O God, make speed to save us.
AllO Lord, make haste to help us.
From the rising of the sun to its setting
Allyour glory is proclaimed
in all the world.
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.
You gave your Christ as a light to the nations,
and through the anointing of the Spirit
you established us as a royal priesthood.
As you call us into your marvellous light,
may our lives bear witness to your truth
and our lips never cease to proclaim your praise.
Blessed be God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
AllBlessed be God for ever.
A Song of God’s Splendour (page 561), the following or another suitable hymn
O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness!
Bow down before him, his glory proclaim;
with gold of obedience, and incense of lowliness,
kneel and adore him, the Lord is his name!
Low at his feet lay thy burden of carefulness,
high on his heart he will bear it for thee,
comfort thy sorrows, and answer thy prayerfulness,
guiding thy steps as may best for thee be.
Fear not to enter his courts in the slenderness
of the poor wealth thou wouldst reckon as thine:
truth in its beauty, and love in its tenderness,
these are the offerings to lay on his shrine.
These though we bring them in trembling and fearfulness,
he will accept for the name that is dear;
mornings of joy give for evenings of tearfulness,
trust for our trembling and hope for our fear.
O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness!
Bow down before him, his glory proclaim;
with gold of obedience, and incense of lowliness,
kneel and adore him, the Lord is his name!
J S B Monsell
(Tune: 13 10 13 10)
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.
Hear this word that I take up over you in lamentation, O house of Israel:
Fallen, no more to rise,
is maiden Israel;
forsaken on her land,
with no one to raise her up.
For thus says the Lord God:
The city that marched out a thousand
shall have a hundred left,
and that which marched out a hundred
shall have ten left.
For thus says the Lord to the house of Israel:
Seek me and live;
but do not seek Bethel,
and do not enter into Gilgal
or cross over to Beer-sheba;
for Gilgal shall surely go into exile,
and Bethel shall come to nothing.
Seek the Lord and live,
or he will break out against the house of Joseph like fire,
and it will devour Bethel, with no one to quench it.
Ah, you that turn justice to wormwood,
and bring righteousness to the ground!
The one 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 on the surface of the earth,
the Lord is his name,
who makes destruction flash out against the strong,
so that destruction comes upon the fortress.
They hate the one who reproves in the gate,
and they abhor the one who speaks the truth.
Therefore, because you trample on the poor
and take from them levies of grain,
you have built houses of hewn stone,
but you shall not live in them;
you have planted pleasant vineyards,
but you shall not drink their wine.
For I know how many are your transgressions,
and how great are your sins—
you who afflict the righteous, who take a bribe,
and push aside the needy in the gate.
Therefore the prudent will keep silent in such a time;
for it is an evil time.
Seek good and not evil,
that you may live;
and so the Lord, the God of hosts, will be with you,
just as you have said.
Hate evil and love good,
and establish justice in the gate;
it may be that the Lord, the God of hosts,
will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.
Therefore thus says the Lord, the God of hosts, the Lord:
In all the squares there shall be wailing;
and in all the streets they shall say, ‘Alas! alas!’
They shall call the farmers to mourning,
and those skilled in lamentation, to wailing;
in all the vineyards there shall be wailing,
for I will pass through the midst of you,
says the Lord.
A Song of Praise, or another suitable canticle, for example, number
63 (page 621) or number 71 (page
629), may be said
Refrain:
AllYou created all things,
O God,
and are worthy of our praise for ever. Alleluia.
1You are worthy, our
Lord and God, ♦
to receive glory and honour and power.
2For you have created
all things, ♦
and by your will they have their being.
3You are worthy, O Lamb,
for you were slain, ♦
and by your blood you ransomed for God
saints from every tribe and language and nation.
4You have made them to
be a kingdom and priests
serving our God, ♦
and they will reign with you on earth.
Revelation 4.11; 5.9b, 10
AllTo the One who sits on the
throne and to the Lamb ♦
be blessing and honour and glory and might, for ever and ever. Amen.
AllYou created all things,
O God,
and are worthy of our praise for ever. Alleluia.
One or more readings appointed for the day are read.
The reading(s) may be followed by a time of silence.
Think of us in this way, as servants of Christ and stewards of God’s mysteries. Moreover, it is required of stewards that they should be found trustworthy. But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by any human court. I do not even judge myself. I am not aware of anything against myself, but I am not thereby acquitted. It is the Lord who judges me. Therefore do not pronounce judgement before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Then each one will receive commendation from God.
I have applied all this to Apollos and myself for your benefit, brothers and sisters, so that you may learn through us the meaning of the saying, ‘Nothing beyond what is written’, so that none of you will be puffed up in favour of one against another. For who sees anything different in you? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you received it, why do you boast as if it were not a gift?
Already you have all you want! Already you have become rich! Quite apart from us you have become kings! Indeed, I wish that you had become kings, so that we might be kings with you! For I think that God has exhibited us apostles as last of all, as though sentenced to death, because we have become a spectacle to the world, to angels and to mortals. We are fools for the sake of Christ, but you are wise in Christ. We are weak, but you are strong. You are held in honour, but we in disrepute. To the present hour we are hungry and thirsty, we are poorly clothed and beaten and homeless, and we grow weary from the work of our own hands. When reviled, we bless; when persecuted, we endure; when slandered, we speak kindly. We have become like the rubbish of the world, the dregs of all things, to this very day.
I am not writing this to make you ashamed, but to admonish you as my beloved children.
For though you might have ten thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers. Indeed, in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel.
I appeal to you, then, be imitators of me.
For this reason I sent you Timothy, who is my beloved and faithful child in the Lord, to remind you of my ways in Christ Jesus, as I teach them everywhere in every church.
But some of you, thinking that I am not coming to you, have become arrogant.
But I will come to you soon, if the Lord wills, and I will find out not the talk of these arrogant people but their power.
For the kingdom of God depends not on talk but on power.
What would you prefer? Am I to come to you with a stick, or with love in a spirit of gentleness?
A suitable song or chant, or a responsory in this or another form, may follow
Arise, shine, for your light has come;
the glory of the Lord is rising upon you.
AllArise, shine, for your
light has come;
the glory of the Lord is rising upon you.
God’s salvation has been openly shown to all people.
AllThe glory of the Lord
is rising upon you.
Glory to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit.
AllArise, shine, for your
light has come;
the glory of the Lord is rising upon you.
from Isaiah 60
The Magnificat (The Song of Mary) is normally said,
or A Song of Christ’s Appearing
(page 621) may be said
Refrain:
AllBehold, my servant, whom
I uphold,
my chosen, in whom my soul delights;
the anointed one on whom my Spirit rests.
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:
AllBehold, my servant, whom
I uphold,
my chosen, in whom my soul delights;
the anointed one on whom my Spirit rests.
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 unity of the Church
¶ The peace of the world
¶ The healing of the sick
¶ The revelation of Christ to those from whom
his glory is hidden
¶ All who travel
A form of prayer found on page 379 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
Eternal Father,
who at the baptism of Jesus
revealed him to be your Son,
anointing him with the Holy Spirit:
grant to us, who are born again by water and the Spirit,
that we may be faithful to our calling as your adopted children;
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
Believing the promises 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)
Believing the promises 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 Christ, who sends us to the nations,
give us the power of his Spirit.
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.