Evening Prayer

Advent
The glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together. Isaiah 40:5

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

Venite
The Antiphon:

ⓘ   A short, reflective sentence recited alongside a psalm to deepen our understanding of the readings.

Our King and Savior now draws near: Come, let us adore him.

The Lessons

Psalm 20

⁽¹⁾ May the LORD answer you in the day of trouble; May the name of the God of Jacob defend you; ⁽²⁾ May He send you help from the sanctuary, And strengthen you out of Zion; ⁽³⁾ May He remember all your offerings, And accept your burnt sacrifice. Selah ⁽⁴⁾ May He grant you according to your heart's desire, And fulfill all your purpose.

⁽⁵⁾ We will rejoice in your salvation, And in the name of our God we will set up our banners! May the LORD fulfill all your petitions. ⁽⁶⁾ Now I know that the LORD saves His anointed; He will answer him from His holy heaven With the saving strength of His right hand. ⁽⁷⁾ Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; But we will remember the name of the LORD our God. ⁽⁸⁾ They have bowed down and fallen; But we have risen and stand upright.

⁽⁹⁾ Save, LORD! May the King answer us when we call.

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 21

⁽¹⁾ The king shall have joy in Your strength, O LORD; And in Your salvation how greatly shall he rejoice! ⁽²⁾ You have given him his heart's desire, And have not withheld the request of his lips. Selah ⁽³⁾ For You meet him with the blessings of goodness; You set a crown of pure gold upon his head. ⁽⁴⁾ He asked life from You, and You gave it to him -- Length of days forever and ever.

⁽⁵⁾ His glory is great in Your salvation; Honor and majesty You have placed upon him. ⁽⁶⁾ For You have made him most blessed forever; You have made him exceedingly glad with Your presence. ⁽⁷⁾ For the king trusts in the LORD, And through the mercy of the Most High he shall not be moved. ⁽⁸⁾ Your hand will find all Your enemies; Your right hand will find those who hate You.

⁽⁹⁾ You shall make them as a fiery oven in the time of Your anger; The LORD shall swallow them up in His wrath, And the fire shall devour them. ⁽¹⁰⁾ Their offspring You shall destroy from the earth, And their descendants from among the sons of men. ⁽¹¹⁾ For they intended evil against You; They devised a plot which they are not able to perform. ⁽¹²⁾ Therefore You will make them turn their back; You will make ready Your arrows on Your string toward their faces.

⁽¹³⁾ Be exalted, O LORD, in Your own strength! We will sing and praise Your power.

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.

Isaiah Chapter 4

⁽²⁾ In that day the Branch of the LORD shall be beautiful and glorious; And the fruit of the earth shall be excellent and appealing For those of Israel who have escaped. ⁽³⁾ And it shall come to pass that he who is left in Zion and remains in Jerusalem will be called holy -- everyone who is recorded among the living in Jerusalem. ⁽⁴⁾ When the Lord has washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and purged the blood of Jerusalem from her midst, by the spirit of judgment and by the spirit of burning, ⁽⁵⁾ then the LORD will create above every dwelling place of Mount Zion, and above her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day and the shining of a flaming fire by night. For over all the glory there will be a covering.

⁽⁶⁾ And there will be a tabernacle for shade in the daytime from the heat, for a place of refuge, and for a shelter from storm and rain.

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

1 Thessalonians Chapter 4

⁽¹³⁾ But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. ⁽¹⁴⁾ For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. ⁽¹⁵⁾ For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. ⁽¹⁶⁾ For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.

⁽¹⁷⁾ Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. ⁽¹⁸⁾ Therefore comfort one another with these words.

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Luke Chapter 21

⁽⁵⁾ Then, as some spoke of the temple, how it was adorned with beautiful stones and donations, He said, ⁽⁶⁾ These things which you see -- the days will come in which not one stone shall be left upon another that shall not be thrown down.' ⁽⁷⁾ So they asked Him, saying, 'Teacher, but when will these things be? And what sign will there be when these things are about to take place?' ⁽⁸⁾ And He said: 'Take heed that you not be deceived. For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am He,' and, 'The time has drawn near.' Therefore do not go after them.

⁽⁹⁾ But when you hear of wars and commotions, do not be terrified; for these things must come to pass first, but the end will not come immediately.' ⁽¹⁰⁾ Then He said to them, 'Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. ⁽¹¹⁾ And there will be great earthquakes in various places, and famines and pestilences; and there will be fearful sights and great signs from heaven. ⁽¹²⁾ But before all these things, they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons. You will be brought before kings and rulers for My name's sake.

⁽¹³⁾ But it will turn out for you as an occasion for testimony. ⁽¹⁴⁾ Therefore settle it in your hearts not to meditate beforehand on what you will answer; ⁽¹⁵⁾ for I will give you a mouth and wisdom which all your adversaries will not be able to contradict or resist. ⁽¹⁶⁾ You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, relatives and friends; and they will put some of you to death.

⁽¹⁷⁾ And you will be hated by all for My name's sake. ⁽¹⁸⁾ But not a hair of your head shall be lost. ⁽¹⁹⁾ By your patience possess your souls.

The Gospel of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

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 Third Song of Isaiah       Isaiah 60:1 to 3, 11a, 14c, 18 to 19
Arise, shine, for your light has come,
and the glory of the Lord has dawned upon you.
For behold, darkness covers the land;
deep gloom enshrouds the peoples.
But over you the Lord will rise,
and his glory will appear upon you.
Nations will stream to your light,
and kings to the brightness of your dawning.
Your gates will always be open;
by day or night they will never be shut.
They will call you, The City of the Lord,
The Zion of the Holy One of Israel.
Violence will no more be heard in your land,
ruin or destruction within your borders.
You will call your walls, Salvation,
and all your portals, Praise.
The sun will no more be your light by day;
by night you will not need the brightness of the moon.
The Lord will be your everlasting light,
and your God will be your glory.
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:  First Sunday of Advent
Almighty God, give us grace to cast away the works of darkness, and put on the armor of light, now in the time of this mortal life in which your Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility; that in the last day, when he shall come again in his glorious majesty to judge both the living and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal; through him who lives and reigns with you and 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