O God, make speed to save us.
AllO Lord, make haste to help us.
One or more of the following is said or sung:
a prayer of thanksgiving (page 110),
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: Lord, I love the place where your glory abides.
1Give judgement for me, O Lord,
for I have walked with integrity; •
I have trusted in the Lord and have not faltered.
2Test me, O Lord, and try me; •
examine my heart and my mind.
3For your love is before my eyes; •
I have walked in your truth.
4I have not joined the company of the false, •
nor consorted with the deceitful. R
5I hate the gathering of evildoers •
and I will not sit down with the wicked.
6I will wash my hands in innocence, O Lord, •
that I may go about your altar,
7To make heard the voice of thanksgiving •
and tell of all your wonderful deeds.
8Lord, I love the house of your habitation •
and the place where your glory abides. R
9Sweep me not away with sinners, •
nor my life with the bloodthirsty,
10Whose hands are full of wicked schemes •
and their right hand full of bribes.
11As for me, I will walk with integrity; •
redeem me, Lord, and be merciful to me.
12My foot stands firm; •
in the great congregation I will bless the Lord. R
Refrain: Lord, I love the place where your glory abides.
Have mercy on us and redeem us, O Lord,
for our merits are your mercies
and in your judgement is our salvation;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Refrain: The Lord is my strength and my shield.
1To you I call, O Lord my rock;
be not deaf to my cry, •
lest, if you do not hear me,
I become like those who go down to the Pit.
2Hear the voice of my prayer when I cry out to you, •
when I lift up my hands to your holy of holies. R
3Do not snatch me away with the wicked,
with the evildoers, •
who speak peaceably with their neighbours,
while malice is in their hearts.
4Repay them according to their deeds •
and according to the wickedness of their devices. R
5Reward them according to the work of their hands •
and pay them their just deserts.
6They take no heed of the Lord’s doings,
nor of the works of his hands; •
therefore shall he break them down
and not build them up.
7Blessed be the Lord, •
for he has heard the voice of my prayer.
8The Lord is my strength and my shield; •
my heart has trusted in him and I am helped;
9Therefore my heart dances for joy •
and in my song will I praise him. R
10The Lord is the strength of his people, •
a safe refuge for his anointed.
11Save your people and bless your inheritance; •
shepherd them and carry them for ever. R
Refrain: The Lord is my strength and my shield.
Hear us, Shepherd of your people,
forgive us our sins
and, in a world of pretences,
make us true in heart and mind;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Refrain: The Lord shall give his people the blessing of peace.
1Ascribe to the Lord, you powers of heaven, •
ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
2Ascribe to the Lord the honour due to his name; •
worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.
3The voice of the Lord is upon the waters;
the God of glory thunders; •
the Lord is upon the mighty waters. R
4The voice of the Lord is mighty in operation; •
the voice of the Lord is a glorious voice.
5The voice of the Lord breaks the cedar trees; •
the Lord breaks the cedars of Lebanon;
6He makes Lebanon skip like a calf •
and Sirion like a young wild ox. R
7The voice of the Lord splits the flash of lightning;
the voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness; •
the Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.
8The voice of the Lord makes the oak trees writhe
and strips the forests bare; •
in his temple all cry, ‘Glory!’
9The Lord sits enthroned above the water flood; •
the Lord sits enthroned as king for evermore.
10The Lord shall give strength to his people; •
the Lord shall give his people the blessing of peace.
Refrain: The Lord shall give his people the blessing of peace.
Open our ears, glorious Lord Christ,
to hear the music of your voice
above the chaos of this world;
open our eyes to see the vision of your glory,
for you are our King, 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.
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.
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.
One or more readings appointed for the day are read.
The reading(s) may be followed by a time of silence.
When the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon, she came to Jerusalem to test him with hard questions, having a very great retinue and camels bearing spices and very much gold and precious stones. When she came to Solomon, she discussed with him all that was on her mind. Solomon answered all her questions; there was nothing hidden from Solomon that he could not explain to her. When the queen of Sheba had observed the wisdom of Solomon, the house that he had built, the food of his table, the seating of his officials, and the attendance of his servants, and their clothing, his valets and their clothing, and his burnt-offerings that he offered at the house of the Lord, there was no more spirit left in her.
So she said to the king, ‘The report was true that I heard in my own land of your accomplishments and of your wisdom, but I did not believe the reports until I came and my own eyes saw it. Not even half of the greatness of your wisdom had been told to me; you far surpass the report that I had heard. Happy are your people! Happy are these your servants, who continually attend you and hear your wisdom! Blessed be the Lord your God, who has delighted in you and set you on his throne as king for the Lord your God. Because your God loved Israel and wished to establish them for ever, he has made you king over them, so that you may execute justice and righteousness.’ Then she gave the king one hundred and twenty talents of gold, a very great quantity of spices, and precious stones: there were no spices such as those that the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.
Moreover, the servants of Huram and the servants of Solomon who brought gold from Ophir brought algum wood and precious stones. From the algum wood, the king made steps for the house of the Lord and for the king’s house, lyres also and harps for the singers; there never was seen the like of them before in the land of Judah.
Meanwhile, King Solomon granted the queen of Sheba every desire that she expressed, well beyond what she had brought to the king. Then she returned to her own land, with her servants.
Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged. And the soldiers wove a crown of thorns and put it on his head, and they dressed him in a purple robe. They kept coming up to him, saying, ‘Hail, King of the Jews!’ and striking him on the face. Pilate went out again and said to them, ‘Look, I am bringing him out to you to let you know that I find no case against him.’ So Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, ‘Here is the man!’ When the chief priests and the police saw him, they shouted, ‘Crucify him! Crucify him!’ Pilate said to them, ‘Take him yourselves and crucify him; I find no case against him.’ The Jews answered him, ‘We have a law, and according to that law he ought to die because he has claimed to be the Son of God.’
Now when Pilate heard this, he was more afraid than ever. He entered his headquarters again and asked Jesus, ‘Where are you from?’ But Jesus gave him no answer. Pilate therefore said to him, ‘Do you refuse to speak to me? Do you not know that I have power to release you, and power to crucify you?’ Jesus answered him, ‘You would have no power over me unless it had been given you from above; therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin.’ From then on Pilate tried to release him, but the Jews cried out, ‘If you release this man, you are no friend of the emperor. Everyone who claims to be a king sets himself against the emperor.’
When Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus outside and sat on the judge’s bench at a place called The Stone Pavement, or in Hebrew Gabbatha. Now it was the day of Preparation for the Passover; and it was about noon. He said to the Jews, ‘Here is your King!’ They cried out, ‘Away with him! Away with him! Crucify him!’ Pilate asked them, ‘Shall I crucify your King?’ The chief priests answered, ‘We have no king but the emperor.’ Then he handed him over to them to be crucified.
So they took Jesus;
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
The cycle on pages 364–365 and the prayer 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
Almighty God,
you have created the heavens and the earth
and made us in your own image:
teach us to discern your hand in all your works
and your likeness in all your children;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who with you and the Holy Spirit reigns supreme over all things,
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.
AllThanks be to God.