O God, make speed to save us.
AllO Lord, make haste to help us.
The Blessing of Light (page 110) may replace the Preparation at Evening Prayer on any occasion.
One or more of the following is said or sung:
A prayer of thanksgiving (page 110),
Blessed are you, Lord God, creator of day and night:
to you be praise and glory for ever.
As darkness falls you renew your promise
to reveal among us the light of your presence.
By the light of Christ, your living Word,
dispel the darkness of our hearts
that we may walk as children of light
and sing your praise throughout the world.
Blessed be God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit:
AllBlessed be God for ever.
or a suitable hymn,
or A Song of God’s Greatness
1Bless the Lord, O my
soul. ♦
O Lord my God, how excellent is your greatness!
2You are clothed with
majesty and honour, ♦
wrapped in light as in a garment.
3The sun knows the time
for its setting. ♦
You make darkness that it may be night.
4O Lord, how manifold
are your works! ♦
In wisdom you have made them all;
the earth is full of your creatures.
5When you send forth
your spirit, they are created, ♦
and you renew the face of the earth.
6May the glory of the
Lord endure for ever; ♦
may the Lord rejoice in his works;
7I will sing to the Lord
as long as I live; ♦
I will make music to my God while I have my being.
Psalm 104.1, 2, 21b ,22a, 26, 32, 33, 35
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: The Lord is king; let the earth rejoice.
1 Give the king your judgements, O God, ♦
and your righteousness to the son of a king.
2 Then shall he judge your people righteously ♦
and your poor with justice.
3 May the mountains bring forth peace, ♦
and the little hills righteousness for the people.
4 May he defend the poor among the people, ♦
deliver the children of the needy and crush the oppressor. R
5 May he live as long as the sun and moon endure, ♦
from one generation to another.
6 May he come down like rain upon the mown grass, ♦
like the showers that water the earth.
7 In his time shall righteousness flourish, ♦
and abundance of peace
till the moon shall be no more. R
8 May his dominion extend from sea to sea ♦
and from the River to the ends of the earth.
9 May his foes kneel before him ♦
and his enemies lick the dust.
10 The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall pay tribute; ♦
the kings of Sheba and Seba shall bring gifts.
11 All kings shall fall down before him; ♦
all nations shall do him service. R
12 For he shall deliver the poor that cry out, ♦
the needy and those who have no helper.
13 He shall have pity on the weak and poor; ♦
he shall preserve the lives of the needy.
14 He shall redeem their lives from oppression and violence, ♦
and dear shall their blood be in his sight. R
15 Long may he live;
unto him may be given gold from Sheba; ♦
may prayer be made for him continually
and may they bless him all the day long.
16 May there be abundance of grain on the earth,
standing thick upon the hilltops; ♦
may its fruit flourish like Lebanon
and its grain grow like the grass of the field.
17 May his name remain for ever
and be established as long as the sun endures; ♦
may all nations be blest in him
and call him blessed. R
18 Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, ♦
who alone does wonderful things.
19 And blessed be his glorious name for ever. ♦
May all the earth be filled with his glory.
Amen. Amen.
Refrain: The Lord is king; let the earth rejoice.
May your kingdom come, O God,
with deliverance for the needy,
with peace for the righteous,
with overflowing blessing for all nations,
with glory, honour and praise
for Christ, the only Saviour.
Refrain: God alone is judge.
1 We give you thanks, O God, we give you thanks, ♦
for your name is near, as your wonderful deeds declare.
2 I will seize the appointed time; ♦
I, the Lord, will judge with equity.
3 Though the earth reels and all that dwell in her, ♦
it is I that hold her pillars steady.
4 To the boasters I say, Boast no longer, ♦
and to the wicked, Do not lift up your horn.
5 Do not lift up your horn on high; ♦
do not speak with a stiff neck. R
6 For neither from the east nor from the west, ♦
nor yet from the wilderness comes exaltation.
7 But God alone is judge; ♦
he puts down one and raises up another.
8 For in the hand of the Lord there is a cup, ♦
well mixed and full of foaming wine.
9 He pours it out for all the wicked of the earth; ♦
they shall drink it, and drain the dregs. R
10 But I will rejoice for ever ♦
and make music to the God of Jacob.
11 All the horns of the wicked will I break, ♦
but the horns of the righteous shall be exalted.
