Evening Prayer - April 25, 2025

Today's Readings

Psalm 136:1-26

Daniel 12:1-4,13

Acts 4:1-12

John 16:1-15

Today is the Feast of Saint Mark -- Click for Readings
Easter Week
All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. Isaiah 53:6

Saint and Major Saints' Days
Their sound has gone out into all lands, and their message to the ends of the world. Psalm 19:4

Confession of Sin
Most merciful God,
I confess that I have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what I have done, and by what I have left undone. I have not loved you with my whole heart; I have not loved my neighbors as myself. I am truly sorry and I humbly repent. For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, have mercy on me and forgive me; that I may delight in your will, and walk in your ways, to the glory of your Name. Amen.

Almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us all our sins through our Lord Jesus Christ, strengthen us in all goodness, and by the power of the Holy Spirit keep us in eternal life. Amen

The Invitatory and Psalter
Lord, open our lips. And our mouth shall proclaim your praise
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 Alleluia

From Easter to Pentecost, Christ the Passover can be used in place of the Venite or Jubilate.

Christ the Passover 1 Corinthians 5:7 to 8; Romans 6:9 to 11; 1 Corinthians 15:20 to 22
Alleluia.
Christ our Passover has been sacrificed for us;
therefore let us keep the feast,
Not with old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil,
but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. Alleluia.

Christ being raised from the dead will never die again;
death no longer has dominion over him.
The death that he died, he died to sin, once for all;
but the life he lives, he lives to God.
So also consider yourselves dead to sin,
and alive to God in Jesus Christ our Lord. Alleluia.

the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep.
For since by a man came death,
by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead.
For as in Adam all die,
so in Christ shall all be made alive. Alleluia.

Venite

ⓘ 'Venite' is Latin for 'O Come,' the opening word of Psalm 95: Venite exultemus Domino ('O Come, let us sing to the LORD').

Psalm 95:1 to 7
Come, let us sing to the Lord;
   let us shout for joy to the Rock of our salvation.
Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving
   and raise a loud shout to him with psalms.

For the Lord is a great God,
   and a great King above all gods.
In his hand are the caverns of the earth,
   and the heights of the hills are his also.
The sea is his, for he made it,
   and his hands have molded the dry land.

Come, let us bow down, and bend the knee,
   and kneel before the Lord our Maker.
For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture and the sheep of his hand.
    Oh, that today you would hearken to his voice!

The Antiphon:

ⓘ A short, reflective sentence recited alongside a psalm to deepen our understanding of the readings.

On this day the Lord has acted; we will rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118:24

The Lessons

Psalm 136

⁽¹⁾ Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.⁽²⁾ Oh, give thanks to the God of gods! For His mercy endures forever.⁽³⁾ Oh, give thanks to the Lord of lords! For His mercy endures forever:⁽⁴⁾ To Him who alone does great wonders, For His mercy endures forever;

⁽⁵⁾ To Him who by wisdom made the heavens, For His mercy endures forever;⁽⁶⁾ To Him who laid out the earth above the waters, For His mercy endures forever;⁽⁷⁾ To Him who made great lights, For His mercy endures forever --⁽⁸⁾ The sun to rule by day, For His mercy endures forever;

⁽⁹⁾ The moon and stars to rule by night, For His mercy endures forever.⁽¹⁰⁾ To Him who struck Egypt in their firstborn, For His mercy endures forever;⁽¹¹⁾ And brought out Israel from among them, For His mercy endures forever;⁽¹²⁾ With a strong hand, and with an outstretched arm, For His mercy endures forever;

⁽¹³⁾ To Him who divided the Red Sea in two, For His mercy endures forever;⁽¹⁴⁾ And made Israel pass through the midst of it, For His mercy endures forever;⁽¹⁵⁾ But overthrew Pharaoh and his army in the Red Sea, For His mercy endures forever;⁽¹⁶⁾ To Him who led His people through the wilderness, For His mercy endures forever;

⁽¹⁷⁾ To Him who struck down great kings, For His mercy endures forever;⁽¹⁸⁾ And slew famous kings, For His mercy endures forever --⁽¹⁹⁾ Sihon king of the Amorites, For His mercy endures forever;⁽²⁰⁾ And Og king of Bashan, For His mercy endures forever --

⁽²¹⁾ And gave their land as a heritage, For His mercy endures forever;⁽²²⁾ A heritage to Israel His servant, For His mercy endures forever.⁽²³⁾ Who remembered us in our lowly state, For His mercy endures forever;⁽²⁴⁾ And rescued us from our enemies, For His mercy endures forever;

⁽²⁵⁾ Who gives food to all flesh, For His mercy endures forever.⁽²⁶⁾ Oh, give thanks to the God of heaven! For His mercy endures 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.

