Evening Prayer

Advent
The glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together. Isaiah 40:5

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

Venite
The Antiphon:

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

Our King and Savior now draws near: Come, let us adore him.

The Lessons

Psalm 18

⁽¹⁾ I will love You, O LORD, my strength. ⁽²⁾ The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. ⁽³⁾ I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised; So shall I be saved from my enemies. ⁽⁴⁾ The pangs of death surrounded me, And the floods of ungodliness made me afraid.

⁽⁵⁾ The sorrows of Sheol surrounded me; The snares of death confronted me. ⁽⁶⁾ In my distress I called upon the LORD, And cried out to my God; He heard my voice from His temple, And my cry came before Him, even to His ears. ⁽⁷⁾ Then the earth shook and trembled; The foundations of the hills also quaked and were shaken, Because He was angry. ⁽⁸⁾ Smoke went up from His nostrils, And devouring fire from His mouth; Coals were kindled by it.

⁽⁹⁾ He bowed the heavens also, and came down With darkness under His feet. ⁽¹⁰⁾ And He rode upon a cherub, and flew; He flew upon the wings of the wind. ⁽¹¹⁾ He made darkness His secret place; His canopy around Him was dark waters And thick clouds of the skies. ⁽¹²⁾ From the brightness before Him, His thick clouds passed with hailstones and coals of fire.

⁽¹³⁾ The LORD thundered from heaven, And the Most High uttered His voice, Hailstones and coals of fire. ⁽¹⁴⁾ He sent out His arrows and scattered the foe, Lightnings in abundance, and He vanquished them. ⁽¹⁵⁾ Then the channels of the sea were seen, The foundations of the world were uncovered At Your rebuke, O LORD, At the blast of the breath of Your nostrils. ⁽¹⁶⁾ He sent from above, He took me; He drew me out of many waters.

⁽¹⁷⁾ He delivered me from my strong enemy, From those who hated me, For they were too strong for me. ⁽¹⁸⁾ They confronted me in the day of my calamity, But the LORD was my support. ⁽¹⁹⁾ He also brought me out into a broad place; He delivered me because He delighted in me. ⁽²⁰⁾ The LORD rewarded me according to my righteousness; According to the cleanness of my hands He has recompensed me.

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.

Amos Chapter 4

⁽⁶⁾ Also I gave you cleanness of teeth in all your cities. And lack of bread in all your places; Yet you have not returned to Me,' Says the LORD. ⁽⁷⁾ I also withheld rain from you, When there were still three months to the harvest. I made it rain on one city, I withheld rain from another city. One part was rained upon, And where it did not rain the part withered. ⁽⁸⁾ So two or three cities wandered to another city to drink water, But they were not satisfied; Yet you have not returned to Me,' Says the LORD. ⁽⁹⁾ I blasted you with blight and mildew. When your gardens increased, Your vineyards, Your fig trees, And your olive trees, The locust devoured them; Yet you have not returned to Me,' Says the LORD.

⁽¹⁰⁾ I sent among you a plague after the manner of Egypt; Your young men I killed with a sword, Along with your captive horses; I made the stench of your camps come up into your nostrils; Yet you have not returned to Me,' Says the LORD. ⁽¹¹⁾ I overthrew some of you, As God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, And you were like a firebrand plucked from the burning; Yet you have not returned to Me,' Says the LORD. ⁽¹²⁾ Therefore thus will I do to you, O Israel; Because I will do this to you, Prepare to meet your God, O Israel!' ⁽¹³⁾ For behold, He who forms mountains, And creates the wind, Who declares to man what his thought is, And makes the morning darkness, Who treads the high places of the earth -- The LORD God of hosts is His name.

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

2 Peter Chapter 3

⁽¹¹⁾ Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, ⁽¹²⁾ looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat? ⁽¹³⁾ Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. ⁽¹⁴⁾ Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless;

⁽¹⁵⁾ and consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation -- as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you, ⁽¹⁶⁾ as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures. ⁽¹⁷⁾ You therefore, beloved, since you know this beforehand, beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked; ⁽¹⁸⁾ but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen.

