Evening Prayer

Ordinary Time
The Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth keep silence before him. Habakkuk 2:20

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 1

⁽¹⁾ Blessed is the man Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful; ⁽²⁾ But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night. ⁽³⁾ He shall be like a tree Planted by the rivers of water, That brings forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper. ⁽⁴⁾ The ungodly are not so, But are like the chaff which the wind drives away.

⁽⁵⁾ Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, Nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. ⁽⁶⁾ For the LORD knows the way of the righteous, But the way of the ungodly shall perish.

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 2

⁽¹⁾ Why do the nations rage, And the people plot a vain thing? ⁽²⁾ The kings of the earth set themselves, And the rulers take counsel together, Against the LORD and against His Anointed, saying, ⁽³⁾ Let us break Their bonds in pieces And cast away Their cords from us.' ⁽⁴⁾ He who sits in the heavens shall laugh; The LORD shall hold them in derision.

⁽⁵⁾ Then He shall speak to them in His wrath, And distress them in His deep displeasure: ⁽⁶⁾ Yet I have set My King On My holy hill of Zion.' ⁽⁷⁾ I will declare the decree: The LORD has said to Me, 'You are My Son, Today I have begotten You. ⁽⁸⁾ Ask of Me, and I will give You The nations for Your inheritance, And the ends of the earth for Your possession.

⁽⁹⁾ You shall break them with a rod of iron; You shall dash them to pieces like a potter's vessel.' ' ⁽¹⁰⁾ Now therefore, be wise, O kings; Be instructed, you judges of the earth. ⁽¹¹⁾ Serve the LORD with fear, And rejoice with trembling. ⁽¹²⁾ Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, And you perish in the way, When His wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him.

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 3

⁽¹⁾ LORD, how they have increased who trouble me! Many are they who rise up against me. ⁽²⁾ Many are they who say of me, 'There is no help for him in God.' Selah ⁽³⁾ But You, O LORD, are a shield for me, My glory and the One who lifts up my head. ⁽⁴⁾ I cried to the LORD with my voice, And He heard me from His holy hill. Selah

⁽⁵⁾ I lay down and slept; I awoke, for the LORD sustained me. ⁽⁶⁾ I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people Who have set themselves against me all around. ⁽⁷⁾ Arise, O LORD; Save me, O my God! For You have struck all my enemies on the cheekbone; You have broken the teeth of the ungodly. ⁽⁸⁾ Salvation belongs to the LORD. Your blessing is upon Your people. 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.

Micah Chapter 7

⁽¹⁾ Woe is me! For I am like those who gather summer fruits, Like those who glean vintage grapes; There is no cluster to eat Of the first-ripe fruit which my soul desires. ⁽²⁾ The faithful man has perished from the earth, And there is no one upright among men. They all lie in wait for blood; Every man hunts his brother with a net. ⁽³⁾ That they may successfully do evil with both hands -- The prince asks for gifts, The judge seeks a bribe, And the great man utters his evil desire; So they scheme together. ⁽⁴⁾ The best of them is like a brier; The most upright is sharper than a thorn hedge; The day of your watchman and your punishment comes; Now shall be their perplexity.

⁽⁵⁾ Do not trust in a friend; Do not put your confidence in a companion; Guard the doors of your mouth From her who lies in your bosom. ⁽⁶⁾ For son dishonors father, Daughter rises against her mother, Daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; A man's enemies are the men of his own household. ⁽⁷⁾ Therefore I will look to the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation; My God will hear me.

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Acts Chapter 26

⁽¹⁾ Then Agrippa said to Paul, 'You are permitted to speak for yourself.' So Paul stretched out his hand and answered for himself: ⁽²⁾ I think myself happy, King Agrippa, because today I shall answer for myself before you concerning all the things of which I am accused by the Jews, ⁽³⁾ especially because you are expert in all customs and questions which have to do with the Jews. Therefore I beg you to hear me patiently. ⁽⁴⁾ My manner of life from my youth, which was spent from the beginning among my own nation at Jerusalem, all the Jews know.

