O God, make speed to save us.
AllO Lord, make haste to help us.
Send your Holy Spirit upon us,
Alland clothe us with power from on high. Alleluia.
One or more of the following is said or sung:
this or another prayer of thanksgiving
Blessed are you, Lord God of all creation,
to you be glory and praise for ever.
Raised to your right hand on high
the ascended Christ shows the prints of love
and bestows on us the gifts of grace.
As your Spirit renews the face of the earth,
may we bring forth the fruit of the Spirit
and reveal your glory in all the world.
Blessed be God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
AllBlessed be God for ever.
A Song of God’s Greatness (page 565), the following or another suitable hymn
Creator Spirit, Lord of grace,
come, make in us your dwelling place;
O purest Light, in darkness shine;
fill loveless hearts, O Love Divine.
Consoler, hear your people’s cry;
come down, O Gift of God, Most High.
Descend in peace, O heav’nly Dove;
come Fount of Life; come Flame of Love.
As once on Christ the Servant’s head
the oil of sevenfold grace you shed,
so now anoint from love’s deep springs
your chosen prophets, priests and kings.
Of ev’ry gift the living source,
of mighty deeds the unseen force,
the Father sends his promised One
to speak for all who serve his Son.
Keep far all those who wish us ill,
O Dove of Peace, be with us still,
in ev’ry danger at our side
O Friend, befriend us; be our guide.
Reveal to us the Father’s love,
reveal his Son, who reigns above.
To truth, O Truth, make us all true;
in love, O Love, make all things new.
James Quinn S J, based on Veni, Creator Spiritus
(Tune: LM)
This opening prayer may be said
That this evening may be holy, good and peaceful,
let us pray with one heart and mind.
Silence is kept.
As our evening prayer rises before you, O God,
so may your mercy come down upon us
to cleanse our hearts
and set us free to sing your praise
now and for ever.
AllAmen.
The appointed psalmody is said.
Refrain: Sing to God, sing praises to his name.
1 Let God arise and let his enemies be scattered; ♦
let those that hate him flee before him.
2 As the smoke vanishes, so may they vanish away; ♦
as wax melts at the fire,
so let the wicked perish at the presence of God.
3 But let the righteous be glad and rejoice before God; ♦
let them make merry with gladness.
4 Sing to God, sing praises to his name;
exalt him who rides on the clouds. ♦
The Lord is his name; rejoice before him.
5 Father of the fatherless, defender of widows, ♦
God in his holy habitation!
6 God gives the solitary a home
and brings forth prisoners to songs of welcome, ♦
but the rebellious inhabit a burning desert. R
7 O God, when you went forth before your people, ♦
when you marched through the wilderness,
8 The earth shook and the heavens dropped down rain,
at the presence of God, the Lord of Sinai, ♦
at the presence of God, the God of Israel.
9 You sent down a gracious rain, O God; ♦
you refreshed your inheritance when it was weary.
10 Your people came to dwell there; ♦
in your goodness, O God, you provide for the poor. R
11 The Lord gave the word;
great was the company of women who bore the tidings: ♦
‘Kings and their armies they flee, they flee!’
and women at home are dividing the spoil.
12 Though you stayed among the sheepfolds, ♦
see now a dove’s wings covered with silver
and its feathers with green gold.
13 When the Almighty scattered the kings, ♦
it was like snowflakes falling on Zalmon. R
14 You mighty mountain, great mountain of Bashan! ♦
You towering mountain, great mountain of Bashan!
15 Why look with envy, you towering mountains,
at the mount which God has desired for his dwelling, ♦
the place where the Lord will dwell for ever?
16 The chariots of God are twice ten thousand,
even thousands upon thousands; ♦
the Lord is among them, the Lord of Sinai in holy power.
17 You have gone up on high and led captivity captive; ♦
you have received tribute,
even from those who rebelled,
that you may reign as Lord and God. R
18 Blessed be the Lord who bears our burdens day by day, ♦
for God is our salvation.
19 God is for us the God of our salvation; ♦
God is the Lord who can deliver from death.
20 God will smite the head of his enemies, ♦
the hairy scalp of those who walk in wickedness.
21 The Lord has said, ‘From the heights of Bashan, ♦
from the depths of the sea will I bring them back,
22 ‘Till you dip your foot in blood ♦
and the tongue of your dogs has a taste of your enemies.’ R
23 We see your solemn processions, O God, ♦
your processions into the sanctuary, my God and my King.
