Evening Prayer
Passiontide
Wednesday, 20 March 2024
Cuthbert, Bishop of Lindisfarne, Missionary, 687 [Lesser Festival]

Preparation

O God, make speed to save us.
AllO Lord, make haste to help us.

Let your ways be known upon earth
Allyour saving power among the nations.

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.
As we behold your Son, enthroned on the cross,
stir up in us the fire of your love,
that we may be cleansed from all our sins,
and walk with you in newness of life
singing the praise of him who died
for us and our salvation.
Blessed be God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
AllBlessed be God for ever.

Saviour of the World (page 644), the following or another suitable hymn

The royal banners forward go,
the cross shines forth in mystic glow;
where he in flesh, our flesh who made,
our sentence bore, our ransom paid.

There whilst he hung, his sacred side
by soldier’s spear was opened wide,
to cleanse us in the precious flood
of water mingled with his blood.

Fulfilled is now what David told
in true prophetic song of old,
how God the nations’ King should be;
for God is reigning from the tree.

O tree of glory, tree most fair,
ordained those holy limbs to bear,
how bright in purple robe it stood,
the purple of a Saviour’s blood!

Upon its arms, like balance true,
he weighed the price for sinners due,
the price which none but he could pay,
and spoiled the spoiler of his prey.

To thee, eternal Three in One,
let homage meet by all be done:
as by the cross thou dost restore,
so rule and guide us evermore.

Venantius Fortunatus, tr: J M Neale (alt.)
(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 Word of God

Psalmody

The appointed psalmody is said.

Psalm 56

Refrain: In God I trust, and will not fear.

1 Have mercy on me, O God, for they trample over me; 
all day long they assault and oppress me.

2 My adversaries trample over me all the day long; 
many are they that make proud war against me.

3 In the day of my fear I put my trust in you, 
in God whose word I praise.

4 In God I trust, and will not fear, 
for what can flesh do to me? R

5 All day long they wound me with words; 
their every thought is to do me evil.

6 They stir up trouble; they lie in wait; 
marking my steps, they seek my life.

7 Shall they escape for all their wickedness? 
In anger, O God, cast the peoples down.

8 You have counted up my groaning;
put my tears into your bottle; 
are they not written in your book? R

9 Then shall my enemies turn back
on the day when I call upon you; 
this I know, for God is on my side.

10 In God whose word I praise,
in the Lord whose word I praise, 
in God I trust and will not fear:
what can flesh do to me?

11 To you, O God, will I fulfil my vows; 
to you will I present my offerings of thanks,

12 For you will deliver my soul from death
and my feet from falling, 
that I may walk before God in the light of the living.

Refrain: In God I trust, and will not fear.

Faithful God,
your deliverance is nearer than we know;
free us from fear
and help us to find courage in your Word,
Jesus Christ our Lord.

Psalm 62

Refrain: Wait on God alone in stillness, O my soul.

1 On God alone my soul in stillness waits; 
from him comes my salvation.

2 He alone is my rock and my salvation, 
my stronghold, so that I shall never be shaken.

3 How long will all of you assail me to destroy me, 
as you would a tottering wall or a leaning fence?

4 They plot only to thrust me down from my place of honour;
lies are their chief delight; 
they bless with their mouth, but in their heart they curse.

5 Wait on God alone in stillness, O my soul; 
for in him is my hope.

6 He alone is my rock and my salvation, 
my stronghold, so that I shall not be shaken. R

7 In God is my strength and my glory; 
God is my strong rock; in him is my refuge.

8 Put your trust in him always, my people; 
pour out your hearts before him, for God is our refuge.

9 The peoples are but a breath,
the whole human race a deceit; 
on the scales they are altogether lighter than air.

10 Put no trust in oppression; in robbery take no empty pride; 
though wealth increase, set not your heart upon it.

11 God spoke once, and twice have I heard the same, 
that power belongs to God.

12 Steadfast love belongs to you, O Lord, 
for you repay everyone according to their deeds.

Refrain: Wait on God alone in stillness, O my soul.

O God, teach us to seek security,
not in money or theft,
not in human ambition or malice,
not in our own ability or power,
but in you, the only God,
our rock and our salvation.

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.

Jeremiah 22.20 - 23.8


Go up to Lebanon, and cry out,
   and lift up your voice in Bashan;
cry out from Abarim,
   for all your lovers are crushed.
I spoke to you in your prosperity,
   but you said, ‘I will not listen.’
This has been your way from your youth,
   for you have not obeyed my voice.
The wind shall shepherd all your shepherds,
   and your lovers shall go into captivity;
then you will be ashamed and dismayed
   because of all your wickedness.
O inhabitant of Lebanon,
   nested among the cedars,
how you will groan when pangs come upon you,
   pain as of a woman in labour!

