Evening Prayer

Today is the Feast of St. James of Jerusalem -- Click for Readings
Ordinary Time
The Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth keep silence before him. Habakkuk 2:20

Saint and Major Saints' Days
Their sound has gone out into all lands, and their message to the ends of the world. Psalm 19:4

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.

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

The Lessons

Psalm 16

⁽¹⁾ Preserve me, O God, for in You I put my trust. ⁽²⁾ O my soul, you have said to the LORD, 'You are my Lord, My goodness is nothing apart from You.' ⁽³⁾ As for the saints who are on the earth, 'They are the excellent ones, in whom is all my delight.' ⁽⁴⁾ Their sorrows shall be multiplied who hasten after another god; Their drink offerings of blood I will not offer, Nor take up their names on my lips.

⁽⁵⁾ O LORD,You are the portion of my inheritance and my cup; You maintain my lot. ⁽⁶⁾ The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places; Yes, I have a good inheritance. ⁽⁷⁾ I will bless the LORD who has given me counsel; My heart also instructs me in the night seasons. ⁽⁸⁾ I have set the LORD always before me; Because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved.

⁽⁹⁾ Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices; My flesh also will rest in hope. ⁽¹⁰⁾ For You will not leave my soul in Sheol, Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption. ⁽¹¹⁾ You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

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 17

⁽¹⁾ Hear a just cause, O LORD, Attend to my cry; Give ear to my prayer which is not from deceitful lips. ⁽²⁾ Let my vindication come from Your presence; Let Your eyes look on the things that are upright. ⁽³⁾ You have tested my heart; You have visited me in the night; You have tried me and have found nothing; I have purposed that my mouth shall not transgress. ⁽⁴⁾ Concerning the works of men, By the word of Your lips, I have kept away from the paths of the destroyer.

⁽⁵⁾ Uphold my steps in Your paths, That my footsteps may not slip. ⁽⁶⁾ I have called upon You, for You will hear me, O God; Incline Your ear to me, and hear my speech. ⁽⁷⁾ Show Your marvelous lovingkindness by Your right hand, O You who save those who trust in You From those who rise up against them. ⁽⁸⁾ Keep me as the apple of Your eye; Hide me under the shadow of Your wings,

⁽⁹⁾ From the wicked who oppress me, From my deadly enemies who surround me. ⁽¹⁰⁾ They have closed up their fat hearts; With their mouths they speak proudly. ⁽¹¹⁾ They have now surrounded us in our steps; They have set their eyes, crouching down to the earth, ⁽¹²⁾ As a lion is eager to tear his prey, And like a young lion lurking in secret places.

⁽¹³⁾ Arise, O LORD, Confront him, cast him down; Deliver my life from the wicked with Your sword, ⁽¹⁴⁾ With Your hand from men, O LORD, From men of the world who have their portion in this life, And whose belly You fill with Your hidden treasure. They are satisfied with children, And leave the rest of their possession for their babes. ⁽¹⁵⁾ As for me, I will see Your face in righteousness; I shall be satisfied when I awake in Your likeness.

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.

Ecclesiasticus Chapter 1

⁽¹⁾ All wisdom comes from the Lord, and Wisdom is with him forever. ⁽²⁾ Who can count raindrops or the sand along the shore? Who can count the days of eternity? ⁽³⁾ How high is the sky? How wide is the earth? How deep is the ocean? How profound is Wisdom? Can anyone find answers to these questions? ⁽⁴⁾ Wisdom was created before anything else; understanding has always existed.

⁽⁶⁾ Has anyone ever been shown where Wisdom originates? Does anyone understand her subtle cleverness? ⁽⁸⁾ There is only one who is wise, and we must stand in awe before his throne. ⁽⁹⁾ The Lord himself created Wisdom; he saw her and recognized her value, and so he filled everything he made with Wisdom. ⁽¹⁰⁾ He gave some measure of Wisdom to everyone, but poured her out on those who love him.

⁽¹¹⁾ If you fear the Lord, honor and pride will be yours;you will be crowned with happiness and joy. ⁽¹²⁾ To honor the Lord is a heartfelt delight; it will give you a long and happy life, ⁽¹³⁾ and at the end of your days all will go well for you.God will bless you on the day of your death. ⁽¹⁴⁾ To fear the Lord is the first step to Wisdom. Wisdom is given to the faithful in their mothers' wombs.

⁽¹⁵⁾ She has lived with us from ancient times, and generations to come will rely on her. ⁽¹⁶⁾ To fear the Lord is Wisdom at her fullest; she satisfies us completely with her gifts ⁽¹⁷⁾ and fills our homes and our barnswith all that our hearts can desire. ⁽¹⁸⁾ To fear the Lord is the flower of Wisdom that blossoms with peace and good health.

⁽¹⁹⁾ She sends knowledge and understanding like the rain,and increases the honor of those who receive her. ⁽²⁰⁾ To fear the Lord is the root of Wisdom;her branches are long life.Self-control ⁽²²⁾ There is no excuse for unjustified anger; it can bring about your downfall. ⁽²³⁾ Wait and be patient, and later you will be glad you did.

