Thursday
Evening Prayer – Proper 10 in Year 1

Opening Sentence

Yours is the day, O God, yours also the night; you established the moon and the sun. You fixed all the boundaries of the earth; you made both summer and winter. Psalm 74:15,16

Versicle and Response

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.

Invitatory

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

Psalm 37b

¹⁹The LORD cares for the lives of the godly, *
and their inheritance shall last for ever.
²⁰They shall not be ashamed in bad times,*
and in days of famine they shall have enough.
²¹As for the wicked, they shall perish,*
and the enemies of the LORD, like the glory of the meadows, shall vanish;
they shall vanish like smoke.
²²The wicked borrow and do not repay,*
but the righteous are generous in giving.
²³Those who are blessed by God shall possess the land,*
but those who are cursed by him shall be destroyed.
²⁴Our steps are directed by the LORD;*
he strengthens those in whose way he delights.
²⁵If they stumble, they shall not fall headlong, *
for the LORD holds them by the hand.
²⁶I have been young and now I am old,*
but never have I seen the righteous forsaken,
or their children begging bread.
²⁷The righteous are always generous in their lending,*
and their children shall be a blessing.
²⁸Turn from evil, and do good,*
and dwell in the land for ever.
²⁹For the LORD loves justice;*
he does not forsake his faithful ones.
³⁰They shall be kept safe for ever,*
but the offspring of the wicked shall be destroyed.
³¹The righteous shall possess the land *
and dwell in it for ever.
³²The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom, *
and their tongue speaks what is right.
³³The law of their God is in their heart,*
and their footsteps shall not falter.
³⁴The wicked spy on the righteous *
and seek occasion to kill them.
³⁵The LORD will not abandon them to their hand, *
nor let them be found guilty when brought to trial.
³⁶Wait upon the LORD and keep his way;*
he will raise you up to possess the land,
and when the wicked are cut off, you will see it.
³⁷I have seen the wicked in their arrogance, *
flourishing like a tree in full leaf.
³⁸I went by, and behold, they were not there; *
I searched for them, but they could not be found.
³⁹Mark those who are honest;
observe the upright;*
for there is a future for the peaceable.
⁴⁰Transgressors shall be destroyed, one and all;*
the future of the wicked is cut off.
⁴¹But the deliverance of the righteous comes from the LORD;*
he is their stronghold in time of trouble.
⁴²The LORD will help them and rescue them; *
he will rescue them from the wicked and deliver them,
because they seek refuge in him.

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

Mark 2:23-3:6

One sabbath he was going through the cornfields; and as they made their way his disciples began to pluck heads of grain. The Pharisees said to him, ‘Look, why are they doing what is not lawful on the sabbath?’ And he said to them, ‘Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry and in need of food? He entered the house of God, when Abiathar was high priest, and ate the bread of the Presence, which it is not lawful for any but the priests to eat, and he gave some to his companions.’ Then he said to them, ‘The sabbath was made for humankind, and not humankind for the sabbath; so the Son of Man is lord even of the sabbath.’

Again he entered the synagogue, and a man was there who had a withered hand. They watched him to see whether he would cure him on the sabbath, so that they might accuse him. And he said to the man who had the withered hand, ‘Come forward.’ Then he said to them, ‘Is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the sabbath, to save life or to kill?’ But they were silent. He looked around at them with anger; he was grieved at their hardness of heart and said to the man, ‘Stretch out your hand.’ He stretched it out, and his hand was restored. The Pharisees went out and immediately conspired with the Herodians against him, how to destroy him.

The Word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

Canticle 15 The Song of Mary

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.

The Apostle's Creed

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.

The Lord's Prayer

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.

Suffrages

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: Proper 10

O Lord, mercifully receive the prayers of your people who call upon you, and grant that they may know and understand what things they ought to do, and may also have grace and power faithfully to accomplish them; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

For Protection

O God, the life of all who live, the light of the faithful, the strength of those who labor, and the repose of the dead: We thank you for the blessings of the day that is past, and humbly ask for your protection through the coming night. Bring us in safety to the morning hours; through him who died and rose again for us, your Son our Savior Jesus Christ. 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.

Prayers and Intercessions

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.

Benediction

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