Evening Prayer (Evensong) in Contemporary Language

¶ Evening Prayer
from the day after Ascension Day
until the Day of Pentecost
Friday, 17 May 2024

Preparation

O God, make speed to save us.
AllO Lord, make haste to help us.

Send your Holy Spirit upon us,
Alland clothe us with power from on high. Alleluia.

One or more of the following is said or sung:

this or another prayer of thanksgiving

Blessed are you, Lord God of all creation,
to you be glory and praise for ever.
Raised to your right hand on high
the ascended Christ shows the prints of love
and bestows on us the gifts of grace.
As your Spirit renews the face of the earth,
may we bring forth the fruit of the Spirit
and reveal your glory in all the world.
Blessed be God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
AllBlessed be God for ever.

A Song of God’s Greatness (page 565), the following or another suitable hymn

Creator Spirit, Lord of grace,
come, make in us your dwelling place;
O purest Light, in darkness shine;
fill loveless hearts, O Love Divine.

Consoler, hear your people’s cry;
come down, O Gift of God, Most High.
Descend in peace, O heav’nly Dove;
come Fount of Life; come Flame of Love.

As once on Christ the Servant’s head
the oil of sevenfold grace you shed,
so now anoint from love’s deep springs
your chosen prophets, priests and kings.

Of ev’ry gift the living source,
of mighty deeds the unseen force,
the Father sends his promised One
to speak for all who serve his Son.

Keep far all those who wish us ill,
O Dove of Peace, be with us still,
in ev’ry danger at our side
O Friend, befriend us; be our guide.

Reveal to us the Father’s love,
reveal his Son, who reigns above.
To truth, O Truth, make us all true;
in love, O Love, make all things new.

James Quinn S J, based on Veni, Creator Spiritus
(Tune: LM)

This opening prayer may be said

That this evening may be holy, good and peaceful,
let us pray with one heart and mind.

Silence is kept.

As our evening prayer rises before you, O God,
so may your mercy come down upon us
to cleanse our hearts
and set us free to sing your praise
now and for ever.
AllAmen.

The Word of God

Psalmody

The appointed psalmody is said.

Psalm 147

Refrain: Great is our Lord and mighty in power.

1 Alleluia.
How good it is to make music for our God, ♦
how joyful to honour him with praise.

2 The Lord builds up Jerusalem ♦
and gathers together the outcasts of Israel.

3 He heals the brokenhearted ♦
and binds up all their wounds. R

4 He counts the number of the stars ♦
and calls them all by their names.

5 Great is our Lord and mighty in power; ♦
his wisdom is beyond all telling.

6 The Lord lifts up the poor, ♦
but casts down the wicked to the ground. R

7 Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving; ♦
make music to our God upon the lyre;

8 Who covers the heavens with clouds ♦
and prepares rain for the earth;

9 Who makes grass to grow upon the mountains ♦
and green plants to serve our needs. R

10 He gives the beasts their food ♦
and the young ravens when they cry.

11 He takes no pleasure in the power of a horse, ♦
no delight in human strength;

12 But the Lord delights in those who fear him, ♦
who put their trust in his steadfast love. R

13 Sing praise to the Lord, O Jerusalem; ♦
praise your God, O Zion;

14 For he has strengthened the bars of your gates ♦
and has blest your children within you.

15 He has established peace in your borders ♦
and satisfies you with the finest wheat. R

16 He sends forth his command to the earth ♦
and his word runs very swiftly.

17 He gives snow like wool ♦
and scatters the hoarfrost like ashes.

18 He casts down his hailstones like morsels of bread; ♦
who can endure his frost? R

19 He sends forth his word and melts them; ♦
he blows with his wind and the waters flow.

20 He declares his word to Jacob, ♦
his statutes and judgements to Israel.

21 He has not dealt so with any other nation; ♦
they do not know his laws.
Alleluia.

Refrain: Great is our Lord and mighty in power.

Compassionate God,
as you know each star you have created,
so you know the secrets of every heart;
in your loving mercy bring to your table
all who are fearful and broken,
all who are wounded and needy,
that our hungers may be satisfied
in the city of your peace;
through Christ who is our peace.

Each psalm or group of psalms may end with

AllGlory to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning is now
and shall be for ever. Amen.

