Evening Prayer (Evensong) in Contemporary Language
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¶
Evening Prayer on Thursday
Thursday, 4 July 2024
Preparation
O God, make speed to save us.
AllO Lord, make haste to help us.
The Blessing of Light (page 110) may replace the Preparation at Evening Prayer on any occasion.
One or more of the following is said or sung:
A prayer of thanksgiving (page 110),
Blessed are you, Lord God, creator of day and night:
to you be praise and glory for ever.
As darkness falls you renew your promise
to reveal among us the light of your presence.
By the light of Christ, your living Word,
dispel the darkness of our hearts
that we may walk as children of light
and sing your praise throughout the world.
Blessed be God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit:
AllBlessed be God for ever.
or a suitable hymn,
or A Song of God’s Chosen One
1There shall come forth
a shoot from the stock of Jesse, ♦
and a branch shall grow out of his roots.
2And the Spirit of the
Lord shall rest upon him, ♦
the spirit of wisdom and understanding,
3The spirit of counsel
and might, ♦
the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.
4He shall not judge by
what his eyes see, ♦
or decide by what his ears hear,
5But with righteousness
he shall judge the poor, ♦
and decide with equity for the meek of the earth.
6The wolf shall dwell
with the lamb, ♦
and the leopard shall lie down with the kid.
7The calf, the lion and
the fatling together, ♦
with a little child to lead them.
8They shall not hurt
or destroy in all my holy mountain, ♦
for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord
as the waters cover the sea.
Isaiah 11.1,2,3b-4a,6,9
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.
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 114
Refrain: Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord.
1 When Israel came out of Egypt, ♦
the house of Jacob from a people of a strange tongue,
2 Judah became his sanctuary, ♦
Israel his dominion.
3 The sea saw that, and fled; ♦
Jordan was driven back.
4 The mountains skipped like rams, ♦
the little hills like young sheep. R
5 What ailed you, O sea, that you fled? ♦
O Jordan, that you were driven back?
6 You mountains, that you skipped like rams, ♦
you little hills like young sheep?
7 Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord, ♦
at the presence of the God of Jacob,
8 Who turns the hard rock into a pool of water, ♦
the flint-stone into a springing well.
Refrain: Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord.
Strike the rock of our hard hearts, O God,
and let our tears of joy and sorrow
mould us to bear the imprint of your love,
given in Christ our risen Lord.
Psalm 116
Refrain: Gracious is the Lord and righteous.
1 I love the Lord,
for he has heard the voice of my supplication; ♦
because he inclined his ear to me
on the day I called to him.
2 The snares of death encompassed me;
the pains of hell took hold of me; ♦
by grief and sorrow was I held.
3 Then I called upon the name of the Lord: ♦
O Lord, I beg you, deliver my soul.
4 Gracious is the Lord and righteous; ♦
our God is full of compassion. R
5 The Lord watches over the simple; ♦
I was brought very low and he saved me.
6 Turn again to your rest, O my soul, ♦
for the Lord has been gracious to you.
7 For you have delivered my soul from death, ♦
my eyes from tears and my feet from falling.
8 I will walk before the Lord ♦
in the land of the living. R
9 I believed that I should perish
for I was sorely troubled; ♦
and I said in my alarm,
Everyone is a liar.
10 How shall I repay the Lord ♦
for all the benefits he has given to me?
11 I will lift up the cup of salvation ♦
and call upon the name of the Lord.
12 I will fulfil my vows to the Lord ♦
in the presence of all his people. R
13 Precious in the sight of the Lord ♦
is the death of his faithful servants.
14 O Lord, I am your servant, ♦
your servant, the child of your handmaid;
you have freed me from my bonds.
15 I will offer to you a sacrifice of thanksgiving ♦
and call upon the name of the Lord.
16 I will fulfil my vows to the Lord ♦
in the presence of all his people,
17 In the courts of the house of the Lord, ♦
in the midst of you, O Jerusalem.
Alleluia.
Refrain: Gracious is the Lord and righteous.
As we walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
may we call upon your name,
raise the cup of salvation,
and so proclaim your death, O Lord,
until you come in glory.
Psalm 117
Refrain: Alleluia.
1 O praise the Lord, all you nations; ♦
praise him, all you peoples.
2 For great is his steadfast love towards us, ♦
and the faithfulness of the Lord endures for ever.
Alleluia.
Refrain: Alleluia.
Gracious God,
we praise you for your faithfulness
and pray that every nation may find your blessing
in the face of Jesus Christ our Lord.
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.
Ezekiel 3.12-end
Then the spirit lifted me up, and as the glory of the Lord rose from its place, I heard behind me the sound of loud rumbling; it was the sound of the wings of the living creatures brushing against one another, and the sound of the wheels beside them, that sounded like a loud rumbling. The spirit lifted me up and bore me away; I went in bitterness in the heat of my spirit, the hand of the Lord being strong upon me. I came to the exiles at Tel-abib, who lived by the river Chebar. And I sat there among them, stunned, for seven days.
