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 appointed psalmody is said.
Refrain: Keep me, O Lord, from the hands of the wicked.
1 Deliver me, O Lord, from evildoers ♦
and protect me from the violent,
2 Who devise evil in their hearts ♦
and stir up strife all the day long.
3 They have sharpened their tongues like a serpent; ♦
adder’s poison is under their lips.
4 Keep me, O Lord, from the hands of the wicked; ♦
protect me from the violent
who seek to make me stumble.
5 The proud have laid a snare for me
and spread out a net of cords; ♦
they have set traps along my path. R
6 I have said to the Lord, ‘You are my God; ♦
listen, O Lord, to the voice of my supplication.
7 ‘O Lord God, the strength of my salvation, ♦
you have covered my head in the day of battle.
8 ‘Do not grant the desires of the wicked, O Lord, ♦
do not prosper their wicked plans. R
9 ‘Let not those who surround me lift up their heads; ♦
let the evil of their own lips fall upon them.
10 ‘Let hot burning coals rain upon them; ♦
let them be cast into the depths, that they rise not again.’
11 No slanderer shall prosper on the earth, ♦
and evil shall hunt down the violent to overthrow them. R
12 I know that the Lord will bring justice for the oppressed ♦
and maintain the cause of the needy.
13 Surely, the righteous will give thanks to your name, ♦
and the upright shall dwell in your presence.
Refrain: Keep me, O Lord, from the hands of the wicked.
Glorious Saviour,
rescue us from the subtle evils that are too strong for us,
from poisonous words and the spirit of war;
by your judgement overthrow the forces of violence,
that all the world may join to worship you
in thanksgiving and peace,
now and for ever.
Refrain: Set a watch before my mouth, O Lord.
1 O Lord, I call to you; come to me quickly; ♦
hear my voice when I cry to you.
2 Let my prayer rise before you as incense, ♦
the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.
3 Set a watch before my mouth, O Lord, ♦
and guard the door of my lips;
4 Let not my heart incline to any evil thing; ♦
let me not be occupied in wickedness with evildoers,
nor taste the pleasures of their table. R
5 Let the righteous smite me in friendly rebuke;
but let not the oil of the unrighteous anoint my head; ♦
for my prayer is continually against their wicked deeds.
6 Let their rulers be overthrown in stony places; ♦
then they may know that my words are sweet.
7 As when a plough turns over the earth in furrows, ♦
let their bones be scattered at the mouth of the Pit. R
8 But my eyes are turned to you, Lord God; ♦
in you I take refuge; do not leave me defenceless.
9 Protect me from the snare which they have laid for me ♦
and from the traps of the evildoers.
10 Let the wicked fall into their own nets, ♦
while I pass by in safety.
Refrain: Set a watch before my mouth, O Lord.
Lord God, our protector and guide,
who made us knowing both good and evil,
help us to desire all that is good,
that the offering of our lives may be acceptable to you;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Refrain: Bring
my soul out of prison,
that I may give thanks to your name.
1 I cry aloud to the Lord; ♦
to the Lord I make my supplication.
2 I pour out my complaint before him ♦
and tell him of my trouble.
3 When my spirit faints within me, you know my path; ♦
in the way wherein I walk have they laid a snare for me.
4 I look to my right hand, and find no one who knows me; ♦
I have no place to flee to, and no one cares for my soul. R
5 I cry out to you, O Lord, and say: ♦
‘You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living.
6 ‘Listen to my cry, for I am brought very low; ♦
save me from my persecutors, for they are too strong for me.
7 ‘Bring my soul out of prison,
that I may give thanks to your name; ♦
when you have dealt bountifully with me,
then shall the righteous gather around me.’
Refrain: Bring
my soul out of prison,
that I may give thanks to your name.
God of compassion,
you regard the forsaken
and give hope to the crushed in spirit;
hear those who cry to you in distress
and bring your ransomed people to sing your glorious praise,
now and for 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.
O Lord, you have enticed me,
and I was enticed;
you have overpowered me,
and you have prevailed.
I have become a laughing-stock all day long;
everyone mocks me.
For whenever I speak, I must cry out,
I must shout, ‘Violence and destruction!’
For the word of the Lord has become for me
a reproach and derision all day long.
If I say, ‘I will not mention him,
or speak any more in his name’,
then within me there is something like a burning fire
shut up in my bones;
I am weary with holding it in,
and I cannot.
For I hear many whispering:
‘Terror is all around!
Denounce him! Let us denounce him!’
All my close friends
are watching for me to stumble.
‘Perhaps he can be enticed,
and we can prevail against him,
and take our revenge on him.’
But the Lord is with me like a dread warrior;
therefore my persecutors will stumble,
and they will not prevail.
They will be greatly shamed,
for they will not succeed.
Their eternal dishonour
will never be forgotten.
O Lord of hosts, you test the righteous,
you see the heart and the mind;
let me see your retribution upon them,
for to you I have committed my cause.
Sing to the Lord;
praise the Lord!
For he has delivered the life of the needy
from the hands of evildoers.
Cursed be the day
on which I was born!
The day when my mother bore me,
let it not be blessed!
Cursed be the man
who brought the news to my father, saying,
‘A child is born to you, a son’,
making him very glad.
Let that man be like the cities
that the Lord overthrew without pity;
let him hear a cry in the morning
and an alarm at noon,
because he did not kill me in the womb;
so my mother would have been my grave,
and her womb for ever great.
Why did I come forth from the womb
to see toil and sorrow,
and spend my days in shame?
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.
One or more readings appointed for the day are read.
The reading(s) may be followed by a time of silence.
When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, some two miles away, and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them about their brother. When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, while Mary stayed at home. Martha said to Jesus, ‘Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask of him.’ Jesus said to her, ‘Your brother will rise again.’ Martha said to him, ‘I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.’ Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?’ She said to him, ‘Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one coming into the world.’
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
The Magnificat (The Song of Mary) is normally said,
or A Song of Praise (page 627)
may be said
Refrain:
All
Those who gave up their lives for Christ and followed in the Way
rejoice with God now and for ever. 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:
All
Those who gave up their lives for Christ and followed in the Way
rejoice with God now and for ever. Alleluia.
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
Most merciful God,
who by the death and resurrection of your Son Jesus Christ
delivered and saved the world:
grant that by faith in him who suffered on the cross
we may triumph in the power of his victory;
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.
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.
©
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.