Evening Prayer

Today is the Tenth 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
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 68

⁽¹⁾ Let God arise, Let His enemies be scattered; Let those also who hate Him flee before Him. ⁽²⁾ As smoke is driven away, So drive them away; As wax melts before the fire, So let the wicked perish at the presence of God. ⁽³⁾ But let the righteous be glad; Let them rejoice before God; Yes, let them rejoice exceedingly. ⁽⁴⁾ Sing to God, sing praises to His name; Extol Him who rides on the clouds, By His name YAH, And rejoice before Him.

⁽⁵⁾ A father of the fatherless, a defender of widows, Is God in His holy habitation. ⁽⁶⁾ God sets the solitary in families; He brings out those who are bound into prosperity; But the rebellious dwell in a dry land. ⁽⁷⁾ O God, when You went out before Your people, When You marched through the wilderness, Selah ⁽⁸⁾ The earth shook; The heavens also dropped rain at the presence of God; Sinai itself was moved at the presence of God, the God of Israel.

⁽⁹⁾ You, O God, sent a plentiful rain, Whereby You confirmed Your inheritance, When it was weary. ⁽¹⁰⁾ Your congregation dwelt in it; You, O God, provided from Your goodness for the poor. ⁽¹¹⁾ The Lord gave the word; Great was the company of those who proclaimed it: ⁽¹²⁾ Kings of armies flee, they flee, And she who remains at home divides the spoil.

⁽¹³⁾ Though you lie down among the sheepfolds, You will be like the wings of a dove covered with silver, And her feathers with yellow gold.' ⁽¹⁴⁾ When the Almighty scattered kings in it, It was white as snow in Zalmon. ⁽¹⁵⁾ A mountain of God is the mountain of Bashan; A mountain of many peaks is the mountain of Bashan. ⁽¹⁶⁾ Why do you fume with envy, you mountains of many peaks? This is the mountain which God desires to dwell in; Yes, the LORD will dwell in it forever.

⁽¹⁷⁾ The chariots of God are twenty thousand, Even thousands of thousands; The Lord is among them as in Sinai, in the Holy Place. ⁽¹⁸⁾ You have ascended on high, You have led captivity captive; You have received gifts among men, Even from the rebellious, That the LORD God might dwell there. ⁽¹⁹⁾ Blessed be the Lord, Who daily loads us with benefits, The God of our salvation! Selah ⁽²⁰⁾ Our God is the God of salvation; And to GOD the Lord belong escapes from death.

⁽²¹⁾ But God will wound the head of His enemies, The hairy scalp of the one who still goes on in His trespasses. ⁽²²⁾ The Lord said, 'I will bring back from Bashan, I will bring them back from the depths of the sea, ⁽²³⁾ That your foot may crush them in blood, And the tongues of your dogs may have their portion from your enemies.' ⁽²⁴⁾ They have seen Your procession, O God, The procession of my God, my King, into the sanctuary.

⁽²⁵⁾ The singers went before, the players on instruments followed after; Among them were the maidens playing timbrels. ⁽²⁶⁾ Bless God in the congregations, The Lord, from the fountain of Israel. ⁽²⁷⁾ There is little Benjamin, their leader, The princes of Judah and their company, The princes of Zebulun and the princes of Naphtali. ⁽²⁸⁾ Your God has commanded your strength; Strengthen, O God, what You have done for us.

⁽²⁹⁾ Because of Your temple at Jerusalem, Kings will bring presents to You. ⁽³⁰⁾ Rebuke the beasts of the reeds, The herd of bulls with the calves of the peoples, Till everyone submits himself with pieces of silver. Scatter the peoples who delight in war. ⁽³¹⁾ Envoys will come out of Egypt; Ethiopia will quickly stretch out her hands to God. ⁽³²⁾ Sing to God, you kingdoms of the earth; Oh, sing praises to the Lord, Selah

⁽³³⁾ To Him who rides on the heaven of heavens, which were of old! Indeed, He sends out His voice, a mighty voice. ⁽³⁴⁾ Ascribe strength to God; His excellence is over Israel, And His strength is in the clouds. ⁽³⁵⁾ O God, You are more awesome than Your holy places. The God of Israel is He who gives strength and power to His people. Blessed be God!

