Evening Prayer

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

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 131

⁽¹⁾ LORD, my heart is not haughty, Nor my eyes lofty. Neither do I concern myself with great matters, Nor with things too profound for me. ⁽²⁾ Surely I have calmed and quieted my soul, Like a weaned child with his mother; Like a weaned child is my soul within me. ⁽³⁾ O Israel, hope in the LORD From this time forth and forever.

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 132

⁽¹⁾ LORD, remember David And all his afflictions; ⁽²⁾ How he swore to the LORD, And vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob: ⁽³⁾ Surely I will not go into the chamber of my house, Or go up to the comfort of my bed; ⁽⁴⁾ I will not give sleep to my eyes Or slumber to my eyelids,

⁽⁵⁾ Until I find a place for the LORD, A dwelling place for the Mighty One of Jacob.' ⁽⁶⁾ Behold, we heard of it in Ephrathah; We found it in the fields of the woods. ⁽⁷⁾ Let us go into His tabernacle; Let us worship at His footstool. ⁽⁸⁾ Arise, O LORD, to Your resting place, You and the ark of Your strength.

⁽⁹⁾ Let Your priests be clothed with righteousness, And let Your saints shout for joy. ⁽¹⁰⁾ For Your servant David's sake, Do not turn away the face of Your Anointed. ⁽¹¹⁾ The LORD has sworn in truth to David; He will not turn from it: 'I will set upon your throne the fruit of your body. ⁽¹²⁾ If your sons will keep My covenant And My testimony which I shall teach them, Their sons also shall sit upon your throne forevermore.'

⁽¹³⁾ For the LORD has chosen Zion; He has desired it for His dwelling place: ⁽¹⁴⁾ This is My resting place forever; Here I will dwell, for I have desired it. ⁽¹⁵⁾ I will abundantly bless her provision; I will satisfy her poor with bread. ⁽¹⁶⁾ I will also clothe her priests with salvation, And her saints shall shout aloud for joy.

⁽¹⁷⁾ There I will make the horn of David grow; I will prepare a lamp for My Anointed. ⁽¹⁸⁾ His enemies I will clothe with shame, But upon Himself His crown shall flourish.'

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 133

⁽¹⁾ Behold, how good and how pleasant it is For brethren to dwell together in unity! ⁽²⁾ It is like the precious oil upon the head, Running down on the beard, The beard of Aaron, Running down on the edge of his garments. ⁽³⁾ It is like the dew of Hermon, Descending upon the mountains of Zion; For there the LORD commanded the blessing -- Life forevermore.

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 7

⁽¹⁾ My son, keep my words, And treasure my commands within you. ⁽²⁾ Keep my commands and live, And my law as the apple of your eye. ⁽³⁾ Bind them on your fingers; Write them on the tablet of your heart. ⁽⁴⁾ Say to wisdom, 'You are my sister,' And call understanding your nearest kin,

⁽⁵⁾ That they may keep you from the immoral woman, From the seductress who flatters with her words. ⁽⁶⁾ For at the window of my house I looked through my lattice, ⁽⁷⁾ And saw among the simple, I perceived among the youths, A young man devoid of understanding, ⁽⁸⁾ Passing along the street near her corner; And he took the path to her house

⁽⁹⁾ In the twilight, in the evening, In the black and dark night. ⁽¹⁰⁾ And there a woman met him, With the attire of a harlot, and a crafty heart. ⁽¹¹⁾ She was loud and rebellious, Her feet would not stay at home. ⁽¹²⁾ At times she was outside, at times in the open square, Lurking at every corner.

⁽¹³⁾ So she caught him and kissed him; With an impudent face she said to him: ⁽¹⁴⁾ I have peace offerings with me; Today I have paid my vows. ⁽¹⁵⁾ So I came out to meet you, Diligently to seek your face, And I have found you. ⁽¹⁶⁾ I have spread my bed with tapestry, Colored coverings of Egyptian linen.

