Evening Prayer - December 31, 2026

Today's Readings

Psalm 46:1-11

Psalm 48:1-14

Isaiah 26:1-9

2 Corinthians 5:16-21,6:1-2

John 8:12-19

Today is the Seventh day of Christmas
Behold, the dwelling of God is with mankind. He will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself will be with them, and be their God. Revelation 21:3

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

ⓘ 'Venite' is Latin for 'O Come,' the opening word of Psalm 95: Venite exultemus Domino ('O Come, let us sing to the LORD').

Psalm 95:1 to 7
Come, let us sing to the Lord;
   let us shout for joy to the Rock of our salvation.
Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving
   and raise a loud shout to him with psalms.

For the Lord is a great God,
   and a great King above all gods.
In his hand are the caverns of the earth,
   and the heights of the hills are his also.
The sea is his, for he made it,
   and his hands have molded the dry land.

Come, let us bow down, and bend the knee,
   and kneel before the Lord our Maker.
For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture and the sheep of his hand.
    Oh, that today you would hearken to his voice!

The Antiphon:

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

Alleluia. To us a child is born: O come, let us adore him. Alleluia.

The Lessons

Psalm 46

⁽¹⁾ God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble.⁽²⁾ Therefore we will not fear, Even though the earth be removed, And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;⁽³⁾ Though its waters roar and be troubled, Though the mountains shake with its swelling. Selah⁽⁴⁾ There is a river whose streams shall make glad the city of God, The holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High.

⁽⁵⁾ God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved; God shall help her, just at the break of dawn.⁽⁶⁾ The nations raged, the kingdoms were moved; He uttered His voice, the earth melted.⁽⁷⁾ The LORD of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah⁽⁸⁾ Come, behold the works of the LORD, Who has made desolations in the earth.

⁽⁹⁾ He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two; He burns the chariot in the fire.⁽¹⁰⁾ Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!⁽¹¹⁾ The LORD of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our refuge. 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.

Psalm 48

⁽¹⁾ Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised In the city of our God, In His holy mountain.⁽²⁾ Beautiful in elevation, The joy of the whole earth, Is Mount Zion on the sides of the north, The city of the great King.⁽³⁾ God is in her palaces; He is known as her refuge.⁽⁴⁾ For behold, the kings assembled, They passed by together.

⁽⁵⁾ They saw it, and so they marveled; They were troubled, they hastened away.⁽⁶⁾ Fear took hold of them there, And pain, as of a woman in birth pangs,⁽⁷⁾ As when You break the ships of Tarshish With an east wind.⁽⁸⁾ As we have heard, So we have seen In the city of the LORD of hosts, In the city of our God: God will establish it forever. Selah

⁽⁹⁾ We have thought, O God, on Your lovingkindness, In the midst of Your temple.⁽¹⁰⁾ According to Your name, O God, So is Your praise to the ends of the earth; Your right hand is full of righteousness.⁽¹¹⁾ Let Mount Zion rejoice, Let the daughters of Judah be glad, Because of Your judgments.⁽¹²⁾ Walk about Zion, And go all around her. Count her towers;

⁽¹³⁾ Mark well her bulwarks; Consider her palaces; That you may tell it to the generation following.⁽¹⁴⁾ For this is God, Our God forever and ever; He will be our guide Even to death.

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 26

⁽¹⁾ In that day this song will be sung in the land of Judah: 'We have a strong city; God will appoint salvation for walls and bulwarks.⁽²⁾ Open the gates, That the righteous nation which keeps the truth may enter in.⁽³⁾ You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You.⁽⁴⁾ Trust in the LORD forever, For in YAH, the LORD, is everlasting strength.

⁽⁵⁾ For He brings down those who dwell on high, The lofty city; He lays it low, He lays it low to the ground, He brings it down to the dust.⁽⁶⁾ The foot shall tread it down -- The feet of the poor And the steps of the needy.'⁽⁷⁾ The way of the just is uprightness; O Most Upright, You weigh the path of the just.⁽⁸⁾ Yes, in the way of Your judgments, O LORD, we have waited for You; The desire of our soul is for Your name And for the remembrance of You.

