The Great Fifty Days
A SERVICE OF EVENING PRAYER
May 5, 2022
Welcome
Prelude Thy Holy Wings
ELW 613
Thy holy wings, O Savior,
spread gently over me,
and let me rest securely
through good and ill in thee.
Oh, be my strength and portion,
my rock and hiding place,
and let my ev'ry moment
be lived within thy grace.
Oh, let me nestle near thee,
within thy downy breast
where I will find sweet comfort
and peace within thy nest.
Oh, close thy wings around me
and keep me safely there,
for I am but a newborn
and need thy tender care.
Oh, wash me in the waters
of Noah's cleansing flood.
Give me a willing spirit,
a heart both clean and good.
Oh, take into thy keeping
thy children great and small,
and while we sweetly slumber,
enfold us one and all.
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 23
1The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want.
2He makes me lie down in green pastures;
he leads me beside still waters;
3he restores my soul.
He leads me in right paths
for his name's sake.
4Even though I walk through the darkest valley,
I fear no evil;
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff —
they comfort me.
5You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
6Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD
my whole life long.
Psalm 100
1Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth.
2Worship the LORD with gladness;
come into his presence with singing.
3Know that the LORD is God.
It is he that made us, and we are his;
we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
4Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
and his courts with praise.
Give thanks to him, bless his name.
5For the LORD is good;
his steadfast love endures forever,
and his faithfulness to all generations.
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 7:9-17
9After this I looked, and there was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, robed in white, with palm branches in their hands. 10They cried out in a loud voice, saying,
"Salvation belongs to our God who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb!"
11And all the angels stood around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12singing,
"Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom
and thanksgiving and honor
and power and might
be to our God forever and ever! Amen."
13Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, "Who are these, robed in white, and where have they come from?" 14I said to him, "Sir, you are the one that knows." Then he said to me, "These are they who have come out of the great ordeal ;they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
15For this reason they are before the throne of God,
and worship him day and night within his temple,
and the one who is seated on the throne will shelter them.
16They will hunger no more, and thirst no more;
the sun will not strike them,
nor any scorching heat;
17for the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd,
and he will guide them to springs of the water of life,
and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes."
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 Christ the Lord Is Risen Today; Alleluia!
ELW 369 (vs. 1, 2)
Christ the Lord is ris'n today; Alleluia!
Christians, hasten on your way; Alleluia!
offer praise with love replete, Alleluia!
at the paschal victim's feet. Alleluia!
For the sheep the Lamb has bled, Alleluia!
sinless in the sinner's stead. Alleluia!
Christ the Lord is ris'n on high; Alleluia!
now he lives, no more to die. Alleluia!
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.
Christ the Lord Is Risen Today; Alleluia! Text: attr. Wipo of Burgundy, d. c. 1050; tr. Jane E. Leeson, 1807-1882, alt. Music: Robert Williams, 1781-1821. Public domain.
Thy Holy Wings, Text: Carolina Sandell Berg, 1832-1903, sts. 1, 3; Gracia Grindal, b. 1943, st. 2; tr. composite
Text © 1983 Gracia Grindal, Selah Publishing Co., Inc., agent. Music: Swedish folk tune, arr. hymnal version. Arr. © 2006 Augsburg Fortress. Reprinted and/or streamed with permission under OneLicense #A-722274. All rights reserved.
