Evening Prayer - September 30, 2026

Today's Readings

Psalm 119:97-120

Esther 6:1-14

Acts 19:1-10

Luke 4:1-13

--Today is the Feast of St. Jerome--
Ordinary Time
Send out your light and your truth, that they may lead me, and bring me to your holy hill and to your dwelling. Psalm 43:3

Saint and Major Saints' Days
You are no longer strangers and sojourners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God. Ephesians 2:19

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.

Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness: Come let us adore him.

The Lessons

Psalm 119

⁽⁹⁷⁾ Oh, how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day.⁽⁹⁸⁾ You, through Your commandments, make me wiser than my enemies; For they are ever with me.⁽⁹⁹⁾ I have more understanding than all my teachers, For Your testimonies are my meditation.⁽¹⁰⁰⁾ I understand more than the ancients, Because I keep Your precepts.

⁽¹⁰¹⁾ I have restrained my feet from every evil way, That I may keep Your word.⁽¹⁰²⁾ I have not departed from Your judgments, For You Yourself have taught me.⁽¹⁰³⁾ How sweet are Your words to my taste, Sweeter than honey to my mouth!⁽¹⁰⁴⁾ Through Your precepts I get understanding; Therefore I hate every false way.

⁽¹⁰⁵⁾ Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.⁽¹⁰⁶⁾ I have sworn and confirmed That I will keep Your righteous judgments.⁽¹⁰⁷⁾ I am afflicted very much; Revive me, O LORD, according to Your word.⁽¹⁰⁸⁾ Accept, I pray, the freewill offerings of my mouth, O LORD, And teach me Your judgments.

⁽¹⁰⁹⁾ My life is continually in my hand, Yet I do not forget Your law.⁽¹¹⁰⁾ The wicked have laid a snare for me, Yet I have not strayed from Your precepts.⁽¹¹¹⁾ Your testimonies I have taken as a heritage forever, For they are the rejoicing of my heart.⁽¹¹²⁾ I have inclined my heart to perform Your statutes Forever, to the very end.

⁽¹¹³⁾ I hate the double-minded, But I love Your law.⁽¹¹⁴⁾ You are my hiding place and my shield; I hope in Your word.⁽¹¹⁵⁾ Depart from me, you evildoers, For I will keep the commandments of my God!⁽¹¹⁶⁾ Uphold me according to Your word, that I may live; And do not let me be ashamed of my hope.

⁽¹¹⁷⁾ Hold me up, and I shall be safe, And I shall observe Your statutes continually.⁽¹¹⁸⁾ You reject all those who stray from Your statutes, For their deceit is falsehood.⁽¹¹⁹⁾ You put away all the wicked of the earth like dross; Therefore I love Your testimonies.⁽¹²⁰⁾ My flesh trembles for fear of You, And I am afraid of Your judgments.

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.

Esther Chapter 6

⁽¹⁾ That night the king could not sleep. So one was commanded to bring the book of the records of the chronicles; and they were read before the king.⁽²⁾ And it was found written that Mordecai had told of Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king's eunuchs, the doorkeepers who had sought to lay hands on King Ahasuerus.⁽³⁾ Then the king said, 'What honor or dignity has been bestowed on Mordecai for this?' And the king's servants who attended him said, 'Nothing has been done for him.'⁽⁴⁾ So the king said, 'Who is in the court?' Now Haman had just entered the outer court of the king's palace to suggest that the king hang Mordecai on the gallows that he had prepared for him.

⁽⁵⁾ The king's servants said to him, 'Haman is there, standing in the court.' And the king said, 'Let him come in.'⁽⁶⁾ So Haman came in, and the king asked him, 'What shall be done for the man whom the king delights to honor?' Now Haman thought in his heart, 'Whom would the king delight to honor more than me?'⁽⁷⁾ And Haman answered the king, 'For the man whom the king delights to honor,⁽⁸⁾ let a royal robe be brought which the king has worn, and a horse on which the king has ridden, which has a royal crest placed on its head.

