Evening Prayer: Friday 18 April 2014

April 18, 2014

Good Friday
Evening Prayer – The Suffering Christ

O God, make speed to save us;
O Lord, make haste to help us.

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

PSALMODY

Antiphon: Lord, hear my prayer;*
answer me in your righteousness. (Ps. 143.1)

Opening (from Psalm 143)

1 I spread out my hands to you;*
my soul gasps to you like a thirsty land.
2 O Lord, make haste to answer me; my spirit fails me;*
do not hide your face from me
or I shall be like those who go down to the Pit.
3 Deliver me from my enemies, O Lord,*
for I flee to you for refuge.
4 Teach me to do what pleases you, for you are my God;*
let your good Spirit lead me on level ground.

Glory to the Father…
or a suitable hymn

Psalm 1

1 Happy are they who have not walked in the counsel of the wicked,*
nor lingered in the way of sinners, nor sat in the seats of the scornful!

2 Their delight is in the law of the Lord,*and they meditate on his law day and night.

3 They are like trees planted by streams of water, bearing fruit in due season, with leaves that do not wither;* everything they do shall prosper.

4 It is not so with the wicked;*they are like the chaff which the wind blows away.

5 Therefore the wicked shall not stand upright when judgment comes,*nor the sinner in the council of the righteous.

6 For the Lord knows the way of the righteous,*but the way of the wicked is doomed.

Giver of life, save us from the desert of faithlessness and nourish us with the living water of your word, that we may bring forth fruit that will last, in the name of Jesus Christ our Saviour.

Psalm 4

1 Answer me when I call, O God, defender of my cause;*
you set me free when I am hard-pressed;
have mercy on me and hear my prayer.

2 ‘You mortals, how long will you dishonour my glory;*
how long will you worship dumb idols and run after false gods?’

3 Know that the Lord does wonders for the faithful;*
when I call upon the Lord, he will hear me.

4 Tremble, then, and do not sin;*
speak to your heart in silence upon your bed.

5 Offer the appointed sacrifices*
and put your trust in the Lord.

6 Many are saying
‘Oh, that we might see better times!’*
Lift up the light of your countenance upon us, O Lord.

7 You have put gladness in my heart,*
more than when grain and wine and oil increase.

8 I lie down in peace; at once I fall asleep;*
for only you, Lord, make me dwell in safety.

Faithful defender, do not let our hearts be troubled, but fill us with such confidence and joy that we may sleep in peace and rise in your light; through Jesus Christ our Saviour.

Conclusion (from 1 Peter 2)

1 Christ our Lord suffered for us, leaving us an example,*
that we should follow in his steps.
2 He committed no sin, no guile was found on his lips;*
when he was reviled he did not revile in return.
3 When he suffered he did not threaten,*
but trusted in God who judges justly.
4 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree,*
that we might die to sin and live to righteousness.
5 By his wounds we have been healed;*
for we were straying like sheep,
6 But now we have returned*
to the shepherd and guardian of our souls.

Glory to the Father…

Antiphon: Lord, hear my prayer; answer me in your righteousness.

READING(S)

John 19:38-42

After these things, Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, though a secret one because of his fear of the Jews, asked Pilate to let him take away the body of Jesus. Pilate gave him permission; so he came and removed his body. Nicodemus, who had at first come to Jesus by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, weighing about a hundred pounds. They took the body of Jesus and wrapped it with the spices in linen cloths, according to the burial custom of the Jews. Now there was a garden in the place where he was crucified, and in the garden there was a new tomb in which no one had ever been laid. And so, because it was the Jewish day of Preparation, and the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.

Response (Ps. 140.6)

I have said to the Lord, You are my God.
I have said to the Lord, You are my God.
Listen, O Lord, to my supplication.
You are my God.
Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
I have said to the Lord, You are my God.

MAGNIFICAT

Magnificat Antiphons: We proclaim Christ,* nailed to the cross. (cf 1 Cor 1.23)

1 My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,*
my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour;
2 for he has looked with favour on his lowly servant;*
from this day all generations will call me blessed.
3 The Almighty has done great things for me*
and holy is his name.
4 He has mercy on those who fear him*
in every generation.
5 He has shown the strength of his arm;*
he has scattered the proud in their conceit.
6 He has cast down the mighty from their thrones*
and has lifted up the lowly.
7 He has filled the hungry with good things,*
and the rich he has sent away empty.
8 He has come to the help of his servant Israel,*
for he has remembered his promise of mercy,
9 the promise he made to our forebears,*
to Abraham and his children for ever.

Glory to the Father… (may be said by all)

PRAYERS

Lord, have mercy upon us.
Christ, have mercy upon us.
Lord, have mercy upon us.

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.
Do not bring us to to the time of trial,
but deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power,
and the glory are yours,
now and for ever. 
Amen.

Collect of the Day (may be omitted when the Eucharist follows)
Almighty God, look graciously, we pray, on this your family, for whom our Lord Jesus Christ was willing to be betrayed and given into the hands of sinners, and to suffer death upon the cross; who now lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.

Lord God almighty, come and dispel the darkness from our hearts, that in the radiance of your brightness we may know you, the only unfading light, glorious in all eternity.
Amen.

Let us bless the Lord:
Thanks be to God!

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