Wednesday
Evening
Prayer – St. John the Evangelist
Seek him who made the Pleiades and Orion, and turns deep darkness into the morning, and darkens the day into night; who calls for the waters of the sea and pours them out upon the surface of the earth: The Lord is his name. Amos 5:8
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.
1 I will exalt you, O God my King,*
and bless your Name for ever and ever.
2 Every day will I bless you*
and praise your Name for ever and ever.
3 Great is the LORD and greatly to be praised; *
there is no end to his greatness.
4 One generation shall praise your works to another*
and shall declare your power.
5 I will ponder the glorious splendor of your majesty*
and all your marvelous works.
6 They shall speak of the might of your wondrous acts,*
and I will tell of your greatness.
7 They shall publish the remembrance of your great goodness;*
they shall sing of your righteous deeds.
8 The LORD is gracious and full of compassion, *
slow to anger and of great kindness.
9 The LORD is loving to everyone*
and his compassion is over all his works.
10 All your works praise you, O LORD,*
and your faithful servants bless you.
11 They make known the glory of your kingdom *
and speak of your power;
12 That the peoples may know of your power*
and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom;*
your dominion endures throughout all ages.
14 The LORD is faithful in all his words*
and merciful in all his deeds.
15 The LORD upholds all those who fall;*
he lifts up those who are bowed down.
16 The eyes of all wait upon you, O LORD,*
and you give them their food in due season.
17 You open wide your hand*
and satisfy the needs of every living creature.
18 The LORD is righteous in all his ways*
and loving in all his works.
19 The LORD is near to those who call upon him, *
to all who call upon him faithfully.
20 He fulfills the desire of those who fear him;*
he hears their cry and helps them.
21 The LORD preserves all those who love him, *
but he destroys all the wicked.
22 My mouth shall speak the praise of the LORD; *
let all flesh bless his holy Name for ever and 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.
Reading
Isaiah 44:1-8
But now hear, O Jacob
my servant,
Israel whom I have chosen!
Thus says the Lord who made you,
who formed
you in the womb and will help you:
Do not fear, O Jacob my
servant,
Jeshurun whom I have chosen.
For I
will pour water on the thirsty land,
and
streams on the dry ground;
I will pour my spirit upon your
descendants,
and my blessing on your offspring.
They shall spring up like a green tamarisk,
like
willows by flowing streams.
This one will say, ‘I am the
Lord’s’,
another will be called by
the name of Jacob,
yet another will write on the hand, ‘The
Lord’s’,
and adopt the name of
Israel.
Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel
and
his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts:
I am the first and I am the
last;
besides me there is no god.
Who is
like me? Let them proclaim it,
let them
declare and set it forth before me.
Who has announced from of old
the things to come?*
Let
them tell us*
what is yet to be.
Do not fear, or be afraid;
have
I not told you from of old and declared it?
You
are my witnesses!
Is there any god besides me?
There
is no other rock; I know not one.
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.
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
1 John 5:1-12
Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ* has been born of God, and everyone who loves the parent loves the child. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. For the love of God is this, that we obey his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome, for whatever is born of God conquers the world. And this is the victory that conquers the world, our faith. Who is it that conquers the world but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
This is the one who came by water and blood, Jesus Christ, not with the water only but with the water and the blood. And the Spirit is the one that testifies, for the Spirit is the truth. There are three that testify:* the Spirit and the water and the blood, and these three agree. If we receive human testimony, the testimony of God is greater; for this is the testimony of God that he has testified to his Son. Those who believe in the Son of God have the testimony in their hearts. Those who do not believe in God* have made him a liar by not believing in the testimony that God has given concerning his Son. And this is the testimony: God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.
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.
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: St. John the Evangelist
Shed upon your Church, O Lord, the brightness of your light; that we, being illumined by the teaching of your apostle and evangelist John, may so walk in the light of your truth, that at length we may attain to the fullness of eternal life, through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
A Collect for Saturdays
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.
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