24 The singers go before, the musicians follow after, ♦
in the midst of maidens playing on timbrels.
25 In your companies, bless your God; ♦
bless the Lord, you that are of the fount of Israel.
26 At the head there is Benjamin, least of the tribes,
the princes of Judah in joyful company, ♦
the princes of Zebulun and Naphtali. R
27 Send forth your strength, O God; ♦
establish, O God, what you have wrought in us.
28 For your temple’s sake in Jerusalem ♦
kings shall bring their gifts to you.
29 Drive back with your word the wild beast of the reeds, ♦
the herd of the bull-like, the brutish hordes.
30 Trample down those who lust after silver; ♦
scatter the peoples that delight in war.
31 Vessels of bronze shall be brought from Egypt; ♦
Ethiopia will stretch out her hands to God. R
32 Sing to God, you kingdoms of the earth; ♦
make music in praise of the Lord;
33 He rides on the ancient heaven of heavens ♦
and sends forth his voice, a mighty voice.
34 Ascribe power to God, whose splendour is over Israel, ♦
whose power is above the clouds.
35 How terrible is God in his holy sanctuary, ♦
the God of Israel, who gives power and strength to his people!
Blessed be God.
Refrain: Sing to God, sing praises to his name.
Blessed are you, gracious God;
you make your home among the weak,
you deliver us from death,
you bring us joy beyond our imagining
to the praise of Jesus Christ our Lord.
Each psalm or group of psalms may end with
AllGlory to the Father and
to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning is now
and shall be for ever. Amen.
If there are two Scripture readings, the first may be read here, or both may be read after the canticle.
The Lord said to Moses, ‘Your time to die is near; call Joshua and present yourselves in the tent of meeting, so that I may commission him.’ So Moses and Joshua went and presented themselves in the tent of meeting, and the Lord appeared at the tent in a pillar of cloud; the pillar of cloud stood at the entrance to the tent.
The Lord said to Moses, ‘Soon you will lie down with your ancestors. Then this people will begin to prostitute themselves to the foreign gods in their midst, the gods of the land into which they are going; they will forsake me, breaking my covenant that I have made with them. My anger will be kindled against them on that day. I will forsake them and hide my face from them; they will become easy prey, and many terrible troubles will come upon them. On that day they will say, “Have not these troubles come upon us because our God is not in our midst?” On that day I will surely hide my face on account of all the evil they have done by turning to other gods. Now therefore write this song, and teach it to the Israelites; put it in their mouths, in order that this song may be a witness for me against the Israelites. For when I have brought them into the land flowing with milk and honey, which I promised on oath to their ancestors, and they have eaten their fill and grown fat, they will turn to other gods and serve them, despising me and breaking my covenant. And when many terrible troubles come upon them, this song will confront them as a witness, because it will not be lost from the mouths of their descendants. For I know what they are inclined to do even now, before I have brought them into the land that I promised them on oath.’ That very day Moses wrote this song and taught it to the Israelites.
Then the Lord commissioned Joshua son of Nun and said, ‘Be strong and bold, for you shall bring the Israelites into the land that I promised them; I will be with you.’
When Moses had finished writing down in a book the words of this law to the very end, Moses commanded the Levites who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord, saying, ‘Take this book of the law and put it beside the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God; let it remain there as a witness against you. For I know well how rebellious and stubborn you are. If you already have been so rebellious towards the Lord while I am still alive among you, how much more after my death! Assemble to me all the elders of your tribes and your officials, so that I may recite these words in their hearing and call heaven and earth to witness against them. For I know that after my death you will surely act corruptly, turning aside from the way that I have commanded you. In time to come trouble will befall you, because you will do what is evil in the sight of the Lord, provoking him to anger through the work of your hands.’
A Song of God’s Children, or another suitable canticle, for example, number 60 or number 63, may be said
Refrain:
AllThe Spirit of the Father,
who raised Christ Jesus from the dead,
gives life to the people of God. Alleluia.
1The law of the Spirit
of life in Christ Jesus ♦
has set us free from the law of sin and death.
2All who are led by the
Spirit of God are children of God; ♦
for we have received the Spirit that enables us to cry, ‘Abba, Father’.
3The Spirit himself bears
witness that we are children of God ♦
and if God’s children, then heirs of God;
4If heirs of God, then
fellow-heirs with Christ; ♦
since we suffer with him now, that we may be glorified with him.
