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Evening Prayer 04 21 2022
Naomi Thomsen
Naomi Thomsen
Monday, April 18, 2022
Notes
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The Great Fifty Days

A SERVICE OF EVENING PRAYER

April 21, 2022

Welcome

Prelude    Now the Green Blade Rises
                       
ELW 379

Now the green blade rises from the buried grain,
wheat that in dark earth many days has lain;
love lives again, that with the dead has been;
love is come again like wheat arising green.

In the grave they laid him, love by hatred slain,
thinking that he would never wake again;
laid in the earth like grain that sleeps unseen;
love is come again like wheat arising green.

Forth he came at Easter, like the risen grain,
he that for three days in the grave had lain;
raised from the dead, my living Lord is seen;
love is come again like wheat arising green.

When our hearts are wintry, grieving, or in pain,
your touch can call us back to life again
fields of our hearts that dead and bare have been;
love is come again like wheat arising green.

Opening

Dialogue                    

Jesus Christ is risen from the dead.           
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!           
We are illumined by the brightness of his rising.           
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!
           
Death has no more dominion over us.                       
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!
 

Thanksgiving for Baptism
Holy God, holy and merciful, holy and mighty, you are the river of life, you are the everlasting wellspring, you are the fire of rebirth. 

Glory to you for oceans and lakes, for rivers and streams.  Honor to you for cloud and rain, for dew and snow.  Your waters are below us, around us, above us:  our life is born in you.  You are the fountain of resurrection. 

Praise to you for your saving waters:  Noah and the animals survive the flood, Hagar discovers your well.  The Israelites escape through the sea, and they drink from your gushing rock.  Naaman washes his leprosy away, and the Samaritan woman will never be thirsty again. 

At the font, holy God, we pray:  Praise to you for the water of baptism and for your Word that saves us in this water.  Breathe your Spirit into all who are gathered here and into all creation.  Illumine our days.  Enliven our bones.  Dry our tears.  Wash away the sin within us and drown the evil around us. 

Satisfy all our thirst with your living water, Jesus Christ, our Savior, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
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           
We are your people, O God – the sheep of your pasture,the flock you have gathered. Lead us beside still waters;teach us the way of righteousness; and feed us at your table; through Jesus Christ, our good shepherd.  Amen. 

Psalm 118
 1O give thanks to the LORD, for he is good;
 his steadfast love endures forever!
 2Let Israel say,
 "His steadfast love endures forever."
 3Let the house of Aaron say,
 "His steadfast love endures forever."
 4Let those who fear the LORD say,
 "His steadfast love endures forever."
 5Out of my distress I called on the LORD;
 the LORD answered me and set me in a broad place.
 6With the LORD on my side I do not fear.
 What can mortals do to me?
 7The LORD is on my side to help me;
 I shall look in triumph on those who hate me.
 8It is better to take refuge in the LORD
 than to put confidence in mortals.
 9It is better to take refuge in the LORD
 than to put confidence in princes.
 10All nations surrounded me;
 in the name of the LORD I cut them off!
 11They surrounded me, surrounded me on every side;
 in the name of the LORD I cut them off!
 12They surrounded me like bees;
 they blazed like a fire of thorns;
 in the name of the LORD I cut them off!
 13I was pushed hard, so that I was falling,
 but the LORD helped me.
 14The LORD is my strength and my might;
 he has become my salvation.
 15There are glad songs of victory in the tents of the righteous:
 "The right hand of the LORD does valiantly;
 16the right hand of the LORD is exalted;
 the right hand of the LORD does valiantly."
 17I shall not die, but I shall live,
 and recount the deeds of the LORD.
 18The LORD has punished me severely,
 but he did not give me over to death.
 19Open to me the gates of righteousness,
 that I may enter through them
 and give thanks to the LORD.
 20This is the gate of the LORD;
 the righteous shall enter through it.
 21I thank you that you have answered me
 and have become my salvation.
 22The stone that the builders rejected
 has become the chief cornerstone.
 23This is the LORD's doing;
 it is marvelous in our eyes.
 24This is the day that the LORD has made;
 let us rejoice and be glad in it.
 25Save us, we beseech you, O LORD!
 O LORD, we beseech you, give us success!
 26Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the LORD.
 We bless you from the house of the LORD.
 27The LORD is God,
 and he has given us light.
 Bind the festal procession with branches,
 up to the horns of the altar.
 28You are my God, and I will give thanks to you;
 you are my God, I will extol you.
 29O give thanks to the LORD, for he is good,
 for his steadfast love endures forever.