⁽¹⁷⁾ I have perfumed my bed With myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon. ⁽¹⁸⁾ Come, let us take our fill of love until morning; Let us delight ourselves with love. ⁽¹⁹⁾ For my husband is not at home; He has gone on a long journey; ⁽²⁰⁾ He has taken a bag of money with him, And will come home on the appointed day.'

⁽²¹⁾ With her enticing speech she caused him to yield, With her flattering lips she seduced him. ⁽²²⁾ Immediately he went after her, as an ox goes to the slaughter, Or as a fool to the correction of the stocks, ⁽²³⁾ Till an arrow struck his liver. As a bird hastens to the snare, He did not know it would cost his life. ⁽²⁴⁾ Now therefore, listen to me, my children; Pay attention to the words of my mouth:

⁽²⁵⁾ Do not let your heart turn aside to her ways, Do not stray into her paths; ⁽²⁶⁾ For she has cast down many wounded, And all who were slain by her were strong men. ⁽²⁷⁾ Her house is the way to hell, Descending to the chambers of death.

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

1 John Chapter 5

⁽¹³⁾ These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God. ⁽¹⁴⁾ Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. ⁽¹⁵⁾ And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him. ⁽¹⁶⁾ If anyone sees his brother sinning a sin which does not lead to death, he will ask, and He will give him life for those who commit sin not leading to death. There is sin leading to death. I do not say that he should pray about that.

⁽¹⁷⁾ All unrighteousness is sin, and there is sin not leading to death. ⁽¹⁸⁾ We know that whoever is born of God does not sin; but he who has been born of God keeps himself, and the wicked one does not touch him. ⁽¹⁹⁾ We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one. ⁽²⁰⁾ And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding, that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life.

⁽²¹⁾ Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

John Chapter 11

⁽⁵⁵⁾ And the Passover of the Jews was near, and many went from the country up to Jerusalem before the Passover, to purify themselves. ⁽⁵⁶⁾ Then they sought Jesus, and spoke among themselves as they stood in the temple, 'What do you think -- that He will not come to the feast?' ⁽⁵⁷⁾ Now both the chief priests and the Pharisees had given a command, that if anyone knew where He was, he should report it, that they might seize Him. ⁽¹⁾ Then, six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was who had been dead, whom He had raised from the dead. ⁽²⁾ There they made Him a supper; and Martha served, but Lazarus was one of those who sat at the table with Him. ⁽³⁾ Then Mary took a pound of very costly oil of spikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil. ⁽⁴⁾ Then one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, who would betray Him, said,

⁽⁵⁾ Why was this fragrant oil not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?' ⁽⁶⁾ This he said, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and had the money box; and he used to take what was put in it. ⁽⁷⁾ But Jesus said, 'Let her alone; she has kept this for the day of My burial. ⁽⁸⁾ For the poor you have with you always, but Me you do not have always.'

The Gospel of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.


The Song of Moses    Exodus 15:1 to 6, 11 to 13, 17 to 18

I will sing to the Lord, for he is lofty and uplifted;
the horse and its rider has he hurled into the sea.
The Lord is my strength and my refuge;
the Lord has become my Savior.
This is my God and I will praise him,
the God of my people and I will exalt him.
The Lord is a mighty warrior;
Yahweh is his Name.
The chariots of Pharoah and his army has he hurled into the sea;
the finest of those who bear armor have been drowned in the Red Sea.
The fathomless deep has overwhelmed them;
they sank into the depths like a stone.
Your right hand, O Lord, is glorious in might;
your right hand, O Lord, has overthrown the enemy.
Who can be compared with you, O Lord, among the gods?
who is like you, glorious in holiness,
awesome in renown, and worker of wonders?
You stretched forth your right hand;
the earth swallowed them up.
With your constant love you led the people you redeemed;
with your might you brought them in safety to
your holy dwelling.
You will bring them in and plant them
on the mount of your possession,
The resting-place you have made for yourself, O Lord,
the sanctuary, O Lord, that your hand has established.
The Lord shall reign forever and forever.
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: Heavenly Father, in you we live and move and have our being: We humbly pray you so to guide and govern us by your Holy Spirit, that in all the cares and occupations of our life we may not forget you, but may remember that we are ever walking in your sight; 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