5These sufferings that
we now endure ♦
are not worth comparing to the glory that shall be revealed.
6For the creation waits
with eager longing ♦
for the revealing of the children of God.
Romans 8.2, 14, 15b-19
AllGlory to the Father and
to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning is now
and shall be for ever. Amen.
AllThe Spirit of the Father,
who raised Christ Jesus from the dead,
gives life to the people of God. Alleluia.
One or more readings appointed for the day are read.
The reading(s) may be followed by a time of silence.
See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and that is what we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God’s children now; what we will be has not yet been revealed. What we do know is this: when he is revealed, we will be like him, for we will see him as he is. And all who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.
Everyone who commits sin is guilty of lawlessness; sin is lawlessness. You know that he was revealed to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. No one who abides in him sins; no one who sins has either seen him or known him. Little children, let no one deceive you. Everyone who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. Everyone who commits sin is a child of the devil; for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The Son of God was revealed for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil. Those who have been born of God do not sin, because God’s seed abides in them; they cannot sin, because they have been born of God. The children of God and the children of the devil are revealed in this way: all who do not do what is right are not from God, nor are those who do not love their brothers and sisters.
A suitable song or chant, or a responsory in this or another form, may follow
When you send forth your Spirit, we are created;
you renew the face of the earth.
AllWhen you send forth
your Spirit, we are created;
you renew the face of the earth.
O Lord, how manifold are your works;
in wisdom you have made them all.
AllYou renew the face of
the earth.
Glory to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit.
AllWhen you send forth
your Spirit, we are created;
you renew the face of the earth.
from Psalm 104
The Magnificat (The Song of Mary) is normally said, or Great and Wonderful may be said
Refrain:
All
Well done, good and faithful servant:
you have been faithful over a little, I will make you ruler over much. Alleluia.
1My soul proclaims the
greatness of the Lord,
my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour; ♦
he has looked with favour on his lowly servant.
2From this day all generations
will call me blessed; ♦
the Almighty has done great things for me
and holy is his name.
3He has mercy on those
who fear him, ♦
from generation to generation.
4He has shown strength
with his arm ♦
and has scattered the proud in their conceit,
5Casting down the mighty
from their thrones ♦
and lifting up the lowly.
6He has filled the hungry
with good things ♦
and sent the rich away empty.
7He has come to the aid
of his servant Israel, ♦
to remember his promise of mercy,
8The promise made to our
ancestors, ♦
to Abraham and his children for ever.
Luke 1.46-55
AllGlory to the Father and
to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning is now
and shall be for ever. Amen.
Refrain:
All
Well done, good and faithful servant:
you have been faithful over a little, I will make you ruler over much. Alleluia.
Thanksgiving may be made for the day.
Intercessions are offered
¶ for peace
¶ for individuals and their needs
Prayers may include the following concerns from the cycle on pages 364–365
¶ God’s royal priesthood, for empowerment
by the Spirit
¶ Those who wait on God, that they may find
renewal
¶ All people, that they may acknowledge the
kingdom of the ascended Christ
¶ The earth, for productivity and for fruitful
harvests
¶ All who are struggling with broken relationships
A form of prayer found on page 383 may be used.
These responses may be used
Lord, in your mercy
hear our prayer
(or)
Lord, hear us.
Lord, graciously hear us.
Silence may be kept.
The Collect of the day is said
Almighty God,
who raised up Dunstan to be a true shepherd of the flock,
a restorer of monastic life
and a faithful counsellor to those in authority:
give to all pastors the same gifts of your Holy Spirit
that they may be true servants of Christ and of all his people;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.
AllAmen.
The Lord’s Prayer is said
Being made one by the power of the Spirit,
as our Saviour taught us, so we pray
AllOur 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.
Lead us not into temptation
but deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power,
and the glory are yours
now and for ever.
Amen.
(or)
Being made one by the power of the Spirit,
let us pray with confidence as our Saviour has taught us
AllOur 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,
the power and the glory,
for ever and ever.
Amen.
May the Spirit kindle in us the fire of God’s love.
AllAmen.
Let us bless the Lord. Alleluia, alleluia.
AllThanks be to God. Alleluia, alleluia.
©
The Archbishops’ Council of the Church of England, 2000–2005
Official Common Worship apps, books and eBooks are available from
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The Bible readings (other than the psalms) are from The New Revised Standard Version Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995 Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Implemented by Simon Kershaw at
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Implementation copyright © Simon Kershaw, 2002–2021.