⁽⁹⁾ With my soul I have desired You in the night, Yes, by my spirit within me I will seek You early; For when Your judgments are in the earth, The inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

2 Corinthians Chapter 5

⁽¹⁶⁾ Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer.⁽¹⁷⁾ Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.⁽¹⁸⁾ Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation,⁽¹⁹⁾ that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.

⁽²⁰⁾ Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God.⁽²¹⁾ For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.⁽¹⁾ We then, as workers together with Him also plead with you not to receive the grace of God in vain.⁽²⁾ For He says: 'In an acceptable time I have heard you, And in the day of salvation I have helped you.' Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

John Chapter 8

⁽¹²⁾ Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, 'I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.'⁽¹³⁾ The Pharisees therefore said to Him, 'You bear witness of Yourself; Your witness is not true.'⁽¹⁴⁾ Jesus answered and said to them, 'Even if I bear witness of Myself, My witness is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going; but you do not know where I come from and where I am going.⁽¹⁵⁾ You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one.

⁽¹⁶⁾ And yet if I do judge, My judgment is true; for I am not alone, but I am with the Father who sent Me.⁽¹⁷⁾ It is also written in your law that the testimony of two men is true.⁽¹⁸⁾ I am One who bears witness of Myself, and the Father who sent Me bears witness of Me.'⁽¹⁹⁾ Then they said to Him, 'Where is Your Father?' Jesus answered, 'You know neither Me nor My Father. If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also.'

The Gospel of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

\
The Song of Zechariah Luke 1: 68 to 79
Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel;
he has come to his people and set them free.
He has raised up for us a mighty savior,
born of the house of his servant David.
Through his holy prophets he promised of old,
that he would save us from our enemies,
from the hands of all who hate us.
He promised to show mercy to our fathers
and to remember his holy covenant.
This was the oath he swore to our father Abraham,
to set us free from the hands of our enemies,
Free to worship him without fear,
holy and righteous in his sight
all the days of our life.
You, my child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High,
for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way,
To give his people knowledge of salvation
by the forgiveness of their sins.
In the tender compassion of our God
the dawn from on high shall break upon us,
To shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death,
and to guide our feet into the way of peace.
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

Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy Name,
thy kingdom come, thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
and the power, and the glory,
forever and ever. Amen.

Suffrages

ⓘ A simple prayer to God for help, mercy, or intercession, rooted in the Latin word for support.

Show us your mercy, O Lord;
And grant us your salvation.
Clothe your ministers with righteousness;
Let your people sing with joy.
Give peace, O Lord, in all the world;
For only in you can we live in safety.
Lord, keep this nation under your care;
And guide us in the way of justice and truth.
Let your way be known upon earth;
Your saving health among all nations.
Let not the needy, O Lord, be forgotten;
Nor the hope of the poor be taken away.
Create in us clean hearts, O God;
And sustain us by your Holy Spirit.

Seasonal Collect: The Nativity of Our Lord
O God, you make us glad by the yearly festival of the birth of your only Son Jesus Christ: Grant that we, who joyfully receive him as our Redeemer, may with sure confidence behold him when he comes to be our Judge; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

--or this--

O God, you have caused this holy night to shine with the brightness of the true Light: Grant that we, who have known the mystery of that Light on earth, may also enjoy him perfectly in heaven; where with you and the Holy Spirit he lives and reigns, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.

--or this--

Almighty God, you have given your only begotten Son to take our nature upon him, and to be born [this day] of a pure virgin: Grant that we, who have been born again and made your children by adoption and grace, may daily be renewed by your Holy Spirit; through our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom with you and the same Spirit be honor and glory, 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.

Closing Prayers

Thanksgiving
Almighty God, Father of all mercies, we your unworthy servants give you humble thanks for all your goodness and loving-kindness to us and to all whom you have made. We bless you for our creation, preservation, and all the blessings of this life; but above all for your immeasurable love in the redemption of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ; for the means of grace, and for the hope of glory, and, we pray, give us such an awareness of your mercies, that with truly thankful hearts we may show forth your praise, not only with our lips, but in our lives, by giving up ourselves to your service, and by walking before you in holiness and righteousness all our days; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory throughout all ages. Amen.

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