Friday –
Year 2 Christmas Week
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.
Psalm
18: Part II Et
retribuet mihi
21
The Lord rewarded me because of my righteous dealing; *
because my
hands were clean he rewarded me;
22 For I have kept the ways
of the Lord *
and have not offended against my God;
23 For
all his judgments are before my eyes, *
and his decrees I have not
put away from me;
24 For I have been blameless with him *
and
have kept myself from iniquity;
25 Therefore the Lord rewarded
me according to my
righteous dealing, *
because of the
cleanness of my hands in his sight.
26 With the faithful you
show yourself faithful, O God; *
with the forthright you show
yourself forthright.
27 With the pure you show yourself pure,
*
but with the crooked you are wily.
28
You will save a lowly people, *
but you will humble the haughty
eyes.
29 You, O Lord, are my lamp; *
my God, you make my
darkness bright.
30 With you I will break down an enclosure;
*
with the help of my God I will scale any wall.
31
As for God, his ways are perfect;
the words of the Lord are tried
in the fire; *
he is a shield to all who trust in him.
32
For who is God, but the Lord? *
who is the Rock, except our
God?
33 It is God who girds me about with strength *
and
makes my way secure.
34 He makes me sure-footed like a deer
*
and lets me stand firm on the heights.
35 He trains my
hands for battle *
and my arms for bending even a bow of
bronze.
36 You have given me your shield of victory; *
your
right hand also sustains me;
your loving care makes me great.
37
You lengthen my stride beneath me, *
and my ankles do not give
way.
38 I pursue my enemies and overtake them; *
I will not
turn back till I have destroyed them.
39 I strike them down,
and they cannot rise; *
they fall defeated at my feet.
40
You have girded me with strength for the battle; *
you have cast
down my adversaries beneath me;
you have put my enemies to
flight.
41 I destroy those who hate me;
they cry out, but
there is none to help them; *
they cry to the Lord, but he does
not answer.
42 I beat them small like dust before the wind;
*
I trample them like mud in the streets.
43 You deliver me
from the strife of the peoples; *
you put me at the head of the
nations.
44 A people I have not known shall serve me;
no
sooner shall they hear than they shall obey me; *
strangers will
cringe before me.
45
The foreign peoples will lose heart; *
they shall come trembling
out of their strongholds.
46 The Lord lives! Blessed is my
Rock! *
Exalted is the God of my salvation!
47 He is the
God who gave me victory *
and cast down the peoples beneath
me.
48 You rescued me from the fury of my enemies;
you
exalted me above those who rose against me; *
you saved me from my
deadly foe.
49 Therefore will I extol you among the nations, O
Lord, *
and sing praises to your Name.
50 He multiplies the
victories of his king; *
he shows loving-kindness to his
anointed,
to David and his descendants 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.
Reading
2
John 1-13
The elder to the elect lady and her children, whom I love in the truth, and not only I but also all who know the truth, because of the truth that abides in us and will be with us for ever:
Grace, mercy, and peace will be with us from God the Father and from* Jesus Christ, the Father’s Son, in truth and love.
I was overjoyed to find some of your children walking in the truth, just as we have been commanded by the Father. But now, dear lady, I ask you, not as though I were writing you a new commandment, but one we have had from the beginning, let us love one another. And this is love, that we walk according to his commandments; this is the commandment just as you have heard it from the beginning—you must walk in it.
Many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh; any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist! Be on your guard, so that you do not lose what we* have worked for, but may receive a full reward. Everyone who does not abide in the teaching of Christ, but goes beyond it, does not have God; whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. Do not receive into the house or welcome anyone who comes to you and does not bring this teaching; for to welcome is to participate in the evil deeds of such a person.
Although I have much to write to you, I would rather not use paper and ink; instead I hope to come to you and talk with you face to face, so that our joy may be complete.
The children of your elect sister send you their greetings.*
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: Weekdays after Christmas Day
Almighty God, you have given your only-begotten Son to take our nature upon him, and to be born of a pure virgin: Grant that we, who have been born again and made your children by adoption and grace, may daily be renewed by your Holy Spirit; through our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom with you and the same Spirit be honor and glory, 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. Alleluia. Alleluia.
Thanks be to God. Alleluia. Alleluia.
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