Daniel Chapter 12

⁽¹⁾ At that time Michael shall stand up, The great prince who stands watch over the sons of your people; And there shall be a time of trouble, Such as never was since there was a nation, Even to that time. And at that time your people shall be delivered, Every one who is found written in the book.⁽²⁾ And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, Some to everlasting life, Some to shame and everlasting contempt.⁽³⁾ Those who are wise shall shine Like the brightness of the firmament, And those who turn many to righteousness Like the stars forever and ever.⁽⁴⁾ But you, Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book until the time of the end; many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase.'

⁽¹³⁾ But you, go your way till the end; for you shall rest, and will arise to your inheritance at the end of the days.'

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Acts Chapter 4

⁽¹⁾ Now as they spoke to the people, the priests, the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees came upon them,⁽²⁾ being greatly disturbed that they taught the people and preached in Jesus the resurrection from the dead.⁽³⁾ And they laid hands on them, and put them in custody until the next day, for it was already evening.⁽⁴⁾ However, many of those who heard the word believed; and the number of the men came to be about five thousand.

⁽⁵⁾ And it came to pass, on the next day, that their rulers, elders, and scribes,⁽⁶⁾ as well as Annas the high priest, Caiaphas, John, and Alexander, and as many as were of the family of the high priest, were gathered together at Jerusalem.⁽⁷⁾ And when they had set them in the midst, they asked, 'By what power or by what name have you done this?'⁽⁸⁾ Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, 'Rulers of the people and elders of Israel:

⁽⁹⁾ If we this day are judged for a good deed done to a helpless man, by what means he has been made well,⁽¹⁰⁾ let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole.⁽¹¹⁾ This is the 'stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.'⁽¹²⁾ Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.'

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

John Chapter 16

⁽¹⁾ These things I have spoken to you, that you should not be made to stumble.⁽²⁾ They will put you out of the synagogues; yes, the time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers God service.⁽³⁾ And these things they will do to you because they have not known the Father nor Me.⁽⁴⁾ But these things I have told you, that when the time comes, you may remember that I told you of them. And these things I did not say to you at the beginning, because I was with you.

⁽⁵⁾ But now I go away to Him who sent Me, and none of you asks Me, 'Where are You going?'⁽⁶⁾ But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart.⁽⁷⁾ Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you.⁽⁸⁾ And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:

⁽⁹⁾ of sin, because they do not believe in Me;⁽¹⁰⁾ of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more;⁽¹¹⁾ of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.⁽¹²⁾ I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.

⁽¹³⁾ However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.⁽¹⁴⁾ He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you.⁽¹⁵⁾ All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you.

The Gospel of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

The Second Song of Isaiah Isaiah 55:6 to 11

Seek the Lord while he wills to be found;
call upon him when he draws near.
Let the wicked forsake their ways
and the evil ones their thoughts;
And let them turn to the Lord, and he will have compassion,
and to our God, for he will richly pardon.
For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
nor your ways my ways, says the Lord.
For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways,
and my thoughts than your thoughts.
For as rain and snow fall from the heavens
and return not again, but water the earth,
Bringing forth life and giving growth,
seed for sowing and bread for eating,
So is my word that goes forth from my mouth;
it will not return to me empty;
But it will accomplish that which I have purposed,
and prosper in that for which I sent it.
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.

The Apostles' Creed
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.

The Prayers

The Lord's Prayer

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 and ever. Amen.

Suffrages

ⓘ A simple prayer to God for help, mercy, or intercession, rooted in the Latin word for support.

Show us your mercy, O Lord;
And grant us your salvation.
Clothe your ministers with righteousness;
Let your people sing with joy.
Give peace, O Lord, in all the world;
For only in you can we live in safety.
Lord, keep this nation under your care;
And guide us in the way of justice and truth.
Let your way be known upon earth;
Your saving health among all nations.
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 sustain us by your Holy Spirit.

Seasonal Collect: Friday in Easter Week
Almighty Father, who gave your only Son to die for our sins and to rise for our justification: Give us grace so to put away the leaven of malice and wickedness, that we may always serve you in pureness of living and truth; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Collect of the Day: Almighty God, whose most dear Son went not up to joy but first he suffered pain, and entered not into glory before he was crucified: Mercifully grant that we, walking in the way of the cross, may find it none other than the way of life and peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

A Prayer for Mission: O God, you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth, and sent your blessed Son to preach peace to those who are far off and to those who are near: Grant that people everywhere may seek after you and find you; bring the nations into your fold; pour out your Spirit upon all flesh; and hasten the coming of your kingdom; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Personal Prayers and Reflection

This is a time to pause, consider and listen. Pray for yourself and others.

Closing Prayers

Thanksgiving
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 ourselves 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.

Conclude with the following
Let Us Bless the Lord, Thanks be to God

May the God of hope fill us with all joy and peace in believing through the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Romans 15:13