Psalm 16 
 1Protect me, O God, for in you I take refuge.
 2I say to the LORD, "You are my LORD;
 I have no good apart from you."
 3As for the holy ones in the land, they are the noble,
 in whom is all my delight.
 4Those who choose another god multiply their sorrows;
 their drink offerings of blood I will not pour out
 or take their names upon my lips.
 5The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup;
 you hold my lot.
 6The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
 I have a goodly heritage.
 7I bless the LORD who gives me counsel;
 in the night also my heart instructs me.
 8I keep the LORD always before me;
 because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.
 9Therefore my heart is glad, and my soul rejoices;
 my body also rests secure.
 10For you do not give me up to Sheol,
 or let your faithful one see the Pit.
 11You show me the path of life.
 In your presence there is fullness of joy;
 in your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

Gloria Patri

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. 

Revelation 1:4-8 
4John to the seven churches that are in Asia:
Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, 5and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.
To him who loves us and freed us from our sins by his blood, 6and made us to be a kingdom, priests serving his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
 7Look! He is coming with the clouds;
 every eye will see him,
 even those who pierced him;
 and on his account all the tribes of the earth will wail.
So it is to be. Amen.
8I am the Alpha and the Omega, says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.

The word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God. 

Reflection 

Response
Jesus said, “ I am the light of the world.
Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness.” 

Gospel Canticle   (together)

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for you, Lord, have looked with favor on your lowly servant.
From this day all generations will call me bless’d:you, the Almighty, have done great things for me and holy is your name.             
You have mercy on those who fear you, from generation to generation.             
You have shown strength with your arm and scattered the proud in their conceit, casting down the mighty from their thronesand lifting up the lowly.           
You have filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich away empty.           
You have come to the aid of your servant Israel, to remember the promise of mercy, the promise made to our forebears, to Abraham and his children forever.
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, my spirit rejoices in God my Savior. 

Apostles’ Creed

I believe in God, the Father almighty,
    creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, our Lord,
    who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
    born of the virgin Mary,
    suffered under Pontius Pilate,
    was crucified, died, and was buried;
    he descended to the dead
    On the third day he rose again;
    he ascended into heaven,
    he is seated at the right hand of the Father,
    and he will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
    the holy catholic church,
    the communion of saints,
    the forgiveness of sins,
    the resurrection of the body,    
    and the life everlasting.
    Amen.
 

Prayers                    

With boldness, let us offer our prayers
to the shepherd of our souls, saying,           
God of goodness and mercy, hear our prayer.            

We pray for the church in every place …
Gather us together and make us one,
one in ministry and mission to the world,           
so that there will be one flock, one shepherd.
God of goodness and mercy, hear our prayer.          

We pray for the nations of the world …
Anoint all leaders with your wisdom
so that they will use their power
to help the poor and defend the vulnerable.
God of goodness and mercy, hear our prayer.            

We pray for this community …           
Strengthen those who work each day
to heal the sick, welcome the outcasts,
and help sisters and brothers in need.
God of goodness and mercy, hear our prayer. 

We pray for friends and loved ones …
Comfort all who are suffering;walk with them through dark valleys
and restore them, body, mind, and soul.
God of goodness and mercy, hear our prayer. 

Loving God, by the power of your Spirit,
help us to keep your commandments
and to love one another with the love of Jesus,
in whose holy name we pray.  Amen.   

Luther’s Evening Prayer

We give thanks to you, heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ your dear Son, that you have graciously protected today. We ask you to forgive us all our sins, where we have done wrong, and graciously to protect us tonight. Into your hands we commend ourselves: our bodies, our souls, and all that is ours. Let your holy angels be with us, so that the wicked foe may have no power over us. 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           

Let us bless the Lord.            
Thanks be to God.
The peace of God which passes all understanding keep our hearts and our minds in Christ Jesus.
Amen. 

Postlude   The Day of Resurrection!  
                       ELW 361  (vs. 1, 3)

The day of resurrection!
Earth, tell it out abroad,
the passover of gladness,
the passover of God.
From death to life eternal,
from sin's dominion free,
our Christ has brought us over
with hymns of victory.

Now let the heav'ns be joyful,
let earth its song begin,
the round world keep high triumph
and all that is therein.
Let all things, seen and unseen,
their notes of gladness blend;
for Christ the Lord has risen,
our joy that has no end!


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.

Now the Green Blade Rises,  Text: John MacLeod Campbell Crum, 1872-1958. Text from Oxford Book of Carols © Oxford University Reprinted and/or streamed with permission under OneLicense #A-722274.  All rights reserved.  Music: French carol.  Public domain.

The Day of Resurrection!, Text: John of Damascus, c. 696-c. 754; tr. John Mason Neale, 1818-1866, alt. Music: German melody, 18th cent.; adapt. X. L. Hartig, Melodien zum Mainzer Gesangbuche, 1833.  Public domain.