If there are two Scripture readings, the first may be read here, or both may be read after the canticle.

Deuteronomy 33

This is the blessing with which Moses, the man of God, blessed the Israelites before his death. He said:
The Lord came from Sinai,
   and dawned from Seir upon us;
   he shone forth from Mount Paran.
With him were myriads of holy ones;
   at his right, a host of his own.
Indeed, O favourite among peoples,
   all his holy ones were in your charge;
they marched at your heels,
   accepted direction from you.
Moses charged us with the law,
   as a possession for the assembly of Jacob.
There arose a king in Jeshurun,
   when the leaders of the people assembled—
   the united tribes of Israel.

May Reuben live, and not die out,
   even though his numbers are few.

And this he said of Judah:
O Lord, give heed to Judah,
   and bring him to his people;
strengthen his hands for him,
   and be a help against his adversaries.

And of Levi he said:
Give to Levi your Thummim,
   and your Urim to your loyal one,
whom you tested at Massah,
   with whom you contended at the waters of Meribah;
who said of his father and mother,
   ‘I regard them not’;
he ignored his kin,
   and did not acknowledge his children.
For they observed your word,
   and kept your covenant.
They teach Jacob your ordinances,
   and Israel your law;
they place incense before you,
   and whole burnt-offerings on your altar.
Bless, O Lord, his substance,
   and accept the work of his hands;
crush the loins of his adversaries,
   of those that hate him, so that they do not rise again.

Of Benjamin he said:
The beloved of the Lord rests in safety—
the High God surrounds him all day long—
   the beloved rests between his shoulders.

And of Joseph he said:
Blessed by the Lord be his land,
   with the choice gifts of heaven above,
   and of the deep that lies beneath;
with the choice fruits of the sun,
   and the rich yield of the months;
with the finest produce of the ancient mountains,
   and the abundance of the everlasting hills;
with the choice gifts of the earth and its fullness,
   and the favour of the one who dwells on Sinai.
Let these come on the head of Joseph,
   on the brow of the prince among his brothers.
A firstborn bull—majesty is his!
   His horns are the horns of a wild ox;
with them he gores the peoples,
   driving them to the ends of the earth;
such are the myriads of Ephraim,
   such the thousands of Manasseh.

And of Zebulun he said:
Rejoice, Zebulun, in your going out;
   and Issachar, in your tents.
They call peoples to the mountain;
   there they offer the right sacrifices;
for they suck the affluence of the seas
   and the hidden treasures of the sand.

And of Gad he said:
Blessed be the enlargement of Gad!
   Gad lives like a lion;
   he tears at arm and scalp.
He chose the best for himself,
   for there a commander’s allotment was reserved;
he came at the head of the people,
   he executed the justice of the Lord,
   and his ordinances for Israel.

And of Dan he said:
Dan is a lion’s whelp
   that leaps forth from Bashan.

And of Naphtali he said:
O Naphtali, sated with favour,
   full of the blessing of the Lord,
   possess the west and the south.

And of Asher he said:
Most blessed of sons be Asher;
   may he be the favourite of his brothers,
   and may he dip his foot in oil.
Your bars are iron and bronze;
   and as your days, so is your strength.

There is none like God, O Jeshurun,
   who rides through the heavens to your help,
   majestic through the skies.
He subdues the ancient gods,
   shatters the forces of old;
he drove out the enemy before you,
   and said, ‘Destroy!’
So Israel lives in safety,
   untroubled is Jacob’s abode
in a land of grain and wine,
   where the heavens drop down dew.
Happy are you, O Israel! Who is like you,
   a people saved by the Lord,
the shield of your help,
   and the sword of your triumph!
Your enemies shall come fawning to you,
   and you shall tread on their backs.

Canticle

A Song of God’s Children, or another suitable canticle, for example, number 60 or number 63, may be said

Refrain:

AllThe Spirit of the Father,
who raised Christ Jesus from the dead,
gives life to the people of God. Alleluia.

1The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus ♦
has set us free from the law of sin and death.

2All who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God; ♦
for we have received the Spirit that enables us to cry, ‘Abba, Father’.

