Come join us as we close the day and welcome the evening in this devotional time.
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A SERVICE OF EVENING PRAYER
PRELUDE
Lord Jesus Christ, Be Present Now (vs. 1, 2, 4) ELW 527
Lord Jesus Christ, be present now;
our hearts in true devotion bow.
Your Spirit send with light divine,
and let your truth within us shine.
Unseal our lips to sing your praise
in endless hymns through all our days;
increase our faith and light our minds;
and set us free from doubt that blinds.
All glory to the Father, Son,
and Holy Spirit, Three in One!
To you, O blessed Trinity,
be praise throughout eternity!
Come, Let Us Join Our Cheerful Songs (vs. 1, 4) ELW 847
Come, let us join our cheerful songs
with angels round the throne;
ten thousand thousand are their tongues,
but all their joys are one.
Let all creation join in one
to bless the sacred name
of God who sits upon the throne,
and to adore the Lamb.
WELCOME
DIALOGUE
God is our light and our salvation,
our refuge and our stronghold.
From the rising of the sun to its setting,
we praise your name, O God.
For with you is the fountain of life,
and in your light we see light.
CONFESSION AND FORGIVENESS
We fool ourselves if we think that our ways are hidden from God. Therefore let us confess our sin, trusting in the mercy of God our Maker.
God, you are everlasting, the creator of all that is. Your understanding is beyond measure. We confess to you that we have sinned against you and our neighbors. In your compassion, forgive us, for we place our hope in your steadfast love.
Praise the Lord!
Our God heals the brokenhearted and binds up our wounds.
God takes pleasure in those who place their trust in God’s grace.
In + Jesus Christ we are forgiven.
COLLECT
Let us pray.
Everlasting God, you give strength to the weak and power to the faint. Make us agents of your healing and wholeness, that your good news may be made known to the ends of your creation, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.
Amen.
Psalm 97
1The LORD is king! Let the earth rejoice;
let the many coastlands be glad!
2Clouds and thick darkness are all around him;
righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.
3Fire goes before him,
and consumes his adversaries on every side.
4His lightnings light up the world;
the earth sees and trembles.
5The mountains melt like wax before the LORD,
before the LORD of all the earth.
6The heavens proclaim his righteousness;
and all the peoples behold his glory.
7All worshipers of images are put to shame,
those who make their boast in worthless idols;
all gods bow down before him.
8Zion hears and is glad,
and the towns of Judah rejoice,
because of your judgments, O God.
9For you, O LORD, are most high over all the earth;
you are exalted far above all gods.
10The LORD loves those who hate evil;
he guards the lives of his faithful;
he rescues them from the hand of the wicked.
11Light dawns for the righteous,
and joy for the upright in heart.
12Rejoice in the LORD, O you righteous,
and give thanks to his holy name!
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 147
1Praise the LORD!
How good it is to sing praises to our God;
for he is gracious, and a song of praise is fitting.
2The LORD builds up Jerusalem;
he gathers the outcasts of Israel.
3He heals the brokenhearted,
and binds up their wounds.
4He determines the number of the stars;
he gives to all of them their names.
5Great is our LORD, and abundant in power;
his understanding is beyond measure.
6The LORD lifts up the downtrodden;
he casts the wicked to the ground.
7Sing to the LORD with thanksgiving;
make melody to our God on the lyre.
8He covers the heavens with clouds,
prepares rain for the earth,
makes grass grow on the hills.
9He gives to the animals their food,
and to the young ravens when they cry.
10His delight is not in the strength of the horse,
nor his pleasure in the speed of a runner;
11but the LORD takes pleasure in those who fear him,
in those who hope in his steadfast love.
12Praise the LORD, O Jerusalem!
Praise your God, O Zion!
13For he strengthens the bars of your gates;
he blesses your children within you.
14He grants peace within your borders;
he fills you with the finest of wheat.
15He sends out his command to the earth;
his word runs swiftly.
16He gives snow like wool;
he scatters frost like ashes.
17He hurls down hail like crumbs —
who can stand before his cold?
18He sends out his word, and melts them;
he makes his wind blow, and the waters flow.
19He declares his word to Jacob,
his statutes and ordinances to Israel.
20He has not dealt thus with any other nation;
they do not know his ordinances.
