Evening Prayer, Rite Two for Wednesday, November 06, 2024

November 06, 2024

Wednesday In The Week Of Proper 26

Psalm 74:15, 16

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.

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 119:73-96

The law of your mouth is dearer to me *

than thousands in gold and silver.

Yodh Manus tuæ fecerunt me

Your hands have made me and fashioned me; *

give me understanding, that I may learn your commandments.

Those who fear you will be glad when they see me, *

because I trust in your word.

I know, O LORD, that your judgments are right *

and that in faithfulness you have afflicted me.

Let your loving-kindness be my comfort, *

as you have promised to your servant.

Let your compassion come to me, that I may live, *

for your law is my delight.

Let the arrogant be put to shame, for they wrong me with lies; *

but I will meditate on your commandments.

Let those who fear you turn to me, *

and also those who know your decrees.

Let my heart be sound in your statutes, *

that I may not be put to shame.

Kaph Defecit in salutare

My soul has longed for your salvation; *

I have put my hope in your word.

My eyes have failed from watching for your promise, *

and I say, "When will you comfort me?"

I have become like a leather flask in the smoke, *

but I have not forgotten your statutes.

How much longer must I wait? *

when will you give judgment against those who ersecute me?

The proud have dug pits for me; *

they do not keep your law.

All your commandments are true; *

help me, for they persecute me with lies.

They had almost made an end of me on earth, *

but I have not forsaken your commandments.

In your loving-kindness, revive me, *

that I may keep the decrees of your mouth.

Lamedh In æternum, Domine

O LORD, your word is everlasting; *

it stands firm in the heavens.

Your faithfulness remains from one generation to another; *

you established the earth, and it abides.

By your decree these continue to this day, *

for all things are your servants.

If my delight had not been in your law, *

I should have perished in my affliction.

I will never forget your commandments, *

because by them you give me life.

I am yours; oh, that you would save me! *

for I study your commandments.

Though the wicked lie in wait for me to destroy me, *

I will apply my mind to your decrees.

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

Neh 13:4-22

The Reforms of Nehemiah

Now before this, the priest Eliashib, who was appointed over the chambers of the house of our God, and who was related to Tobiah, prepared for Tobiah a large room where they had previously put the grain offering, the frankincense, the vessels, and the tithes of grain, wine, and oil, which were given by commandment to the Levites, singers, and gatekeepers, and the contributions for the priests. While this was taking place I was not in Jerusalem, for in the thirty-second year of King Artaxerxes of Babylon I went to the king. After some time I asked leave of the king and returned to Jerusalem. I then discovered the wrong that Eliashib had done on behalf of Tobiah, preparing a room for him in the courts of the house of God. And I was very angry, and I threw all the household furniture of Tobiah out of the room. Then I gave orders and they cleansed the chambers, and I brought back the vessels of the house of God, with the grain offering and the frankincense.

I also found out that the portions of the Levites had not been given to them; so that the Levites and the singers, who had conducted the service, had gone back to their fields. So I remonstrated with the officials and said, “Why is the house of God forsaken?” And I gathered them together and set them in their stations. Then all Judah brought the tithe of the grain, wine, and oil into the storehouses. And I appointed as treasurers over the storehouses the priest Shelemiah, the scribe Zadok, and Pedaiah of the Levites, and as their assistant Hanan son of Zaccur son of Mattaniah, for they were considered faithful; and their duty was to distribute to their associates. Remember me, O my God, concerning this, and do not wipe out my good deeds that I have done for the house of my God and for his service.

Sabbath Reforms Begun

In those days I saw in Judah people treading wine presses on the sabbath, and bringing in heaps of grain and loading them on donkeys; and also wine, grapes, figs, and all kinds of burdens, which they brought into Jerusalem on the sabbath day; and I warned them at that time against selling food. Tyrians also, who lived in the city, brought in fish and all kinds of merchandise and sold them on the sabbath to the people of Judah, and in Jerusalem. Then I remonstrated with the nobles of Judah and said to them, “What is this evil thing that you are doing, profaning the sabbath day? Did not your ancestors act in this way, and did not our God bring all this disaster on us and on this city? Yet you bring more wrath on Israel by profaning the sabbath.”

When it began to be dark at the gates of Jerusalem before the sabbath, I commanded that the doors should be shut and gave orders that they should not be opened until after the sabbath. And I set some of my servants over the gates, to prevent any burden from being brought in on the sabbath day. Then the merchants and sellers of all kinds of merchandise spent the night outside Jerusalem once or twice. But I warned them and said to them, “Why do you spend the night in front of the wall? If you do so again, I will lay hands on you.” From that time on they did not come on the sabbath. And I commanded the Levites that they should purify themselves and come and guard the gates, to keep the sabbath day holy. Remember this also in my favor, O my God, and spare me according to the greatness of your steadfast love.

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.