Wednesday –
Year 2 Advent 3
Evening Prayer
Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness; let the whole earth tremble before him. Psalm 96:9
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.
49 Audite hæc,
omnes
1 Hear this, all you peoples;
hearken, all you
who dwell in the world, *
you of high degree and low, rich and
poor together.
2 My mouth shall speak of wisdom, *
and my
heart shall meditate on understanding.
3 I will incline my ear
to a proverb *
and set forth my riddle upon the harp.
4 Why
should I be afraid in evil days, *
when the wickedness of those at
my heels surrounds me,
5 The wickedness of those who put their
trust in their goods, *
and boast of their great riches?
6
We can never ransom ourselves, *
or deliver to God the price of
our life;
7 For the ransom of our life is so great, *
that
we should never have enough to pay it,
8 In order to live for
ever and ever, *
and never see the grave.
9 For we see that
the wise die also;
like the dull and stupid they perish *
and
leave their wealth to those who come after them.
10 Their graves shall be their homes for
ever,
their dwelling places from generation to generation,
*
though they call the lands after their own names.
11 Even
though honored, they cannot live for ever; *
they are like the
beasts that perish.
12 Such is the way of those who foolishly
trust in themselves, *
and the end of those who delight in their
own words.
13 Like a flock of sheep they are destined to
die;
Death is their shepherd; *
they go down straightway to the
grave.
14 Their form shall waste away, *
and the land of
the dead shall be their home.
15 But God will ransom my life;
*
he will snatch me from the grasp of death.
16 Do not be
envious when some become rich, *
or when the grandeur of their
house increases;
17 For they will carry nothing away at their
death, *
nor will their grandeur follow them.
18 Though
they thought highly of themselves while they lived, *
and were
praised for their success,
19 They shall join the company of
their forebears, *
who will never see the light again.
20
Those who are honored, but have no understanding, *
are like the
beasts that perish.
53 Dixit insipiens
(1
The fool has said in his heart, "There is no God." *
All
are corrupt and commit abominable acts;
there is none who does any
good.
2 God looks down from heaven upon us all, *
to see if there is
any who is wise,
if there is one who seeks after God.
3
Every one has proved faithless;
all alike have turned bad; *
there
is none who does good; no, not one.
4 Have they no knowledge,
those evildoers *
who eat up my people like bread and do not call
upon God?
5 See how greatly they tremble,
such trembling as
never was; *
for God has scattered the bones of the enemy;
they
are put to shame, because God has rejected them.
6 Oh, that
Israel's deliverance would come out of Zion! *
when God restores
the fortunes of his people
Jacob will rejoice and Israel be glad.)
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
After this I looked, and there in heaven a door stood open! And the first voice, which I had heard speaking to me like a trumpet, said, ‘Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.’ At once I was in the spirit,* and there in heaven stood a throne, with one seated on the throne! And the one seated there looks like jasper and cornelian, and around the throne is a rainbow that looks like an emerald. Around the throne are twenty-four thrones, and seated on the thrones are twenty-four elders, dressed in white robes, with golden crowns on their heads. Coming from the throne are flashes of lightning, and rumblings and peals of thunder, and in front of the throne burn seven flaming torches, which are the seven spirits of God; and in front of the throne there is something like a sea of glass, like crystal.
Around the throne, and on each side of the throne, are four living
creatures, full of eyes in front and behind: the first living
creature like a lion, the second living creature like an ox, the
third living creature with a face like a human face, and the fourth
living creature like a flying eagle. And the four living creatures,
each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and inside.
Day and night without ceasing they sing,
‘Holy, holy,
holy,
the Lord God the Almighty,
who was and
is and is to come.’
The Word of the
Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Canticle 15
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.
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.
Show us your mercy, O Lord;
And grant us your salvation.
Clothe your ministers with righteousness;
Let your people sing with joy.
Give peace, O Lord, in all the world;
For only in you can we live in safety.
Lord, keep this nation under your care;
And guide us in the way of justice and truth.
Let your way be known upon earth;
Your saving health among all nations.
Let not the needy, O Lord, be forgotten;
Nor the hope of the poor be taken away.
Create in us clean hearts, O God;
And sustain us with your Holy Spirit.
Collect of the Day: Third Sunday of Advent
Stir up your power, O Lord, and with great might come among us; and, because we are sorely hindered by our sins, let your bountiful grace and mercy speedily help and deliver us; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory, now and for ever. Amen.
A Collect for Protection
Be our light in the darkness, O Lord, and in your great mercy defend us from all perils and dangers of this night; for the love of your only Son, our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
For Mission
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.
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