Evening Prayer - September 13, 2026

Today's Readings

Psalm 63:1-11

Psalm 98:1-9

Job 25:1-6,27:1-6

Revelation 14:1-7,13

Matthew 5:13-20

Ordinary Time
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my strength and my redeemer. Psalm 19:14

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 earth is the Lord's for he made it: Come let us adore him.

The Lessons

Psalm 63

⁽¹⁾ O God, You are my God; Early will I seek You; My soul thirsts for You; My flesh longs for You In a dry and thirsty land Where there is no water.⁽²⁾ So I have looked for You in the sanctuary, To see Your power and Your glory.⁽³⁾ Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, My lips shall praise You.⁽⁴⁾ Thus I will bless You while I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name.

⁽⁵⁾ My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness, And my mouth shall praise You with joyful lips.⁽⁶⁾ When I remember You on my bed, I meditate on You in the night watches.⁽⁷⁾ Because You have been my help, Therefore in the shadow of Your wings I will rejoice.⁽⁸⁾ My soul follows close behind You; Your right hand upholds me.

⁽⁹⁾ But those who seek my life, to destroy it, Shall go into the lower parts of the earth.⁽¹⁰⁾ They shall fall by the sword; They shall be a portion for jackals.⁽¹¹⁾ But the king shall rejoice in God; Everyone who swears by Him shall glory; But the mouth of those who speak lies shall be stopped.

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 98

⁽¹⁾ Oh, sing to the LORD a new song! For He has done marvelous things; His right hand and His holy arm have gained Him the victory.⁽²⁾ The LORD has made known His salvation; His righteousness He has revealed in the sight of the nations.⁽³⁾ He has remembered His mercy and His faithfulness to the house of Israel; All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.⁽⁴⁾ Shout joyfully to the LORD, all the earth; Break forth in song, rejoice, and sing praises.

⁽⁵⁾ Sing to the LORD with the harp, With the harp and the sound of a psalm,⁽⁶⁾ With trumpets and the sound of a horn; Shout joyfully before the LORD, the King.⁽⁷⁾ Let the sea roar, and all its fullness, The world and those who dwell in it;⁽⁸⁾ Let the rivers clap their hands; Let the hills be joyful together before the LORD,

⁽⁹⁾ For He is coming to judge the earth. With righteousness He shall judge the world, And the peoples with equity.

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.

Job Chapter 25

⁽¹⁾ Then Bildad the Shuhite answered and said:⁽²⁾ Dominion and fear belong to Him; He makes peace in His high places.⁽³⁾ Is there any number to His armies? Upon whom does His light not rise?⁽⁴⁾ How then can man be righteous before God? Or how can he be pure who is born of a woman?

⁽⁵⁾ If even the moon does not shine, And the stars are not pure in His sight,⁽⁶⁾ How much less man, who is a maggot, And a son of man, who is a worm?'⁽¹⁾ Moreover Job continued his discourse, and said:⁽²⁾ As God lives, who has taken away my justice, And the Almighty, who has made my soul bitter,⁽³⁾ As long as my breath is in me, And the breath of God in my nostrils,⁽⁴⁾ My lips will not speak wickedness, Nor my tongue utter deceit.

⁽⁵⁾ Far be it from me That I should say you are right; Till I die I will not put away my integrity from me.⁽⁶⁾ My righteousness I hold fast, and will not let it go; My heart shall not reproach me as long as I live.

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Revelation Chapter 14

⁽¹⁾ Then I looked, and behold, a Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with Him one hundred and forty-four thousand, having His Father's name written on their foreheads.⁽²⁾ And I heard a voice from heaven, like the voice of many waters, and like the voice of loud thunder. And I heard the sound of harpists playing their harps.⁽³⁾ They sang as it were a new song before the throne, before the four living creatures, and the elders; and no one could learn that song except the hundred and forty-four thousand who were redeemed from the earth.⁽⁴⁾ These are the ones who were not defiled with women, for they are virgins. These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. These were redeemed from among men, being firstfruits to God and to the Lamb.

⁽⁵⁾ And in their mouth was found no deceit, for they are without fault before the throne of God.⁽⁶⁾ Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth -- to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people --⁽⁷⁾ saying with a loud voice, 'Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water.'⁽¹³⁾ Then I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, 'Write: 'Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.' ' 'Yes,' says the Spirit, 'that they may rest from their labors, and their works follow them.'

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Matthew Chapter 5

⁽¹³⁾ You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.⁽¹⁴⁾ You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.⁽¹⁵⁾ Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.⁽¹⁶⁾ Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

⁽¹⁷⁾ Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.⁽¹⁸⁾ For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.⁽¹⁹⁾ Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.⁽²⁰⁾ For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.

The Gospel of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

The Song of Zechariah Luke 1: 68 to 79
Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel;
he has come to his people and set them free.
He has raised up for us a mighty savior,
born of the house of his servant David.
Through his holy prophets he promised of old,
that he would save us from our enemies,
from the hands of all who hate us.
He promised to show mercy to our fathers
and to remember his holy covenant.
This was the oath he swore to our father Abraham,
to set us free from the hands of our enemies,
Free to worship him without fear,
holy and righteous in his sight
all the days of our life.
You, my child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High,
for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way,
To give his people knowledge of salvation
by the forgiveness of their sins.
In the tender compassion of our God
the dawn from on high shall break upon us,
To shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death,
and to guide our feet into the way of peace.
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.

You are God
You are God: we praise you;
You are the Lord; we acclaim you;
You are the eternal Father:
All creation worships you.
To you all angels, all the powers of heaven,
Cherubim and Seraphim, sing in endless praise:
Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might,
heaven and earth are full of your glory.
The glorious company of apostles praise you.
The noble fellowship of prophets praise you.
The white-robed army of martyrs praise you.
Throughout the world the holy Church acclaims you;
Father, of majesty unbounded,
your true and only Son, worthy of all worship,
and the Holy Spirit, advocate and guide.
You, Christ, are the king of glory,
the eternal Son of the Father.
When you became man to set us free
you did not shun the Virgin's womb.
You overcame the sting of death
and opened the kingdom of heaven to all believers.
You are seated at God's right hand in glory.
We believe that you will come and be our judge.
Come then, Lord, and help your people,
bought with the price of your own blood,
and bring us with your saints
to glory everlasting.

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: Proper 18 The Sunday closest to September 7
Grant us, O Lord, to trust in you with all our hearts; for, as you always resist the proud who confide in their own strength, so you never forsake those who make their boast of your mercy; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Collect of the Day: O God, you make us glad with the weekly remembrance of the glorious resurrection of your Son our Lord: Give us this day such blessing through our worship of you, that the week to come may be spent in your favor; 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.

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

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