Evening Prayer - December 31, 2025

Today's Readings

Psalm 46:1-11

Psalm 48:1-14

1 Kings 3:5-14

James 4:13-17,5:7-11

John 5:1-15

Today is the Seventh day of Christmas
Behold, the dwelling of God is with mankind. He will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself will be with them, and be their God. Revelation 21:3

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

ⓘ '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.

Alleluia. To us a child is born: O come, let us adore him. Alleluia.

The Lessons

Psalm 46

⁽¹⁾ God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble.⁽²⁾ Therefore we will not fear, Even though the earth be removed, And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;⁽³⁾ Though its waters roar and be troubled, Though the mountains shake with its swelling. Selah⁽⁴⁾ There is a river whose streams shall make glad the city of God, The holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High.

⁽⁵⁾ God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved; God shall help her, just at the break of dawn.⁽⁶⁾ The nations raged, the kingdoms were moved; He uttered His voice, the earth melted.⁽⁷⁾ The LORD of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah⁽⁸⁾ Come, behold the works of the LORD, Who has made desolations in the earth.

⁽⁹⁾ He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two; He burns the chariot in the fire.⁽¹⁰⁾ Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!⁽¹¹⁾ The LORD of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah

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 48

⁽¹⁾ Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised In the city of our God, In His holy mountain.⁽²⁾ Beautiful in elevation, The joy of the whole earth, Is Mount Zion on the sides of the north, The city of the great King.⁽³⁾ God is in her palaces; He is known as her refuge.⁽⁴⁾ For behold, the kings assembled, They passed by together.

⁽⁵⁾ They saw it, and so they marveled; They were troubled, they hastened away.⁽⁶⁾ Fear took hold of them there, And pain, as of a woman in birth pangs,⁽⁷⁾ As when You break the ships of Tarshish With an east wind.⁽⁸⁾ As we have heard, So we have seen In the city of the LORD of hosts, In the city of our God: God will establish it forever. Selah

⁽⁹⁾ We have thought, O God, on Your lovingkindness, In the midst of Your temple.⁽¹⁰⁾ According to Your name, O God, So is Your praise to the ends of the earth; Your right hand is full of righteousness.⁽¹¹⁾ Let Mount Zion rejoice, Let the daughters of Judah be glad, Because of Your judgments.⁽¹²⁾ Walk about Zion, And go all around her. Count her towers;

⁽¹³⁾ Mark well her bulwarks; Consider her palaces; That you may tell it to the generation following.⁽¹⁴⁾ For this is God, Our God forever and ever; He will be our guide Even to death.

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.

1 Kings Chapter 3

⁽⁵⁾ At Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; and God said, 'Ask! What shall I give you?'⁽⁶⁾ And Solomon said: 'You have shown great mercy to Your servant David my father, because he walked before You in truth, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with You; You have continued this great kindness for him, and You have given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day.⁽⁷⁾ Now, O LORD my God, You have made Your servant king instead of my father David, but I am a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in.⁽⁸⁾ And Your servant is in the midst of Your people whom You have chosen, a great people, too numerous to be numbered or counted.

⁽⁹⁾ Therefore give to Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people, that I may discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?'⁽¹⁰⁾ The speech pleased the LORD, that Solomon had asked this thing.⁽¹¹⁾ Then God said to him: 'Because you have asked this thing, and have not asked long life for yourself, nor have asked riches for yourself, nor have asked the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern justice,⁽¹²⁾ behold, I have done according to your words; see, I have given you a wise and understanding heart, so that there has not been anyone like you before you, nor shall any like you arise after you.

⁽¹³⁾ And I have also given you what you have not asked: both riches and honor, so that there shall not be anyone like you among the kings all your days.⁽¹⁴⁾ So if you walk in My ways, to keep My statutes and My commandments, as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your days.'

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

James Chapter 4

⁽¹³⁾ Come now, you who say, 'Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit';⁽¹⁴⁾ whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.⁽¹⁵⁾ Instead you ought to say, 'If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.'⁽¹⁶⁾ But now you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.

⁽¹⁷⁾ Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.⁽⁷⁾ Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain.⁽⁸⁾ You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.⁽⁹⁾ Do not grumble against one another, brethren, lest you be condemned. Behold, the Judge is standing at the door!⁽¹⁰⁾ My brethren, take the prophets, who spoke in the name of the Lord, as an example of suffering and patience.

⁽¹¹⁾ Indeed we count them blessed who endure. You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord -- that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful.

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

John Chapter 5

⁽¹⁾ After this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.⁽²⁾ Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, which is called in Hebrew, Bethesda, having five porches.⁽³⁾ In these lay a great multitude of sick people, blind, lame, paralyzed, waiting for the moving of the water.⁽⁴⁾ For an angel went down at a certain time into the pool and stirred up the water; then whoever stepped in first, after the stirring of the water, was made well of whatever disease he had.

⁽⁵⁾ Now a certain man was there who had an infirmity thirty-eight years.⁽⁶⁾ When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, 'Do you want to be made well?'⁽⁷⁾ The sick man answered Him, 'Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; but while I am coming, another steps down before me.'⁽⁸⁾ Jesus said to him, 'Rise, take up your bed and walk.'

⁽⁹⁾ And immediately the man was made well, took up his bed, and walked. And that day was the Sabbath.⁽¹⁰⁾ The Jews therefore said to him who was cured, 'It is the Sabbath; it is not lawful for you to carry your bed.'⁽¹¹⁾ He answered them, 'He who made me well said to me, 'Take up your bed and walk.' '⁽¹²⁾ Then they asked him, 'Who is the Man who said to you, 'Take up your bed and walk'?'

⁽¹³⁾ But the one who was healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, a multitude being in that place.⁽¹⁴⁾ Afterward Jesus found him in the temple, and said to him, 'See, you have been made well. Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you.'⁽¹⁵⁾ The man departed and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well.

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 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: The Nativity of Our Lord
O God, you make us glad by the yearly festival of the birth of your only Son Jesus Christ: Grant that we, who joyfully receive him as our Redeemer, may with sure confidence behold him when he comes to be our Judge; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

--or this--

O God, you have caused this holy night to shine with the brightness of the true Light: Grant that we, who have known the mystery of that Light on earth, may also enjoy him perfectly in heaven; where with you and the Holy Spirit he lives and reigns, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.

--or this--

Almighty God, you have given your only begotten Son to take our nature upon him, and to be born [this day] of a pure virgin: Grant that we, who have been born again and made your children by adoption and grace, may daily be renewed by your Holy Spirit; through our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom with you and the same Spirit be honor and glory, now and forever. Amen.

Collect of the Day: Lord God, almighty and everlasting Father, you have brought us in safety to this new day: Preserve us with your mighty power, that we may not fall into sin, nor be overcome by adversity; and in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose; 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.

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

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