A SERVICE OF EVENING PRAYER
November 4, 2021
Prelude
Jerusalem, My Happy Home
ELW 628 (vs. 1,2,5)
Jerusalem, my happy home,
when shall I come to thee?
When shall my sorrows have an end?
Thy joys when shall I see?
O happy harbor of the saints,
O sweet and pleasant soil!
In thee no sorrow may be found,
no grief, no care, no toil.
Jerusalem, Jerusalem,
God grant that I may see
thine endless joy, and of the same
partaker ever be!
Give Thanks for Saints
ELW 428 (v. 1,4))
Give thanks for those whose faith is firm
when all around seems bleak:
on God's good promise they rely,
so while they live and when they die
how forcefully they speak—
the strong, who once were weak!
Give thanks for saints of ages past
and saints alive today:
though often by this world despised,
their hearts by God are richly prized.
Give thanks that we may say
we share their pilgrim way.
Welcome
Call to Worship
Jesus Christ is the light of the world,
the light no darkness can overcome.
Stay with us, Lord, for it is evening,
and the day is almost over.
Let your light scatter the darkness
and illumine your church.
Confession and Forgiveness
God of all mercy and consolation,
come to the aid of your people,
turning us from our sin
to live for you alone.
Give us the power of your Holy Spirit
that, attentive to your Word,
we may confess our sins,
receive your forgiveness,
and grow into the fullness of your Son,
Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Let us confess our sin in the
presence of God and of one another.
Gracious God,
have mercy on us.
In your compassion
forgive us our sins,
known and unknown,
things done and left undone.
Uphold us by your Spirit
so that we may live and serve you
in newness of life,
to the honor and glory of your holy name;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Almighty God have mercy on you,
forgive you all your sins
through our Lord Jesus Christ,
strengthen you in all goodness,
and by the power of the Holy Spirit
keep you in eternal life.
Amen.
Thanksgiving for Light
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give our thanks and praise.
We give you thanks, O God, for in the beginning you called light into being,
and you set lights in the sky to govern night and day.
In a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night
you led your people into freedom.
Enlighten our darkness by the light of your Christ; may your Word be
a lamp to our feet and a light to our path; for you are merciful,
and you love your whole creation, and with all your creatures we give you glory,
through your Son Jesus Christ, in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
now and forever.
Amen.
Prayer
Almighty God, you have knit your people together in one communion in the mystical body of your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Grant us grace to follow your blessed saints in lives of faith and commitment, and to know the inexpressible joys you have prepared for those who love you, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
Amen.
Psalm 24
1The earth is the LORD's and all that is in it,
the world, and those who live in it;
2for he has founded it on the seas,
and established it on the rivers.
3Who shall ascend the hill of the LORD?
And who shall stand in his holy place?
4Those who have clean hands and pure hearts,
who do not lift up their souls to what is false,
and do not swear deceitfully.
5They will receive blessing from the LORD,
and vindication from the God of their salvation.
6Such is the company of those who seek him,
who seek the face of the God of Jacob.
Selah
7Lift up your heads, O gates!
and be lifted up, O ancient doors!
that the King of glory may come in.
8Who is the King of glory?
The LORD, strong and mighty,
the LORD, mighty in battle.
9Lift up your heads, O gates!
and be lifted up, O ancient doors!
that the King of glory may come in.
10Who is this King of glory?
The LORD of hosts,
he is the King of glory.
Selah
Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
As it was in the beginning is now and ever shall be. Amen.
Psalm 149
1Praise the LORD!
Sing to the LORD a new song,
his praise in the assembly of the faithful.
2Let Israel be glad in its Maker;
let the children of Zion rejoice in their King.
3Let them praise his name with dancing,
making melody to him with tambourine and lyre.
4For the LORD takes pleasure in his people;
he adorns the humble with victory.
5Let the faithful exult in glory;
let them sing for joy on their couches.
6Let the high praises of God be in their throats
and two-edged swords in their hands,
7to execute vengeance on the nations
and punishment on the peoples,
8to bind their kings with fetters
and their nobles with chains of iron,
9to execute on them the judgment decreed.
This is glory for all his faithful ones.
Praise the LORD!
Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
As it was in the beginning is now and ever shall be. Amen.
Reading: Isaiah 25:6-9
6On this mountain the LORD of hosts will make for all peoples
a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wines,
of rich food filled with marrow, of well-aged wines strained clear.
7And he will destroy on this mountain
the shroud that is cast over all peoples,
the sheet that is spread over all nations;
8he will swallow up death forever.
Then the Lord GOD will wipe away the tears from all faces,
and the disgrace of his people he will take away from all the earth,
for the LORD has spoken.
9It will be said on that day,
Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, so that he might save us.
This is the LORD for whom we have waited;
let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.
