Friday Year 2
Advent 2
Evening Prayer
I will bless the Lord who gives me counsel; my heart teaches me, night after night. I have set the Lord always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not fall. Psalm 16:7,8
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.
35
1 Fight those who fight me, O Lord;
*
attack those who are attacking me.
2 Take up shield and
armor *
and rise up to help me.
3 Draw the sword and bar
the way against those
who pursue me; *
say to my soul, "I
am your salvation."
4 Let those who seek after my life be
shamed and humbled; *
let those who plot my ruin fall back and be
dismayed.
5 Let them be like chaff before the wind, *
and
let the angel of the Lord drive them away.
6 Let their way be dark and slippery, *
and let the angel of
the Lord pursue them.
7 For they have secretly spread a net
for me without a cause; *
without a cause they have dug a pit to
take me alive.
8 Let ruin come upon them unawares; *
let
them be caught in the net they hid;
let them fall into the pit
they dug.
9 Then I will be joyful in the Lord; *
I will
glory in his victory.
10 My very bones will say, "Lord,
who is like you? *
You deliver the poor from those who are too
strong for them,
the poor and needy from those who rob them."
11
Malicious witnesses rise up against me; *
they charge me with
matters I know nothing about.
12 They pay me evil in exchange
for good; *
my soul is full of despair.
13 But when they
were sick I dressed in sack-cloth *
and humbled myself by
fasting;
14 I prayed with my whole heart,
as one would for
a friend or a brother; *
I behaved like one who mourns for his
mother,
bowed down and grieving.
15 But when I stumbled,
they were glad and gathered together;
they gathered against me;
*
strangers whom I did not know tore me to pieces and
would not
stop.
16 They put me to the test and mocked me; *
they
gnashed at me with their teeth.
17 O Lord, how long will you look on? *
rescue me from the
roaring beasts,
and my life from the young lions.
18 I will
give you thanks in the great congregation; *
I will praise you in
the mighty throng.
19 Do not let my treacherous foes rejoice
over me, *
nor let those who hate me without a cause
wink at
each other.
20 For they do not plan for peace, *
but invent
deceitful schemes against the
quiet in the land.
21 They
opened their mouths at me and said, *
"Aha! we saw it with
our own eyes."
22 You saw it, O Lord; do not be silent;
*
O Lord, be not far from me.
23 Awake, arise, to my cause!
*
to my defense, my God and my Lord!
24 Give me justice, O
Lord my God,
according to your righteousness; *
do not let them
triumph over me.
25 Do not let them say in their hearts,
"Aha!
just what we want!" *
Do not let them say, "We have
swallowed him up."
26 Let all who rejoice at my ruin be
ashamed and disgraced; *
let those who boast against me be clothed
with
dismay and shame.
27 Let those who favor my cause sing
out with joy and be glad; *
let them say always, "Great is
the Lord,
who desires the prosperity of his servant."
28 And my tongue shall be talking of your righteousness *
and
of your praise all the day long.
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
Revelation
2:18-29
‘And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write: These are the words of the Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and whose feet are like burnished bronze:
‘I know your works—your love, faith, service, and
patient endurance. I know that your last works are greater than the
first. But I have this against you: you tolerate that woman Jezebel,
who calls herself a prophet and is teaching and beguiling my
servants*
to practise fornication and to eat food sacrificed to idols. I gave
her time to repent, but she refuses to repent of her fornication.
Beware, I am throwing her on a bed, and those who commit adultery
with her I am throwing into great distress, unless they repent of her
doings; and I will strike her children dead. And all the churches
will know that I am the one who searches minds and hearts, and I will
give to each of you as your works deserve. But to the rest of you in
Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who have not learned what
some call “the deep things of Satan”, to you I say, I do
not lay on you any other burden; only hold fast to what you have
until I come. To everyone who conquers and continues to do my works
to the end,
I will give authority over the nations;
to
rule*
them with an iron rod,
as when clay pots are
shattered—
even as I also received authority from my
Father. To the one who conquers I will also give the morning star.
Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit is saying to the
churches.
The
Word of the Lord.
Thanks
be to God.
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.
A Collect for Fridays
Lord Jesus Christ, by your death you took away the sting of death: Grant to us your servants so to follow in faith where you have led the way, that we may at length fall asleep peacefully in you and wake up in your likeness; for your tender mercies' sake. Amen.
For Mission
O God, you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth, and sent your blessed Son to preach peace to those who are far off and to those who are near: Grant that people everywhere may seek after you and find you; bring the nations into your fold; pour out your Spirit upon all flesh, and hasten the coming of your kingdom; through Jesus Christ our Lord. 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.
Glory
to God whose power, working in us, can do infinitely more than we can
ask or imagine: Glory to him from generation to generation in the
Church, and in Christ Jesus for ever and ever. Amen.
Ephesians
3:20,21