O God, make speed to save us.
AllO Lord, make haste to help us.
Hear our voice, O Lord, according to your faithful love,
Allaccording to your judgement
give us life.
One or more of the following is said or sung:
this or another prayer of thanksgiving
Blessed are you, Lord God of our salvation,
to you be glory and praise for ever.
In the darkness of our sin you have shone in our hearts
to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God
in the face of Jesus Christ.
Open our eyes to acknowledge your presence,
that freed from the misery of sin and shame
we may grow into your likeness from glory to glory.
Blessed be God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
AllBlessed be God for ever.
A Song of Entreaty (page 568), the following or another suitable hymn
Lord Jesus, think on me,
and purge away my sin;
from earthborn passions set me free,
and make me pure within.
Lord Jesus, think on me
with many a care opprest;
let me thy loving servant be,
and taste thy promised rest.
Lord Jesus, think on me,
nor let me go astray;
through darkness and perplexity
point thou the heavenly way.
Lord Jesus, think on me,
that, when the flood is past,
I may the eternal brightness see,
and share thy joy at last.
George the Sinner, tr: A W Chatfield
(Tune: SM)
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: Behold, God is my helper.
1 Save me, O God, by your name ♦
and vindicate me by your power.
2 Hear my prayer, O God; ♦
give heed to the words of my mouth.
3 For strangers have risen up against me,
and the ruthless seek after my life; ♦
they have not set God before them.
4 Behold, God is my helper; ♦
it is the Lord who upholds my life. R
5 May evil rebound on those who lie in wait for me; ♦
destroy them in your faithfulness.
6 An offering of a free heart will I give you ♦
and praise your name, O Lord, for it is gracious.
7 For he has delivered me out of all my trouble, ♦
and my eye has seen the downfall of my enemies.
Refrain: Behold, God is my helper.
O living God,
reach through the violence of the proud
and the despair of the weak
to create in Jesus Christ
a people free to praise your holy name,
now and for ever.
Refrain: Cast your burden upon the Lord and he will sustain you.
1 Hear my prayer, O God; ♦
hide not yourself from my petition.
2 Give heed to me and answer me; ♦
I am restless in my complaining.
3 I am alarmed at the voice of the enemy ♦
and at the clamour of the wicked;
4 For they would bring down evil upon me ♦
and are set against me in fury.
5 My heart is disquieted within me, ♦
and the terrors of death have fallen upon me.
6 Fearfulness and trembling are come upon me, ♦
and a horrible dread has overwhelmed me. R
7 And I said: ‘O that I had wings like a dove, ♦
for then would I fly away and be at rest.
8 ‘Then would I flee far away ♦
and make my lodging in the wilderness.
9 ‘I would make haste to escape ♦
from the stormy wind and tempest.’
10 Confuse their tongues, O Lord, and divide them, ♦
for I have seen violence and strife in the city.
11 Day and night they go about on her walls; ♦
mischief and trouble are in her midst.
12 Wickedness walks in her streets; ♦
oppression and guile never leave her squares. R
13 For it was not an open enemy that reviled me, ♦
for then I could have borne it;
14 Nor was it my adversary that puffed himself up against me, ♦
for then I would have hid myself from him.
15 But it was even you, one like myself, ♦
my companion and my own familiar friend.
16 We took sweet counsel together ♦
and walked with the multitude in the house of God.
17 Let death come suddenly upon them;
let them go down alive to the Pit; ♦
for wickedness inhabits their dwellings, their very hearts. R
18 As for me, I will call upon God ♦
and the Lord will deliver me.
19 In the evening and morning and at noonday
I will pray and make my supplication, ♦
and he shall hear my voice.
20 He shall redeem my soul in peace
from the battle waged against me, ♦
for many have come upon me.
21 God, who is enthroned of old,
will hear and bring them down; ♦
they will not repent, for they have no fear of God. R
22 My companion stretched out his hands against his friend ♦
and has broken his covenant;
23 His speech was softer than butter, though war was in his heart; ♦
his words were smoother than oil, yet are they naked swords.
24 Cast your burden upon the Lord and he will sustain you, ♦
and will not let the righteous fall for ever.
25 But those that are bloodthirsty and deceitful, O God, ♦
you will bring down to the pit of destruction.