The word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Reflection
Response
Long ago God spoke to our ancestors in many and various ways by the prophets,
but in these last days God has spoken to us by the Son.
Gospel Canticle (together)
Magnificat
A Prayer-Paraphrase of Luke 1: 46-55
We praise you, Lord,
and our spirits rejoice in you – our Saviour;
For you take notice of the unnoticeable,
and transform them into the blessed;
You are strong and true to yourself and all that is good
in everything you are and do and say;
and you do great things for us;
Through the ages you have shown compassion
to those who trust you,
And in your strength you have scattered
those who are arrogant and abusive;
You have made the thrones of tyrants topple
and you have made humble people into leaders of many;
You have cared for and provided for those who have nothing,
and you have left the over-satisfied with empty hands;
You have always been a help to your people,
and have shown mercy when we have gone astray;
You made this promise to our ancestors,
and you continue to stay true to it even now.
We praise you, Lord,
and our spirits rejoice in you – our Saviour.
Amen.
Thanksgiving for Salvation
Surely God is my salvation;
I will trust, and will not be afraid,
for the Lord GOD is my strength and my might;
he has become my salvation.
With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.
And you will say in that day:
Give thanks to the LORD,
call on his name;
make known his deeds among the nations;
proclaim that his name is exalted.
Sing praises to the LORD, for he has done gloriously;
let this be known in all the earth.
Shout aloud and sing for joy, O royal Zion,
for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.
Prayers
For the peace from above, and for our salvation, let us pray to the Lord,
Lord, have mercy.
For the well-being of the church of God, and for the unity of all, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
For this holy assembly and for all who offer here their worship and praise and prayer, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
For the people and nations of the world engaged in war and violence of all kinds, that peace may be restored, let us pray.
Lord, have mercy.
For our country, that angry vitriol may subside and concern for the common good may grow, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
For public servants, the government, and those who protect us; for those who work to bring peace, justice, healing, and protection in this and every place, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
For deliverance in the times of affliction, wrath, danger, and need, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
For all persons who are suffering in this time of pandemic – the sick, their families, and all healthcare workers, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
For all servants of the church, for all followers and disciples of Jesus, and for all people who await from the Lord great and abundant mercy, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
Gracious God,
you have given us much today;
grant us also a thankful spirit.
Into your hands we commend ourselves
and those we love.
Be with us still, and when we take our rest
renew us for the service of your Son Jesus Christ.
Amen.
In darkness and in light,
in trouble and in joy,
help us, heavenly Father,
to trust your love,
to serve your purpose,
and to praise your name,
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Lord's Prayer
Our 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.
Save us from the time of trial
and deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power,
and the glory are yours,
now and forever. Amen
Benediction
The guarding of the God of life be on you,
The guarding of loving Christ be on you,
The guarding of Holy Spirit be on you
Every night of your lives,
To aid you and enfold you
Each day and night of your lives.
In the name of the Father,
and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Postlude
Behold the Host Arrayed in White
ELW 425 (vs. 3)
O blessed saints, now take your rest;
a thousand times shall you be blest
for keeping faith firm unto death
and scorning worldly trust.
For now you live at home with God
and harvest seeds once cast abroad
in tears and sighs. See with new eyes
the pattern in the seed.
The myriad angels raise their song.
O saints, sing with that happy throng;
lift up one voice; let heav'n rejoice
in our redeemer's song!
Jerusalem, My Happy Home, Text: F.B.P. (? Francis Baker Porter) 16th cent. Public domain. Music: North American traditional, arr. hymnal version, © 2006 Augsburg Fortress, Music reprinted and/or streamed with permission under OneLicense #A-722274. All rights reserved.
Give Thanks for Saints , Text: Martin E. Leckebusch, b. 1962, Text © 2003 Kevin Mayhew Ltd. Text reprinted and/or streamed with permission under OneLicense #A-722274. All rights reserved.. Music: C. Hubert Parry, 1848-1918. Public domain.
Liturgical Text and Music, from Evangelical Lutheran Worship, © 2006 and 2020 Augsburg Fortress, Reprinted and/or streamed with permission under Augsburg Fortress Liturgies License #SAS016761. All rights reserved.
Magnificat, A Prayer-Paraphrase of Luke 1: 46-55, John van de Laar, copyright © 2008 Sacredise. Posted on Sacredise.com. Accessed on 7/21/2021.
Benediction – Jan Richardson. Used with permission.
Behold the Host Arrayed in White, Text: Hans A. Brorson, 1694-1764; tr. Gracia Grindal, b. 1943, alt. Text © 1978 Lutheran Book of Worship, admin. Augsburg Fortress. Text reprinted and/or streamed with permission under OneLicense #A-722274. All rights reserved. Music: Norwegian folk tune, 17th cent.; arr. Edvard H. Grieg, 1843-1907. Public domain.