Evening Prayer

--Today is the Feast of Saint Polycarp--
Epiphany
From the rising of the sun to its setting my Name shall be great among the nations, and in every place incense shall be offered to my Name, and a pure offering: for my Name shall be great among the nations, says the Lord of hosts. Malachi 1:11

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.

The Lord has shown forth his glory: Come let us adore him.

The Lessons

Psalm 106

⁽¹⁾ Praise the LORD! Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever. ⁽²⁾ Who can utter the mighty acts of the LORD? Who can declare all His praise? ⁽³⁾ Blessed are those who keep justice, And he who does righteousness at all times! ⁽⁴⁾ Remember me, O LORD, with the favor You have toward Your people; Oh, visit me with Your salvation,

⁽⁵⁾ That I may see the benefit of Your chosen ones, That I may rejoice in the gladness of Your nation, That I may glory with Your inheritance. ⁽⁶⁾ We have sinned with our fathers, We have committed iniquity, We have done wickedly. ⁽⁷⁾ Our fathers in Egypt did not understand Your wonders; They did not remember the multitude of Your mercies, But rebelled by the sea -- the Red Sea. ⁽⁸⁾ Nevertheless He saved them for His name's sake, That He might make His mighty power known.

⁽⁹⁾ He rebuked the Red Sea also, and it dried up; So He led them through the depths, As through the wilderness. ⁽¹⁰⁾ He saved them from the hand of him who hated them, And redeemed them from the hand of the enemy. ⁽¹¹⁾ The waters covered their enemies; There was not one of them left. ⁽¹²⁾ Then they believed His words; They sang His praise.

⁽¹³⁾ They soon forgot His works; They did not wait for His counsel, ⁽¹⁴⁾ But lusted exceedingly in the wilderness, And tested God in the desert. ⁽¹⁵⁾ And He gave them their request, But sent leanness into their soul. ⁽¹⁶⁾ When they envied Moses in the camp, And Aaron the saint of the LORD,

⁽¹⁷⁾ The earth opened up and swallowed Dathan, And covered the faction of Abiram. ⁽¹⁸⁾ A fire was kindled in their company; The flame burned up the wicked.

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.

Proverbs Chapter 3

⁽¹¹⁾ My son, do not despise the chastening of the LORD, Nor detest His correction; ⁽¹²⁾ For whom the LORD loves He corrects, Just as a father the son in whom he delights. ⁽¹³⁾ Happy is the man who finds wisdom, And the man who gains understanding; ⁽¹⁴⁾ For her proceeds are better than the profits of silver, And her gain than fine gold.

⁽¹⁵⁾ She is more precious than rubies, And all the things you may desire cannot compare with her. ⁽¹⁶⁾ Length of days is in her right hand, In her left hand riches and honor. ⁽¹⁷⁾ Her ways are ways of pleasantness, And all her paths are peace. ⁽¹⁸⁾ She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her, And happy are all who retain her.

⁽¹⁹⁾ The LORD by wisdom founded the earth; By understanding He established the heavens; ⁽²⁰⁾ By His knowledge the depths were broken up, And clouds drop down the dew.

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

1 John Chapter 3

⁽¹⁸⁾ My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. ⁽¹⁹⁾ And by this we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before Him. ⁽²⁰⁾ For if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things. ⁽²¹⁾ Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God.

⁽²²⁾ And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight. ⁽²³⁾ And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, as He gave us commandment. ⁽²⁴⁾ Now he who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. And by this we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us. ⁽¹⁾ Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. ⁽²⁾ By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, ⁽³⁾ and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world. ⁽⁴⁾ You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.

⁽⁵⁾ They are of the world. Therefore they speak as of the world, and the world hears them. ⁽⁶⁾ We are of God. He who knows God hears us; he who is not of God does not hear us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

John Chapter 11

⁽¹⁷⁾ So when Jesus came, He found that he had already been in the tomb four days. ⁽¹⁸⁾ Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles away. ⁽¹⁹⁾ And many of the Jews had joined the women around Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning their brother. ⁽²⁰⁾ Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met Him, but Mary was sitting in the house.

⁽²¹⁾ Then Martha said to Jesus, 'Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. ⁽²²⁾ But even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You.' ⁽²³⁾ Jesus said to her, 'Your brother will rise again.' ⁽²⁴⁾ Martha said to Him, 'I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.'

⁽²⁵⁾ Jesus said to her, 'I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. ⁽²⁶⁾ And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?' ⁽²⁷⁾ She said to Him, 'Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.' ⁽²⁸⁾ And when she had said these things, she went her way and secretly called Mary her sister, saying, 'The Teacher has come and is calling for you.'

⁽²⁹⁾ As soon as she heard that, she arose quickly and came to Him.

The Gospel of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

The Song of the Redeemed       Revelation 15:3 to 4  
O ruler of the universe, Lord God,
great deeds are they that you have done,
  surpassing human understanding.
Your ways are ways of righteousness and truth,
 O King of all the ages.

Who can fail to do you homage, Lord,
and sing the praises of your Name?
  for you only are the Holy One.
All nations will draw near
and fall down before you,
  because your just and holy works have been revealed.
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 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.


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:  Seventh Sunday after the Epiphany
O Lord, you have taught us that without love whatever we do is worth nothing: Send your Holy Spirit and pour into our hearts your greatest gift, which is love, the true bond of peace and of all virtue, without which whoever lives is accounted dead before you. Grant this for the sake of your only Son Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Collect of the Day: O God, the King eternal, whose light divides the day from the night and turns the shadow of death into the morning: Drive far from us all wrong desires, incline our hearts to keep your law, and guide our feet into the way of peace; that, having done your will with cheerfulness while it was day, we may, when night comes, rejoice to give you thanks; 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