Evening Prayer, Rite Two for Wednesday, April 03, 2024

April 03, 2024

Wednesday In Easter Week

Psalm 16:7, 8
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.

Confession of Sin

Let 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.

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.

Invitatory and Psalter

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.

Alleluia.

O Gracious Light Phos hilaron

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.

The Psalm or Psalms Appointed

Psalm 115

Not to us, O LORD, not to us,

but to your Name give glory; *

because of your love and because of your faithfulness.

Why should the heathen say, *

"Where then is their God?"

Our God is in heaven; *

whatever he wills to do he does.

Their idols are silver and gold, *

the work of human hands.

They have mouths, but they cannot speak; *

eyes have they, but they cannot see;

They have ears but they cannot hear; *

noses, but they cannot smell;

They have hands, but they cannot feel;

feet, but they cannot walk; *

they make no sound with their throat.

Those who make them are like them, *

and so are all who put their trust in them.

O Israel, trust in the LORD; *

he is their help and their shield.

O house of Aaron, trust in the LORD; *

he is their help and their shield.

You who fear the LORD, trust in the LORD; *

he is their help and their shield.

The LORD has been mindful of us, and he will bless us; *

he will bless the house of Israel;

he will bless the house of Aaron;

He will bless those who fear the LORD, *

both small and great together.

May the LORD increase you more and more, *

you and your children after you.

May you be blessed by the LORD, *

the maker of heaven and earth.

The heaven of heavens is the LORD'S, *

but he entrusted the earth to its peoples.

The dead do not praise the LORD, *

nor all those who go down into silence;

But we will bless the LORD, *

from this time forth for evermore.

Hallelujah!

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 Lessons

Mic 7:7-15

Mic 7:7-15

But as for me, I will look to the Lord,
    I will wait for the God of my salvation;
    my God will hear me.

Penitence and Trust in God

Do not rejoice over me, O my enemy;
    when I fall, I shall rise;
when I sit in darkness,
    the Lord will be a light to me.
I must bear the indignation of the Lord,
    because I have sinned against him,
until he takes my side
    and executes judgment for me.
He will bring me out to the light;
    I shall see his vindication.
Then my enemy will see,
    and shame will cover her who said to me,
    “Where is the Lord your God?”
My eyes will see her downfall;
    now she will be trodden down
    like the mire of the streets.

A Prophecy of Restoration

A day for the building of your walls!
    In that day the boundary shall be far extended.
In that day they will come to you
    from Assyria to Egypt,
and from Egypt to the River,
    from sea to sea and from mountain to mountain.
But the earth will be desolate
    because of its inhabitants,
    for the fruit of their doings.

Shepherd your people with your staff,
    the flock that belongs to you,
which lives alone in a forest
    in the midst of a garden land;
let them feed in Bashan and Gilead
    as in the days of old.
As in the days when you came out of the land of Egypt,
    show us marvelous things.

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

12. A Song of Creation Benedicite, omnia opera Domini

Invocation

Glorify the Lord, all you works of the Lord, *

praise him and highly exalt him for ever.

In the firmament of his power, glorify the Lord, *

praise him and highly exalt him for ever.

I The Cosmic Order

Glorify the Lord, you angels and all powers of the Lord, *

O heavens and all waters above the heavens.

Sun and moon and stars of the sky, glorify the Lord, *

praise him and highly exalt him for ever.

Glorify the Lord, every shower of rain and fall of dew, *

all winds and fire and heat.

Winter and summer, glorify the Lord, *

praise him and highly exalt him for ever.

Glorify the Lord, O chill and cold, *

drops of dew and flakes of snow.

Frost and cold, ice and sleet, glorify the Lord, *

praise him and highly exalt him for ever.

Glorify the Lord, O nights and days, *

O shining light and enfolding dark.

Storm clouds and thunderbolts, glorify the Lord, *

praise him and highly exalt him for ever.

II The Earth and its Creatures

Let the earth glorify the Lord, *

praise him and highly exalt him for ever.

Glorify the Lord, O mountains and hills,

and all that grows upon the earth, *

praise him and highly exalt him for ever.

Glorify the Lord, O springs of water, seas, and streams, *

O whales and all that move in the waters.

All birds of the air, glorify the Lord, *

praise him and highly exalt him for ever.

Glorify the Lord, O beasts of the wild, *

and all you flocks and herds.

O men and women everywhere, glorify the Lord, *

praise him and highly exalt him for ever.

III The People of God

Let the people of God glorify the Lord, *

praise him and highly exalt him for ever.

Glorify the Lord, O priests and servants of the Lord, *

praise him and highly exalt him for ever.

Glorify the Lord, O spirits and souls of the righteous, *

praise him and highly exalt him for ever.

You that are holy and humble of heart, glorify the Lord, *

praise him and highly exalt him for ever.

Doxology

Let us glorify the Lord: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; *

praise him and highly exalt him for ever.

In the firmament of his power, glorify the Lord, *

praise him and highly exalt him for ever.

1 Cor 15:29-41

1 Cor 15:29-41

Otherwise, what will those people do who receive baptism on behalf of the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why are people baptized on their behalf?

And why are we putting ourselves in danger every hour? I die every day! That is as certain, brothers and sisters, as my boasting of you—a boast that I make in Christ Jesus our Lord. If with merely human hopes I fought with wild animals at Ephesus, what would I have gained by it? If the dead are not raised,

“Let us eat and drink,
    for tomorrow we die.”

Do not be deceived:

“Bad company ruins good morals.”

Come to a sober and right mind, and sin no more; for some people have no knowledge of God. I say this to your shame.

The Resurrection Body

But someone will ask, “How are the dead raised? With what kind of body do they come?” Fool! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. And as for what you sow, you do not sow the body that is to be, but a bare seed, perhaps of wheat or of some other grain. But God gives it a body as he has chosen, and to each kind of seed its own body. Not all flesh is alike, but there is one flesh for human beings, another for animals, another for birds, and another for fish. There are both heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the glory of the heavenly is one thing, and that of the earthly is another. There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; indeed, star differs from star in glory.

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

17. The Song of Simeon Nunc Dimittis

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.

The Apostles 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 Prayers

Officiant
The Lord be with you.
People
And also with you.
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,

for ever and ever. Amen.

Suffrages A

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.

The Collect of the Day

O God, whose blessed Son made himself known to his
disciples in the breaking of bread: Open the eyes of our faith,
that we may behold him in all his redeeming work; who lives
and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God,
now and for ever. Amen.

A Collect 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.

A Prayer for Mission

O 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.

The General Thanksgiving

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.

Let us bless the Lord
Thanks be to God.

Romans 15:16
May the God of hope fill us with all joy and peace in believing through the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.