Evening Prayer

Easter
Christ has entered, not into a sanctuary made with hands, a copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. Hebrews 9:24

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


From Easter to Pentecost, Christ the Passover  can be used in place of the Venite or Jubilate.

Christ the Passover  1 Corinthians 5:7 to 8; Romans 6:9 to 11; 1 Corinthians 15:20 to 22
Alleluia.
Christ our Passover has been sacrificed for us;
  therefore let us keep the feast,
Not with old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil,
  but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. Alleluia.

Christ being raised from the dead will never die again;
  death no longer has dominion over him.
The death that he died, he died to sin, once for all;
  but the life he lives, he lives to God.
So also consider yourselves dead to sin,
  and alive to God in Jesus Christ our Lord. Alleluia.

  the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep.
For since by a man came death,
  by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead.
For as in Adam all die,
  so in Christ shall all be made alive. Alleluia.

Venite
The Antiphon:

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

You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. Acts 1:8

The Lessons

Psalm 41

⁽¹⁾ Blessed is he who considers the poor; The LORD will deliver him in time of trouble. ⁽²⁾ The LORD will preserve him and keep him alive, And he will be blessed on the earth; You will not deliver him to the will of his enemies. ⁽³⁾ The LORD will strengthen him on his bed of illness; You will sustain him on his sickbed. ⁽⁴⁾ I said, 'LORD, be merciful to me; Heal my soul, for I have sinned against You.'

⁽⁵⁾ My enemies speak evil of me: 'When will he die, and his name perish?' ⁽⁶⁾ And if he comes to see me, he speaks lies; His heart gathers iniquity to itself; When he goes out, he tells it. ⁽⁷⁾ All who hate me whisper together against me; Against me they devise my hurt. ⁽⁸⁾ An evil disease,' they say, 'clings to him. And now that he lies down, he will rise up no more.'

⁽⁹⁾ Even my own familiar friend in whom I trusted, Who ate my bread, Has lifted up his heel against me. ⁽¹⁰⁾ But You, O LORD, be merciful to me, and raise me up, That I may repay them. ⁽¹¹⁾ By this I know that You are well pleased with me, Because my enemy does not triumph over me. ⁽¹²⁾ As for me, You uphold me in my integrity, And set me before Your face forever.

⁽¹³⁾ Blessed be the LORD God of Israel From everlasting to everlasting! Amen and Amen.

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 52

⁽¹⁾ Why do you boast in evil, O mighty man? The goodness of God endures continually. ⁽²⁾ Your tongue devises destruction, Like a sharp razor, working deceitfully. ⁽³⁾ You love evil more than good, Lying rather than speaking righteousness. Selah ⁽⁴⁾ You love all devouring words, You deceitful tongue.

⁽⁵⁾ God shall likewise destroy you forever; He shall take you away, and pluck you out of your dwelling place, And uproot you from the land of the living. Selah ⁽⁶⁾ The righteous also shall see and fear, And shall laugh at him, saying, ⁽⁷⁾ Here is the man who did not make God his strength, But trusted in the abundance of his riches, And strengthened himself in his wickedness.' ⁽⁸⁾ But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God; I trust in the mercy of God forever and ever.

⁽⁹⁾ I will praise You forever, Because You have done it; And in the presence of Your saints I will wait on Your name, for it is good.

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.

Wisdom Chapter 1

⁽¹⁶⁾ Ungodly people have brought death on themselves by the things they have said and done. They yearn for death as if it were a lover. They have gone into partnership with death, and it is just what they deserve. ⁽¹⁾ Wicked people are wrong when they say to themselves, 'Our life is short and full of sorrow, and when its end comes, there is no escape. No one has ever been known to come back from the world of the dead. ⁽²⁾ We were born by chance, and after life is over, we will be as if we had never been born at all. Our breath is no more than a puff of smoke; our mind is nothing more than a spark thrown off by the beating of our heart. ⁽³⁾ When that spark dies, our body will crumble into ashes, and our breath will become part of the empty air. ⁽⁴⁾ In time, no one will remember anything we ever did, and even our names will be forgotten. Our lives will pass away like the traces of clouds and vanish like fog in the heat of the sun.

⁽⁵⁾ Our time on earth is like a passing shadow. There is no escape from the day of our death; it is fixed, and no one can postpone it.? ⁽⁶⁾ The wicked say, 'Come on, then, let's enjoy the good things of life, and live in this world the way we did when we were young and free of care! ⁽⁷⁾ Let's drink the most expensive wines and use the finest perfumes. Let's not miss a single flower in the springtime! ⁽⁸⁾ Before the roses wither, let's pick them and wear them in our hair!

⁽⁹⁾ Let's all join in and leave signs everywhere of our carefree revelry! Life owes us that much! ⁽¹⁰⁾ We'll oppress the poor, even if they are righteous. We'll show no respect for widows or old people. ⁽¹¹⁾ We'll call ourselves right if we are strong enough to get what we want. No one ever got anywhere by being weak! ⁽²¹⁾ That is how evil people think, but they are wrong. They are blinded by their own wickedness. ⁽²²⁾ They have never known God's secrets, never hoped for the rewards of a holy and blameless life. ⁽²³⁾ When God created us, he did not intend for us to die; he made us like himself. ⁽²⁴⁾ It was the Devil's jealousy that brought death into the world, and those who belong to the Devil are the ones who will die.

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Colossians Chapter 1

⁽¹⁾ Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, ⁽²⁾ To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ who are in Colosse: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. ⁽³⁾ We give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, ⁽⁴⁾ since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of your love for all the saints;

⁽⁵⁾ because of the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, of which you heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel, ⁽⁶⁾ which has come to you, as it has also in all the world, and is bringing forth fruit, as it is also among you since the day you heard and knew the grace of God in truth; ⁽⁷⁾ as you also learned from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf, ⁽⁸⁾ who also declared to us your love in the Spirit.

⁽⁹⁾ For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; ⁽¹⁰⁾ that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; ⁽¹¹⁾ strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy; ⁽¹²⁾ giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light.

⁽¹³⁾ He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, ⁽¹⁴⁾ in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Luke Chapter 6

⁽¹⁾ Now it happened on the second Sabbath after the first that He went through the grainfields. And His disciples plucked the heads of grain and ate them, rubbing them in their hands. ⁽²⁾ And some of the Pharisees said to them, 'Why are you doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath?' ⁽³⁾ But Jesus answering them said, 'Have you not even read this, what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him: ⁽⁴⁾ how he went into the house of God, took and ate the showbread, and also gave some to those with him, which is not lawful for any but the priests to eat?'

⁽⁵⁾ And He said to them, 'The Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath.' ⁽⁶⁾ Now it happened on another Sabbath, also, that He entered the synagogue and taught. And a man was there whose right hand was withered. ⁽⁷⁾ So the scribes and Pharisees watched Him closely, whether He would heal on the Sabbath, that they might find an accusation against Him. ⁽⁸⁾ But He knew their thoughts, and said to the man who had the withered hand, 'Arise and stand here.' And he arose and stood.

⁽⁹⁾ Then Jesus said to them, 'I will ask you one thing: Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy?' ⁽¹⁰⁾ And when He had looked around at them all, He said to the man, 'Stretch out your hand.' And he did so, and his hand was restored as whole as the other. ⁽¹¹⁾ But they were filled with rage, and discussed with one another what they might do to Jesus.

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:  Fourth Sunday of Easter
O God, whose Son Jesus is the good shepherd of your people: Grant that when we hear his voice we may know him who calls us each by name, and follow where he leads; who, with you and the Holy Spirit, lives and reigns, one God, forever and ever. 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