⁽²⁴⁾ Keep quiet until the right time to speak, and you will gain a reputation for good sense. ⁽²⁵⁾ Wisdom has a treasury of wise sayings, but sinners have nothing but contempt for godliness. ⁽²⁶⁾ If you want to be wise, keep the Lord's commands, and he will give you Wisdom in abundance. ⁽²⁷⁾ Fearing the Lord is Wisdom and an education in itself. He is pleased by loyalty and humility.

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Acts Chapter 28

⁽¹⁾ Now when they had escaped, they then found out that the island was called Malta. ⁽²⁾ And the natives showed us unusual kindness; for they kindled a fire and made us all welcome, because of the rain that was falling and because of the cold. ⁽³⁾ But when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and laid them on the fire, a viper came out because of the heat, and fastened on his hand. ⁽⁴⁾ So when the natives saw the creature hanging from his hand, they said to one another, 'No doubt this man is a murderer, whom, though he has escaped the sea, yet justice does not allow to live.'

⁽⁵⁾ But he shook off the creature into the fire and suffered no harm. ⁽⁶⁾ However, they were expecting that he would swell up or suddenly fall down dead. But after they had looked for a long time and saw no harm come to him, they changed their minds and said that he was a god. ⁽⁷⁾ In that region there was an estate of the leading citizen of the island, whose name was Publius, who received us and entertained us courteously for three days. ⁽⁸⁾ And it happened that the father of Publius lay sick of a fever and dysentery. Paul went in to him and prayed, and he laid his hands on him and healed him.

⁽⁹⁾ So when this was done, the rest of those on the island who had diseases also came and were healed. ⁽¹⁰⁾ They also honored us in many ways; and when we departed, they provided such things as were necessary. ⁽¹¹⁾ After three months we sailed in an Alexandrian ship whose figurehead was the Twin Brothers, which had wintered at the island. ⁽¹²⁾ And landing at Syracuse, we stayed three days.

⁽¹³⁾ From there we circled round and reached Rhegium. And after one day the south wind blew; and the next day we came to Puteoli, ⁽¹⁴⁾ where we found brethren, and were invited to stay with them seven days. And so we went toward Rome. ⁽¹⁵⁾ And from there, when the brethren heard about us, they came to meet us as far as Appii Forum and Three Inns. When Paul saw them, he thanked God and took courage. ⁽¹⁶⁾ Now when we came to Rome, the centurion delivered the prisoners to the captain of the guard; but Paul was permitted to dwell by himself with the soldier who guarded him.

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Luke Chapter 9

⁽²⁸⁾ Now it came to pass, about eight days after these sayings, that He took Peter, John, and James and went up on the mountain to pray. ⁽²⁹⁾ As He prayed, the appearance of His face was altered, and His robe became white and glistening. ⁽³⁰⁾ And behold, two men talked with Him, who were Moses and Elijah, ⁽³¹⁾ who appeared in glory and spoke of His decease which He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem.

⁽³²⁾ But Peter and those with him were heavy with sleep; and when they were fully awake, they saw His glory and the two men who stood with Him. ⁽³³⁾ Then it happened, as they were parting from Him, that Peter said to Jesus, 'Master, it is good for us to be here; and let us make three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah' -- not knowing what he said. ⁽³⁴⁾ While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were fearful as they entered the cloud. ⁽³⁵⁾ And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, 'This is My beloved Son. Hear Him!'

⁽³⁶⁾ When the voice had ceased, Jesus was found alone. But they kept quiet, and told no one in those days any of the things they had seen.

The Gospel of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

The Second Song of Isaiah      Isaiah 55:6 to 11

Seek the Lord while he wills to be found;
call upon him when he draws near.
Let the wicked forsake their ways
and the evil ones their thoughts;
And let them turn to the Lord, and he will have compassion,
and to our God, for he will richly pardon.
For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
nor your ways my ways, says the Lord.
For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways,
and my thoughts than your thoughts.
For as rain and snow fall from the heavens
and return not again, but water the earth,
Bringing forth life and giving growth,
seed for sowing and bread for eating,
So is my word that goes forth from my mouth;
it will not return to me empty;
But it will accomplish that which I have purposed,
and prosper in that for which I sent it.
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:  Proper 23 The Sunday closest to October 12
Lord, we pray that your grace may always precede and follow us, that we may continually be given to good works; 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: Almighty God, whose most dear Son went not up to joy but first he suffered pain, and entered not into glory before he was crucified: Mercifully grant that we, walking in the way of the cross, may find it none other than the way of life and peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

A Prayer for Mission: O God, you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth, and sent your blessed Son to preach peace to those who are far off and to those who are near: Grant that people everywhere may seek after you and find you; bring the nations into your fold; pour out your Spirit upon all flesh; and hasten the coming of your kingdom; through Jesus Christ our Lord. 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

May the God of hope fill us with all joy and peace in believing through the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Romans 15:13