Evening Prayer

Epiphany
Nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising. Isaiah 60:3

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.

The Lord has shown forth his glory: Come let us adore him.

The Lessons

Psalm 37

⁽¹⁾ Do not fret because of evildoers, Nor be envious of the workers of iniquity. ⁽²⁾ For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, And wither as the green herb. ⁽³⁾ Trust in the LORD, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. ⁽⁴⁾ Delight yourself also in the LORD, And He shall give you the desires of your heart.

⁽⁵⁾ Commit your way to the LORD, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass. ⁽⁶⁾ He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light, And your justice as the noonday. ⁽⁷⁾ Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, Because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass. ⁽⁸⁾ Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; Do not fret -- it only causes harm.

⁽⁹⁾ For evildoers shall be cut off; But those who wait on the LORD, They shall inherit the earth. ⁽¹⁰⁾ For yet a little while and the wicked shall be no more; Indeed, you will look carefully for his place, But it shall be no more. ⁽¹¹⁾ But the meek shall inherit the earth, And shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace. ⁽¹²⁾ The wicked plots against the just, And gnashes at him with his teeth.

⁽¹³⁾ The Lord laughs at him, For He sees that his day is coming. ⁽¹⁴⁾ The wicked have drawn the sword And have bent their bow, To cast down the poor and needy, To slay those who are of upright conduct. ⁽¹⁵⁾ Their sword shall enter their own heart, And their bows shall be broken. ⁽¹⁶⁾ A little that a righteous man has Is better than the riches of many wicked.

⁽¹⁷⁾ For the arms of the wicked shall be broken, But the LORD upholds the righteous. ⁽¹⁸⁾ The LORD knows the days of the upright, And their inheritance shall be 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.

Isaiah Chapter 45

⁽⁵⁾ I am the LORD, and there is no other; There is no God besides Me. I will gird you, though you have not known Me, ⁽⁶⁾ That they may know from the rising of the sun to its setting That there is none besides Me. I am the LORD, and there is no other; ⁽⁷⁾ I form the light and create darkness, I make peace and create calamity; I, the LORD, do all these things.' ⁽⁸⁾ Rain down, you heavens, from above, And let the skies pour down righteousness; Let the earth open, let them bring forth salvation, And let righteousness spring up together. I, the LORD, have created it.

⁽⁹⁾ Woe to him who strives with his Maker! Let the potsherd strive with the potsherds of the earth! Shall the clay say to him who forms it, 'What are you making?' Or shall your handiwork say, 'He has no hands'? ⁽¹⁰⁾ Woe to him who says to his father, 'What are you begetting?' Or to the woman, 'What have you brought forth?' ' ⁽¹¹⁾ Thus says the LORD, The Holy One of Israel, and his Maker: 'Ask Me of things to come concerning My sons; And concerning the work of My hands, you command Me. ⁽¹²⁾ I have made the earth, And created man on it. I -- My hands -- stretched out the heavens, And all their host I have commanded.

⁽¹³⁾ I have raised him up in righteousness, And I will direct all his ways; He shall build My city And let My exiles go free, Not for price nor reward,' Says the LORD of hosts. ⁽¹⁴⁾ Thus says the LORD: 'The labor of Egypt and merchandise of Cush And of the Sabeans, men of stature, Shall come over to you, and they shall be yours; They shall walk behind you, They shall come over in chains; And they shall bow down to you. They will make supplication to you, saying, 'Surely God is in you, And there is no other; There is no other God.' ' ⁽¹⁵⁾ Truly You are God, who hide Yourself, O God of Israel, the Savior! ⁽¹⁶⁾ They shall be ashamed And also disgraced, all of them; They shall go in confusion together, Who are makers of idols.

⁽¹⁷⁾ But Israel shall be saved by the LORD With an everlasting salvation; You shall not be ashamed or disgraced Forever and ever.

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Ephesians Chapter 5

⁽¹⁵⁾ See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, ⁽¹⁶⁾ redeeming the time, because the days are evil. ⁽¹⁷⁾ Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. ⁽¹⁸⁾ And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit,

⁽¹⁹⁾ speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, ⁽²⁰⁾ giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, ⁽²¹⁾ submitting to one another in the fear of God. ⁽²²⁾ Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord.

⁽²³⁾ For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body. ⁽²⁴⁾ Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything. ⁽²⁵⁾ Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, ⁽²⁶⁾ that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word,

⁽²⁷⁾ that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. ⁽²⁸⁾ So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself. ⁽²⁹⁾ For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church. ⁽³⁰⁾ For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones.

⁽³¹⁾ For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.' ⁽³²⁾ This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church. ⁽³³⁾ Nevertheless let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Mark Chapter 4

⁽²¹⁾ Also He said to them, 'Is a lamp brought to be put under a basket or under a bed? Is it not to be set on a lampstand? ⁽²²⁾ For there is nothing hidden which will not be revealed, nor has anything been kept secret but that it should come to light. ⁽²³⁾ If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.' ⁽²⁴⁾ Then He said to them, 'Take heed what you hear. With the same measure you use, it will be measured to you; and to you who hear, more will be given.

⁽²⁵⁾ For whoever has, to him more will be given; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.' ⁽²⁶⁾ And He said, 'The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground, ⁽²⁷⁾ and should sleep by night and rise by day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he himself does not know how. ⁽²⁸⁾ For the earth yields crops by itself: first the blade, then the head, after that the full grain in the head.

⁽²⁹⁾ But when the grain ripens, immediately he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.' ⁽³⁰⁾ Then He said, 'To what shall we liken the kingdom of God? Or with what parable shall we picture it? ⁽³¹⁾ It is like a mustard seed which, when it is sown on the ground, is smaller than all the seeds on earth; ⁽³²⁾ but when it is sown, it grows up and becomes greater than all herbs, and shoots out large branches, so that the birds of the air may nest under its shade.'

⁽³³⁾ And with many such parables He spoke the word to them as they were able to hear it. ⁽³⁴⁾ But without a parable He did not speak to them. And when they were alone, He explained all things to His disciples.

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:  Second Sunday after the Epiphany
Almighty God, whose Son our Savior Jesus Christ is the light of the world: Grant that your people, illumined by your Word and Sacraments, may shine with the radiance of Christ’s glory, that he may be known, worshiped, and obeyed to the ends of the earth; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, 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