Evening Prayer

--Today is the Feast of Saint Nicholas--
Advent
The glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together. Isaiah 40:5

Saint and Major Saints' Days
You are no longer strangers and sojourners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God. Ephesians 2:19

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 20

⁽¹⁾ May the LORD answer you in the day of trouble; May the name of the God of Jacob defend you; ⁽²⁾ May He send you help from the sanctuary, And strengthen you out of Zion; ⁽³⁾ May He remember all your offerings, And accept your burnt sacrifice. Selah ⁽⁴⁾ May He grant you according to your heart's desire, And fulfill all your purpose.

⁽⁵⁾ We will rejoice in your salvation, And in the name of our God we will set up our banners! May the LORD fulfill all your petitions. ⁽⁶⁾ Now I know that the LORD saves His anointed; He will answer him from His holy heaven With the saving strength of His right hand. ⁽⁷⁾ Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; But we will remember the name of the LORD our God. ⁽⁸⁾ They have bowed down and fallen; But we have risen and stand upright.

⁽⁹⁾ Save, LORD! May the King answer us when we call.

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 21

⁽¹⁾ The king shall have joy in Your strength, O LORD; And in Your salvation how greatly shall he rejoice! ⁽²⁾ You have given him his heart's desire, And have not withheld the request of his lips. Selah ⁽³⁾ For You meet him with the blessings of goodness; You set a crown of pure gold upon his head. ⁽⁴⁾ He asked life from You, and You gave it to him -- Length of days forever and ever.

⁽⁵⁾ His glory is great in Your salvation; Honor and majesty You have placed upon him. ⁽⁶⁾ For You have made him most blessed forever; You have made him exceedingly glad with Your presence. ⁽⁷⁾ For the king trusts in the LORD, And through the mercy of the Most High he shall not be moved.

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 5

⁽¹⁸⁾ Woe to you who desire the day of the LORD! For what good is the day of the LORD to you? It will be darkness, and not light. ⁽¹⁹⁾ It will be as though a man fled from a lion, And a bear met him! Or as though he went into the house, Leaned his hand on the wall, And a serpent bit him! ⁽²⁰⁾ Is not the day of the LORD darkness, and not light? Is it not very dark, with no brightness in it? ⁽²¹⁾ I hate, I despise your feast days, And I do not savor your sacred assemblies.

⁽²²⁾ Though you offer Me burnt offerings and your grain offerings, I will not accept them, Nor will I regard your fattened peace offerings. ⁽²³⁾ Take away from Me the noise of your songs, For I will not hear the melody of your stringed instruments. ⁽²⁴⁾ But let justice run down like water, And righteousness like a mighty stream. ⁽²⁵⁾ Did you offer Me sacrifices and offerings In the wilderness forty years, O house of Israel?

⁽²⁶⁾ You also carried Sikkuth your king And Chiun, your idols, The star of your gods, Which you made for yourselves. ⁽²⁷⁾ Therefore I will send you into captivity beyond Damascus,' Says the LORD, whose name is the God of hosts.

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Jude Chapter 1

⁽¹⁷⁾ But you, beloved, remember the words which were spoken before by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ: ⁽¹⁸⁾ how they told you that there would be mockers in the last time who would walk according to their own ungodly lusts. ⁽¹⁹⁾ These are sensual persons, who cause divisions, not having the Spirit. ⁽²⁰⁾ But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit,

⁽²¹⁾ keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. ⁽²²⁾ And on some have compassion, making a distinction; ⁽²³⁾ but others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh. ⁽²⁴⁾ Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, And to present you faultless Before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy,

⁽²⁵⁾ To God our Savior, Who alone is wise, Be glory and majesty, Dominion and power, Both now and forever. Amen.

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Matthew Chapter 22

⁽¹⁵⁾ Then the Pharisees went and plotted how they might entangle Him in His talk. ⁽¹⁶⁾ And they sent to Him their disciples with the Herodians, saying, 'Teacher, we know that You are true, and teach the way of God in truth; nor do You care about anyone, for You do not regard the person of men. ⁽¹⁷⁾ Tell us, therefore, what do You think? Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?' ⁽¹⁸⁾ But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, 'Why do you test Me, you hypocrites?

⁽¹⁹⁾ Show Me the tax money.' So they brought Him a denarius. ⁽²⁰⁾ And He said to them, 'Whose image and inscription is this?' ⁽²¹⁾ They said to Him, 'Caesar's.' And He said to them, 'Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.' ⁽²²⁾ When they had heard these words, they marveled, and left Him and went their way.

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.

Glorify the Lord,
O spirits and souls of the righteous,
praise him and highly exalt him forever.
You that are holy and humble of heart,
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 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: 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