The Officiant begins the service with one or more of the following sentences of Scripture, or with the Service of Light, and continuing with the appointed Psalmody; or with the versicle 'O God, make speed to save us' Let my prayer be set forth in your sight as incense, the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.
Psalm 141:2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and from theLord Jesus Christ.
Philippians 1:2 Worship the Lord in the beauty of his holiness; let the whole earthtremble before him.
Psalm 96:9 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 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 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 If I say, 'Surely the darkness will cover me, and the light around me turn to night,' darkness is not dark to you, O Lord; the night is as bright as the day; darkness and light to you are both alike.
Psalm 139:10,11 Jesus said, 'I am the light of the world; whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.'
John 8:12 Confession of Sin Dearly beloved, we have come together in the presence of Almighty God our heavenly Father, to set forth his praise, to hear his holy Word, and to ask, for ourselves and on behalf of others, those things that are necessary for our life and our salvation. And so that we may prepare ourselves in heart and mind to worship him, let us kneel in silence, and with penitent and obedient hearts confess our sins, that we may obtain forgiveness by his infinite goodness and mercy.
or thisLet us confess our sins against God and our neighbor.
Most merciful God, we confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed,
by what we have done,
and by what we have left undone.
We have not loved you with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves.
We are truly sorry and we humbly repent. For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and forgive us; that we may delight in your will,
and walk in your ways,
to the glory of your Name. Amen.
*A deacon or lay person using the preceding form remains kneeling, and substitutes 'us' for 'you' and 'our' for 'your.' Almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us all our sins through our Lord Jesus Christ, strengthen us in all goodness, and by the power of the Holy Spirit keep us in eternal life. Amen
The Invitatory and Psalter Officiant: Lord, open our lips.
People: And our mouth shall proclaim your praise
Officiant and People: Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen Alleluia
Then follows one of the Invitatory Psalms
Jubilate Psalm 100
Be joyful in the Lord, all you lands; *
serve the Lord with gladness and come before his presence with a song.
Know this: The Lord himself is God; *
he himself has made us, and we are his; we are his people and the sheep of his pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise; *
give thanks to him and call upon his Name.
For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; *
and his faithfulness endures from age to age.
The following Antiphon may be sung or said with the Invitatory PsalmOn other Sundays and weekdays Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness: Come let us adore him.
The Lessons
Psalm
91
(1) He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
(2) I will say of the LORD, 'He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.'
(3) Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler And from the perilous pestilence.
(4) He shall cover you with His feathers, And under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler.
(5) You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, Nor of the arrow that flies by day,
(6) Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, Nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday.
(7) A thousand may fall at your side, And ten thousand at your right hand; But it shall not come near you.
(8) Only with your eyes shall you look, And see the reward of the wicked.
(9) Because you have made the LORD, who is my refuge, Even the Most High, your dwelling place,
(10) No evil shall befall you, Nor shall any plague come near your dwelling;
(11) For He shall give His angels charge over you, To keep you in all your ways.
(12) In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.
(13) You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra, The young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot.
(14) Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him on high, because he has known My name.
(15) He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him.
(16) With long life I will satisfy him, And show him My salvation.'
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.
Psalm
92
(1) It is good to give thanks to the LORD, And to sing praises to Your name, O Most High;
(2) To declare Your lovingkindness in the morning, And Your faithfulness every night,
(3) On an instrument of ten strings, On the lute, And on the harp, With harmonious sound.
(4) For You, LORD, have made me glad through Your work; I will triumph in the works of Your hands.
(5) O LORD, how great are Your works! Your thoughts are very deep.
(6) A senseless man does not know, Nor does a fool understand this.
(7) When the wicked spring up like grass, And when all the workers of iniquity flourish, It is that they may be destroyed forever.
(8) But You, LORD, are on high forevermore.
(9) For behold, Your enemies, O LORD, For behold, Your enemies shall perish; All the workers of iniquity shall be scattered.
(10) But my horn You have exalted like a wild ox; I have been anointed with fresh oil.
(11) My eye also has seen my desire on my enemies; My ears hear my desire on the wicked Who rise up against me.