⁽⁹⁾ Then let this robe and horse be delivered to the hand of one of the king's most noble princes, that he may array the man whom the king delights to honor. Then parade him on horseback through the city square, and proclaim before him: 'Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delights to honor!' '⁽¹⁰⁾ Then the king said to Haman, 'Hurry, take the robe and the horse, as you have suggested, and do so for Mordecai the Jew who sits within the king's gate! Leave nothing undone of all that you have spoken.'⁽¹¹⁾ So Haman took the robe and the horse, arrayed Mordecai and led him on horseback through the city square, and proclaimed before him, 'Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delights to honor!'⁽¹²⁾ Afterward Mordecai went back to the king's gate. But Haman hurried to his house, mourning and with his head covered.

⁽¹³⁾ When Haman told his wife Zeresh and all his friends everything that had happened to him, his wise men and his wife Zeresh said to him, 'If Mordecai, before whom you have begun to fall, is of Jewish descent, you will not prevail against him but will surely fall before him.'⁽¹⁴⁾ While they were still talking with him, the king's eunuchs came, and hastened to bring Haman to the banquet which Esther had prepared.

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Acts Chapter 19

⁽¹⁾ And it happened, while Apollos was at Corinth, that Paul, having passed through the upper regions, came to Ephesus. And finding some disciples⁽²⁾ he said to them, 'Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?' So they said to him, 'We have not so much as heard whether there is a Holy Spirit.'⁽³⁾ And he said to them, 'Into what then were you baptized?' So they said, 'Into John's baptism.'⁽⁴⁾ Then Paul said, 'John indeed baptized with a baptism of repentance, saying to the people that they should believe on Him who would come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.'

⁽⁵⁾ When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.⁽⁶⁾ And when Paul had laid hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke with tongues and prophesied.⁽⁷⁾ Now the men were about twelve in all.⁽⁸⁾ And he went into the synagogue and spoke boldly for three months, reasoning and persuading concerning the things of the kingdom of God.

⁽⁹⁾ But when some were hardened and did not believe, but spoke evil of the Way before the multitude, he departed from them and withdrew the disciples, reasoning daily in the school of Tyrannus.⁽¹⁰⁾ And this continued for two years, so that all who dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks.

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Luke Chapter 4

⁽¹⁾ Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness,⁽²⁾ being tempted for forty days by the devil. And in those days He ate nothing, and afterward, when they had ended, He was hungry.⁽³⁾ And the devil said to Him, 'If You are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.'⁽⁴⁾ But Jesus answered him, saying, 'It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.' '

⁽⁵⁾ Then the devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.⁽⁶⁾ And the devil said to Him, 'All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish.⁽⁷⁾ Therefore, if You will worship before me, all will be Yours.'⁽⁸⁾ And Jesus answered and said to him, 'Get behind Me, Satan! For it is written, 'You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.' '

⁽⁹⁾ Then he brought Him to Jerusalem, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, 'If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here.⁽¹⁰⁾ For it is written: 'He shall give His angels charge over you, To keep you,'⁽¹¹⁾ and, 'In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.' '⁽¹²⁾ And Jesus answered and said to him, 'It has been said, 'You shall not tempt the LORD your God.' '

⁽¹³⁾ Now when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time.

The Gospel of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Glory to God
Glory to God in the highest,
and peace to his people on earth.

Lord God, heavenly King,
almighty God and Father,
we worship you, we give you thanks,
we praise you for your glory.

Lord Jesus Christ, only Son of the Father,
Lord God, Lamb of God,
you take away the sin of the world:
have mercy on us;
you are seated at the right hand of the Father:
receive our prayer.

For you alone are the Holy One,
you alone are the Lord,
you alone are the Most High,
Jesus Christ,
with the Holy Spirit,
in the glory of God the Father. 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: Proper 20 The Sunday closest to September 21
Grant us, Lord, not to be anxious about earthly things, but to love things heavenly; and even now, while we are placed among things that are passing away, to hold fast to those that shall endure; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.

Collect of the Day: Lord God, almighty and everlasting Father, you have brought us in safety to this new day: Preserve us with your mighty power, that we may not fall into sin, nor be overcome by adversity; and in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose; 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.

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

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