Evening Prayer, Rite Two for Wednesday, October 29, 2025

October 29, 2025

Wednesday In The Week Of Proper 25

Amos 5:8

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.

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 49

Hear this, all you peoples;

hearken, all you who dwell in the world, *

you of high degree and low, rich and poor together.

My mouth shall speak of wisdom, *

and my heart shall meditate on understanding.

I will incline my ear to a proverb *

and set forth my riddle upon the harp.

Why should I be afraid in evil days, *

when the wickedness of those at my heels surrounds me,

The wickedness of those who put their trust in their goods, *

and boast of their great riches?

We can never ransom ourselves, *

or deliver to God the price of our life;

For the ransom of our life is so great, *

that we should never have enough to pay it,

In order to live for ever and ever, *

and never see the grave.

For we see that the wise die also;

like the dull and stupid they perish *

and leave their wealth to those who come after them.

Their graves shall be their homes for ever,

their dwelling places from generation to generation, *

though they call the lands after their own names.

Even though honored, they cannot live for ever; *

they are like the beasts that perish.

Such is the way of those who foolishly trust in themselves, *

and the end of those who delight in their own words.

Like a flock of sheep they are destined to die;

Death is their shepherd; *

they go down straightway to the grave.

Their form shall waste away, *

and the land of the dead shall be their home.

But God will ransom my life; *

he will snatch me from the grasp of death.

Do not be envious when some become rich, *

or when the grandeur of their house increases;

For they will carry nothing away at their death, *

nor will their grandeur follow them.

Though they thought highly of themselves while they lived, *

and were praised for their success,

They shall join the company of their forebears, *

who will never see the light again.

Those who are honored, but have no understanding, *

are like the beasts that perish.

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.

Psalm 53

The fool has said in his heart, "There is no God." *

All are corrupt and commit abominable acts;

there is none who does any good.

God looks down from heaven upon us all, *

to see if there is any who is wise,

if there is one who seeks after God.

Every one has proved faithless;

all alike have turned bad; *

there is none who does good; no, not one.

Have they no knowledge, those evildoers *

who eat up my people like bread

and do not call upon God?

See how greatly they tremble,

such trembling as never was; *

for God has scattered the bones of the enemy;

they are put to shame, because God has rejected them.

Oh, that Israel's deliverance would come out of Zion! *

when God restores the fortunes of his people

Jacob will rejoice and Israel be glad.

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

Sir 28:14-26

Slander has shaken many,
    and scattered them from nation to nation;
it has destroyed strong cities,
    and overturned the houses of the great.
Slander has driven virtuous women from their homes,
    and deprived them of the fruit of their toil.
Those who pay heed to slander will not find rest,
    nor will they settle down in peace.
The blow of a whip raises a welt,
    but a blow of the tongue crushes the bones.
Many have fallen by the edge of the sword,
    but not as many as have fallen because of the tongue.
Happy is the one who is protected from it,
    who has not been exposed to its anger,
who has not borne its yoke,
    and has not been bound with its fetters.
For its yoke is a yoke of iron,
    and its fetters are fetters of bronze;
its death is an evil death,
    and Hades is preferable to it.
It has no power over the godly;
    they will not be burned in its flame.
Those who forsake the Lord will fall into its power;
    it will burn among them and will not be put out.
It will be sent out against them like a lion;
    like a leopard it will mangle them.
As you fence in your property with thorns,
    so make a door and a bolt for your mouth.
As you lock up your silver and gold,
    so make balances and scales for your words.
Take care not to err with your tongue,
    and fall victim to one lying in wait.

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.