3The Spirit himself bears witness that we are children of God ♦
and if God’s children, then heirs of God;

4If heirs of God, then fellow-heirs with Christ; ♦
since we suffer with him now, that we may be glorified with him.

5These sufferings that we now endure ♦
are not worth comparing to the glory that shall be revealed.

6For the creation waits with eager longing ♦
for the revealing of the children of God.

Romans 8.2, 14, 15b-19

AllGlory to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning is now
and shall be for ever. Amen.

AllThe Spirit of the Father,
who raised Christ Jesus from the dead,
gives life to the people of God. Alleluia.

Scripture Reading

One or more readings appointed for the day are read.

The reading(s) may be followed by a time of silence.

1 John 4.7-end

Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love. God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. Beloved, since God loved us so much, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God lives in us, and his love is perfected in us.

By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and do testify that the Father has sent his Son as the Saviour of the world. God abides in those who confess that Jesus is the Son of God, and they abide in God. So we have known and believe the love that God has for us.

God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them. Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness on the day of judgement, because as he is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; for fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not reached perfection in love. We love because he first loved us. Those who say, ‘I love God’, and hate their brothers or sisters, are liars; for those who do not love a brother or sister whom they have seen, cannot love God whom they have not seen. The commandment we have from him is this: those who love God must love their brothers and sisters also.

A suitable song or chant, or a responsory in this or another form, may follow

When you send forth your Spirit, we are created;
you renew the face of the earth.
AllWhen you send forth your Spirit, we are created;
you renew the face of the earth.
O Lord, how manifold are your works;
in wisdom you have made them all.
AllYou renew the face of the earth.
Glory to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit.
AllWhen you send forth your Spirit, we are created;
you renew the face of the earth.
from Psalm 104

Gospel Canticle

The Magnificat (The Song of Mary) is normally said, or Great and Wonderful may be said

Refrain:

AllHow excellent is your name in all the world,
you have set your glory above the heavens. Alleluia.

1My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour; ♦
he has looked with favour on his lowly servant.

2From this day all generations will call me blessed; ♦
the Almighty has done great things for me
and holy is his name.

3He has mercy on those who fear him, ♦
from generation to generation.

4He has shown strength with his arm ♦
and has scattered the proud in their conceit,

5Casting down the mighty from their thrones ♦
and lifting up the lowly.

6He has filled the hungry with good things ♦
and sent the rich away empty.

7He has come to the aid of his servant Israel, ♦
to remember his promise of mercy,

8The promise made to our ancestors, ♦
to Abraham and his children for ever.

Luke 1.46-55

AllGlory to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning is now
and shall be for ever. Amen.

Refrain:

AllHow excellent is your name in all the world,
you have set your glory above the heavens. Alleluia.

Prayers

Thanksgiving may be made for the day.

Intercessions are offered
¶ for peace
¶ for individuals and their needs

Prayers may include the following concerns from the cycle on pages 364–365

¶ God’s royal priesthood, for empowerment by the Spirit
¶ Those who wait on God, that they may find renewal
¶ All people, that they may acknowledge the kingdom of the ascended Christ
¶ The earth, for productivity and for fruitful harvests
¶ All who are struggling with broken relationships

A form of prayer found on page 383 may be used.

These responses may be used

Lord, in your mercy
hear our prayer

(or)

Lord, hear us.
Lord, graciously hear us.

Silence may be kept.

The Collect of the day is said

O God the King of glory,
you have exalted your only Son Jesus Christ
with great triumph to your kingdom in heaven:
we beseech you, leave us not comfortless,
but send your Holy Spirit to strengthen us
and exalt us to the place where our Saviour Christ is gone before,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.
AllAmen.

The Lord’s Prayer is said

Being made one by the power of the Spirit,
as our Saviour taught us, so we pray

AllOur Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins
as we forgive those who sin against us.
Lead us not into temptation
but deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power,
and the glory are yours
now and for ever.
Amen.

(or)

Being made one by the power of the Spirit,
let us pray with confidence as our Saviour has taught us

AllOur 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,
the power and the glory,
for ever and ever.
Amen.

The Conclusion

May the Spirit kindle in us the fire of God’s love.
AllAmen.

Let us bless the Lord. Alleluia, alleluia.
AllThanks be to God. Alleluia, alleluia.