Evening Prayer

Epiphany
Nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising. Isaiah 60:3

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
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 117

⁽¹⁾ Praise the LORD, all you Gentiles! Laud Him, all you peoples! ⁽²⁾ For His merciful kindness is great toward us, And the truth of the LORD endures forever. Praise the LORD!

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 118

⁽¹⁾ Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever. ⁽²⁾ Let Israel now say, 'His mercy endures forever.' ⁽³⁾ Let the house of Aaron now say, 'His mercy endures forever.' ⁽⁴⁾ Let those who fear the LORD now say, 'His mercy endures forever.'

⁽⁵⁾ I called on the LORD in distress; The LORD answered me and set me in a broad place. ⁽⁶⁾ The LORD is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me? ⁽⁷⁾ The LORD is for me among those who help me; Therefore I shall see my desire on those who hate me. ⁽⁸⁾ It is better to trust in the LORD Than to put confidence in man.

⁽⁹⁾ It is better to trust in the LORD Than to put confidence in princes. ⁽¹⁰⁾ All nations surrounded me, But in the name of the LORD I will destroy them. ⁽¹¹⁾ They surrounded me, Yes, they surrounded me; But in the name of the LORD I will destroy them. ⁽¹²⁾ They surrounded me like bees; They were quenched like a fire of thorns; For in the name of the LORD I will destroy them.

⁽¹³⁾ You pushed me violently, that I might fall, But the LORD helped me. ⁽¹⁴⁾ The LORD is my strength and song, And He has become my salvation. ⁽¹⁵⁾ The voice of rejoicing and salvation Is in the tents of the righteous; The right hand of the LORD does valiantly. ⁽¹⁶⁾ The right hand of the LORD is exalted; The right hand of the LORD does valiantly.

⁽¹⁷⁾ I shall not die, but live, And declare the works of the LORD. ⁽¹⁸⁾ The LORD has chastened me severely, But He has not given me over to death. ⁽¹⁹⁾ Open to me the gates of righteousness; I will go through them, And I will praise the LORD. ⁽²⁰⁾ This is the gate of the LORD, Through which the righteous shall enter.

⁽²¹⁾ I will praise You, For You have answered me, And have become my salvation. ⁽²²⁾ The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone. ⁽²³⁾ This was the LORD's doing; It is marvelous in our eyes. ⁽²⁴⁾ This is the day the LORD has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it.

⁽²⁵⁾ Save now, I pray, O LORD; O LORD, I pray, send now prosperity. ⁽²⁶⁾ Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD! We have blessed you from the house of the LORD. ⁽²⁷⁾ God is the LORD, And He has given us light; Bind the sacrifice with cords to the horns of the altar. ⁽²⁸⁾ You are my God, and I will praise You; You are my God, I will exalt You.

⁽²⁹⁾ Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures 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.

Isaiah Chapter 59

⁽¹⁵⁾ So truth fails, And he who departs from evil makes himself a prey. Then the LORD saw it, and it displeased Him That there was no justice. ⁽¹⁶⁾ He saw that there was no man, And wondered that there was no intercessor; Therefore His own arm brought salvation for Him; And His own righteousness, it sustained Him. ⁽¹⁷⁾ For He put on righteousness as a breastplate, And a helmet of salvation on His head; He put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, And was clad with zeal as a cloak. ⁽¹⁸⁾ According to their deeds, accordingly He will repay, Fury to His adversaries, Recompense to His enemies; The coastlands He will fully repay.

⁽¹⁹⁾ So shall they fear The name of the LORD from the west, And His glory from the rising of the sun; When the enemy comes in like a flood, The Spirit of the LORD will lift up a standard against him. ⁽²⁰⁾ The Redeemer will come to Zion, And to those who turn from transgression in Jacob,' Says the LORD. ⁽²¹⁾ As for Me,' says the LORD, 'this is My covenant with them: My Spirit who is upon you, and My words which I have put in your mouth, shall not depart from your mouth, nor from the mouth of your descendants, nor from the mouth of your descendants' descendants,' says the LORD, 'from this time and forevermore.'

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Revelation Chapter 2

⁽⁸⁾ And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write, ' These things says the First and the Last, who was dead, and came to life: ⁽⁹⁾ I know your works, tribulation, and poverty (but you are rich); and I know the blasphemy of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. ⁽¹⁰⁾ Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life. ⁽¹¹⁾ He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes shall not be hurt by the second death.' '

⁽¹²⁾ And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write, ' These things says He who has the sharp two-edged sword: ⁽¹³⁾ I know your works, and where you dwell, where Satan's throne is. And you hold fast to My name, and did not deny My faith even in the days in which Antipas was My faithful martyr, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells. ⁽¹⁴⁾ But I have a few things against you, because you have there those who hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit sexual immorality. ⁽¹⁵⁾ Thus you also have those who hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate.

⁽¹⁶⁾ Repent, or else I will come to you quickly and will fight against them with the sword of My mouth. ⁽¹⁷⁾ He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give some of the hidden manna to eat. And I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written which no one knows except him who receives it.' '

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

John Chapter 4

⁽⁴⁶⁾ So Jesus came again to Cana of Galilee where He had made the water wine. And there was a certain nobleman whose son was sick at Capernaum. ⁽⁴⁷⁾ When he heard that Jesus had come out of Judea into Galilee, he went to Him and implored Him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death. ⁽⁴⁸⁾ Then Jesus said to him, 'Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe.' ⁽⁴⁹⁾ The nobleman said to Him, 'Sir, come down before my child dies!'

⁽⁵⁰⁾ Jesus said to him, 'Go your way; your son lives.' So the man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and he went his way. ⁽⁵¹⁾ And as he was now going down, his servants met him and told him, saying, 'Your son lives!' ⁽⁵²⁾ Then he inquired of them the hour when he got better. And they said to him, 'Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him.' ⁽⁵³⁾ So the father knew that it was at the same hour in which Jesus said to him, 'Your son lives.' And he himself believed, and his whole household.

⁽⁵⁴⁾ This again is the second sign Jesus did when He had come out of Judea into Galilee.

The Gospel of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

A Song to the Lamb       Revelation 4:11, 5:9 to 10, 13

Splendor and honor and kingly power
are yours by right, O Lord our God,
For you created everything that is,
and by your will they were created
  and have their being;
And yours by right, O Lamb that was slain,
for with your blood you have redeemed for God,
From every family, language, people, and nation,
a kingdom of priests to serve our God.
And so, to him who sits upon the throne,
and to Christ the Lamb,
Be worship and praise, dominion and splendor,
forever and forevermore.


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:  The Epiphany
O God, by the leading of a star you manifested your only Son to the peoples of the earth: Lead us, who know you now by faith, to your presence, where we may see your glory face to face; 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