Thursday –
Year 2 Advent 2
Evening Prayer
Yours is the day, O God, yours also the night; you established the moon and the sun. You fixed all the boundaries of the earth; you made both summer and winter. Psalm 74:15,16
O God, make speed to save us.
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.
Psalm 37: Part II
19 The Lord cares for
the lives of the godly, *
and their inheritance shall last for
ever.
20 They shall not be ashamed in bad times, *
and in
days of famine they shall have enough.
21 As for the wicked,
they shall perish, *
and the enemies of the Lord, like the glory
of
the meadows, shall vanish;
they shall vanish like smoke.
22 The wicked borrow
and do not repay, *
but the righteous are generous in giving.
23
Those who are blessed by God shall possess the land, *
but those
who are cursed by him shall be destroyed.
24 Our steps are
directed by the Lord; *
he strengthens those in whose way he
delights.
25 If they stumble, they shall not fall headlong,
*
for the Lord holds them by the hand.
26 I have been young
and now I am old, *
but never have I seen the righteous
forsaken,
or their children begging bread.
27 The righteous
are always generous in their lending, *
and their children shall
be a blessing.
28 Turn from evil, and do good, *
and dwell
in the land for ever.
29 For the Lord loves justice; *
he
does not forsake his faithful ones.
30 They shall be kept safe
for ever, *
but the offspring of the wicked shall be
destroyed.
31 The righteous shall possess the land *
and
dwell in it for ever.
32 The mouth of the righteous utters
wisdom, *
and their tongue speaks what is right.
33 The law
of their God is in their heart, *
and their footsteps shall not
falter.
34 The wicked spy on the righteous *
and seek
occasion to kill them.
35 The Lord will not abandon them to their hand, *
nor let them
be found guilty when brought to trial.
36 Wait upon the Lord
and keep his way; *
he will raise you up to possess the land,
and
when the wicked are cut off, you will see it.
37 I have seen
the wicked in their arrogance, *
flourishing like a tree in full
leaf.
38 I went by, and behold, they were not there; *
I
searched for them, but they could not be found.
39 Mark those
who are honest;
observe the upright; *
for there is a future
for the peaceable.
40 Transgressors shall be destroyed, one
and all; *
the future of the wicked is cut off.
41 But the
deliverance of the righteous comes from the Lord; *
he is their
stronghold in time of trouble.
42 The Lord will help them and
rescue them; *
he will rescue them from the wicked and deliver
them,
because they seek refuge in him.
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.
Reading
‘And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write: These are the words of the first and the last, who was dead and came to life:
‘I know your affliction and your poverty, even though you are rich. I know the slander on the part of those who say that they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Beware, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison so that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have affliction. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life. Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches. Whoever conquers will not be harmed by the second death.
‘And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write: These are the words of him who has the sharp two-edged sword:
‘I know where you are living, where Satan’s throne is. Yet you are holding fast to my name, and you did not deny your faith in me* even in the days of Antipas my witness, my faithful one, who was killed among you, where Satan lives. But I have a few things against you: you have some there who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling-block before the people of Israel, so that they would eat food sacrificed to idols and practise fornication. So you also have some who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans. Repent then. If not, I will come to you soon and make war against them with the sword of my mouth. Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches. To everyone who conquers I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give a white stone, and on the white stone is written a new name that no one knows except the one who receives it.
The Word of the
Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Canticle 17
Lord, you now
have set your servant free *
to go in peace as you have promised;
For these eyes of
mine have seen the Savior,*
whom you have prepared for all the
world to see:
A Light to
enlighten the nations,*
and the glory of your people Israel.
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.
The
Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Let us pray.
Our
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.
Save
us from the time of trial,
and deliver us from evil.
For
the kingdom, the power,
and the glory are yours,
now and for
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.
Collect of the Day: Second Sunday of Advent
Merciful God, who sent your messengers the prophets to preach repentance and prepare the way for our salvation: Give us grace to heed their warnings and forsake our sins, that we may greet with joy the coming of Jesus Christ our Redeemer; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
For Protection
O God, the life of all who live, the light of the faithful, the strength of those who labor, and the repose of the dead: We thank you for the blessings of the day that is past, and humbly ask for your protection through the coming night. Bring us in safety to the morning hours; through him who died and rose again for us, your Son our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
For Mission
Keep watch, dear Lord, with those who work, or watch, or weep this night, and give your angels charge over those who sleep. Tend the sick, Lord Christ; give rest to the weary, bless the dying, soothe the suffering, pity the afflicted, shield the joyous; and all for your love's sake. Amen.
Let us pray now for our own needs and those of others.
A Prayer of St. Chrysostom
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.
Thanks be to God.
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