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 Entreaty
1Hear my prayer, O Lord,
and in your faithfulness give ear to my supplications;
♦
answer me in your righteousness.
2Enter not into judgement
with your servant, ♦
for in your sight shall no one living be justified.
3My spirit faints within
me; ♦
my heart within me is desolate.
4I stretch out my hands
to you; ♦
my soul gasps for you like a thirsty land.
5O Lord, make haste to
answer me; my spirit fails me; ♦
hide not your face from me
lest I be like those who go down to the Pit.
6Let me hear of your
loving-kindness in the morning,
for in you I put my trust; ♦
show me the way I should walk in,
for I lift up my soul to you.
7Teach me to do what
pleases you, for you are my God; ♦
let your kindly spirit lead me on a level path.
8Revive me, O Lord, for
your name’s sake; ♦
for your righteousness’ sake, bring me out of trouble.
Psalm 143.1, 2, 4, 6-8, 10, 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.
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: Great is the Lord and highly to be praised.
1 I will exalt you, O God my King, ♦
and bless your name for ever and ever.
2 Every day will I bless you ♦
and praise your name for ever and ever.
3 Great is the Lord and highly to be praised; ♦
his greatness is beyond all searching out. R
4 One generation shall praise your works to another ♦
and declare your mighty acts.
5 They shall speak of the majesty of your glory, ♦
and I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.
6 They shall speak of the might of your marvellous acts, ♦
and I will also tell of your greatness.
7 They shall pour forth the story of your abundant kindness ♦
and joyfully sing of your righteousness.
8 The Lord is gracious and merciful, ♦
long-suffering and of great goodness. R
9 The Lord is loving to everyone ♦
and his mercy is over all his creatures.
10 All your works praise you, O Lord, ♦
and your faithful servants bless you.
11 They tell of the glory of your kingdom ♦
and speak of your mighty power,
12 To make known to all peoples your mighty acts ♦
and the glorious splendour of your kingdom.
13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom; ♦
your dominion endures throughout all ages. R
14 The Lord is sure in all his words ♦
and faithful in all his deeds.
15 The Lord upholds all those who fall ♦
and lifts up all those who are bowed down.
16 The eyes of all wait upon you, O Lord, ♦
and you give them their food in due season.
17 You open wide your hand ♦
and fill all things living with plenty. R
18 The Lord is righteous in all his ways ♦
and loving in all his works.
19 The Lord is near to those who call upon him, ♦
to all who call upon him faithfully.
20 He fulfils the desire of those who fear him; ♦
he hears their cry and saves them.
21 The Lord watches over those who love him, ♦
but all the wicked shall he destroy.
22 My mouth shall speak the praise of the Lord, ♦
and let all flesh bless his holy name for ever and ever.
Refrain: Great is the Lord and highly to be praised.
King of the universe,
you show the bright glory of your reign
in acts of mercy and enduring love;
raise the spirits of the downcast
and restore those who have fallen away,
that we may sing for ever of your love;
through 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.
Now these are the last words of David:
The oracle of David, son of Jesse,
the oracle of the man whom God exalted,
the anointed of the God of Jacob,
the favourite of the Strong One of Israel:
The spirit of the Lord speaks through me,
his word is upon my tongue.
The God of Israel has spoken,
the Rock of Israel has said to me:
One who rules over people justly,
ruling in the fear of God,
is like the light of morning,
like the sun rising on a cloudless morning,
gleaming from the rain on the grassy land.
Is not my house like this with God?
For he has made with me an everlasting covenant,
ordered in all things and secure.
Will he not cause to prosper
all my help and my desire?
But the godless are all like thorns that are thrown away;
for they cannot be picked up with the hand;
to touch them one uses an iron bar
or the shaft of a spear.
And they are entirely consumed in fire on the spot.
A Song of the Justified, or another suitable canticle, for example, number 61 (page 619), may be said
Refrain:
AllOur hope is not in vain,
because God’s love has been poured into our hearts. Alleluia.
1God reckons as righteous
those who believe, ♦
who believe in him who raised Jesus from the dead;
2For Christ was handed
over to death for our sins, ♦
and raised to life for our justification.
3Since we are justified
by faith, ♦
we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
4Through Christ we have
gained access
to the grace in which we stand, ♦
and rejoice in our hope of the glory of God.
5We even exult in our
sufferings, ♦
for suffering produces endurance,
6And endurance brings
hope, ♦
and our hope is not in vain,
7Because God’s
love has been poured into our hearts, ♦
through the Holy Spirit, given to us.
8God proves his love
for us: ♦
while we were yet sinners Christ died for us.
9Since we have been justified
by his death, ♦
how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath.
10Therefore, we exult
in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, ♦
in whom we have now received our reconciliation.
Romans 4.24, 25; 5.1-5, 8, 9, 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.
AllOur hope is not in vain,
because God’s love has been poured into our hearts. Alleluia.
One or more readings appointed for the day are read.
The reading(s) may be followed by a time of silence.
When morning came, there was no small commotion among the soldiers over what had become of Peter. When Herod had searched for him and could not find him, he examined the guards and ordered them to be put to death. Then he went down from Judea to Caesarea and stayed there.
Now Herod was angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon. So they came to him in a body; and after winning over Blastus, the king’s chamberlain, they asked for a reconciliation, because their country depended on the king’s country for food. On an appointed day Herod put on his royal robes, took his seat on the platform, and delivered a public address to them. The people kept shouting, ‘The voice of a god, and not of a mortal!’ And immediately, because he had not given the glory to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died.
But the word of God continued to advance and gain adherents.
Then after completing their mission Barnabas and Saul returned to Jerusalem and brought with them John, whose other name was Mark.
A suitable song or chant, or a responsory in this or another form, may follow
Forsake me not, O Lord;
be not far from me, O my God.
AllForsake me not, O Lord;
be not far from me, O my God.
Make haste to help me,
O Lord of my salvation.
AllBe not far from me,
O my God.
Glory to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit.
AllForsake me not, O Lord;
be not far from me, O my God.
from Psalm 38
The Magnificat (The Song of Mary) is normally said,
or Saviour of the World (page
644) may be said
Refrain:
AllYou have scattered the proud
in their conceit,
and lifted up the lowly.
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 scattered the proud
in their conceit,
and lifted up the lowly.
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 King, members of parliament and the armed
forces
¶ Peace and justice in the world
¶ Those who work for reconciliation
¶ All whose lives are devastated by war and
civil strife
¶ Prisoners, refugees and homeless people
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,
who called your Church to bear witness
that you were in Christ reconciling the world to yourself:
help us to proclaim the good news of your love,
that all who hear it may be drawn to you;
through him who was lifted up on the cross,
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.