O God, make speed to save us.
AllO Lord, make haste to help us.
Reveal among us the light of your presence
Allthat we may behold your
power and glory.
One or more of the following is said or sung:
this or another prayer of thanksgiving
Blessed are you, Sovereign God,
creator of light and darkness,
to you be glory and praise for ever.
As evening falls, you renew your promise
to reveal among us the light of your presence.
May your word be a lantern to our feet
and a light upon our path
that we may behold your coming among us.
Strengthen us in our stumbling weakness
and free our tongues to sing your praise.
Blessed be God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
AllBlessed be God for ever.
A Song of Mercy and Truth (page 559), the following or another suitable hymn
Creator of the stars of night,
thy people’s everlasting light,
O Jesu, Saviour of us all,
regard thy servants when they call.
Thou, grieving at the bitter cry
of all creation doomed to die,
didst come to save a ruined race
with healing gifts of heavenly grace.
Thou camest, Bridegroom of the bride,
as drew the world to evening-tide,
proceeding from a virgin shrine,
the Son of Man, yet Lord divine.
At thy great name, exalted now,
all knees must bend, all hearts must bow,
and things in heaven and earth shall own
that thou art Lord and King alone.
To thee, O holy One, we pray
our judge in that tremendous day,
preserve us, while we dwell below,
from every onslaught of the foe.
All praise, eternal Son, to thee,
whose advent sets thy people free,
whom with the Father we adore,
and Spirit blest, for evermore.
Latin, tr: J M Neale
(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: Remember, Lord, your compassion and love.
1 To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul;
O my God, in you I trust; ♦
let me not be put to shame;
let not my enemies triumph over me.
2 Let none who look to you be put to shame, ♦
but let the treacherous be shamed and frustrated.
3 Make me to know your ways, O Lord, ♦
and teach me your paths.
4 Lead me in your truth and teach me, ♦
for you are the God of my salvation;
for you have I hoped all the day long.
5 Remember, Lord, your compassion and love, ♦
for they are from everlasting. R
6 Remember not the sins of my youth
or my transgressions, ♦
but think on me in your goodness, O Lord,
according to your steadfast love.
7 Gracious and upright is the Lord; ♦
therefore shall he teach sinners in the way.
8 He will guide the humble in doing right ♦
and teach his way to the lowly.
9 All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth ♦
to those who keep his covenant and his testimonies. R
10 For your name’s sake, O Lord, ♦
be merciful to my sin, for it is great.
11 Who are those who fear the Lord? ♦
Them will he teach in the way that they should choose.
12 Their soul shall dwell at ease ♦
and their offspring shall inherit the land.
13 The hidden purpose of the Lord is for those who fear him ♦
and he will show them his covenant.
14 My eyes are ever looking to the Lord, ♦
for he shall pluck my feet out of the net. R
15 Turn to me and be gracious to me, ♦
for I am alone and brought very low.
16 The sorrows of my heart have increased; ♦
O bring me out of my distress.
17 Look upon my adversity and misery ♦
and forgive me all my sin.
18 Look upon my enemies, for they are many ♦
and they bear a violent hatred against me.
19 O keep my soul and deliver me; ♦
let me not be put to shame, for I have put my trust in you.
20 Let integrity and uprightness preserve me, ♦
for my hope has been in you.
21 Deliver Israel, O God, ♦
out of all his troubles.
Refrain: Remember, Lord, your compassion and love.
Free us, God of mercy,
from all that keeps us from you;
relieve the misery of the anxious and the ashamed
and fill us with the hope of peace;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Refrain: Arise, O God, and judge the earth.
1 God has taken his stand in the council of heaven; ♦
in the midst of the gods he gives judgement:
2 ‘How long will you judge unjustly ♦
and show such favour to the wicked?
3 ‘You were to judge the weak and the orphan; ♦
defend the right of the humble and needy;
4 ‘Rescue the weak and the poor; ♦
deliver them from the hand of the wicked. R
5 ‘They have no knowledge or wisdom;
they walk on still in darkness: ♦
all the foundations of the earth are shaken.
6 ‘Therefore I say that though you are gods ♦
and all of you children of the Most High,
7 ‘Nevertheless, you shall die like mortals ♦
and fall like one of their princes.’
8 Arise, O God and judge the earth, ♦
for it is you that shall take all nations for your possession.
Refrain: Arise, O God, and judge the earth.
God our deliverer,
when the foundations are shaken
and justice has departed,
defend the poor and needy
and give your people strength to fight all wrong
in the name of your Son, 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.
Listen to me, you that pursue righteousness,
you that seek the Lord.
