Evening Prayer

SourceBCP p. 115

Daily Evening Prayer:
Rite Two

December 4, 2022

The Second Sunday of Advent

The Officiant begins the service with one or more of the following sentences of Scripture;

or with the Service of Light, and continuing with the appointed Psalmody;

or with the versicle “O God, make speed to save us.”

Advent

Watch, for you know not when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or in the morning; lest he come suddenly and find you asleep.Mark 13:35, 36

Advent

In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.Isaiah 40:3

Advent

The glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.Isaiah 40:5

Evening

Let my prayer be set forth in your sight as incense, the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.Psalm 141:2

Evening

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.Philippians 1:2

Evening

Worship the Lord in the beauty of his holiness; let the whole earth tremble before him.Psalm 96:9

Evening

Yours is the day, O God, yours also the night; you established the moon and the sun. You fixed all the boundaries of the earth; you made both summer and winter.Psalm 74:15,16

Evening

I will bless the Lord who gives me counsel; my heart teaches me, night after night. I have set the Lord always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not fall.Psalm 16:7,8

Evening

Seek him who made the Pleiades and Orion, and turns deep darkness into the morning, and darkens the day into night; who calls for the waters of the sea and pours them out upon the surface of the earth: The Lord is his name.Amos 5:8

Evening

If I say, “Surely the darkness will cover me, and the light around me turn to night,” darkness is not dark to you, O Lord; the night is as bright as the day; darkness and light to you are both alike.Psalm 139:10,11

Evening

Jesus said, “I am the light of the world; whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”John 8:12

The following Confession of Sin may then be said; or the Office may continue at once with “O God make speed to save us.”

Confession of Sin

The Officiant says to the people

Dearly beloved, we have come together in the presence of Almighty God our heavenly Father, to set forth his praise, to hear his holy Word, and to ask, for ourselves and on behalf of others, those things that are necessary for our life and our salvation. And so that we may prepare ourselves in heart and mind to worship him, let us kneel in silence, and with penitent and obedient hearts confess our sins, that we may obtain forgiveness by his infinite goodness and mercy.

Let us confess our sins against God and our neighbor.

Silence may be kept.

Officiant and People together, all kneeling

Most merciful God, we confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done, and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We are truly sorry and we humbly repent. For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and forgive us; that we may delight in your will, and walk in your ways, to the glory of your Name. Amen.

The Priest alone stands and says

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.

A deacon or lay person using the preceding form remains kneeling, and substitutes “us” for “you” and “our” for “your.”

The Invitatory and Psalter

All stand

OfficiantO God, make speed to save us.

PeopleO Lord, make haste to help us.

Officiant and People

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

Alleluia.

The following, or some other suitable hymn, or an Invitatory Psalm, may be sung or said

O Gracious Light

Phos hilaron

O gracious Light, pure brightness of the everliving Father in heaven, O Jesus Christ, holy and blessed!

Now as we come to the setting of the sun, and our eyes behold the vesper light, we sing your praises, O God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

You are worthy at all times to be praised by happy voices, O Son of God, O Giver of life, and to be glorified through all the worlds.

Then follows

The Psalm or Psalms Appointed

114

In exitu IsraelBCP p. 756

1Hallelujah! When Israel came out of Egypt, *the house of Jacob from a people of strange speech,

2Judah became God’s sanctuary *and Israel his dominion.

3The sea beheld it and fled; *Jordan turned and went back.

4The mountains skipped like rams, *and the little hills like young sheep.

5What ailed you, O sea, that you fled? *O Jordan, that you turned back?

6You mountains, that you skipped like rams? *you little hills like young sheep?

7Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord, *at the presence of the God of Jacob,

8Who turned the hard rock into a pool of water *and flint-stone into a flowing spring.

115

Non nobis, DomineBCP p. 757

1Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your Name give glory; *because of your love and because of your faithfulness.

2Why should the heathen say, *“Where then is their God?”

3Our God is in heaven; *whatever he wills to do he does.

4Their idols are silver and gold, *the work of human hands.

5They have mouths, but they cannot speak; *eyes have they, but they cannot see;

6They have ears but they cannot hear; *noses, but they cannot smell;

7They have hands, but they cannot feel; feet, but they cannot walk; *they make no sound with their throat.

8Those who make them are like them, *and so are all who put their trust in them.

9O Israel, trust in the Lord; *he is their help and their shield.

