Jesus said, “I am the light of the world; whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
John 8:12
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.
Let God arise, and let his enemies be scattered; *
let
those who hate him flee before him.
Let them vanish like smoke when the wind drives it away;
*
as the wax melts at the fire, so let the wicked perish at the
presence of God.
But let the righteous be glad and rejoice before God;
*
let them also be merry and joyful.
Sing to God, sing praises to his Name;
exalt him who
rides upon the heavens; *
YAHWEH is his Name, rejoice before him!
Father of orphans, defender of widows, *
God in his
holy habitation!
God gives the solitary a home and brings forth prisoners
into freedom; *
but the rebels shall live in dry places.
O God, when you went forth before your people, *
when
you marched through the wilderness,
The earth shook, and the skies poured down rain,
at
the presence of God, the God of Sinai, *
at the presence of God,
the God of Israel.
You sent a gracious rain, O God, upon your inheritance;
*
you refreshed the land when it was weary.
Your people found their home in it; *
in your
goodness, O God, you have made provision for the poor.
The Lord gave the word; *
great was the company of
women who bore the tidings:
“Kings with their armies are fleeing away; *
the
women at home are dividing the spoils.”
Though you lingered among the sheepfolds, *
you shall
be like a dove whose wings are covered with silver,
whose
feathers are like green gold.
When the Almighty scattered kings, *
it was like snow
falling in Zalmon.
O mighty mountain, O hill of Bashan! *
O rugged
mountain, O hill of Bashan!
Why do you look with envy, O rugged mountain,
at the
hill which God chose for his resting place? *
truly, the LORD will
dwell there for ever.
The chariots of God are twenty thousand,
even
thousands of thousands; *
the Lord comes in holiness from Sinai.
You have gone up on high and led captivity captive;
you
have received gifts even from your enemies, *
that the LORD God
might dwell among them.
Blessed be the Lord day by day, *
the God of our
salvation, who bears our burdens.
He is our God, the God of our salvation; *
God is the
LORD, by whom we escape death.
[God shall crush the heads of his enemies, *
and the
hairy scalp of those who go on still in their wickedness.
The Lord has said, “I will bring them back from
Bashan; *
I will bring them back from the depths of the sea;
That your foot may be dipped in blood, *
the tongues
of your dogs in the blood of your enemies.”]
They see your procession, O God, *
your procession
into the sanctuary, my God and my King.
The singers go before, musicians follow after, *
in
the midst of maidens playing upon the hand-drums.
Bless God in the congregation; *
bless the LORD, you
that are of the fountain of Israel.
There is Benjamin, least of the tribes, at the head;
the
princes of Judah in a company; *
and the princes of Zebulon and
Naphtali.
Send forth your strength, O God; *
establish, O God,
what you have wrought for us.
Kings shall bring gifts to you, *
for your temple’s
sake at Jerusalem.
Rebuke the wild beast of the reeds, *
and the
peoples, a herd of wild bulls with its calves.
Trample down those who lust after silver; *
scatter
the peoples that delight in war.
Let tribute be brought out of Egypt; *
let Ethiopia
stretch out her hands to God.
Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth; *
sing praises
to the Lord.
He rides in the heavens, the ancient heavens; *
he
sends forth his voice, his mighty voice.
Ascribe power to God; *
his majesty is over Israel;
his strength is in the skies.
How wonderful is God in his holy places! *
the God of
Israel giving strength and power to his people!
Blessed be God!
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 First Letter to the Thessalonians.
Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers and sisters, you do not need to have anything written to you. For you yourselves know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. When they say, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them, as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and there will be no escape! But you, beloved, are not in darkness, for that day to surprise you like a thief; for you are all children of light and children of the day; we are not of the night or of darkness.
So then let us not fall asleep as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober; for those who sleep sleep at night, and those who are drunk get drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, and put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. For God has destined us not for wrath but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep we may live with him.
Therefore encourage one another and build up each other, as indeed you are doing.
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.
Almighty God, whom truly to know is everlasting life: Grant us so perfectly to know your Son Jesus Christ to be the way, the truth, and the life, that we may steadfastly follow his steps in the way that leads to eternal life; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Most holy God, the source of all good desires, all right judgments, and all just works: Give to us, your servants, that peace which the world cannot give, so that our minds may be fixed on the doing of your will, and that we, being delivered from the fear of all enemies, may live in peace and quietness; through the mercies of Christ Jesus our Savior. 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