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
Officiant O
God, make speed to save us.
People 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.
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.
LORD, hear my prayer, and let my cry come before you;
*
hide not your face from me in the day of my trouble.
Incline your ear to me; *
when I call, make haste to
answer me,
For my days drift away like smoke, *
and my bones are
hot as burning coals.
My heart is smitten like grass and withered, *
so
that I forget to eat my bread.
Because of the voice of my groaning *
I am but skin
and bones.
I have become like a vulture in the wilderness, *
like
an owl among the ruins.
I lie awake and groan; *
I am like a sparrow, lonely
on a house-top.
My enemies revile me all day long, *
and those who
scoff at me have taken an oath against me.
For I have eaten ashes for bread *
and mingled my
drink with weeping.
Because of your indignation and wrath *
you have
lifted me up and thrown me away.
My days pass away like a shadow, *
and I wither like
the grass.
But you, O LORD, endure for ever, *
and your Name
from age to age.
You will arise and have compassion on Zion,
for it is
time to have mercy upon her; *
indeed, the appointed time has
come.
For your servants love her very rubble, *
and are
moved to pity even for her dust.
The nations shall fear your Name, O LORD, *
and all
the kings of the earth your glory.
For the LORD will build up Zion, *
and his glory will
appear.
He will look with favor on the prayer of the homeless;
*
he will not despise their plea.
Let this be written for a future generation, *
so
that a people yet unborn may praise the LORD.
For the LORD looked down from his holy place on high;
*
from the heavens he beheld the earth;
That he might hear the groan of the captive *
and set
free those condemned to die;
That they may declare in Zion the Name of the LORD,
*
and his praise in Jerusalem;
When the peoples are gathered together, *
and the
kingdoms also, to serve the LORD.
He has brought down my strength before my time; *
he
has shortened the number of my days;
And I said, “O my God,
do not take me away in
the midst of my days; *
your years endure throughout all
generations.
In the beginning, O LORD, you laid the foundations of
the earth, *
and the heavens are the work of your hands;
They shall perish, but you will endure;
they all
shall wear out like a garment; *
as clothing you will change
them,
and they shall be changed;
But you are always the same, *
and your years will
never end.
The children of your servants shall continue, *
and
their offspring shall stand fast in your sight.”
Out of the depths have I called to you, O LORD;
LORD,
hear my voice; *
let your ears consider well the voice of my
supplication.
If you, LORD, were to note what is done amiss, *
O
LORD, who could stand?
For there is forgiveness with you; *
therefore you
shall be feared.
I wait for the LORD; my soul waits for him; *
in his
word is my hope.
My soul waits for the LORD,
more than watchmen for
the morning, *
more than watchmen for the morning.
O Israel, wait for the LORD, *
for with the LORD
there is mercy;
With him there is plenteous redemption, *
and he
shall redeem Israel from all their sins.
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.
A Reading from the Book of Hebrews.
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such hostility against himself from sinners, so that you may not grow weary or lose heart.
In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. And you have forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as children— “My child, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, or lose heart when you are punished by him; for the Lord disciplines those whom he loves, and chastises every child whom he accepts.” Endure trials for the sake of discipline. God is treating you as children; for what child is there whom a parent does not discipline? If you do not have that discipline in which all children share, then you are illegitimate and not his children. Moreover, we had human parents to discipline us, and we respected them. Should we not be even more willing to be subject to the Father of spirits and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share his holiness. Now, discipline always seems painful rather than pleasant at the time, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint, but rather be healed. Pursue peace with everyone, and the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.
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.
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.
Officiant The
Lord be with you.
People And
also with you.
Officiant Let
us pray.
Our Father, who art in
heaven,
hallowed be thy Name,
thy kingdom come,
thy will
be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our
daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive
those
who trespass against us.
And lead us not into
temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the
kingdom,
and the power, and the glory,
for ever and ever.
Amen.
V. Show
us your mercy, O Lord;
R. And
grant us your salvation.
V. Clothe
your ministers with righteousness;
R. Let
your people sing with joy.
V. Give
peace, O Lord, in all the world;
R. For
only in you can we live in safety.
V. Lord,
keep this nation under your care;
R. And
guide us in the way of justice and truth.
V. Let
your way be known upon earth;
R. Your
saving health among all nations.
V. Let
not the needy, O Lord, be forgotten;
R. Nor
the hope of the poor be taken away.
V. Create
in us clean hearts, O God;
R. And
sustain us with your Holy Spirit.
Almighty and everlasting God, you hate nothing you have made and forgive the sins of all who are penitent: Create and make in us new and contrite hearts, that we, worthily lamenting our sins and acknowledging our wretchedness, may obtain of you, the God of all mercy, perfect remission and forgiveness; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Most holy God, the source of all good desires, all right judgments, and all just works: Give to us, your servants, that peace which the world cannot give, so that our minds may be fixed on the doing of your will, and that we, being delivered from the fear of all enemies, may live in peace and quietness; through the mercies of Christ Jesus our Savior. Amen.
O God, you manifest in your servants the signs of your presence: Send forth upon us the spirit of love, that in companionship with one another your abounding grace may increase among us; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Prayers and Intercessions
Let us pray now for our own needs and those of others.
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.
May the God of hope fill us with all joy and peace in believing through the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Romans 15:13