10O house of Aaron, trust in the Lord; *he is their help and their shield.

11You who fear the Lord, trust in the Lord; *he is their help and their shield.

12The Lord has been mindful of us, and he will bless us; *he will bless the house of Israel; he will bless the house of Aaron;

13He will bless those who fear the Lord, *both small and great together.

14May the Lord increase you more and more, *you and your children after you.

15May you be blessed by the Lord, *the maker of heaven and earth.

16The heaven of heavens is the Lord’s, *but he entrusted the earth to its peoples.

17The dead do not praise the Lord, *nor all those who go down into silence;

18But we will bless the Lord, *from this time forth for evermore. Hallelujah!

At the end of the Psalms is sung or said

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

The Lessons

The First Lesson

Amos 6:1-14

A Reading from the Book of the Prophet Amos.

1 Alas for those who are at ease in Zion, and for those who feel secure on Mount Samaria, the notables of the first of the nations, to whom the house of Israel resorts! 2 Cross over to Calneh, and see; from there go to Hamath the great; then go down to Gath of the Philistines. Are you better than these kingdoms? Or is your territory greater than their territory, 3 O you that put far away the evil day, and bring near a reign of violence? 4 Alas for those who lie on beds of ivory, and lounge on their couches, and eat lambs from the flock, and calves from the stall; 5 who sing idle songs to the sound of the harp, and like David improvise on instruments of music; 6 who drink wine from bowls, and anoint themselves with the finest oils, but are not grieved over the ruin of Joseph! 7 Therefore they shall now be the first to go into exile, and the revelry of the loungers shall pass away. 8 The Lord God has sworn by himself (says the Lord, the God of hosts): I abhor the pride of Jacob and hate his strongholds; and I will deliver up the city and all that is in it. 9 If ten people remain in one house, they shall die. 10 And if a relative, one who burns the dead, shall take up the body to bring it out of the house, and shall say to someone in the innermost parts of the house, “Is anyone else with you?” the answer will come, “No.” Then the relative shall say, “Hush! We must not mention the name of the Lord.” 11 See, the Lord commands, and the great house shall be shattered to bits, and the little house to pieces. 12 Do horses run on rocks? Does one plow the sea with oxen? But you have turned justice into poison and the fruit of righteousness into wormwood— 13 you who rejoice in Lo-debar, who say, “Have we not by our own strength taken Karnaim for ourselves?” 14 Indeed, I am raising up against you a nation, O house of Israel, says the Lord, the God of hosts, and they shall oppress you from Lebo-hamath to the Wadi Arabah.

The Word of the Lord.

PeopleThanks be to God.

13

A Song of Praise

Benedictus es, Domine

Song of the Three Young Men, 29-34

Glory to you, Lord God of our fathers; *you are worthy of praise; glory to you.

Glory to you for the radiance of your holy Name; *we will praise you and highly exalt you for ever.

Glory to you in the splendor of your temple; *on the throne of your majesty, glory to you.

Glory to you, seated between the Cherubim; *we will praise you and highly exalt you for ever.

Glory to you, beholding the depths; *in the high vault of heaven, glory to you.

Glory to you, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; *we will praise you and highly exalt you for ever.

The Second Lesson

Luke 7:28-35

A Reading from the Gospel According to Luke.

28 I tell you, among those born of women no one is greater than John; yet the least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.” 29 (And all the people who heard this, including the tax collectors, acknowledged the justice of God, because they had been baptized with John’s baptism. 30 But by refusing to be baptized by him, the Pharisees and the lawyers rejected God’s purpose for themselves.) 31 “To what then will I compare the people of this generation, and what are they like? 32 They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling to one another, ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we wailed, and you did not weep.’ 33 For John the Baptist has come eating no bread and drinking no wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon’; 34 the Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ 35 Nevertheless, wisdom is vindicated by all her children.”

The Word of the Lord.

PeopleThanks be to God.

18

A Song to the Lamb

Dignus es

Revelation 4:11, 5:9-10, 13

Splendor and honor and kingly power *are yours by right, O Lord our God,

For you created everything that is, *and by your will they were created and have their being;

And yours by right, O Lamb that was slain, *for with your blood you have redeemed for God,

From every family, language, people, and nation, *a kingdom of priests to serve our God.

And so, to him who sits upon the throne, *and to Christ the Lamb,

Be worship and praise, dominion and splendor, *for ever and for evermore.

