Evening Prayer

Easter
If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Colossians 3:1

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
The Antiphon:

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

Christ has entered, not a sanctuary made with hands, a copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. Hebrews 9:24

The Lessons

Psalm 75

⁽¹⁾ We give thanks to You, O God, we give thanks! For Your wondrous works declare that Your name is near. ⁽²⁾ When I choose the proper time, I will judge uprightly. ⁽³⁾ The earth and all its inhabitants are dissolved; I set up its pillars firmly. Selah ⁽⁴⁾ I said to the boastful, 'Do not deal boastfully,' And to the wicked, 'Do not lift up the horn.

⁽⁵⁾ Do not lift up your horn on high; Do not speak with a stiff neck.' ' ⁽⁶⁾ For exaltation comes neither from the east Nor from the west nor from the south. ⁽⁷⁾ But God is the Judge: He puts down one, And exalts another. ⁽⁸⁾ For in the hand of the LORD there is a cup, And the wine is red; It is fully mixed, and He pours it out; Surely its dregs shall all the wicked of the earth Drain and drink down.

⁽⁹⁾ But I will declare forever, I will sing praises to the God of Jacob. ⁽¹⁰⁾ All the horns of the wicked I will also cut off, But the horns of the righteous shall be exalted.'

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.

Psalm 76

⁽¹⁾ In Judah God is known; His name is great in Israel. ⁽²⁾ In Salem also is His tabernacle, And His dwelling place in Zion. ⁽³⁾ There He broke the arrows of the bow, The shield and sword of battle. Selah ⁽⁴⁾ You are more glorious and excellent Than the mountains of prey.

⁽⁵⁾ The stouthearted were plundered; They have sunk into their sleep; And none of the mighty men have found the use of their hands. ⁽⁶⁾ At Your rebuke, O God of Jacob, Both the chariot and horse were cast into a dead sleep. ⁽⁷⁾ You, Yourself, are to be feared; And who may stand in Your presence When once You are angry? ⁽⁸⁾ You caused judgment to be heard from heaven; The earth feared and was still,

⁽⁹⁾ When God arose to judgment, To deliver all the oppressed of the earth. Selah ⁽¹⁰⁾ Surely the wrath of man shall praise You; With the remainder of wrath You shall gird Yourself. ⁽¹¹⁾ Make vows to the LORD your God, and pay them; Let all who are around Him bring presents to Him who ought to be feared. ⁽¹²⁾ He shall cut off the spirit of princes; He is awesome to the kings of the earth.

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.

Wisdom Chapter 19

⁽¹⁾ But the godless continued to feel your pitiless anger until the very end. You knew what they would do before they did it. ⁽²⁾ You knew that even though they let your people go and made them leave quickly, they would change their minds and pursue them. ⁽³⁾ While the Egyptians were still mourning at the graves of their dead, they forgot why all this had happened, and they foolishly decided that the people they had begged to leave were runaways. So they chased after them. They were led into this as part of the punishment they deserved, so that they would suffer the rest of the torments they were due to receive. ⁽⁵⁾ They were to meet a strange death, while your people continued on their miraculous journey.

⁽⁶⁾ The whole nature of the universe was changed at your command so that your people would not be harmed. ⁽⁷⁾ They saw the cloud over their camp and dry land where water had been. There was a grass-covered plain between the stormy waves of the Red Sea, making it easy for them to cross over. ⁽⁸⁾ All your people, under your protection, saw this miracle and went across. ⁽¹⁸⁾ On a harp each string keeps its own pitch, but each sound can be combined with others to make different melodies. That is how it was in those days, when the very elements entered into new combinations. Look at what happened! ⁽¹⁹⁾ Land animals took to the water, and swimming creatures came up on the land. ⁽²⁰⁾ Fire burned even in water, which could not put it out. ⁽²¹⁾ And yet the flames could not burn the flesh of the perishable creatures walking in them and did not melt that heavenly food that would ordinarily have melted like frost.

⁽²²⁾ Lord, you have made your people great glorious in all respects. You have never neglected them. You have given them help, always, everywhere.

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Romans Chapter 15

⁽¹⁾ We then who are strong ought to bear with the scruples of the weak, and not to please ourselves. ⁽²⁾ Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, leading to edification. ⁽³⁾ For even Christ did not please Himself; but as it is written, 'The reproaches of those who reproached You fell on Me.' ⁽⁴⁾ For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.