(12) The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree, He shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
(13) Those who are planted in the house of the LORD Shall flourish in the courts of our God.
(14) They shall still bear fruit in old age; They shall be fresh and flourishing,
(15) To declare that the LORD is upright; He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness 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 forever. Amen.
Esther
8
(1) On that day King Ahasuerus gave Queen Esther the house of Haman, the enemy of the Jews. And Mordecai came before the king, for Esther had told how he was related to her.
(2) So the king took off his signet ring, which he had taken from Haman, and gave it to Mordecai; and Esther appointed Mordecai over the house of Haman.
(3) Now Esther spoke again to the king, fell down at his feet, and implored him with tears to counteract the evil of Haman the Agagite, and the scheme which he had devised against the Jews.
(4) And the king held out the golden scepter toward Esther. So Esther arose and stood before the king,
(5) and said, 'If it pleases the king, and if I have found favor in his sight and the thing seems right to the king and I am pleasing in his eyes, let it be written to revoke the letters devised by Haman, the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, which he wrote to annihilate the Jews who are in all the king's provinces.
(6) For how can I endure to see the evil that will come to my people? Or how can I endure to see the destruction of my countrymen?'
(7) Then King Ahasuerus said to Queen Esther and Mordecai the Jew, 'Indeed, I have given Esther the house of Haman, and they have hanged him on the gallows because he tried to lay his hand on the Jews.
(8) You yourselves write a decree concerning the Jews, as you please, in the king's name, and seal it with the king's signet ring; for whatever is written in the king's name and sealed with the king's signet ring no one can revoke.'
(15) So Mordecai went out from the presence of the king in royal apparel of blue and white, with a great crown of gold and a garment of fine linen and purple; and the city of Shushan rejoiced and was glad.
(16) The Jews had light and gladness, joy and honor.
(17) And in every province and city, wherever the king's command and decree came, the Jews had joy and gladness, a feast and a holiday. Then many of the people of the land became Jews, because fear of the Jews fell upon them.
The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Acts
19
(21) When these things were accomplished, Paul purposed in the Spirit, when he had passed through Macedonia and Achaia, to go to Jerusalem, saying, 'After I have been there, I must also see Rome.'
(22) So he sent into Macedonia two of those who ministered to him, Timothy and Erastus, but he himself stayed in Asia for a time.
(23) And about that time there arose a great commotion about the Way.
(24) For a certain man named Demetrius, a silversmith, who made silver shrines of Diana, brought no small profit to the craftsmen.
(25) He called them together with the workers of similar occupation, and said: 'Men, you know that we have our prosperity by this trade.
(26) Moreover you see and hear that not only at Ephesus, but throughout almost all Asia, this Paul has persuaded and turned away many people, saying that they are not gods which are made with hands.
(27) So not only is this trade of ours in danger of falling into disrepute, but also the temple of the great goddess Diana may be despised and her magnificence destroyed, whom all Asia and the world worship.'
(28) Now when they heard this, they were full of wrath and cried out, saying, 'Great is Diana of the Ephesians!'
(29) So the whole city was filled with confusion, and rushed into the theater with one accord, having seized Gaius and Aristarchus, Macedonians, Paul's travel companions.
(30) And when Paul wanted to go in to the people, the disciples would not allow him.
(31) Then some of the officials of Asia, who were his friends, sent to him pleading that he would not venture into the theater.
(32) Some therefore cried one thing and some another, for the assembly was confused, and most of them did not know why they had come together.
(33) And they drew Alexander out of the multitude, the Jews putting him forward. And Alexander motioned with his hand, and wanted to make his defense to the people.
(34) But when they found out that he was a Jew, all with one voice cried out for about two hours, 'Great is Diana of the Ephesians!'
(35) And when the city clerk had quieted the crowd, he said: 'Men of Ephesus, what man is there who does not know that the city of the Ephesians is temple guardian of the great goddess Diana, and of the image which fell down from Zeus?
(36) Therefore, since these things cannot be denied, you ought to be quiet and do nothing rashly.
(37) For you have brought these men here who are neither robbers of temples nor blasphemers of your goddess.