At the end of seven days, the word of the Lord came to me: Mortal, I have made you a sentinel for the house of Israel; whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them warning from me. If I say to the wicked, You shall surely die, and you give them no warning, and do not speak to warn the wicked from their wicked way, in order to save their life, those wicked persons shall die for their iniquity; but their blood I will require at your hand. But if you warn the wicked, and they do not turn from their wickedness, or from their wicked way, they shall die for their iniquity; but you will have saved your life. Again, if the righteous turn from their righteousness and commit iniquity, and I lay a stumbling-block before them, they shall die; because you have not warned them, they shall die for their sin, and their righteous deeds that they have done shall not be remembered; but their blood I will require at your hand. If, however, you warn the righteous not to sin, and they do not sin, they shall surely live, because they took warning; and you will have saved your life.
Then the hand of the Lord was upon me there; and he said to me, Rise up, go out into the valley, and there I will speak with you. So I rose up and went out into the valley; and the glory of the Lord stood there, like the glory that I had seen by the river Chebar; and I fell on my face. The spirit entered into me, and set me on my feet; and he spoke with me and said to me: Go, shut yourself inside your house. As for you, mortal, cords shall be placed on you, and you shall be bound with them, so that you cannot go out among the people; and I will make your tongue cling to the roof of your mouth, so that you shall be speechless and unable to reprove them; for they are a rebellious house. But when I speak with you, I will open your mouth, and you shall say to them, Thus says the Lord God; let those who will hear, hear; and let those who refuse to hear, refuse; for they are a rebellious house.
Canticle
Great and Wonderful, or another suitable canticle, for example, number 63 (page 621), may be said
Refrain:
AllAll nations shall come and
worship you, O Christ,
and share in the feast of your kingdom. Alleluia.
1Great and wonderful
are your deeds, ♦
Lord God the Almighty.
2Just and true are your
ways, ♦
O ruler of the nations.
3Who shall not revere
and praise your name, O Lord? ♦
for you alone are holy.
4All nations shall come
and worship in your presence: ♦
for your just dealings have been revealed.
Revelation 15.3, 4
AllTo the One who sits on the
throne and to the Lamb ♦
be blessing and honour and glory and might,
for ever and ever. Amen.
AllAll nations shall come and
worship you, O Christ,
and share in the feast of your kingdom. Alleluia.
Scripture Reading
One or more readings appointed for the day are read.
The reading(s) may be followed by a time of silence.
2 Corinthians 3
Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Surely we do not need, as some do, letters of recommendation to you or from you, do we? You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, to be known and read by all; and you show that you are a letter of Christ, prepared by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.
Such is the confidence that we have through Christ towards God. Not that we are competent of ourselves to claim anything as coming from us; our competence is from God, who has made us competent to be ministers of a new covenant, not of letter but of spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.
Now if the ministry of death, chiselled in letters on stone tablets, came in glory so that the people of Israel could not gaze at Moses face because of the glory of his face, a glory now set aside, how much more will the ministry of the Spirit come in glory? For if there was glory in the ministry of condemnation, much more does the ministry of justification abound in glory! Indeed, what once had glory has lost its glory because of the greater glory; for if what was set aside came through glory, much more has the permanent come in glory!
Since, then, we have such a hope, we act with great boldness, not like Moses, who put a veil over his face to keep the people of Israel from gazing at the end of the glory that was being set aside. But their minds were hardened. Indeed, to this very day, when they hear the reading of the old covenant, that same veil is still there, since only in Christ is it set aside. Indeed, to this very day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their minds; but when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And all of us, with unveiled faces, seeing the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord, the Spirit.
A suitable song or chant, or a responsory in this or another form, may follow
Fear not, for I have redeemed you.
I have called you by name; you are mine.
AllFear not, for I have
redeemed you.
I have called you by name; you are mine.
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you.
When you walk through fire, you shall not be burned.
AllI have called you by
name; you are mine.
Glory to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit.
AllFear not, for I have
redeemed you.
I have called you by name; you are mine.
from Isaiah 43
Gospel Canticle
The Magnificat (The Song of Mary) is normally said,
or A Song of Christ’s Appearing
(page 621) may be said
Refrain:
AllYou have filled the hungry
with good things,
and sent the rich away empty.
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:
AllYou have filled the hungry
with good things,
and sent the rich away empty.
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 362–363
¶ Local government, community leaders
¶ All who provide local services
¶ Those who work with young or elderly people
¶ Schools, colleges and universities
¶ Emergency and rescue organizations
One of the forms of prayer found on pages 362–371 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
Almighty and everlasting God,
by whose Spirit the whole body of the Church
is governed and sanctified:
hear our prayer which we offer for all your faithful people,
that in their vocation and ministry
they may serve you in holiness and truth
to the glory of your name;
through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ,
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
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)
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
All 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.
Let us bless the Lord. Alleluia, alleluia.
AllThanks be to God. Alleluia, alleluia.
©
The Archbishops' Council of the Church of England, 2000-2005
Official Common Worship apps, books and eBooks are available from
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The Bible readings (other than the psalms) are from The New Revised Standard Version Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995 Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Implemented by Simon Kershaw at
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Implementation copyright © Simon Kershaw, 2002-2021.