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Matthew Chapter 21

⁽³³⁾ Hear another parable: There was a certain landowner who planted a vineyard and set a hedge around it, dug a winepress in it and built a tower. And he leased it to vinedressers and went into a far country. ⁽³⁴⁾ Now when vintage-time drew near, he sent his servants to the vinedressers, that they might receive its fruit. ⁽³⁵⁾ And the vinedressers took his servants, beat one, killed one, and stoned another. ⁽³⁶⁾ Again he sent other servants, more than the first, and they did likewise to them.

⁽³⁷⁾ Then last of all he sent his son to them, saying, 'They will respect my son.' ⁽³⁸⁾ But when the vinedressers saw the son, they said among themselves, 'This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and seize his inheritance.' ⁽³⁹⁾ So they took him and cast him out of the vineyard and killed him. ⁽⁴⁰⁾ Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those vinedressers?'

⁽⁴¹⁾ They said to Him, 'He will destroy those wicked men miserably, and lease his vineyard to other vinedressers who will render to him the fruits in their seasons.' ⁽⁴²⁾ Jesus said to them, 'Have you never read in the Scriptures: 'The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone. This was the LORD's doing, And it is marvelous in our eyes'? ⁽⁴³⁾ Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it. ⁽⁴⁴⁾ And whoever falls on this stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder.'

⁽⁴⁵⁾ Now when the chief priests and Pharisees heard His parables, they perceived that He was speaking of them. ⁽⁴⁶⁾ But when they sought to lay hands on Him, they feared the multitudes, because they took Him for a prophet.

The Gospel of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.


The Song of Moses    Exodus 15:1 to 6, 11 to 13, 17 to 18

I will sing to the Lord, for he is lofty and uplifted;
the horse and its rider has he hurled into the sea.
The Lord is my strength and my refuge;
the Lord has become my Savior.
This is my God and I will praise him,
the God of my people and I will exalt him.
The Lord is a mighty warrior;
Yahweh is his Name.
The chariots of Pharoah and his army has he hurled into the sea;
the finest of those who bear armor have been drowned in the Red Sea.
The fathomless deep has overwhelmed them;
they sank into the depths like a stone.
Your right hand, O Lord, is glorious in might;
your right hand, O Lord, has overthrown the enemy.
Who can be compared with you, O Lord, among the gods?
who is like you, glorious in holiness,
awesome in renown, and worker of wonders?
You stretched forth your right hand;
the earth swallowed them up.
With your constant love you led the people you redeemed;
with your might you brought them in safety to
your holy dwelling.
You will bring them in and plant them
on the mount of your possession,
The resting-place you have made for yourself, O Lord,
the sanctuary, O Lord, that your hand has established.
The Lord shall reign forever and 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.


The Third Song of Isaiah       Isaiah 60:1 to 3, 11a, 14c, 18 to 19
Arise, shine, for your light has come,
and the glory of the Lord has dawned upon you.
For behold, darkness covers the land;
deep gloom enshrouds the peoples.
But over you the Lord will rise,
and his glory will appear upon you.
Nations will stream to your light,
and kings to the brightness of your dawning.
Your gates will always be open;
by day or night they will never be shut.
They will call you, The City of the Lord,
The Zion of the Holy One of Israel.
Violence will no more be heard in your land,
ruin or destruction within your borders.
You will call your walls, Salvation,
and all your portals, Praise.
The sun will no more be your light by day;
by night you will not need the brightness of the moon.
The Lord will be your everlasting light,
and your God will be your glory.
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   Traditional
Suffrages A

Seasonal Collect:  First Sunday of Advent
Almighty God, give us grace to cast away the works of darkness, and put on the armor of light, now in the time of this mortal life in which your Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility; that in the last day, when he shall come again in his glorious majesty to judge both the living and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal; through him who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Collect of the Day: Heavenly Father, in you we live and move and have our being: We humbly pray you so to guide and govern us by your Holy Spirit, that in all the cares and occupations of our life we may not forget you, but may remember that we are ever walking in your sight; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

A Prayer for Mission: Almighty and everlasting God, by whose Spirit the whole body of your faithful people is governed and sanctified: Receive our supplications and prayers which we offer before you for all members of your holy Church, that in their vocation and ministry they may truly and devoutly serve you; through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 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

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. 2 Corinthians 13:14