Evening Prayer

Epiphany
I will give you as a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth. Isaiah 49:6b

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 87

⁽¹⁾ His foundation is in the holy mountains. ⁽²⁾ The LORD loves the gates of Zion More than all the dwellings of Jacob. ⁽³⁾ Glorious things are spoken of you, O city of God! Selah ⁽⁴⁾ I will make mention of Rahab and Babylon to those who know Me; Behold, O Philistia and Tyre, with Ethiopia: 'This one was born there.' '

⁽⁵⁾ And of Zion it will be said, 'This one and that one were born in her; And the Most High Himself shall establish her.' ⁽⁶⁾ The LORD will record, When He registers the peoples: 'This one was born there.' Selah ⁽⁷⁾ Both the singers and the players on instruments say, 'All my springs are in you.'

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 90

⁽¹⁾ LORD, You have been our dwelling place in all generations. ⁽²⁾ Before the mountains were brought forth, Or ever You had formed the earth and the world, Even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God. ⁽³⁾ You turn man to destruction, And say, 'Return, O children of men.' ⁽⁴⁾ For a thousand years in Your sight Are like yesterday when it is past, And like a watch in the night.

⁽⁵⁾ You carry them away like a flood; They are like a sleep. In the morning they are like grass which grows up: ⁽⁶⁾ In the morning it flourishes and grows up; In the evening it is cut down and withers. ⁽⁷⁾ For we have been consumed by Your anger, And by Your wrath we are terrified. ⁽⁸⁾ You have set our iniquities before You, Our secret sins in the light of Your countenance.

⁽⁹⁾ For all our days have passed away in Your wrath; We finish our years like a sigh. ⁽¹⁰⁾ The days of our lives are seventy years; And if by reason of strength they are eighty years, Yet their boast is only labor and sorrow; For it is soon cut off, and we fly away. ⁽¹¹⁾ Who knows the power of Your anger? For as the fear of You, so is Your wrath. ⁽¹²⁾ So teach us to number our days, That we may gain a heart of wisdom.

⁽¹³⁾ Return, O LORD! How long? And have compassion on Your servants. ⁽¹⁴⁾ Oh, satisfy us early with Your mercy, That we may rejoice and be glad all our days! ⁽¹⁵⁾ Make us glad according to the days in which You have afflicted us, The years in which we have seen evil. ⁽¹⁶⁾ Let Your work appear to Your servants, And Your glory to their children.

⁽¹⁷⁾ And let the beauty of the LORD our God be upon us, And establish the work of our hands for us; Yes, establish the work of our hands.

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.

Genesis Chapter 29

⁽¹⁾ So Jacob went on his journey and came to the land of the people of the East. ⁽²⁾ And he looked, and saw a well in the field; and behold, there were three flocks of sheep lying by it; for out of that well they watered the flocks. A large stone was on the well's mouth. ⁽³⁾ Now all the flocks would be gathered there; and they would roll the stone from the well's mouth, water the sheep, and put the stone back in its place on the well's mouth. ⁽⁴⁾ And Jacob said to them, 'My brethren, where are you from?' And they said, 'We are from Haran.'

⁽⁵⁾ Then he said to them, 'Do you know Laban the son of Nahor?' And they said, 'We know him.' ⁽⁶⁾ So he said to them, 'Is he well?' And they said, 'He is well. And look, his daughter Rachel is coming with the sheep.' ⁽⁷⁾ Then he said, 'Look, it is still high day; it is not time for the cattle to be gathered together. Water the sheep, and go and feed them.' ⁽⁸⁾ But they said, 'We cannot until all the flocks are gathered together, and they have rolled the stone from the well's mouth; then we water the sheep.'

⁽⁹⁾ Now while he was still speaking with them, Rachel came with her father's sheep, for she was a shepherdess. ⁽¹⁰⁾ And it came to pass, when Jacob saw Rachel the daughter of Laban his mother's brother, and the sheep of Laban his mother's brother, that Jacob went near and rolled the stone from the well's mouth, and watered the flock of Laban his mother's brother. ⁽¹¹⁾ Then Jacob kissed Rachel, and lifted up his voice and wept. ⁽¹²⁾ And Jacob told Rachel that he was her father's relative and that he was Rebekah's son. So she ran and told her father.

⁽¹³⁾ Then it came to pass, when Laban heard the report about Jacob his sister's son, that he ran to meet him, and embraced him and kissed him, and brought him to his house. So he told Laban all these things. ⁽¹⁴⁾ And Laban said to him, 'Surely you are my bone and my flesh.' And he stayed with him for a month. ⁽¹⁵⁾ Then Laban said to Jacob, 'Because you are my relative, should you therefore serve me for nothing? Tell me, what should your wages be?' ⁽¹⁶⁾ Now Laban had two daughters: the name of the elder was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel.

⁽¹⁷⁾ Leah's eyes were delicate, but Rachel was beautiful of form and appearance. ⁽¹⁸⁾ Now Jacob loved Rachel; so he said, 'I will serve you seven years for Rachel your younger daughter.' ⁽¹⁹⁾ And Laban said, 'It is better that I give her to you than that I should give her to another man. Stay with me.' ⁽²⁰⁾ So Jacob served seven years for Rachel, and they seemed only a few days to him because of the love he had for her.

