speed to save us;
O Lord, make haste to help us.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit;
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
Praise the Lord.
The Lord’s Name be praised.
Hymn
Phos Hilaron (O Gladsome Light)
O gladsome light,
pure brightness of the everliving Father in heaven,
O Jesus Christ, holy and blessed!
Now as we come to the setting of the sun,
and our eyes behold the vesper light,
we sing your praises, O God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
You are worthy at all times to be praised by happy voices,
O Son of God, O Giver of Life,
and to be glorified through all the worlds.
Scripture Reading
The Psalms are the staple of the diet of Christian spirituality. Between morning and evening prayer, read as many of the Psalms appointed for today as you are able, finding here words to guide your own prayer. If you read all of them, you will pray the entire Psalter in one month.
For August 23 - 30:
August 23 Psalms 114, 115
August 24 Psalm 119:1-32
August 25 Psalm 119:73-104
August 26 Psalm 119:145-176
August 27 Psalms 126, 127, 128, 129, 130, 131
August 28 Psalms 136, 137, 138
August 29 Psalms 141, 142, 143
August 30 Psalms 147, 148, 149, 150
Morning and evening prayer involve two Scripture readings, one from the Old Testament and one from the New Testament. If you were to follow morning and evening prayer over the course of an entire year, you would read through the entire Old Testament once, and the New Testament twice.
For August 23 - 30:
Old Testament Lesson New Testament Lesson
August 23 Amos 4 John 18:28-40
August 24 Amos 5 John 19:1-37
August 25 Amos 6 John 19:38-42
August 26 Amos 7 John 20
August 27 Amos 8 John 21
August 28 Amos 9 Matthew 1:1-17
August 29 Obadiah Matthew 1:18-24
August 30 Jonah 1 Matthew 2
This is the Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Canticle
Nunc Dimittis (Song of Simeon, Luke 2:29-32)
Lord, now let your servant depart in peace,
according to your word.
For my eyes have seen your salvation,
which you have prepared before the face of all people;
to be a light to lighten the Gentiles,
and to be the glory of your people Israel.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
The Creed
I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,
who 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 hell.
The third day he rose again from the dead.
He ascended to heaven
and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty.
From there he will come 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.
Prayers of the People
The Lord’s Prayer
Prayers of the People
Collect for Protection
The prayers below include the Lord’s Prayer, the Prayers of the People, and a Collect for Protection. Create space in the Prayers of the People to add your own requests and intercessions before God.
The Lord be with you.
And with your spirit.
Let us pray.
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come,
your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
O Lord, show your mercy upon us;
And grant us your salvation.
O Lord, guide those who govern us;
And lead us in the way of justice and truth.
Clothe your ministers with righteousness;
And let your people sing with joy.
O Lord, save your people;
And bless your inheritance.
Give peace in our time, O Lord;
And defend us by your mighty power.
Let not the needy, O Lord, be forgotten;
Nor the hope of the poor be taken away.
Create in us clean hearts, O God;
And take not your Holy Spirit from us.
O God, the life of all who live, the light of the faithful, the strength of those who labor, and the repose of the dead: we thank you for the blessings of the day that is past, and humbly ask for your protection through the coming night. Bring us in safety to the morning hours; through him who died and rose again for us, your Son our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
The General Thanksgiving
Evening prayer ends where all worship ends, in thanksgiving to God and a desire to rest this evening as a people transformed by God’s work for us in Christ and by the Spirit.
Almighty God, Father of all mercies,
we your unworthy servants give you humble thanks
for all your goodness and loving-kindness
to us and to all whom you have made.
We bless you for our creation, preservation,
and all the blessings of this life;
but above all for your immeasurable love
in the redemption of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ;
for the means of grace, and for the hope of glory.
And, we pray, give us such an awareness of your mercies,
that with truly thankful hearts
we may show forth your praise,
not only with our lips, but in our lives,
by giving up our selves to your service,
and by walking before you
in holiness and righteousness all our days;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit,
be honor and glory throughout all ages. Amen.
Closing
May the peace of God,
which surpasses all understanding,
guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.
Let us bless the Lord. Thanks be to God.