O God, make speed to save us.
AllO Lord, make haste to help us.
Your faithful servants bless you.
AllThey make known the
glory of your kingdom. Alleluia.
One or more of the following is said or sung:
this or another prayer of thanksgiving
Blessed are you, Sovereign God,
our light and our salvation,
to you be glory and praise for ever.
Now, as darkness is falling,
wash away our transgressions,
cleanse us by your refining fire
and make us temples of your Holy Spirit.
By the light of Christ,
dispel the darkness of our hearts
and make us ready to enter your kingdom,
where songs of praise for ever sound.
Blessed be God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
AllBlessed be God for ever.
A Song of Tobit (page 596), the following or another suitable hymn
Give me the wings of faith to rise
within the veil, and see
the saints above, how great their joys,
how bright their glories be.
Once they were mourning here below,
and wet their couch with tears;
they wrestled hard, as we do now,
with sins and doubts and fears.
I ask them whence their victory came:
they, with united breath,
ascribe their conquest to the Lamb,
their triumph to his death.
They marked the footsteps that he trod,
his zeal inspired their breast,
and, following their incarnate God,
possess the promised rest.
Our glorious Leader claims our praise
for his own pattern given;
while the long cloud of witnesses
show the same path to heaven.
Isaac Watts
(Tune: CM)
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: In the day of my trouble I have sought the Lord.
1 I cry aloud to God; ♦
I cry aloud to God and he will hear me.
2 In the day of my trouble I have sought the Lord; ♦
by night my hand is stretched out and does not tire;
my soul refuses comfort.
3 I think upon God and I groan; ♦
I ponder, and my spirit faints.
4 You will not let my eyelids close; ♦
I am so troubled that I cannot speak. R
5 I consider the days of old; ♦
I remember the years long past;
6 I commune with my heart in the night; ♦
my spirit searches for understanding.
7 Will the Lord cast us off for ever? ♦
Will he no more show us his favour?
8 Has his loving mercy clean gone for ever? ♦
Has his promise come to an end for evermore?
9 Has God forgotten to be gracious? ♦
Has he shut up his compassion in displeasure?
10 And I said, ‘My grief is this: ♦
that the right hand of the Most High has lost its strength.’ R
11 I will remember the works of the Lord ♦
and call to mind your wonders of old time.
12 I will meditate on all your works ♦
and ponder your mighty deeds.
13 Your way, O God, is holy; ♦
who is so great a god as our God?
14 You are the God who worked wonders ♦
and declared your power among the peoples.
15 With a mighty arm you redeemed your people, ♦
the children of Jacob and Joseph. R
16 The waters saw you, O God;
the waters saw you and were afraid; ♦
the depths also were troubled.
17 The clouds poured out water; the skies thundered; ♦
your arrows flashed on every side;
18 The voice of your thunder was in the whirlwind;
your lightnings lit up the ground; ♦
the earth trembled and shook.
19 Your way was in the sea, and your paths in the great waters, ♦
but your footsteps were not known.
20 You led your people like sheep ♦
by the hand of Moses and Aaron.
Refrain: In the day of my trouble I have sought the Lord.
God our shepherd,
you led us and saved us in times of old;
do not forget your people in their troubles,
but raise up your power
to sustain the poor and helpless;
for the honour 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.
On that day the root of Jesse shall stand as a signal to the peoples; the nations shall inquire of him, and his dwelling shall be glorious.
On that day the Lord will extend his hand yet a second time to recover the remnant that is left of his people, from Assyria, from Egypt, from Pathros, from Ethiopia, from Elam, from Shinar, from Hamath, and from the coastlands of the sea.
He will raise a signal for the nations,
and will assemble the outcasts of Israel,
and gather the dispersed of Judah
from the four corners of the earth.
The jealousy of Ephraim shall depart,
the hostility of Judah shall be cut off;
Ephraim shall not be jealous of Judah,
and Judah shall not be hostile towards Ephraim.
But they shall swoop down on the backs of the Philistines in the west;
together they shall plunder the people of the east.
They shall put forth their hand against Edom and Moab,
and the Ammonites shall obey them.