As I live, says the Lord, even if King Coniah son of Jehoiakim of Judah were the signet ring on my right hand, even from there I would tear you off and give you into the hands of those who seek your life, into the hands of those of whom you are afraid, even into the hands of King Nebuchadrezzar of Babylon and into the hands of the Chaldeans. I will hurl you and the mother who bore you into another country, where you were not born, and there you shall die. But they shall not return to the land to which they long to return.
Is this man Coniah a despised broken pot,
   a vessel no one wants?
Why are he and his offspring hurled out
   and cast away in a land that they do not know?
O land, land, land,
   hear the word of the Lord!
Thus says the Lord:
Record this man as childless,
   a man who shall not succeed in his days;
for none of his offspring shall succeed
   in sitting on the throne of David,
   and ruling again in Judah.

Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! says the Lord. Therefore, thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, concerning the shepherds who shepherd my people: It is you who have scattered my flock, and have driven them away, and you have not attended to them. So I will attend to you for your evil doings, says the Lord. Then I myself will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the lands where I have driven them, and I will bring them back to their fold, and they shall be fruitful and multiply. I will raise up shepherds over them who will shepherd them, and they shall not fear any longer, or be dismayed, nor shall any be missing, says the Lord.

The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. And this is the name by which he will be called: ‘The Lord is our righteousness.’

Therefore, the days are surely coming, says the Lord, when it shall no longer be said, ‘As the Lord lives who brought the people of Israel up out of the land of Egypt’, but ‘As the Lord lives who brought out and led the offspring of the house of Israel out of the land of the north and out of all the lands where he had driven them.’ Then they shall live in their own land.

Canticle

The Song of Christ’s Glory, or another suitable canticle, for example, number 66 (page 624) or number 87 (page 644), may be said

Refrain:

AllAt the name of Jesus
every knee shall bow. Alleluia.

1Christ Jesus was in the form of God,
but he did not cling to equality with God.

2He emptied himself, taking the form of a servant,
and was born in our human likeness.

3Being found in human form he humbled himself,
and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross.

4Therefore God has highly exalted him,
and bestowed on him the name above every name,

5That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth;

6And every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.

Philippians 2.5-11

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.

AllAt the name of Jesus
every knee shall bow. Alleluia.

Scripture Reading

One or more readings appointed for the day are read.

The reading(s) may be followed by a time of silence.

John 12.1-11

Six days before the Passover Jesus came to Bethany, the home of Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. There they gave a dinner for him. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those at the table with him. Mary took a pound of costly perfume made of pure nard, anointed Jesus’ feet, and wiped them with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (the one who was about to betray him), said, ‘Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii and the money given to the poor?’ (He said this not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief; he kept the common purse and used to steal what was put into it.) Jesus said, ‘Leave her alone. She bought it so that she might keep it for the day of my burial. You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.’

When the great crowd of the Jews learned that he was there, they came not only because of Jesus but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. So the chief priests planned to put Lazarus to death as well, since it was on account of him that many of the Jews were deserting and were believing in Jesus.

A suitable song or chant, or a responsory in this or another form, may follow

We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you;
Allby your holy cross, you have redeemed the world.
Christ committed no sin, no guile was found on his lips.
AllWe adore you, O Christ, and we bless you.
He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree
that we might die to sin and live to righteousness.
AllBy your holy cross, you have redeemed the world.
By his wounds you have been healed.
AllWe adore you, O Christ, and we bless you;
by your holy cross, you have redeemed the world.

cf 1 Peter 2

Gospel Canticle

The Magnificat (The Song of Mary) is normally said,
or A Song of Praise (page 627) may be said

Refrain:

AllHow beautiful on the mountains
are the feet of those who bring good news and proclaim
the gospel of peace. 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:

AllHow beautiful on the mountains
are the feet of those who bring good news and proclaim
the gospel of peace. Alleluia.

Prayers

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 persecuted Church
The oppressed peoples of the world
All who are lonely
All who are near to death
All who are facing loss

A form of prayer found on page 381 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

Almighty God,
who called your servant Cuthbert from following the flock
to follow your Son and to be a shepherd of your people:
in your mercy, grant that we, following his example,
may bring those who are lost home to your fold;
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

Standing at the foot of the cross,
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)

Standing at the foot of the cross,
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.

The Conclusion

May Christ, who bore our sins on the cross,
set us free to serve him with joy.
AllAmen.

Let us bless the Lord. Alleluia, alleluia.
AllThanks be to God. Alleluia, alleluia.