The Apostles’ Creed

Officiant and People together, all standing

I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He 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, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again 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.

The Prayers

The People stand or kneel

OfficiantThe Lord be with you.

PeopleAnd also with you.

OfficiantLet us pray.

Officiant and People

The 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, for ever and ever. Amen.

The 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 for ever. Amen.

Then follows one of these sets of Suffrages

A

V.Show us your mercy, O Lord;

R.And grant us your salvation.

V.Clothe your ministers with righteousness;

R.Let your people sing with joy.

V.Give peace, O Lord, in all the world;

R.For only in you can we live in safety.

V.Lord, keep this nation under your care;

R.And guide us in the way of justice and truth.

V.Let your way be known upon earth;

R.Your saving health among all nations.

V.Let not the needy, O Lord, be forgotten;

R.Nor the hope of the poor be taken away.

V.Create in us clean hearts, O God;

R.And sustain us with your Holy Spirit.

B

That this evening may be holy, good, and peaceful,
We entreat you, O Lord.

That your holy angels may lead us in paths of peace and goodwill,
We entreat you, O Lord.

That we may be pardoned and forgiven for our sins and offenses,
We entreat you, O Lord.

That there may be peace to your Church and to the whole world,
We entreat you, O Lord.

That we may depart this life in your faith and fear, and not be condemned before the great judgment seat of Christ,
We entreat you, O Lord.

That we may be bound together by your Holy Spirit in the communion of [___________ and] all your saints, entrusting one another and all our life to Christ,
We entreat you, O Lord.

The Officiant then says one or more of the following Collects

Second Sunday of Advent

Merciful God, who sent your messengers the prophets to preach repentance and prepare the way for our salvation: Give us grace to heed their warnings and forsake our sins, that we may greet with joy the coming of Jesus Christ our Redeemer; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

First Sunday of Advent

Almighty God, give us grace to cast away the works of darkness, and put on the armor of light, now in the time of this mortal life in which your Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility; that in the last day, when he shall come again in his glorious majesty to judge both the living and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal; through him who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

A Collect for Sundays

Lord God, whose Son our Savior Jesus Christ triumphed over the powers of death and prepared for us our place in the new Jerusalem: Grant that we, who have this day given thanks for his resurrection, may praise you in that City of which he is the light, and where he lives and reigns for ever and ever. Amen.

Then, unless the Eucharist or a form of general intercession is to follow, one of these prayers for mission is added

O God and Father of all, whom the whole heavens adore: Let the whole earth also worship you, all nations obey you, all tongues confess and bless you, and men and women everywhere love you and serve you in peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Keep watch, dear Lord, with those who work, or watch, or weep this night, and give your angels charge over those who sleep. Tend the sick, Lord Christ; give rest to the weary, bless the dying, soothe the suffering, pity the afflicted, shield the joyous; and all for your love’s sake. Amen.

O God, you manifest in your servants the signs of your presence: Send forth upon us the spirit of love, that in companionship with one another your abounding grace may increase among us; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Here may be sung a hymn or anthem.

Authorized intercessions and thanksgivings may follow.

Before the close of the Office one or both of the following may be used

The General Thanksgiving

Almighty God, Father of all mercies, we your unworthy servants give you humble thanks for all your goodness and loving-kindness to us and to all whom you have made. We bless you for our creation, preservation, and all the blessings of this life; but above all for your immeasurable love in the redemption of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ; for the means of grace, and for the hope of glory.

And, we pray, give us such an awareness of your mercies, that with truly thankful hearts we may show forth your praise, not only with our lips, but in our lives, by giving up our selves to your service, and by walking before you in holiness and righteousness all our days; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory throughout all ages. Amen.

A Prayer of St. Chrysostom

Almighty God, you have given us grace at this time with one accord to make our common supplication to you; and you have promised through your well-beloved Son that when two or three are gathered together in his Name you will be in the midst of them: Fulfill now, O Lord, our desires and petitions as may be best for us; granting us in this world knowledge of your truth, and in the age to come life everlasting. Amen.

Then may be said

Let us bless the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

The Officiant may then conclude with one of the following

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.2 Corinthians 13:14

May the God of hope fill us with all joy and peace in believing through the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.Romans 15:13

Glory to God whose power, working in us, can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine: Glory to him from generation to generation in the Church, and in Christ Jesus for ever and ever. Amen.Ephesians 3:20,21

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