Evening Prayer

Advent
In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Isaiah 40:3

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 63

⁽¹⁾ O God, You are my God; Early will I seek You; My soul thirsts for You; My flesh longs for You In a dry and thirsty land Where there is no water. ⁽²⁾ So I have looked for You in the sanctuary, To see Your power and Your glory. ⁽³⁾ Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, My lips shall praise You. ⁽⁴⁾ Thus I will bless You while I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name.

⁽⁵⁾ My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness, And my mouth shall praise You with joyful lips. ⁽⁶⁾ When I remember You on my bed, I meditate on You in the night watches. ⁽⁷⁾ Because You have been my help, Therefore in the shadow of Your wings I will rejoice. ⁽⁸⁾ My soul follows close behind You; Your right hand upholds me.

⁽⁹⁾ But those who seek my life, to destroy it, Shall go into the lower parts of the earth. ⁽¹⁰⁾ They shall fall by the sword; They shall be a portion for jackals. ⁽¹¹⁾ But the king shall rejoice in God; Everyone who swears by Him shall glory; But the mouth of those who speak lies shall be stopped.

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 98

⁽¹⁾ Oh, sing to the LORD a new song! For He has done marvelous things; His right hand and His holy arm have gained Him the victory. ⁽²⁾ The LORD has made known His salvation; His righteousness He has revealed in the sight of the nations. ⁽³⁾ He has remembered His mercy and His faithfulness to the house of Israel; All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God. ⁽⁴⁾ Shout joyfully to the LORD, all the earth; Break forth in song, rejoice, and sing praises.

⁽⁵⁾ Sing to the LORD with the harp, With the harp and the sound of a psalm, ⁽⁶⁾ With trumpets and the sound of a horn; Shout joyfully before the LORD, the King. ⁽⁷⁾ Let the sea roar, and all its fullness, The world and those who dwell in it; ⁽⁸⁾ Let the rivers clap their hands; Let the hills be joyful together before the LORD,

⁽⁹⁾ For He is coming to judge the earth. With righteousness He shall judge the world, And the peoples with equity.

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 9

⁽¹¹⁾ On that day I will raise up The tabernacle of David, which has fallen down, And repair its damages; I will raise up its ruins, And rebuild it as in the days of old; ⁽¹²⁾ That they may possess the remnant of Edom, And all the Gentiles who are called by My name,' Says the LORD who does this thing. ⁽¹³⁾ Behold, the days are coming,' says the LORD, 'When the plowman shall overtake the reaper, And the treader of grapes him who sows seed; The mountains shall drip with sweet wine, And all the hills shall flow with it. ⁽¹⁴⁾ I will bring back the captives of My people Israel; They shall build the waste cities and inhabit them; They shall plant vineyards and drink wine from them; They shall also make gardens and eat fruit from them.

⁽¹⁵⁾ I will plant them in their land, And no longer shall they be pulled up From the land I have given them,' Says the LORD your God.

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

2 Thessalonians Chapter 2

⁽¹⁾ Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, ⁽²⁾ not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come. ⁽³⁾ Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, ⁽¹³⁾ But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God from the beginning chose you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth, ⁽¹⁴⁾ to which He called you by our gospel, for the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁽¹⁵⁾ Therefore, brethren, stand fast and hold the traditions which you were taught, whether by word or our epistle. ⁽¹⁶⁾ Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and our God and Father, who has loved us and given us everlasting consolation and good hope by grace,

⁽¹⁷⁾ comfort your hearts and establish you in every good word and work.

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

John Chapter 5

⁽³⁰⁾ I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me. ⁽³¹⁾ If I bear witness of Myself, My witness is not true. ⁽³²⁾ There is another who bears witness of Me, and I know that the witness which He witnesses of Me is true. ⁽³³⁾ You have sent to John, and he has borne witness to the truth.

⁽³⁴⁾ Yet I do not receive testimony from man, but I say these things that you may be saved. ⁽³⁵⁾ He was the burning and shining lamp, and you were willing for a time to rejoice in his light. ⁽³⁶⁾ But I have a greater witness than John's; for the works which the Father has given Me to finish -- the very works that I do -- bear witness of Me, that the Father has sent Me. ⁽³⁷⁾ And the Father Himself, who sent Me, has testified of Me. You have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His form.

⁽³⁸⁾ But you do not have His word abiding in you, because whom He sent, Him you do not believe. ⁽³⁹⁾ You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. ⁽⁴⁰⁾ But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life. ⁽⁴¹⁾ I do not receive honor from men.

⁽⁴²⁾ But I know you, that you do not have the love of God in you. ⁽⁴³⁾ I have come in My Father's name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, him you will receive. ⁽⁴⁴⁾ How can you believe, who receive honor from one another, and do not seek the honor that comes from the only God? ⁽⁴⁵⁾ Do not think that I shall accuse you to the Father; there is one who accuses you -- Moses, in whom you trust.

⁽⁴⁶⁾ For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote about Me. ⁽⁴⁷⁾ But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?'

The Gospel of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.


The Song of Zechariah Luke 1: 68 to 79
Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel;
he has come to his people and set them free.
He has raised up for us a mighty savior,
born of the house of his servant David.
Through his holy prophets he promised of old,
that he would save us from our enemies,
from the hands of all who hate us.
He promised to show mercy to our fathers
and to remember his holy covenant.
This was the oath he swore to our father Abraham,
to set us free from the hands of our enemies,
Free to worship him without fear,
holy and righteous in his sight
all the days of our life.
You, my child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High,
for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way,
To give his people knowledge of salvation
by the forgiveness of their sins.
In the tender compassion of our God
the dawn from on high shall break upon us,
To shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death,
and to guide our feet into the way of peace.
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.


You are God        
You are God: we praise you;
You are the Lord; we acclaim you;
You are the eternal Father:
All creation worships you.
To you all angels, all the powers of heaven,
Cherubim and Seraphim, sing in endless praise:
Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might,
heaven and earth are full of your glory.
The glorious company of apostles praise you.
The noble fellowship of prophets praise you.
The white-robed army of martyrs praise you.
Throughout the world the holy Church acclaims you;
Father, of majesty unbounded,
your true and only Son, worthy of all worship,
and the Holy Spirit, advocate and guide.
You, Christ, are the king of glory,
the eternal Son of the Father.
When you became man to set us free
you did not shun the Virgin's womb.
You overcame the sting of death
and opened the kingdom of heaven to all believers.
You are seated at God's right hand in glory.
We believe that you will come and be our judge.
Come then, Lord, and help your people,
bought with the price of your own blood,
and bring us with your saints
to glory everlasting.


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:  Third Sunday of Advent
Stir up your power, O Lord, and with great might come among us; and, because we are sorely hindered by our sins, let your bountiful grace and mercy speedily help and deliver us; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory, now and forever. Amen.

Collect of the Day: O God, you make us glad with the weekly remembrance of the glorious resurrection of your Son our Lord: Give us this day such blessing through our worship of you, that the week to come may be spent in your favor; 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