And the Lord will utterly destroy
the tongue of the sea of Egypt;
and will wave his hand over the River
with his scorching wind;
and will split it into seven channels,
and make a way to cross on foot;
so there shall be a highway from Assyria
for the remnant that is left of his people,
as there was for Israel
when they came up from the land of Egypt.
You will say on that day:
I will give thanks to you, O Lord,
for though you were angry with me,
your anger turned away,
and you comforted me.
Surely God is my salvation;
I will trust, and will not be afraid,
for the Lord God is my strength and my might;
he has become my salvation.
With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.
And you will say on that day:
Give thanks to the Lord,
call on his name;
make known his deeds among the nations;
proclaim that his name is exalted.
Sing praises to the Lord, for he has done gloriously;
let this be known in all the earth.
Shout aloud and sing for joy, O royal Zion,
for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.
A Song of God’s Assembled, or another suitable canticle, for example, number 70 (page 628) or number 73 (page 631), may be said
Refrain:
AllWe have come before the
throne of God
to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. Alleluia.
1We have come before
God’s holy mountain, ♦
to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God.
2We have come before
countless angels making festival, ♦
before the assembly of the firstborn citizens of heaven.
3We have come before
God, who is judge of all, ♦
before the spirits of the just made perfect.
4We have come before
Jesus, ♦
the mediator of the new covenant.
5We are receiving a kingdom
that cannot be shaken: ♦
so let us give thanks and offer to God acceptable worship,
6Full of reverence and
awe; ♦
for our God is a consuming fire.
Hebrews 12.22-24a, 28, 29
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.
AllWe have come before the
throne of God
to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. Alleluia.
One or more readings appointed for the day are read.
The reading(s) may be followed by a time of silence.
Jesus got into the boat, and his disciples followed him. A gale arose on the lake, so great that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep. And they went and woke him up, saying, ‘Lord, save us! We are perishing!’ And he said to them, ‘Why are you afraid, you of little faith?’ Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a dead calm. They were amazed, saying, ‘What sort of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him?’
When he came to the other side, to the country of the Gadarenes, two demoniacs coming out of the tombs met him. They were so fierce that no one could pass that way. Suddenly they shouted, ‘What have you to do with us, Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?’ Now a large herd of swine was feeding at some distance from them. The demons begged him, ‘If you cast us out, send us into the herd of swine.’ And he said to them, ‘Go!’ So they came out and entered the swine; and suddenly, the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and perished in the water. The swineherds ran off, and on going into the town, they told the whole story about what had happened to the demoniacs. Then the whole town came out to meet Jesus; and when they saw him, they begged him to leave their neighbourhood.
A suitable song or chant, or a responsory in this or another form, may follow
Lord, you will guide me with your counsel
and afterwards receive me with glory.
AllLord, you will guide
me with your counsel
and afterwards receive me with glory.
For I am always with you;
you hold me by my right hand.
AllAnd afterwards receive
me with glory.
Glory to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit.
AllLord, you will guide
me with your counsel
and afterwards receive me with glory.
from Psalm 73
The Magnificat (The Song of Mary) is normally said,
or the Nunc dimittis (The Song of
the Simeon) (page 613) may be said
Refrain:
AllThe righteous will shine
like the sun
in the kingdom of their Father.
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:
AllThe righteous will shine
like the sun
in the kingdom of their Father.
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
¶ The saints on earth, that they may live as
citizens of heaven
¶ All people, that they may hear and believe
the word of God
¶ All who fear the winter months
¶ All sovereigns and political leaders, that
they may imitate the righteous rule of Christ
¶ All who grieve or wait with the dying
A form of prayer found on page 384 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
Heavenly Father,
whose blessed Son was revealed
to destroy the works of the devil
and to make us the children of God and heirs of eternal life:
grant that we, having this hope,
may purify ourselves even as he is pure;
that when he shall appear in power and great glory
we may be made like him in his eternal and glorious kingdom;
where he 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
Uniting our prayers with the whole company of heaven,
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)
Uniting our prayers with the whole company of heaven,
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 Christ, who has opened the kingdom of heaven,
bring us to reign with him in glory.
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.