Look to the rock from which you were hewn,
and to the quarry from which you were dug.
Look to Abraham your father
and to Sarah who bore you;
for he was but one when I called him,
but I blessed him and made him many.
For the Lord will comfort Zion;
he will comfort all her waste places,
and will make her wilderness like Eden,
her desert like the garden of the Lord;
joy and gladness will be found in her,
thanksgiving and the voice of song.
Listen to me, my people,
and give heed to me, my nation;
for a teaching will go out from me,
and my justice for a light to the peoples.
I will bring near my deliverance swiftly,
my salvation has gone out
and my arms will rule the peoples;
the coastlands wait for me,
and for my arm they hope.
Lift up your eyes to the heavens,
and look at the earth beneath;
for the heavens will vanish like smoke,
the earth will wear out like a garment,
and those who live on it will die like gnats;
but my salvation will be for ever,
and my deliverance will never be ended.
Listen to me, you who know righteousness,
you people who have my teaching in your hearts;
do not fear the reproach of others,
and do not be dismayed when they revile you.
For the moth will eat them up like a garment,
and the worm will eat them like wool;
but my deliverance will be for ever,
and my salvation to all generations.
A Song of the Spirit, or another suitable canticle, for example, number 57 (page 614) or number 72 (page 630), may be said
Refrain:
AllSurely I am coming soon.
Amen. Come, Lord Jesus! Alleluia.
1‘Behold, I am
coming soon’, says the Lord,
‘and bringing my reward with me, ♦
to give to everyone according to their deeds.
2‘I am the Alpha
and the Omega, the first and the last, ♦
the beginning and the end.’
3Blessed are those who
do God’s commandments,
that they may have the right to the tree of life, ♦
and may enter into the city through the gates.
4‘I, Jesus, have
sent my angel to you, ♦
with this testimony for all the churches.
5‘I am the root
and the offspring of David, ♦
I am the bright morning star.’
6‘Come!’
say the Spirit and the Bride; ♦
‘Come!’ let each hearer reply.
7Come forward, you who
are thirsty, ♦
let those who desire take the water of life as a gift.
Revelation 22.12-14, 16, 17
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.
AllSurely I am coming soon.
Amen. Come, Lord Jesus! Alleluia.
One or more readings appointed for the day are read.
The reading(s) may be followed by a time of silence.
Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy,
To the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
We must always give thanks to God for you, brothers and sisters, as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing. Therefore we ourselves boast of you among the churches of God for your steadfastness and faith during all your persecutions and the afflictions that you are enduring.
This is evidence of the righteous judgement of God, and is intended to make you worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are also suffering. For it is indeed just of God to repay with affliction those who afflict you, and to give relief to the afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. These will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, separated from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might, when he comes to be glorified by his saints and to be marvelled at on that day among all who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed. To this end we always pray for you, asking that our God will make you worthy of his call and will fulfil by his power every good resolve and work of faith, so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.
A suitable song or chant, or a responsory in this or another form, may follow
My soul is waiting for you, O Lord:
in your word is my hope.
AllMy soul is waiting for
you, O Lord:
in your word is my hope.
There is forgiveness with you,
so that you shall be feared.
AllIn your word is my hope.
Glory to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit.
AllMy soul is waiting for
you, O Lord:
in your word is my hope.
from Psalm 130
The Magnificat (The Song of Mary) is normally said, or The Song of Christ's Glory (page 619) may be said
O Wisdom, coming forth from the mouth of the Most High,
reaching from one end to the other mightily,
and sweetly ordering all things:
Come and teach us the way of prudence.
cf Ecclesiasticus 24.3; Wisdom 8.1
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.
O Wisdom, coming forth from the mouth of the Most High,
reaching from one end to the other mightily,
and sweetly ordering all things:
Come and teach us the way of prudence.
cf Ecclesiasticus 24.3; Wisdom 8.1
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, that she may be ready for the
coming of Christ
¶ The leaders of the Church
¶ The nations, that they may be subject to the
rule of God
¶ Those who are working for justice in the world
¶ The broken, that they may find God’s
healing
A form of prayer found 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
O Lord Jesus Christ,
who at your first coming sent your messenger
to prepare your way before you:
grant that the ministers and stewards of your mysteries
may likewise so prepare and make ready your way
by turning the hearts of the disobedient to the wisdom of the just,
that at your second coming to judge the world
we may be found an acceptable people in your sight;
for you are alive and reign with the Father
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.
AllAmen.
The Lord’s Prayer is said
Awaiting his coming in glory,
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)
Awaiting his coming in glory,
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 the Lord, when he comes,
find us watching and waiting.
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.