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Romans Chapter 14

⁽¹⁾ Receive one who is weak in the faith, but not to disputes over doubtful things. ⁽²⁾ For one believes he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats only vegetables. ⁽³⁾ Let not him who eats despise him who does not eat, and let not him who does not eat judge him who eats; for God has received him. ⁽⁴⁾ Who are you to judge another's servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand.

⁽⁵⁾ One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind. ⁽⁶⁾ He who observes the day, observes it to the Lord; and he who does not observe the day, to the Lord he does not observe it. He who eats, eats to the Lord, for he gives God thanks; and he who does not eat, to the Lord he does not eat, and gives God thanks. ⁽⁷⁾ For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself. ⁽⁸⁾ For if we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord's.

⁽⁹⁾ For to this end Christ died and rose and lived again, that He might be Lord of both the dead and the living. ⁽¹⁰⁾ But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. ⁽¹¹⁾ For it is written: 'As I live, says the LORD, Every knee shall bow to Me, And every tongue shall confess to God.' ⁽¹²⁾ So then each of us shall give account of himself to God.

⁽¹³⁾ Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather resolve this, not to put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in our brother's way. ⁽¹⁴⁾ I know and am convinced by the Lord Jesus that there is nothing unclean of itself; but to him who considers anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean. ⁽¹⁵⁾ Yet if your brother is grieved because of your food, you are no longer walking in love. Do not destroy with your food the one for whom Christ died. ⁽¹⁶⁾ Therefore do not let your good be spoken of as evil;

⁽¹⁷⁾ for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. ⁽¹⁸⁾ For he who serves Christ in these things is acceptable to God and approved by men. ⁽¹⁹⁾ Therefore let us pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which one may edify another. ⁽²⁰⁾ Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All things indeed are pure, but it is evil for the man who eats with offense.

⁽²¹⁾ It is good neither to eat meat nor drink wine nor do anything by which your brother stumbles or is offended or is made weak. ⁽²²⁾ Do you have faith? Have it to yourself before God. Happy is he who does not condemn himself in what he approves. ⁽²³⁾ But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because he does not eat from faith; for whatever is not from faith is sin.

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

John Chapter 8

⁽⁴⁷⁾ He who is of God hears God's words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God.' ⁽⁴⁸⁾ Then the Jews answered and said to Him, 'Do we not say rightly that You are a Samaritan and have a demon?' ⁽⁴⁹⁾ Jesus answered, 'I do not have a demon; but I honor My Father, and you dishonor Me. ⁽⁵⁰⁾ And I do not seek My own glory; there is One who seeks and judges.

⁽⁵¹⁾ Most assuredly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word he shall never see death.' ⁽⁵²⁾ Then the Jews said to Him, 'Now we know that You have a demon! Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and You say, 'If anyone keeps My word he shall never taste death.' ⁽⁵³⁾ Are You greater than our father Abraham, who is dead? And the prophets are dead. Whom do You make Yourself out to be?' ⁽⁵⁴⁾ Jesus answered, 'If I honor Myself, My honor is nothing. It is My Father who honors Me, of whom you say that He is your God.

⁽⁵⁵⁾ Yet you have not known Him, but I know Him. And if I say, 'I do not know Him,' I shall be a liar like you; but I do know Him and keep His word. ⁽⁵⁶⁾ Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad.' ⁽⁵⁷⁾ Then the Jews said to Him, 'You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?' ⁽⁵⁸⁾ Jesus said to them, 'Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.'

⁽⁵⁹⁾ Then they took up stones to throw at Him; but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.

The Gospel of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

A Song of Creation   Prayer of Manasseh 1 to 2, 4, 6 to 7, 11 to 15
Invocation
Glorify the Lord,
all you works of the Lord,
praise him and highly exalt him forever.
In the firmament of his power, glorify the Lord,
praise him and highly exalt him forever.

The Earth and its Creatures

Let the earth glorify the Lord,
praise him and highly exalt him forever.
Glorify the Lord, O mountains and hills,
and all that grows upon the earth,
praise him and highly exalt him forever.
Glorify the Lord,
O springs of water, seas, and streams,
O whales and all that move in the waters.
All birds of the air, glorify the Lord,
praise him and highly exalt him forever.

Glorify the Lord,
O beasts of the wild,
and all you flocks and herds.
O men and women everywhere, glorify the Lord,
praise him and highly exalt him forever.

Doxology
Let us glorify the Lord:
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit;
praise him and highly exalt him forever.
In the firmament of his power, glorify the Lord,
praise him and highly exalt him forever.

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:  Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany
Set us free, O God, from the bondage of our sins, and give us the liberty of that abundant life which you have made known to us in your Son our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Collect of the Day: Almighty God, who after the creation of the world rested from all your works and sanctified a day of rest for all your creatures: Grant that we, putting away all earthly anxieties, may be duly prepared for the service of your sanctuary, and that our rest here upon earth may be a preparation for the eternal rest promised to your people in heaven; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

A Prayer for Mission: Lord Jesus Christ, you stretched out your arms of love on the hard wood of the cross that everyone might come within the reach of your saving embrace: So clothe us in your Spirit that we, reaching forth our hands in love, may bring those who do not know you to the knowledge and love of you; for the honor of your Name. 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

Glory to God whose power, working in us, can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine: Glory to him from generation to generation in the Church, and in Christ Jesus for ever and ever. Amen. Ephesians 3:20,21