(38) Therefore, if Demetrius and his fellow craftsmen have a case against anyone, the courts are open and there are proconsuls. Let them bring charges against one another.
(39) But if you have any other inquiry to make, it shall be determined in the lawful assembly.
(40) For we are in danger of being called in question for today's uproar, there being no reason which we may give to account for this disorderly gathering.'
(41) And when he had said these things, he dismissed the assembly.
The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Luke
4
(31) Then He went down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and was teaching them on the Sabbaths.
(32) And they were astonished at His teaching, for His word was with authority.
(33) Now in the synagogue there was a man who had a spirit of an unclean demon. And he cried out with a loud voice,
(34) saying, 'Let us alone! What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth? Did You come to destroy us? I know who You are -- the Holy One of God!'
(35) But Jesus rebuked him, saying, 'Be quiet, and come out of him!' And when the demon had thrown him in their midst, it came out of him and did not hurt him.
(36) Then they were all amazed and spoke among themselves, saying, 'What a word this is! For with authority and power He commands the unclean spirits, and they come out.'
(37) And the report about Him went out into every place in the surrounding region.
The Gospel of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.Canticles can be prayed or sung after each reading or after all readings.
13 A Song of Praise Benedictus es, Domine Song of the Three Young Men, 29-34
Can be read after the Old Testament Reading
Glory to you, Lord God of our fathers; *
you are worthy of praise; glory to you.
Glory to you for the radiance of your holy Name; *
we will praise you and highly exalt you forever.
Glory to you in the splendor of your temple; *
on the throne of your majesty, glory to you.
Glory to you, seated between the Cherubim; *
we will praise you and highly exalt you forever.
Glory to you, beholding the depths; *
in the high vault of heaven, glory to you.
Glory to you, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; *
we will praise you and highly exalt you forever.
17 The Song of the Simeon Nunc Dimittis Luke 2:29-32
Can be read after the New Testament Reading
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 forever. Amen.
The Apostles' Creed *Officiant and People together, all standing
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 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 Prayers *The People stand or kneel Officiant : The Lord be with you.
People : And with your Spirit.
Officiant : Let us pray.
The Lord's Prayer
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, forever and ever. Amen.
Then follows one of these sets of Suffrages
A
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 by your Holy Spirit.
B
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 [________ and] all your saints, entrusting one another and all our life to Christ,
We entreat you, O Lord. The Collect of the Week:
Proper 20 The Sunday closest to September 21
Grant us, Lord, not to be anxious about earthly things, but to
love things heavenly; and even now, while we are placed among
things that are passing away, to hold fast to those that shall
endure; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns
with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.
The Collect of the Day: A Collect for Fridays
Almighty God, whose most dear Son went not up to joy but
first he suffered pain, and entered not into glory before he
was crucified: Mercifully grant that we, walking in the way
of the cross, may find it none other than the way of life and
peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Then, unless the Eucharist or a form of general intercession is to follow,one of these prayer for mission is addedO God and Father of all, whom the whole heavens adore: Let the whole earth also worship you, all nations obey you, all tongues confess and bless you, and men and women everywhere love you and serve you in peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
or this
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.
or the following
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.
Here may be sung a hymn or anthem.
Authorized intercessions and thanksgivings may follow.
Before the close of the Office one or both of the following may be used
The General Thanksgiving
Officiant and People
Almighty God, Father of all mercies, we your unworthy servants give you humble thanks for all your goodness and loving-kindness to us and to all whom you have made. We bless you for our creation, preservation, and all the blessings of this life; but above all for your immeasurable love in the redemption of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ; for the means of grace, and for the hope of glory.
And, we pray, give us such an awareness of your mercies, that with truly thankful hearts we may show forth your praise, not only with our lips, but in our lives, by giving up our selves to your service, and by walking before you in holiness and righteousness all our days; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory throughout all ages. Amen.
A Prayer of St. Chrysostom
Officiant
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.
Then may be said
Let us bless the Lord.
Thanks be to God
The Officiant may then conclude with one of the following
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 ---or---
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---or---
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 forever and ever. Amen.
Ephesians 3:20,21This concludes the Evening Prayer, Go in Peace to Love and Serve the Lord