O God, make speed to save us.
AllO Lord, make haste to help us.
One or more of the following is said or sung:
a prayer of thanksgiving (page 110),
a suitable hymn,
or A Song of Worship
1Come, bless the Lord,
all you servants of the Lord, •
you that by night stand in the house of the Lord.
2Lift up your hands towards
the sanctuary •
and bless the Lord.
3The Lord who made heaven
and earth •
give you blessing out of Zion.
Psalm 134
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.
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 Lord God have I made my refuge.
1 Truly, God is loving to Israel, •
to those who are pure in heart.
2 Nevertheless, my feet were almost gone; •
my steps had well-nigh slipped.
3 For I was envious of the proud; •
I saw the wicked in such prosperity;
16 Then thought I to understand this, •
but it was too hard for me,
17 Until I entered the sanctuary of God •
and understood the end of the wicked:
18 How you set them in slippery places; •
you cast them down to destruction.
19 How suddenly do they come to destruction, •
perish and come to a fearful end!
20 As with a dream when one awakes, •
so, Lord, when you arise you will despise their image.
21 When my heart became embittered •
and I was pierced to the quick,
22 I was but foolish and ignorant; •
I was like a brute beast in your presence. R
23 Yet I am always with you; •
you hold me by my right hand.
24 You will guide me with your counsel •
and afterwards receive me with glory.
25 Whom have I in heaven but you? •
And there is nothing upon earth that I desire
in comparison with you.
26 Though my flesh and my heart fail me, •
God is the strength of my heart and my portion for ever.
27 Truly, those who forsake you will perish; •
you will put to silence the faithless who betray you.
28 But it is good for me to draw near to God; •
in the Lord God have I made my refuge,
that I may tell of all your works.
Refrain: In the Lord God have I made my refuge.
Holy God,
may we find wisdom in your presence
and set our hope not on uncertain riches
but on the love that holds us to the end;
in 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.
Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian; he led his flock beyond the wilderness, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of a bush; he looked, and the bush was blazing, yet it was not consumed. Then Moses said, ‘I must turn aside and look at this great sight, and see why the bush is not burned up.’ When the Lord saw that he had turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, ‘Moses, Moses!’ And he said, ‘Here I am.’ Then he said, ‘Come no closer! Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.’ He said further, ‘I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’ And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.
Then the Lord said, ‘I have observed the misery of my people who are in Egypt; I have heard their cry on account of their taskmasters. Indeed, I know their sufferings, and I have come down to deliver them from the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey, to the country of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. The cry of the Israelites has now come to me; I have also seen how the Egyptians oppress them. So come, I will send you to Pharaoh to bring my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt.’ But Moses said to God, ‘Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?’ He said, ‘I will be with you; and this shall be the sign for you that it is I who sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall worship God on this mountain.’
But Moses said to God, ‘If I come to the Israelites and say to them, “The God of your ancestors has sent me to you”, and they ask me, “What is his name?” what shall I say to them?’
God said to Moses, ‘I am who I am.’ He said further, ‘Thus you shall say to the Israelites, “I am has sent me to you.” ’
God also said to Moses, ‘Thus you shall say to the Israelites, “The Lord, the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you”:
This is my name for ever,
and this my title for all generations.
A Song of the Lamb, or another suitable canticle, for example, number 62 (page 620) or number 74 (page 632), may be said
Refrain:
AllLet us rejoice and exult
and give glory and homage to our God. Alleluia.
1Salvation and glory
and power belong to our God, •
whose judgements are true and just.
2Praise our God, all
you his servants, •
all who fear him, both small and great.
3The Lord our God, the
Almighty, reigns: •
let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory.
4For the marriage of
the Lamb has come •
and his bride has made herself ready.
5Blessed are those who
are invited •
to the wedding banquet of the Lamb.
Revelation 19.1b, 2a, 5b, 6b, 7, 9b
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.
AllLet us rejoice and exult
and give glory and homage to our God. Alleluia.
One or more readings appointed for the day are read.
The reading(s) may be followed by a time of silence.
Now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews. He came to Jesus by night and said to him, ‘Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do apart from the presence of God.’ Jesus answered him, ‘Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.’ Nicodemus said to him, ‘How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother’s womb and be born?’ Jesus answered, ‘Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not be astonished that I said to you, “You must be born from above.” The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.’ Nicodemus said to him, ‘How can these things be?’ Jesus answered him, ‘Are you a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things?
‘Very truly, I tell you, we speak of what we know and testify to what we have seen; yet you do not receive our testimony. If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.
‘For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.
‘Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.
A suitable song or chant, or a responsory in this or another form, may follow
The Lord is my light and my salvation;
the Lord is the strength of my life.
AllThe Lord is my light
and my salvation;
the Lord is the strength of my life.
The light shines in the darkness
and the darkness has not overcome it.
AllThe Lord is the strength
of my life.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit.
AllThe Lord is my light
and my salvation;
the Lord is the strength of my life.
from Psalm 27 and John 1
The Magnificat (The Song of Mary) is normally said,
or the Nunc dimittis (The Song of
Simeon) (page 613) may be said
Refrain:
AllYou have done great things,
O God,
and holy is your name.
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:
AllYou have done great things,
O God,
and holy is your name.
Thanksgiving may be made for the day.
Intercessions are offered
¶ for peace
¶ for individuals and their needs
The cycle on pages 364–365 and the prayer on page 377 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 and everlasting God,
you have given us your servants grace,
by the confession of a true faith,
to acknowledge the glory of the eternal Trinity
and in the power of the divine majesty to worship the Unity:
keep us steadfast in this faith,
that we may evermore be defended from all adversities;
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
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)
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.
All The
grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,
and the love of God,
and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit,
be with us all evermore.
Amen.
Let us bless the Lord. Alleluia, alleluia.
AllThanks be to God. Alleluia, alleluia.
Implemented by Simon Kershaw at
Crucix.
Implementation copyright © Simon Kershaw, 2002-2011.