Evening Prayer - December 27, 2026

Today's Readings

Psalm 93:1-5

Psalm 96:1-13

Isaiah 62:6-7,10-12

Hebrews 2:10-18

Matthew 1:18-25

Today is the Third day of Christmas
Behold, the dwelling of God is with mankind. He will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself will be with them, and be their God. Revelation 21:3

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.

Alleluia. To us a child is born: O come, let us adore him. Alleluia.

The Lessons

Psalm 93

⁽¹⁾ The LORD reigns, He is clothed with majesty; The LORD is clothed, He has girded Himself with strength. Surely the world is established, so that it cannot be moved.⁽²⁾ Your throne is established from of old; You are from everlasting.⁽³⁾ The floods have lifted up, O LORD, The floods have lifted up their voice; The floods lift up their waves.⁽⁴⁾ The LORD on high is mightier Than the noise of many waters, Than the mighty waves of the sea.

⁽⁵⁾ Your testimonies are very sure; Holiness adorns Your house, O LORD, forever.

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 96

⁽¹⁾ Oh, sing to the LORD a new song! Sing to the LORD, all the earth.⁽²⁾ Sing to the LORD, bless His name; Proclaim the good news of His salvation from day to day.⁽³⁾ Declare His glory among the nations, His wonders among all peoples.⁽⁴⁾ For the LORD is great and greatly to be praised; He is to be feared above all gods.

⁽⁵⁾ For all the gods of the peoples are idols, But the LORD made the heavens.⁽⁶⁾ Honor and majesty are before Him; Strength and beauty are in His sanctuary.⁽⁷⁾ Give to the LORD, O families of the peoples, Give to the LORD glory and strength.⁽⁸⁾ Give to the LORD the glory due His name; Bring an offering, and come into His courts.

⁽⁹⁾ Oh, worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness! Tremble before Him, all the earth.⁽¹⁰⁾ Say among the nations, 'The LORD reigns; The world also is firmly established, It shall not be moved; He shall judge the peoples righteously.'⁽¹¹⁾ Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad; Let the sea roar, and all its fullness;⁽¹²⁾ Let the field be joyful, and all that is in it. Then all the trees of the woods will rejoice before the LORD.

⁽¹³⁾ For He is coming, for He is coming to judge the earth. He shall judge the world with righteousness, And the peoples with His truth.

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.

Isaiah Chapter 62

⁽⁶⁾ I have set watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem; They shall never hold their peace day or night. You who make mention of the LORD, do not keep silent,⁽⁷⁾ And give Him no rest till He establishes And till He makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth.⁽¹⁰⁾ Go through, Go through the gates! Prepare the way for the people; Build up, Build up the highway! Take out the stones, Lift up a banner for the peoples!⁽¹¹⁾ Indeed the LORD has proclaimed To the end of the world: 'Say to the daughter of Zion, 'Surely your salvation is coming; Behold, His reward is with Him, And His work before Him.' '⁽¹²⁾ And they shall call them The Holy People, The Redeemed of the LORD; And you shall be called Sought Out, A City Not Forsaken.

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Hebrews Chapter 2

⁽¹⁰⁾ For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.⁽¹¹⁾ For both He who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are all of one, for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren,⁽¹²⁾ saying: 'I will declare Your name to My brethren; In the midst of the assembly I will sing praise to You.'⁽¹³⁾ And again: 'I will put My trust in Him.' And again: 'Here am I and the children whom God has given Me.'

⁽¹⁴⁾ Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil,⁽¹⁵⁾ and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.⁽¹⁶⁾ For indeed He does not give aid to angels, but He does give aid to the seed of Abraham.⁽¹⁷⁾ Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.

⁽¹⁸⁾ For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted.

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Matthew Chapter 1

⁽¹⁸⁾ Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit.⁽¹⁹⁾ Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly.⁽²⁰⁾ But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, 'Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.⁽²¹⁾ And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins.'

⁽²²⁾ So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying:⁽²³⁾ Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,' which is translated, 'God with us.'⁽²⁴⁾ Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife,⁽²⁵⁾ and did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son. And he called His name JESUS.

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:

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