⁽⁵⁾ Now may the God of patience and comfort grant you to be like-minded toward one another, according to Christ Jesus, ⁽⁶⁾ that you may with one mind and one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁽⁷⁾ Therefore receive one another, just as Christ also received us, to the glory of God. ⁽⁸⁾ Now I say that Jesus Christ has become a servant to the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made to the fathers,

⁽⁹⁾ and that the Gentiles might glorify God for His mercy, as it is written: 'For this reason I will confess to You among the Gentiles, And sing to Your name.' ⁽¹⁰⁾ And again he says: 'Rejoice, O Gentiles, with His people!' ⁽¹¹⁾ And again: 'Praise the LORD, all you Gentiles! Laud Him, all you peoples!' ⁽¹²⁾ And again, Isaiah says: 'There shall be a root of Jesse; And He who shall rise to reign over the Gentiles, In Him the Gentiles shall hope.'

⁽¹³⁾ Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Luke Chapter 9

⁽¹⁾ Then He called His twelve disciples together and gave them power and authority over all demons, and to cure diseases. ⁽²⁾ He sent them to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. ⁽³⁾ And He said to them, 'Take nothing for the journey, neither staffs nor bag nor bread nor money; and do not have two tunics apiece. ⁽⁴⁾ Whatever house you enter, stay there, and from there depart.

⁽⁵⁾ And whoever will not receive you, when you go out of that city, shake off the very dust from your feet as a testimony against them.' ⁽⁶⁾ So they departed and went through the towns, preaching the gospel and healing everywhere. ⁽⁷⁾ Now Herod the tetrarch heard of all that was done by Him; and he was perplexed, because it was said by some that John had risen from the dead, ⁽⁸⁾ and by some that Elijah had appeared, and by others that one of the old prophets had risen again.

⁽⁹⁾ Herod said, 'John I have beheaded, but who is this of whom I hear such things?' So he sought to see Him. ⁽¹⁰⁾ And the apostles, when they had returned, told Him all that they had done. Then He took them and went aside privately into a deserted place belonging to the city called Bethsaida. ⁽¹¹⁾ But when the multitudes knew it, they followed Him; and He received them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who had need of healing. ⁽¹²⁾ When the day began to wear away, the twelve came and said to Him, 'Send the multitude away, that they may go into the surrounding towns and country, and lodge and get provisions; for we are in a deserted place here.'

⁽¹³⁾ But He said to them, 'You give them something to eat.' And they said, 'We have no more than five loaves and two fish, unless we go and buy food for all these people.' ⁽¹⁴⁾ For there were about five thousand men. Then He said to His disciples, 'Make them sit down in groups of fifty.' ⁽¹⁵⁾ And they did so, and made them all sit down. ⁽¹⁶⁾ Then He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the multitude.

⁽¹⁷⁾ So they all ate and were filled, and twelve baskets of the leftover fragments were taken up by them.

The Gospel of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

A Song of Creation   Prayer of Manasseh 1 to 2, 4, 6 to 7, 11 to 15
Invocation
Glorify the Lord,
all you works of the Lord,
praise him and highly exalt him forever.
In the firmament of his power, glorify the Lord,
praise him and highly exalt him forever.

The Cosmic Order
Glorify the Lord,
you angels and all powers of the Lord,
O heavens and all waters above the heavens.
Sun and moon and stars of the sky,
glorify the Lord,
praise him and highly exalt him forever.
Glorify the Lord,
every shower of rain and fall of dew,
all winds and fire and heat.
Winter and Summer, glorify the Lord,
praise him and highly exalt him forever.

Glorify the Lord, O chill and cold,
drops of dew and flakes of snow.
Frost and cold, ice and sleet,
glorify the Lord,
praise him and highly exalt him forever.

Glorify the Lord,
O nights and days,
O shining light and enfolding dark.
Storm clouds and thunderbolts, glorify the Lord,
praise him and highly exalt him forever.

Doxology
Let us glorify the Lord:
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit;
praise him and highly exalt him forever.
In the firmament of his power, glorify the Lord,
praise him and highly exalt him forever.

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   Traditional
Suffrages A

Seasonal Collect:  Fifth Sunday of Easter
Almighty God, whom truly to know is everlasting life: Grant us so perfectly to know your Son Jesus Christ to be the way, the truth, and the life, that we may steadfastly follow his steps in the way that leads to eternal life; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.

Collect of the Day: Almighty God, who after the creation of the world rested from all your works and sanctified a day of rest for all your creatures: Grant that we, putting away all earthly anxieties, may be duly prepared for the service of your sanctuary, and that our rest here upon earth may be a preparation for the eternal rest promised to your people in heaven; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

A Prayer for Mission: Lord Jesus Christ, you stretched out your arms of love on the hard wood of the cross that everyone might come within the reach of your saving embrace: So clothe us in your Spirit that we, reaching forth our hands in love, may bring those who do not know you to the knowledge and love of you; for the honor of your Name. Amen.

Personal Prayers and Reflection

This is a time to pause, consider and listen. Pray for yourself and others. When you lack the words


Closing Prayers   Thanksgiving

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

Glory to God whose power, working in us, can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine: Glory to him from generation to generation in the Church, and in Christ Jesus for ever and ever. Amen. Ephesians 3:20,21