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.
Isaiah 40:18-31
18To whom then will you liken God,
or what likeness compare with him?
19An idol? — A workman casts it,
and a goldsmith overlays it with gold,
and casts for it silver chains.
20As a gift one chooses mulberry wood
— wood that will not rot —
then seeks out a skilled artisan
to set up an image that will not topple.
21Have you not known? Have you not heard?
Has it not been told you from the beginning?
Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth?
22It is he who sits above the circle of the earth,
and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers;
who stretches out the heavens like a curtain,
and spreads them like a tent to live in;
23who brings princes to naught,
and makes the rulers of the earth as nothing.
24Scarcely are they planted, scarcely sown,
scarcely has their stem taken root in the earth,
when he blows upon them, and they wither,
and the tempest carries them off like stubble.
25To whom then will you compare me,
or who is my equal? says the Holy One.
26Lift up your eyes on high and see:
Who created these?
He who brings out their host and numbers them,
calling them all by name;
because he is great in strength,
mighty in power,
not one is missing.
27Why do you say, O Jacob,
and speak, O Israel,
"My way is hidden from the LORD,
and my right is disregarded by my God"?
28Have you not known? Have you not heard?
The LORD is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He does not faint or grow weary;
his understanding is unsearchable.
29He gives power to the faint,
and strengthens the powerless.
30Even youths will faint and be weary,
and the young will fall exhausted;
31but those who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength,
they shall mount up with wings like eagles,
they shall run and not be weary,
they shall walk and not faint.
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.
OFFERING
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 thrones
and 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 OF THE PEOPLE
In peace, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
For the peace from above, and for our salvation, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
For the peace of the whole world, 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 house, and for all who offer here their worship and praise, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
For the health of the creation, for abundant harvest that all may share, and for peaceful times, 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 those who travel, for those who are sick and suffering, for those who are in captivity, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
For deliverance in the time of affliction, wrath, danger, and need, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy
For all servants of the church, for this assembly, and for all people who await from the Lord great and abundant mercy, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
Help, save, comfort, and defend us, gracious Lord.
Giving thanks for all who have gone before us and are at rest, rejoicing in the communion of all the saints, we commend ourselves, one another, and our whole life to you, through Christ our Lord.
To you, O Lord.
we give thanks to you, heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ your dear Son, that you have graciously protected us 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, 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,
and the power, and the glory,
forever and ever. Amen.
BENEDICTION
And may the blessing of God, who is Father, + Son and Holy Spirit be upon you beloved of the Lord, now and forever. Amen.
POSTLUDE
On Eagle’s Wings ELW 787
You who dwell in the shelter of the Lord,
who abide in this shadow for life,
say to the Lord: "My refuge,
my rock in whom I trust!"
Refrain
And he will raise you up on eagle's wings,
bear you on the breath of dawn,
make you to shine like the sun,
and hold you in the palm of his hand.
The snare of the fowler will never capture you,
and famine will bring you no fear;
under God's wings your refuge,
with faithfulness your shield. Refrain
You need not fear the terror of the night,
nor the arrow that flies by day;
though thousands fall about you,
near you it shall not come. Refrain
For to the angels God's given a command
to guard you in all of your ways;
upon their hands they will bear you up,
lest you dash your foot against a stone.
Final refrain
And he will raise you up on eagle's wings,
bear you on the breath of dawn,
make you to shine like the sun,
and hold you in the palm of his hand;
and hold you, hold you in the palm of his hand.
Portions of this liturgy are from “Feasting on the Word, Liturgies for Year B,” 2014, Westminster John Knox Press, Louisville, KY. Reprinted and/or streamed with permission under OneLicense #A-722274. All rights reserved.
Lord Jesus Christ, Be Present Now Text: attr. Wilhelm II (1598-1662); tr. Catherine Winkworth (1827-1878), alt. Music: Cantionale Germanicum, Gochsheim (1628). Public domain.
Come, Let Us Join Our Cheerful Songs Text: Isaac Watts (1674-1748); Music: Johann Crüger (1598-1662), Public domain.
On Eagle’s Wings Text and Music: Michael Joncas, (b. 1957), Text and Music © 1979 OCP Publications, Reprinted and/or streamed with permission under OneLicense #A-722274. All rights reserved.