Refrain: God alone is judge.
Judge of all the earth,
restrain the ambition of the proud
and establish among us the reign of the Messiah,
who drained for us the cup of judgement
and is alive with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
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.
Then the Israelites said to Gideon, Rule over us, you and your son and your grandson also; for you have delivered us out of the hand of Midian. Gideon said to them, I will not rule over you, and my son will not rule over you; the Lord will rule over you. Then Gideon said to them, Let me make a request of you; each of you give me an ear-ring he has taken as booty. (For the enemy had golden ear-rings, because they were Ishmaelites.) We will willingly give them, they answered. So they spread a garment, and each threw into it an ear-ring he had taken as booty. The weight of the golden ear-rings that he requested was one thousand seven hundred shekels of gold (apart from the crescents and the pendants and the purple garments worn by the kings of Midian, and the collars that were on the necks of their camels). Gideon made an ephod of it and put it in his town, in Ophrah; and all Israel prostituted themselves to it there, and it became a snare to Gideon and to his family. So Midian was subdued before the Israelites, and they lifted up their heads no more. So the land had rest for forty years in the days of Gideon.
Jerubbaal son of Joash went to live in his own house. Now Gideon had seventy sons, his own offspring, for he had many wives. His concubine who was in Shechem also bore him a son, and he named him Abimelech. Then Gideon son of Joash died at a good old age, and was buried in the tomb of his father Joash at Ophrah of the Abiezrites.
As soon as Gideon died, the Israelites relapsed and prostituted themselves with the Baals, making Baal-berith their god. The Israelites did not remember the Lord their God, who had rescued them from the hand of all their enemies on every side; and they did not exhibit loyalty to the house of Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon) in return for all the good that he had done to Israel.
A Song of God’s Grace, or another suitable canticle, for example, number 58 (page 615), may be said
Refrain:
AllThe glorious grace of God
is freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. Alleluia.
1Blessed are you,
the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, ♦
for you have blest us in Christ Jesus
with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.
2You chose us to be yours
in Christ
before the foundation of the world, ♦
that we should be holy and blameless before you.
3In love you destined
us for adoption as your children,
through Jesus Christ, ♦
according to the purpose of your will,
4To the praise of your
glorious grace, ♦
which you freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.
5In you, we have redemption
through the blood of Christ, ♦
the forgiveness of our sins,
6According to the riches
of your grace, ♦
which you have lavished upon us.
7You have made known
to us, in all wisdom and insight, ♦
the mystery of your will,
8According to your purpose
which you set forth in Christ, ♦
as a plan for the fullness of time,
9To unite all things
in Christ, ♦
things in heaven and things on earth.
Ephesians 1.3-10
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.
AllThe glorious grace of God
is freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. Alleluia.
One or more readings appointed for the day are read.
The reading(s) may be followed by a time of silence.
Now all the tax-collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to him. And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them.
So he told them this parable: Which one of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost until he finds it? When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders and rejoices. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbours, saying to them, Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost. Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who need no repentance.
Or what woman having ten silver coins, if she loses one of them, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it? When she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbours, saying, Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost. Just so, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.
A suitable song or chant, or a responsory in this or another form, may follow
Trust in the Lord with all your heart;
and be not wise in your own sight.
AllTrust in the Lord with
all your heart;
and be not wise in your own sight.
In all your ways acknowledge him
and he will make straight your paths.
AllTrust in the Lord with
all your heart.
Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
AllTrust in the Lord with
all your heart;
and be not wise in your own sight.
from Proverbs 3
The Magnificat (The Song of Mary) is normally said,
or A Song of the Blessed (page 606)
may be said
Refrain:
AllMy spirit rejoices in you,
O God,
my soul proclaims your greatness.
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:
AllMy spirit rejoices in you,
O God,
my soul proclaims your greatness.
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 362–363
¶ The media and the arts
¶ Farming and fishing
¶ Commerce and industry
¶ Those whose work is unfulfilling, stressful
or fraught with danger
¶ All who are unemployed
One of the forms of prayer found on pages 362–371 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 God,
you have broken the tyranny of sin
and have sent the Spirit of your Son into our hearts
whereby we call you Father:
give us grace to dedicate our freedom to your service,
that we and all creation may be brought
to the glorious liberty of the children
of God;
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.
©
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.