26 They shall not live out half their days, ♦
but my trust shall be in you, O Lord.
Refrain: Cast your burden upon the Lord and he will sustain you.
Lord, in all times of fear and dread,
grant that we may so cast our burdens upon you,
that you may bear us on the holy wings of the Spirit
to the stronghold of your peace;
through 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.
Thus says the Lord:
See, a people is coming from the land of the north,
a great nation is stirring from the farthest parts of the earth.
They grasp the bow and the javelin,
they are cruel and have no mercy,
their sound is like the roaring sea;
they ride on horses,
equipped like a warrior for battle,
against you, O daughter Zion!
‘We have heard news of them,
our hands fall helpless;
anguish has taken hold of us,
pain as of a woman in labour.
Do not go out into the field,
or walk on the road;
for the enemy has a sword,
terror is on every side.’
O my poor people, put on sackcloth,
and roll in ashes;
make mourning as for an only child,
most bitter lamentation:
for suddenly the destroyer
will come upon us.
I have made you a tester and a refiner among my people
so that you may know and test their ways.
They are all stubbornly rebellious,
going about with slanders;
they are bronze and iron,
all of them act corruptly.
The bellows blow fiercely,
the lead is consumed by the fire;
in vain the refining goes on,
for the wicked are not removed.
They are called ‘rejected silver’,
for the Lord has rejected them.
A Song of Christ the Servant, or another suitable canticle, for example, number 61 (page 619) or number 67 (page 625), may be said
Refrain:
AllChrist committed no sin,
no guile was found on his lips. Alleluia.
1Christ suffered for
you, leaving you an example, ♦
that you should follow in his steps.
2He committed no sin,
no guile was found on his lips, ♦
when he was reviled, he did not revile in turn.
3When he suffered, he
did not threaten, ♦
but he trusted himself to God who judges justly.
4Christ himself bore
our sins in his body on the tree, ♦
that we might die to sin and live to righteousness.
5By his wounds, you have
been healed,
for you were straying like sheep, ♦
but have now returned
to the shepherd and guardian of your souls.
1 Peter 2.21b-25
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.
AllChrist committed no sin,
no guile was found on his lips. Alleluia.
One or more readings appointed for the day are read.
The reading(s) may be followed by a time of silence.
When evening came, his disciples went down to the lake, got into a boat, and started across the lake to Capernaum. It was now dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. The lake became rough because a strong wind was blowing. When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the lake and coming near the boat, and they were terrified. But he said to them, ‘It is I; do not be afraid.’ Then they wanted to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the land towards which they were going.
The next day the crowd that had stayed on the other side of the lake saw that there had been only one boat there. They also saw that Jesus had not got into the boat with his disciples, but that his disciples had gone away alone. Then some boats from Tiberias came near the place where they had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks. So when the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they themselves got into the boats and went to Capernaum looking for Jesus.
When they found him on the other side of the lake, they said to him, ‘Rabbi, when did you come here?’ Jesus answered them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For it is on him that God the Father has set his seal.’
A suitable song or chant, or a responsory in this or another form, may follow
Forsake me not, O Lord;
be not far from me, O my God.
AllForsake me not, O Lord;
be not far from me, O my God.
Make haste to help me,
O Lord of my salvation.
AllBe not far from me,
O my God.
Glory to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit.
AllForsake me not, O Lord;
be not far from me, O my God.
from Psalm 38
The Magnificat (The Song of Mary) is normally said,
or A Song of Praise (page 627)
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
¶ Those preparing for baptism and confirmation
¶ Those serving through leadership
¶ Those looking for forgiveness
¶ Those misled by the false gods of this present age
¶ All who are hungry
A form of prayer found on page 380 may be used.
The Litany on pages 400-403 may be said instead of the Prayers.
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
King of glory, king of peace,
who called your servant George Herbert
from the pursuit of worldly honours
to be a priest in the temple of his God and king:
grant us also the grace to offer ourselves
with singleness of heart in humble obedience to your service;
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
Trusting in the compassion of God,
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)
Trusting in the compassion of God,
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 God our Redeemer show us compassion and 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
Church House Publishing.
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
Crucix.
Implementation copyright © Simon Kershaw, 2002–2021.