O God, make speed to save us.
AllO Lord, make haste to help us.
You laid the foundation of the earth
Alland the heavens are
the work of your hands. 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.
To dispel the darkness of our night
you sent forth your Son, the firstborn of all creation,
to be the Christ, the light of the world.
Rejoicing in the mystery of the Word made flesh,
we acclaim him Emmanuel, as all creation sings to you:
Blessed be God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
AllBlessed be God for ever.
A Song of God’s Descending (page 552), the following or another suitable hymn
Of the Father’s heart begotten,
ere the world from chaos rose,
he is Alpha: from that fountain
all that is and has been flows;
he is Omega, of all things
yet to come the mystic close,
evermore and evermore.
O how blest that wondrous birthday,
when the Maid the curse retrieved,
brought to birth mankind’s salvation,
by the Holy Ghost conceived;
and the Babe, the world’s redeemer,
in her loving arms received,
evermore and evermore.
Sing, ye heights of heaven, his praises;
angels and archangels, sing!
Wheresoe’er ye be, ye faithful,
let your joyous anthems ring,
every tongue his name confessing,
countless voices answering,
evermore and evermore.
Prudentius, tr: R F Davis
(Tune: 87 87 87 7)
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: Our eyes wait upon the Lord our God.
1 To you I lift up my eyes, ♦
to you that are enthroned in the heavens.
2 As the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master, ♦
or the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress,
3 So our eyes wait upon the Lord our God, ♦
until he have mercy upon us. R
4 Have mercy upon us, O Lord, have mercy upon us, ♦
for we have had more than enough of contempt.
5 Our soul has had more than enough of the scorn of the arrogant, ♦
and of the contempt of the proud.
Refrain: Our eyes wait upon the Lord our God.
Sovereign God, enthroned in the heavens,
look upon us with your eyes of mercy,
as we look on you with humility and love,
and fill our souls with your peace
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Refrain: How abundant is your goodness, O Lord.
1 Blessed are all those who fear the Lord, ♦
and walk in his ways.
2 You shall eat the fruit of the toil of your hands; ♦
it shall go well with you, and happy shall you be. R
3 Your wife within your house
shall be like a fruitful vine; ♦
your children round your table,
like fresh olive branches.
4 Thus shall the one be blest ♦
who fears the Lord. R
5 The Lord from out of Zion bless you, ♦
that you may see Jerusalem in prosperity
all the days of your life.
6 May you see your children’s children, ♦
and may there be peace upon Israel.
Refrain: How abundant is your goodness, O Lord.
O Christ, our true vine,
may we your branches
be ever fruitful in your service
and share your love and peace with all your children,
in the power of the Spirit and to the glory of the Father.
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.
But Zion said, ‘The Lord has forsaken me,
my Lord has forgotten me.’
Can a woman forget her nursing-child,
or show no compassion for the child of her womb?
Even these may forget,
yet I will not forget you.
See, I have inscribed you on the palms of my hands;
your walls are continually before me.
Your builders outdo your destroyers,
and those who laid you waste go away from you.
Lift up your eyes all around and see;
they all gather, they come to you.
As I live, says the Lord,
you shall put all of them on like an ornament,
and like a bride you shall bind them on.
Surely your waste and your desolate places
and your devastated land—
surely now you will be too crowded for your inhabitants,
and those who swallowed you up will be far away.
The children born in the time of your bereavement
will yet say in your hearing:
‘The place is too crowded for me;
make room for me to settle.’
Then you will say in your heart,
‘Who has borne me these?
I was bereaved and barren,
exiled and put away—
so who has reared these?
I was left all alone—
where then have these come from?’
Thus says the Lord God:
I will soon lift up my hand to the nations,
and raise my signal to the peoples;
and they shall bring your sons in their bosom,
and your daughters shall be carried on their shoulders.
Kings shall be your foster-fathers,
and their queens your nursing-mothers.
With their faces to the ground they shall bow down to you,
and lick the dust of your feet.
Then you will know that I am the Lord;
those who wait for me shall not be put to shame.
Can the prey be taken from the mighty,
or the captives of a tyrant be rescued?
But thus says the Lord:
Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken,
and the prey of the tyrant be rescued;
for I will contend with those who contend with you,
and I will save your children.
A Song of Redemption, or another suitable canticle, for example, number 68 (page 626) or number 73 (page 631), may be said.
Refrain:
AllChrist is the image of the
invisible God,
the firstborn of all creation. Alleluia.
1The Father has delivered
us from the dominion of darkness, ♦
and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son;
2In whom we have redemption,
♦
the forgiveness of our sins.
3He is the image of the
invisible God, ♦
the firstborn of all creation.
4For in him all things
were created, ♦
in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible.
5All things were created
through him and for him, ♦
he is before all things and in him all things hold together.
6He is the head of the
body, the Church, ♦
he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead.
7In him all the fullness
of God was pleased to dwell; ♦
and through him God was pleased to reconcile all things.
Colossians 1.13-18a, 19, 20a
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 is the image of the
invisible God,
the firstborn of all creation. Alleluia.
One or more readings appointed for the day are read.
The reading(s) may be followed by a time of silence.
People were bringing little children to him in order that he might touch them; and the disciples spoke sternly to them. But when Jesus saw this, he was indignant and said to them, ‘Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs. Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it.’ And he took them up in his arms, laid his hands on them, and blessed them.
A suitable song or chant, or a responsory in this or another form, may follow
The Word became flesh and dwelt among us,
full of grace and truth.
AllThe Word became flesh
and dwelt among us,
full of grace and truth.
And we have seen his glory,
the glory as of a father’s only son,
Allfull of grace and truth.
Glory to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit.
AllThe Word became flesh
and dwelt among us,
full of grace and truth.
from 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:
AllWhen peaceful silence lay
over all,
and night was in the midst of her swift course:
from your royal throne, O God, down from the heavens,
leapt your almighty Word.
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:
AllWhen peaceful silence lay
over all,
and night was in the midst of her swift course:
from your royal throne, O God, down from the heavens,
leapt your almighty Word.
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 Church, especially in places of conflict
¶ The Holy Land, for peace with justice, and
reconciliation
¶ Refugees and asylum seekers
¶ Homeless people
¶ Families with young children
A form of prayer found on page 378 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 children suffered at the hands of Herod,
though they had done no wrong:
by the suffering of your Son
and by the innocence of our lives
frustrate all evil designs
and establish your reign of justice and peace;
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
Rejoicing in the presence of God here among us,
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)
Rejoicing in the presence of God here among us,
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, who has called us out of darkness
into his marvellous light,
bless us and fill us with peace.
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.