Evening Prayer

Ordinary Time
Send out your light and your truth, that they may lead me, and bring me to your holy hill and to your dwelling. Psalm 43:3

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.

Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness: Come let us adore him.

The Lessons

Psalm 80

⁽¹⁾ Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, You who lead Joseph like a flock; You who dwell between the cherubim, shine forth! ⁽²⁾ Before Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh, Stir up Your strength, And come and save us! ⁽³⁾ Restore us, O God; Cause Your face to shine, And we shall be saved! ⁽⁴⁾ O LORD God of hosts, How long will You be angry Against the prayer of Your people?

⁽⁵⁾ You have fed them with the bread of tears, And given them tears to drink in great measure. ⁽⁶⁾ You have made us a strife to our neighbors, And our enemies laugh among themselves. ⁽⁷⁾ Restore us, O God of hosts; Cause Your face to shine, And we shall be saved! ⁽⁸⁾ You have brought a vine out of Egypt; You have cast out the nations, and planted it.

⁽⁹⁾ You prepared room for it, And caused it to take deep root, And it filled the land. ⁽¹⁰⁾ The hills were covered with its shadow, And the mighty cedars with its boughs. ⁽¹¹⁾ She sent out her boughs to the Sea, And her branches to the River. ⁽¹²⁾ Why have You broken down her hedges, So that all who pass by the way pluck her fruit?

⁽¹³⁾ The boar out of the woods uproots it, And the wild beast of the field devours it. ⁽¹⁴⁾ Return, we beseech You, O God of hosts; Look down from heaven and see, And visit this vine ⁽¹⁵⁾ And the vineyard which Your right hand has planted, And the branch that You made strong for Yourself. ⁽¹⁶⁾ It is burned with fire, it is cut down; They perish at the rebuke of Your countenance.

⁽¹⁷⁾ Let Your hand be upon the man of Your right hand, Upon the son of man whom You made strong for Yourself. ⁽¹⁸⁾ Then we will not turn back from You; Revive us, and we will call upon Your name. ⁽¹⁹⁾ Restore us, O LORD God of hosts; Cause Your face to shine, And we shall be saved!

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.

Esther Chapter 4

⁽⁴⁾ So Esther's maids and eunuchs came and told her, and the queen was deeply distressed. Then she sent garments to clothe Mordecai and take his sackcloth away from him, but he would not accept them. ⁽⁵⁾ Then Esther called Hathach, one of the king's eunuchs whom he had appointed to attend her, and she gave him a command concerning Mordecai, to learn what and why this was. ⁽⁶⁾ So Hathach went out to Mordecai in the city square that was in front of the king's gate. ⁽⁷⁾ And Mordecai told him all that had happened to him, and the sum of money that Haman had promised to pay into the king's treasuries to destroy the Jews.

⁽⁸⁾ He also gave him a copy of the written decree for their destruction, which was given at Shushan, that he might show it to Esther and explain it to her, and that he might command her to go in to the king to make supplication to him and plead before him for her people. ⁽⁹⁾ So Hathach returned and told Esther the words of Mordecai. ⁽¹⁰⁾ Then Esther spoke to Hathach, and gave him a command for Mordecai: ⁽¹¹⁾ All the king's servants and the people of the king's provinces know that any man or woman who goes into the inner court to the king, who has not been called, he has but one law: put all to death, except the one to whom the king holds out the golden scepter, that he may live. Yet I myself have not been called to go in to the king these thirty days.'

⁽¹²⁾ So they told Mordecai Esther's words. ⁽¹³⁾ And Mordecai told them to answer Esther: 'Do not think in your heart that you will escape in the king's palace any more than all the other Jews. ⁽¹⁴⁾ For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father's house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?' ⁽¹⁵⁾ Then Esther told them to reply to Mordecai:

⁽¹⁶⁾ Go, gather all the Jews who are present in Shushan, and fast for me; neither eat nor drink for three days, night or day. My maids and I will fast likewise. And so I will go to the king, which is against the law; and if I perish, I perish!' ⁽¹⁷⁾ So Mordecai went his way and did according to all that Esther commanded him.

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Acts Chapter 18

⁽¹⁾ After these things Paul departed from Athens and went to Corinth. ⁽²⁾ And he found a certain Jew named Aquila, born in Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla (because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to depart from Rome); and he came to them. ⁽³⁾ So, because he was of the same trade, he stayed with them and worked; for by occupation they were tentmakers. ⁽⁴⁾ And he reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath, and persuaded both Jews and Greeks.

⁽⁵⁾ When Silas and Timothy had come from Macedonia, Paul was compelled by the Spirit, and testified to the Jews that Jesus is the Christ. ⁽⁶⁾ But when they opposed him and blasphemed, he shook his garments and said to them, 'Your blood be upon your own heads; I am clean. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.' ⁽⁷⁾ And he departed from there and entered the house of a certain man named Justus, one who worshiped God, whose house was next door to the synagogue. ⁽⁸⁾ Then Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, believed on the Lord with all his household. And many of the Corinthians, hearing, believed and were baptized.

⁽⁹⁾ Now the Lord spoke to Paul in the night by a vision, 'Do not be afraid, but speak, and do not keep silent; ⁽¹⁰⁾ for I am with you, and no one will attack you to hurt you; for I have many people in this city.' ⁽¹¹⁾ And he continued there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Luke Chapter 1

⁽¹⁾ Inasmuch as many have taken in hand to set in order a narrative of those things which have been fulfilled among us, ⁽²⁾ just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word delivered them to us, ⁽³⁾ it seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write to you an orderly account, most excellent Theophilus, ⁽⁴⁾ that you may know the certainty of those things in which you were instructed.

⁽¹⁾ Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, ⁽²⁾ while Annas and Caiaphas were high priests, the word of God came to John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness. ⁽³⁾ And he went into all the region around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins, ⁽⁴⁾ as it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, saying: 'The voice of one crying in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the LORD; Make His paths straight.

⁽⁵⁾ Every valley shall be filled And every mountain and hill brought low; The crooked places shall be made straight And the rough ways smooth; ⁽⁶⁾ And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.' ' ⁽⁷⁾ Then he said to the multitudes that came out to be baptized by him, 'Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? ⁽⁸⁾ Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, and do not begin to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones.

⁽⁹⁾ And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.' ⁽¹⁰⁾ So the people asked him, saying, 'What shall we do then?' ⁽¹¹⁾ He answered and said to them, 'He who has two tunics, let him give to him who has none; and he who has food, let him do likewise.' ⁽¹²⁾ Then tax collectors also came to be baptized, and said to him, 'Teacher, what shall we do?'

⁽¹³⁾ And he said to them, 'Collect no more than what is appointed for you.' ⁽¹⁴⁾ Likewise the soldiers asked him, saying, 'And what shall we do?' So he said to them, 'Do not intimidate anyone or accuse falsely, and be content with your wages.'

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:  Proper 20 The Sunday closest to September 21
Grant us, Lord, not to be anxious about earthly things, but to love things heavenly; and even now, while we are placed among things that are passing away, to hold fast to those that shall endure; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. 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