Worship the Lord in the beauty of his holiness; let the whole earth tremble before him.
Psalm 96:9
Officiant O
God, make speed to save us.
People O
Lord, make haste to help us.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: *
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.
Alleluia.
O gracious light,
pure brightness of the everliving
Father in heaven,
O Jesus Christ, holy and blessed!
Now as
we come to the setting of the sun,
and our eyes behold the vesper
light,
we sing your praises, O God: Father, Son, and Holy
Spirit.
You are worthy at all times to be praised by happy
voices,
O Son of God, O Giver of Life,
and to be glorified
through all the worlds.
Bless the LORD, O my soul; *
O LORD my God, how
excellent is your greatness!
you are clothed with majesty and
splendor.
You wrap yourself with light as with a cloak *
and
spread out the heavens like a curtain.
You lay the beams of your chambers in the waters above;
*
you make the clouds your chariot;
you ride on the wings of
the wind.
You make the winds your messengers *
and flames of
fire your servants.
You have set the earth upon its foundations, *
so
that it never shall move at any time.
You covered it with the Deep as with a mantle; *
the
waters stood higher than the mountains.
At your rebuke they fled; *
at the voice of your
thunder they hastened away.
They went up into the hills and down to the valleys
beneath, *
to the places you had appointed for them.
You set the limits that they should not pass; *
they
shall not again cover the earth.
You send the springs into the valleys; *
they flow
between the mountains.
All the beasts of the field drink their fill from them,
*
and the wild asses quench their thirst.
Beside them the birds of the air make their nests *
and
sing among the branches.
You water the mountains from your dwelling on high;
*
the earth is fully satisfied by the fruit of your works.
You make grass grow for flocks and herds *
and plants
to serve mankind;
That they may bring forth food from the earth, *
and
wine to gladden our hearts,
Oil to make a cheerful countenance, *
and bread to
strengthen the heart.
The trees of the LORD are full of sap, *
the cedars
of Lebanon which he planted,
In which the birds build their nests, *
and in whose
tops the stork makes his dwelling.
The high hills are a refuge for the mountain goats,
*
and the stony cliffs for the rock badgers.
You appointed the moon to mark the seasons, *
and the
sun knows the time of its setting.
You make darkness that it may be night, *
in which
all the beasts of the forest prowl.
The lions roar after their prey *
and seek their food
from God.
The sun rises, and they slip away *
and lay
themselves down in their dens.
Man goes forth to his work *
and to his labor until
the evening.
O LORD, how manifold are your works! *
in wisdom you
have made them all;
the earth is full of your creatures.
Yonder is the great and wide sea
with its living
things too many to number, *
creatures both small and great.
There move the ships,
and there is that Leviathan,
*
which you have made for the sport of it.
All of them look to you *
to give them their food in
due season.
You give it to them; they gather it; *
you open your
hand, and they are filled with good things.
You hide your face, and they are terrified; *
you
take away their breath,
and they die and return to their dust.
You send forth your Spirit, and they are created; *
and
so you renew the face of the earth.
May the glory of the LORD endure for ever; *
may the
LORD rejoice in all his works.
He looks at the earth and it trembles; *
he touches
the mountains and they smoke.
I will sing to the LORD as long as I live; *
I will
praise my God while I have my being.
May these words of mine please him; *
I will rejoice
in the LORD.
Let sinners be consumed out of the earth, *
and the
wicked be no more.
Bless the LORD, O my soul. *
Hallelujah!
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: *
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.
A Reading from the Second Letter to the Corinthians.
So we do not lose heart. Even though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day. For this slight momentary affliction is preparing us for an eternal weight of glory beyond all measure, because we look not at what can be seen but at what cannot be seen; for what can be seen is temporary, but what cannot be seen is eternal.
For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this tent we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling— if indeed, when we have taken it off we will not be found naked. For while we are still in this tent, we groan under our burden, because we wish not to be unclothed but to be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee. So we are always confident; even though we know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord— for we walk by faith, not by sight. Yes, we do have confidence, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him. For all of us must appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each may receive recompense for what has been done in the body, whether good or evil.
The Word of the
Lord.
Thanks be to God.
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
my
spirit rejoices in God my Savior; *
for he has looked with favor
on his lowly servant.
From this day all generations will call me blessed:
*
the Almighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his
Name.
He has mercy on those who fear him *
in every
generation.
He has shown the strength of his arm, *
he has
scattered the proud in their conceit.
He has cast down the mighty from their thrones, *
and
has lifted up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things, *
and the
rich he has sent away empty.
He has come to the help of his servant Israel, *
for
he has remembered his promise of mercy,
The promise he made to our fathers, *
to Abraham and
his children for ever.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: *
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.
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 power of
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.
Officiant The
Lord be with you.
People And
also with you.
Officiant Let
us pray.
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,
for ever and ever.
Amen.
That this evening may be
holy, good, and peaceful.
We entreat you, O Lord.
That your holy angels may
lead us in paths of peace and goodwill,
We entreat you, O Lord.
That we may be pardoned
and forgiven for our sins and offenses,
We entreat you, O Lord.
That there may be peace to
your Church and to the whole world,
We entreat you, O Lord.
That we may depart this
life in your faith and fear, and not be condemned before the great
judgment seat of Christ,
We entreat you, O Lord.
That we may be bound
together by your Holy Spirit in the communion of all your saints,
entrusting one another and all our life to Christ,
We entreat you,
O Lord.
We thank you, heavenly Father, that you have delivered us from the dominion of sin and death and brought us into the kingdom of your Son; and we pray that, as by his death he has recalled us to life, so by his love he may raise us to eternal joys; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
O God, the source of eternal light: Shed forth your unending day upon us who watch for you, that our lips may praise you, our lives may bless you, and our worship on the morrow give you glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
O God and Father of all, whom the whole heavens adore: Let the whole earth also worship you, all nations obey you, all tongues confess and bless you, and men and women everywhere love you and serve you in peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Let us pray now for our own needs and those of others.
Almighty God, you have given us grace at this time with one accord to make our common supplication to you; and you have promised through your well-beloved Son that when two or three are gathered together in his Name you will be in the midst of them: Fulfill now, O Lord, our desires and petitions as may be best for us; granting us in this world knowledge of your truth, and in the age to come life everlasting. Amen.
Let us bless the Lord.
Alleluia, alleluia.
Thanks be to God. Alleluia, alleluia.
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