Evening Prayer - January 22, 2027

Today's Readings

Psalm 31:1-24

Isaiah 45:18-25

Ephesians 6:1-9

Mark 4:35-41

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

ⓘ '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.

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

The Lessons

Psalm 31

⁽¹⁾ In You, O LORD, I put my trust; Let me never be ashamed; Deliver me in Your righteousness.⁽²⁾ Bow down Your ear to me, Deliver me speedily; Be my rock of refuge, A fortress of defense to save me.⁽³⁾ For You are my rock and my fortress; Therefore, for Your name's sake, Lead me and guide me.⁽⁴⁾ Pull me out of the net which they have secretly laid for me, For You are my strength.

⁽⁵⁾ Into Your hand I commit my spirit; You have redeemed me, O LORD God of truth.⁽⁶⁾ I have hated those who regard useless idols; But I trust in the LORD.⁽⁷⁾ I will be glad and rejoice in Your mercy, For You have considered my trouble; You have known my soul in adversities,⁽⁸⁾ And have not shut me up into the hand of the enemy; You have set my feet in a wide place.

⁽⁹⁾ Have mercy on me, O LORD, for I am in trouble; My eye wastes away with grief, Yes, my soul and my body!⁽¹⁰⁾ For my life is spent with grief, And my years with sighing; My strength fails because of my iniquity, And my bones waste away.⁽¹¹⁾ I am a reproach among all my enemies, But especially among my neighbors, And am repulsive to my acquaintances; Those who see me outside flee from me.⁽¹²⁾ I am forgotten like a dead man, out of mind; I am like a broken vessel.

⁽¹³⁾ For I hear the slander of many; Fear is on every side; While they take counsel together against me, They scheme to take away my life.⁽¹⁴⁾ But as for me, I trust in You, O LORD; I say, 'You are my God.'⁽¹⁵⁾ My times are in Your hand; Deliver me from the hand of my enemies, And from those who persecute me.⁽¹⁶⁾ Make Your face shine upon Your servant; Save me for Your mercies' sake.

⁽¹⁷⁾ Do not let me be ashamed, O LORD, for I have called upon You; Let the wicked be ashamed; Let them be silent in the grave.⁽¹⁸⁾ Let the lying lips be put to silence, Which speak insolent things proudly and contemptuously against the righteous.⁽¹⁹⁾ Oh, how great is Your goodness, Which You have laid up for those who fear You, Which You have prepared for those who trust in You In the presence of the sons of men!⁽²⁰⁾ You shall hide them in the secret place of Your presence From the plots of man; You shall keep them secretly in a pavilion From the strife of tongues.

⁽²¹⁾ Blessed be the LORD, For He has shown me His marvelous kindness in a strong city!⁽²²⁾ For I said in my haste, 'I am cut off from before Your eyes'; Nevertheless You heard the voice of my supplications When I cried out to You.⁽²³⁾ Oh, love the LORD, all you His saints! For the LORD preserves the faithful, And fully repays the proud person.⁽²⁴⁾ Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart, All you who hope in the LORD.

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

⁽¹⁸⁾ For thus says the LORD, Who created the heavens, Who is God, Who formed the earth and made it, Who has established it, Who did not create it in vain, Who formed it to be inhabited: 'I am the LORD, and there is no other.⁽¹⁹⁾ I have not spoken in secret, In a dark place of the earth; I did not say to the seed of Jacob, 'Seek Me in vain'; I, the LORD, speak righteousness, I declare things that are right.⁽²⁰⁾ Assemble yourselves and come; Draw near together, You who have escaped from the nations. They have no knowledge, Who carry the wood of their carved image, And pray to a god that cannot save.⁽²¹⁾ Tell and bring forth your case; Yes, let them take counsel together. Who has declared this from ancient time? Who has told it from that time? Have not I, the LORD? And there is no other God besides Me, A just God and a Savior; There is none besides Me.

⁽²²⁾ Look to Me, and be saved, All you ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other.⁽²³⁾ I have sworn by Myself; The word has gone out of My mouth in righteousness, And shall not return, That to Me every knee shall bow, Every tongue shall take an oath.⁽²⁴⁾ He shall say, 'Surely in the LORD I have righteousness and strength. To Him men shall come, And all shall be ashamed Who are incensed against Him.⁽²⁵⁾ In the LORD all the descendants of Israel Shall be justified, and shall glory.' '

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Ephesians Chapter 6

⁽¹⁾ Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.⁽²⁾ Honor your father and mother,' which is the first commandment with promise:⁽³⁾ that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth.'⁽⁴⁾ And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.

⁽⁵⁾ Bondservants, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in sincerity of heart, as to Christ;⁽⁶⁾ not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart,⁽⁷⁾ with goodwill doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men,⁽⁸⁾ knowing that whatever good anyone does, he will receive the same from the Lord, whether he is a slave or free.

⁽⁹⁾ And you, masters, do the same things to them, giving up threatening, knowing that your own Master also is in heaven, and there is no partiality with Him.

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Mark Chapter 4

⁽³⁵⁾ On the same day, when evening had come, He said to them, 'Let us cross over to the other side.'⁽³⁶⁾ Now when they had left the multitude, they took Him along in the boat as He was. And other little boats were also with Him.⁽³⁷⁾ And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling.⁽³⁸⁾ But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, 'Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?'

⁽³⁹⁾ Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, 'Peace, be still!' And the wind ceased and there was a great calm.⁽⁴⁰⁾ But He said to them, 'Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?'⁽⁴¹⁾ And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another, 'Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!'

The Gospel of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

The Second Song of Isaiah Isaiah 55:6 to 11

Seek the Lord while he wills to be found;
call upon him when he draws near.
Let the wicked forsake their ways
and the evil ones their thoughts;
And let them turn to the Lord, and he will have compassion,
and to our God, for he will richly pardon.
For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
nor your ways my ways, says the Lord.
For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways,
and my thoughts than your thoughts.
For as rain and snow fall from the heavens
and return not again, but water the earth,
Bringing forth life and giving growth,
seed for sowing and bread for eating,
So is my word that goes forth from my mouth;
it will not return to me empty;
But it will accomplish that which I have purposed,
and prosper in that for which I sent it.
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: 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: Almighty God, whose most dear Son went not up to joy but first he suffered pain, and entered not into glory before he was crucified: Mercifully grant that we, walking in the way of the cross, may find it none other than the way of life and peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

A Prayer for Mission: O God, you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth, and sent your blessed Son to preach peace to those who are far off and to those who are near: Grant that people everywhere may seek after you and find you; bring the nations into your fold; pour out your Spirit upon all flesh; and hasten the coming of your kingdom; through Jesus Christ our Lord. 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

May the God of hope fill us with all joy and peace in believing through the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Romans 15:13