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   Alleluia

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 61

⁽¹⁾ HEAR my cry, O God; Attend to my prayer. ⁽²⁾ From the end of the earth I will cry to You, When my heart is overwhelmed; Lead me to the rock that is higher than I. ⁽³⁾ For You have been a shelter for me, A strong tower from the enemy. ⁽⁴⁾ I will abide in Your tabernacle forever; I will trust in the shelter of Your wings. Selah

⁽⁵⁾ For You, O God, have heard my vows; You have given me the heritage of those who fear Your name. ⁽⁶⁾ You will prolong the king's life, His years as many generations. ⁽⁷⁾ He shall abide before God forever. Oh, prepare mercy and truth, which may preserve him! ⁽⁸⁾ So I will sing praise to Your name forever, That I may daily perform my vows.

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 62

⁽¹⁾ Truly my soul silently waits for God; From Him comes my salvation. ⁽²⁾ He only is my rock and my salvation; He is my defense; I shall not be greatly moved. ⁽³⁾ How long will you attack a man? You shall be slain, all of you, Like a leaning wall and a tottering fence. ⁽⁴⁾ They only consult to cast him down from his high position; They delight in lies; They bless with their mouth, But they curse inwardly. Selah

⁽⁵⁾ My soul, wait silently for God alone, For my expectation is from Him. ⁽⁶⁾ He only is my rock and my salvation; He is my defense; I shall not be moved. ⁽⁷⁾ In God is my salvation and my glory; The rock of my strength, And my refuge, is in God. ⁽⁸⁾ Trust in Him at all times, you people; Pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us. Selah

⁽⁹⁾ Surely men of low degree are a vapor, Men of high degree are a lie; If they are weighed on the scales, They are altogether lighter than vapor. ⁽¹⁰⁾ Do not trust in oppression, Nor vainly hope in robbery; If riches increase, Do not set your heart on them. ⁽¹¹⁾ God has spoken once, Twice I have heard this: That power belongs to God. ⁽¹²⁾ Also to You, O Lord, belongs mercy; For You render to each one according to his work.

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.

Zephaniah Chapter 3

⁽¹⁴⁾ Sing, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O Israel! Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem! ⁽¹⁵⁾ The LORD has taken away your judgments, He has cast out your enemy. The King of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst; You shall see disaster no more. ⁽¹⁶⁾ In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem: 'Do not fear; Zion, let not your hands be weak. ⁽¹⁷⁾ The LORD your God in your midst, The Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.'

⁽¹⁸⁾ I will gather those who sorrow over the appointed assembly, Who are among you, To whom its reproach is a burden. ⁽¹⁹⁾ Behold, at that time I will deal with all who afflict you; I will save the lame, And gather those who were driven out; I will appoint them for praise and fame In every land where they were put to shame. ⁽²⁰⁾ At that time I will bring you back, Even at the time I gather you; For I will give you fame and praise Among all the peoples of the earth, When I return your captives before your eyes,' Says the LORD.

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Titus Chapter 1

⁽¹⁾ Paul, a bondservant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God's elect and the acknowledgment of the truth which accords with godliness, ⁽²⁾ in hope of eternal life which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began, ⁽³⁾ but has in due time manifested His word through preaching, which was committed to me according to the commandment of God our Savior; ⁽⁴⁾ To Titus, a true son in our common faith: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ our Savior.

⁽⁵⁾ For this reason I left you in Crete, that you should set in order the things that are lacking, and appoint elders in every city as I commanded you -- ⁽⁶⁾ if a man is blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children not accused of dissipation or insubordination. ⁽⁷⁾ For a bishop must be blameless, as a steward of God, not self-willed, not quick-tempered, not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money, ⁽⁸⁾ but hospitable, a lover of what is good, sober-minded, just, holy, self-controlled,

⁽⁹⁾ holding fast the faithful word as he has been taught, that he may be able, by sound doctrine, both to exhort and convict those who contradict. ⁽¹⁰⁾ For there are many insubordinate, both idle talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision, ⁽¹¹⁾ whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole households, teaching things which they ought not, for the sake of dishonest gain. ⁽¹²⁾ One of them, a prophet of their own, said, 'Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.'

⁽¹³⁾ This testimony is true. Therefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith, ⁽¹⁴⁾ not giving heed to Jewish fables and commandments of men who turn from the truth. ⁽¹⁵⁾ To the pure all things are pure, but to those who are defiled and unbelieving nothing is pure; but even their mind and conscience are defiled. ⁽¹⁶⁾ They profess to know God, but in works they deny Him, being abominable, disobedient, and disqualified for every good work.

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Luke Chapter 1

⁽¹⁾ Inasmuch as many have taken in hand to set in order a narrative of those things which have been fulfilled among us, ⁽²⁾ just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word delivered them to us, ⁽³⁾ it seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write to you an orderly account, most excellent Theophilus, ⁽⁴⁾ that you may know the certainty of those things in which you were instructed.

⁽⁵⁾ There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the division of Abijah. His wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. ⁽⁶⁾ And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. ⁽⁷⁾ But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both well advanced in years. ⁽⁸⁾ So it was, that while he was serving as priest before God in the order of his division,

⁽⁹⁾ according to the custom of the priesthood, his lot fell to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord. ⁽¹⁰⁾ And the whole multitude of the people was praying outside at the hour of incense. ⁽¹¹⁾ Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing on the right side of the altar of incense. ⁽¹²⁾ And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him.

⁽¹³⁾ But the angel said to him, 'Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. ⁽¹⁴⁾ And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth. ⁽¹⁵⁾ For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink. He will also be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb. ⁽¹⁶⁾ And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God.

⁽¹⁷⁾ He will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, 'to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,' and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.' ⁽¹⁸⁾ And Zacharias said to the angel, 'How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is well advanced in years.' ⁽¹⁹⁾ And the angel answered and said to him, 'I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and was sent to speak to you and bring you these glad tidings. ⁽²⁰⁾ But behold, you will be mute and not able to speak until the day these things take place, because you did not believe my words which will be fulfilled in their own time.'

⁽²¹⁾ And the people waited for Zacharias, and marveled that he lingered so long in the temple. ⁽²²⁾ But when he came out, he could not speak to them; and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple, for he beckoned to them and remained speechless. ⁽²³⁾ And so it was, as soon as the days of his service were completed, that he departed to his own house. ⁽²⁴⁾ Now after those days his wife Elizabeth conceived; and she hid herself five months, saying,

⁽²⁵⁾ Thus the Lord has dealt with me, in the days when He looked on me, to take away my reproach among people.'

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 Advent
Purify our conscience, Almighty God, by your daily visitation, that your Son Jesus Christ, at his coming, may find in us a mansion prepared for himself; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. 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