Thursday –
Year 1 Holy Cross
Evening Prayer
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
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.
118 Confitemini
Domino
1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; *
his
mercy endures for ever.
2 Let Israel now proclaim, *
"His
mercy endures for ever."
3 Let the house of Aaron now
proclaim, *
"His mercy endures for ever."
4 Let
those who fear the Lord now proclaim, *
"His mercy endures
for ever."
5 I called to the Lord in my distress; *
the
Lord answered by setting me free.
6 The Lord is at my side,
therefore I will not fear; *
what can anyone do to me?
7
The Lord is at my side to help me; *
I will triumph over those who
hate me.
8 It is better to rely on the Lord *
than to put
any trust in flesh.
9 It is better to rely on the Lord *
than
to put any trust in rulers.
10 All the ungodly encompass me;
*
in the name of the Lord I will repel them.
11 They hem me
in, they hem me in on every side; *
in the name of the Lord I will
repel them.
12 They swarm about me like bees;
they blaze
like a fire of thorns; *
in the name of the Lord I will repel
them.
13 I was pressed so hard that I almost fell, *
but
the Lord came to my help.
14 The Lord is my strength
and my song, *
and he has become my salvation.
15 There is
a sound of exultation and victory *
in the tents of the righteous:
16 "The right hand of the Lord has
triumphed! *
the right hand of the Lord is exalted!
the right
hand of the Lord has triumphed!"
17 I shall not die, but
live, *
and declare the works of the Lord.
18 The Lord has
punished me sorely, *
but he did not hand me over to death.
19 Open for me the gates of righteousness; *
I will enter
them;
I will offer thanks to the Lord.
20 "This is the
gate of the Lord; *
he who is righteous may enter."
21
I will give thanks to you, for you answered me *
and have become
my salvation.
22 The same stone which the builders rejected
*
has become the chief cornerstone.
23 This is the Lord's
doing, *
and it is marvelous in our eyes.
24 On this day
the Lord has acted; *
we will rejoice and be glad in it.
25 Hosannah, Lord, hosannah! *
Lord, send us now
success.
26 Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord;
*
we bless you from the house of the Lord.
27 God is the
Lord; he has shined upon us; *
form a procession with branches up
to the horns of the altar.
28 "You are my God, and I will thank you; *
you are my
God, and I will exalt you."
29 Give thanks to the Lord,
for he is good; *
his mercy endures 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
Now the serpent was more crafty than any other wild animal that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, ‘Did God say, “You shall not eat from any tree in the garden”?’ The woman said to the serpent, ‘We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden; but God said, “You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the garden, nor shall you touch it, or you shall die.” ’ But the serpent said to the woman, ‘You will not die; for God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God,* knowing good and evil.’ So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate; and she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made loincloths for themselves.
They heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden at the
time of the evening breeze, and the man and his wife hid themselves
from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But
the Lord God called to the man, and said to him, ‘Where are
you?’ He said, ‘I heard the sound of you in the garden,
and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.’ He
said, ‘Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from
the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?’ The man said,
‘The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit from
the tree, and I ate.’ Then the Lord God said to the woman,
‘What is this that you have done?’ The woman said, ‘The
serpent tricked me, and I ate.’ The Lord God said to the
serpent,
‘Because you have done this,
cursed
are you among all animals
and among all wild
creatures;
upon your belly you shall go,
and
dust you shall eat
all the days of your life.
I
will put enmity between you and the woman,
and
between your offspring and hers;
he will strike your head,
and
you will strike his heel.’
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.
Reading
For it is better to suffer for doing good, if suffering should be God’s will, than to suffer for doing evil. For Christ also suffered* for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, in order to bring you* to God. He was put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit, in which also he went and made a proclamation to the spirits in prison, who in former times did not obey, when God waited patiently in the days of Noah, during the building of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight people, were saved through water. And baptism, which this prefigured, now saves you—not as a removal of dirt from the body, but as an appeal to God for* a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers made subject to him.
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.
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: Holy Cross Day
O God, who by the passion of your blessed Son made an instrument of shameful death to be for us the means of life and peace: Grant us so to glory in the cross of Christ, that we may gladly suffer shame and loss for the sake of your Son our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and 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.
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