⁽⁵⁾ They knew me from the first, if they were willing to testify, that according to the strictest sect of our religion I lived a Pharisee. ⁽⁶⁾ And now I stand and am judged for the hope of the promise made by God to our fathers. ⁽⁷⁾ To this promise our twelve tribes, earnestly serving God night and day, hope to attain. For this hope's sake, King Agrippa, I am accused by the Jews. ⁽⁸⁾ Why should it be thought incredible by you that God raises the dead?

⁽⁹⁾ Indeed, I myself thought I must do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth. ⁽¹⁰⁾ This I also did in Jerusalem, and many of the saints I shut up in prison, having received authority from the chief priests; and when they were put to death, I cast my vote against them. ⁽¹¹⁾ And I punished them often in every synagogue and compelled them to blaspheme; and being exceedingly enraged against them, I persecuted them even to foreign cities. ⁽¹²⁾ While thus occupied, as I journeyed to Damascus with authority and commission from the chief priests,

⁽¹³⁾ at midday, O king, along the road I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, shining around me and those who journeyed with me. ⁽¹⁴⁾ And when we all had fallen to the ground, I heard a voice speaking to me and saying in the Hebrew language, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.' ⁽¹⁵⁾ So I said, 'Who are You, Lord?' And He said, 'I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. ⁽¹⁶⁾ But rise and stand on your feet; for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to make you a minister and a witness both of the things which you have seen and of the things which I will yet reveal to you.

⁽¹⁷⁾ I will deliver you from the Jewish people, as well as from the Gentiles, to whom I now send you, ⁽¹⁸⁾ to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.' ⁽¹⁹⁾ Therefore, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, ⁽²⁰⁾ but declared first to those in Damascus and in Jerusalem, and throughout all the region of Judea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent, turn to God, and do works befitting repentance.

⁽²¹⁾ For these reasons the Jews seized me in the temple and tried to kill me. ⁽²²⁾ Therefore, having obtained help from God, to this day I stand, witnessing both to small and great, saying no other things than those which the prophets and Moses said would come -- ⁽²³⁾ that the Christ would suffer, that He would be the first to rise from the dead, and would proclaim light to the Jewish people and to the Gentiles.'

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Luke Chapter 8

⁽²⁶⁾ Then they sailed to the country of the Gadarenes, which is opposite Galilee. ⁽²⁷⁾ And when He stepped out on the land, there met Him a certain man from the city who had demons for a long time. And he wore no clothes, nor did he live in a house but in the tombs. ⁽²⁸⁾ When he saw Jesus, he cried out, fell down before Him, and with a loud voice said, 'What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg You, do not torment me!' ⁽²⁹⁾ For He had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For it had often seized him, and he was kept under guard, bound with chains and shackles; and he broke the bonds and was driven by the demon into the wilderness.

⁽³⁰⁾ Jesus asked him, saying, 'What is your name?' And he said, 'Legion,' because many demons had entered him. ⁽³¹⁾ And they begged Him that He would not command them to go out into the abyss. ⁽³²⁾ Now a herd of many swine was feeding there on the mountain. So they begged Him that He would permit them to enter them. And He permitted them. ⁽³³⁾ Then the demons went out of the man and entered the swine, and the herd ran violently down the steep place into the lake and drowned.

⁽³⁴⁾ When those who fed them saw what had happened, they fled and told it in the city and in the country. ⁽³⁵⁾ Then they went out to see what had happened, and came to Jesus, and found the man from whom the demons had departed, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind. And they were afraid. ⁽³⁶⁾ They also who had seen it told them by what means he who had been demon-possessed was healed. ⁽³⁷⁾ Then the whole multitude of the surrounding region of the Gadarenes asked Him to depart from them, for they were seized with great fear. And He got into the boat and returned.

⁽³⁸⁾ Now the man from whom the demons had departed begged Him that he might be with Him. But Jesus sent him away, saying, ⁽³⁹⁾ Return to your own house, and tell what great things God has done for you.' And he went his way and proclaimed throughout the whole city what great things Jesus had done for 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:  Proper 23 The Sunday closest to October 12
Lord, we pray that your grace may always precede and follow us, that we may continually be given to good works; through Jesus Christ our Lord, 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