Evening Prayer

Today is the Eleventh 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
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 85

⁽¹⁾ Lord, You have been favorable to Your land; You have brought back the captivity of Jacob. ⁽²⁾ You have forgiven the iniquity of Your people; You have covered all their sin. Selah ⁽³⁾ You have taken away all Your wrath; You have turned from the fierceness of Your anger. ⁽⁴⁾ Restore us, O God of our salvation, And cause Your anger toward us to cease.

⁽⁵⁾ Will You be angry with us forever? Will You prolong Your anger to all generations? ⁽⁶⁾ Will You not revive us again, That Your people may rejoice in You? ⁽⁷⁾ Show us Your mercy, LORD, And grant us Your salvation. ⁽⁸⁾ I will hear what God the LORD will speak, For He will speak peace To His people and to His saints; But let them not turn back to folly.

⁽⁹⁾ Surely His salvation is near to those who fear Him, That glory may dwell in our land. ⁽¹⁰⁾ Mercy and truth have met together; Righteousness and peace have kissed. ⁽¹¹⁾ Truth shall spring out of the earth, And righteousness shall look down from heaven. ⁽¹²⁾ Yes, the LORD will give what is good; And our land will yield its increase.

⁽¹³⁾ Righteousness will go before Him, And shall make His footsteps our pathway.

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 87

⁽¹⁾ His foundation is in the holy mountains. ⁽²⁾ The LORD loves the gates of Zion More than all the dwellings of Jacob. ⁽³⁾ Glorious things are spoken of you, O city of God! Selah ⁽⁴⁾ I will make mention of Rahab and Babylon to those who know Me; Behold, O Philistia and Tyre, with Ethiopia: 'This one was born there.' '

⁽⁵⁾ And of Zion it will be said, 'This one and that one were born in her; And the Most High Himself shall establish her.' ⁽⁶⁾ The LORD will record, When He registers the peoples: 'This one was born there.' Selah ⁽⁷⁾ Both the singers and the players on instruments say, 'All my springs are in you.'

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.

Joshua Chapter 3

⁽¹⁴⁾ So it was, when the people set out from their camp to cross over the Jordan, with the priests bearing the ark of the covenant before the people, ⁽¹⁵⁾ and as those who bore the ark came to the Jordan, and the feet of the priests who bore the ark dipped in the edge of the water (for the Jordan overflows all its banks during the whole time of harvest), ⁽¹⁶⁾ that the waters which came down from upstream stood still, and rose in a heap very far away at Adam, the city that is beside Zaretan. So the waters that went down into the Sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, failed, and were cut off; and the people crossed over opposite Jericho. ⁽¹⁷⁾ Then the priests who bore the ark of the covenant of the LORD stood firm on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan; and all Israel crossed over on dry ground, until all the people had crossed completely over the Jordan.

⁽¹⁾ And it came to pass, when all the people had completely crossed over the Jordan, that the LORD spoke to Joshua, saying: ⁽²⁾ Take for yourselves twelve men from the people, one man from every tribe, ⁽³⁾ and command them, saying, 'Take for yourselves twelve stones from here, out of the midst of the Jordan, from the place where the priests' feet stood firm. You shall carry them over with you and leave them in the lodging place where you lodge tonight.' ' ⁽⁴⁾ Then Joshua called the twelve men whom he had appointed from the children of Israel, one man from every tribe;

⁽⁵⁾ and Joshua said to them: 'Cross over before the ark of the LORD your God into the midst of the Jordan, and each one of you take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel, ⁽⁶⁾ that this may be a sign among you when your children ask in time to come, saying, 'What do these stones mean to you?' ⁽⁷⁾ Then you shall answer them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD; when it crossed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. And these stones shall be for a memorial to the children of Israel forever.'

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Ephesians Chapter 5

⁽¹⁾ Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. ⁽²⁾ And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma. ⁽³⁾ But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints; ⁽⁴⁾ neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks.

⁽⁵⁾ For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. ⁽⁶⁾ Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. ⁽⁷⁾ Therefore do not be partakers with them. ⁽⁸⁾ For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light

⁽⁹⁾ (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), ⁽¹⁰⁾ finding out what is acceptable to the Lord. ⁽¹¹⁾ And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. ⁽¹²⁾ For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret.

⁽¹³⁾ But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light. ⁽¹⁴⁾ Therefore He says: 'Awake, you who sleep, Arise from the dead, And Christ will give you light.' ⁽¹⁵⁾ See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, ⁽¹⁶⁾ redeeming the time, because the days are evil.

⁽¹⁷⁾ Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. ⁽¹⁸⁾ And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, ⁽¹⁹⁾ speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, ⁽²⁰⁾ giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

John Chapter 9

⁽¹⁾ Now as Jesus passed by, He saw a man who was blind from birth. ⁽²⁾ And His disciples asked Him, saying, 'Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?' ⁽³⁾ Jesus answered, 'Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him. ⁽⁴⁾ I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work.

⁽⁵⁾ As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.' ⁽⁶⁾ When He had said these things, He spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva; and He anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay. ⁽⁷⁾ And He said to him, 'Go, wash in the pool of Siloam' (which is translated, Sent). So he went and washed, and came back seeing. ⁽⁸⁾ Therefore the neighbors and those who previously had seen that he was blind said, 'Is not this he who sat and begged?'

⁽⁹⁾ Some said, 'This is he.' Others said, 'He is like him.' He said, 'I am he.' ⁽¹⁰⁾ Therefore they said to him, 'How were your eyes opened?' ⁽¹¹⁾ He answered and said, 'A Man called Jesus made clay and anointed my eyes and said to me, 'Go to the pool of Siloam and wash.' So I went and washed, and I received sight.' ⁽¹²⁾ Then they said to him, 'Where is He?' He said, 'I do not know.'

⁽³⁵⁾ Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when He had found him, He said to him, 'Do you believe in the Son of God?' ⁽³⁶⁾ He answered and said, 'Who is He, Lord, that I may believe in Him?' ⁽³⁷⁾ And Jesus said to him, 'You have both seen Him and it is He who is talking with you.' ⁽³⁸⁾ Then he said, 'Lord, I believe!' And he worshiped Him.

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:  Second Sunday after Christmas Day
O God, who wonderfully created, and yet more wonderfully restored, the dignity of human nature: Grant that we may share the divine life of him who humbled himself to share our humanity, your Son Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.

Collect of the Day: O God, the author of peace and lover of concord, to know you is eternal life and to serve you is perfect freedom: Defend us, your humble servants, in all assaults of our enemies; that we, surely trusting in your defense, may not fear the power of any adversaries; through the might of 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