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 19

⁽⁹⁾ And there he went into a cave, and spent the night in that place; and behold, the word of the LORD came to him, and He said to him, 'What are you doing here, Elijah?' ⁽¹⁰⁾ So he said, 'I have been very zealous for the LORD God of hosts; for the children of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. I alone am left; and they seek to take my life.' ⁽¹¹⁾ Then He said, 'Go out, and stand on the mountain before the LORD.' And behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake; ⁽¹²⁾ and after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice.

⁽¹³⁾ So it was, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave. Suddenly a voice came to him, and said, 'What are you doing here, Elijah?' ⁽¹⁴⁾ And he said, 'I have been very zealous for the LORD God of hosts; because the children of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. I alone am left; and they seek to take my life.' ⁽¹⁵⁾ Then the LORD said to him: 'Go, return on your way to the Wilderness of Damascus; and when you arrive, anoint Hazael as king over Syria. ⁽¹⁶⁾ Also you shall anoint Jehu the son of Nimshi as king over Israel. And Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel Meholah you shall anoint as prophet in your place.

⁽¹⁷⁾ It shall be that whoever escapes the sword of Hazael, Jehu will kill; and whoever escapes the sword of Jehu, Elisha will kill. ⁽¹⁸⁾ Yet I have reserved seven thousand in Israel, all whose knees have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him.'

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Ephesians Chapter 4

⁽¹⁷⁾ This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, ⁽¹⁸⁾ having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart; ⁽¹⁹⁾ who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness. ⁽²⁰⁾ But you have not so learned Christ,

⁽²¹⁾ if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: ⁽²²⁾ that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, ⁽²³⁾ and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, ⁽²⁴⁾ and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.

⁽²⁵⁾ Therefore, putting away lying, 'Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor,' for we are members of one another. ⁽²⁶⁾ Be angry, and do not sin': do not let the sun go down on your wrath, ⁽²⁷⁾ nor give place to the devil. ⁽²⁸⁾ Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need.

⁽²⁹⁾ Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. ⁽³⁰⁾ And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. ⁽³¹⁾ Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. ⁽³²⁾ And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ forgave you.

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

John Chapter 6

⁽¹⁵⁾ Therefore when Jesus perceived that they were about to come and take Him by force to make Him king, He departed again to the mountain by Himself alone. ⁽¹⁶⁾ Now when evening came, His disciples went down to the sea, ⁽¹⁷⁾ got into the boat, and went over the sea toward Capernaum. And it was already dark, and Jesus had not come to them. ⁽¹⁸⁾ Then the sea arose because a great wind was blowing.

⁽¹⁹⁾ So when they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and drawing near the boat; and they were afraid. ⁽²⁰⁾ But He said to them, 'It is I; do not be afraid.' ⁽²¹⁾ Then they willingly received Him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land where they were going. ⁽²²⁾ On the following day, when the people who were standing on the other side of the sea saw that there was no other boat there, except that one which His disciples had entered, and that Jesus had not entered the boat with His disciples, but His disciples had gone away alone --

⁽²³⁾ however, other boats came from Tiberias, near the place where they ate bread after the Lord had given thanks -- ⁽²⁴⁾ when the people therefore saw that Jesus was not there, nor His disciples, they also got into boats and came to Capernaum, seeking Jesus. ⁽²⁵⁾ And when they found Him on the other side of the sea, they said to Him, 'Rabbi, when did You come here?' ⁽²⁶⁾ Jesus answered them and said, 'Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled.

⁽²⁷⁾ Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him.'

The Gospel of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

The First Song of Isaiah       Isaiah 12:2 to 6
 
Surely, it is God who saves me;
  I will trust in him and not be afraid.
For the Lord is my stronghold
and my sure defense,
  and he will be my Savior.
Therefore you shall draw water with rejoicing
  from the springs of salvation.
And on that day you shall say,
  Give thanks to the Lord and call upon his Name;
Make his deeds known among the peoples;
  see that they remember that his Name is exalted.
Sing the praises of the Lord,
for he has done great things,
  and this is known in all the world.
Cry aloud, inhabitants of Zion, ring out your joy,
  for the great one in the midst of you is the Holy One of Israel.
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.

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 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 after Christmas Day
Almighty God, you have poured upon us the new light of your incarnate Word: Grant that this light, enkindled in our hearts, may shine forth in our lives; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of 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