Evening Prayer: Monday 29 December 2014
Holy Innocents
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: My eyes are turned to you, Lord God;*
in you I take refuge; do not strip me of my life. (Ps. 141.8)
Opening (from Psalms 140 and 141)
1 I have said to the Lord, ‘You are my God;*
listen, O Lord, to my supplication.’
2 O Lord, I call to you; come to me quickly;*
hear my voice when I cry to you.
3 I know that the Lord will maintain the cause of the poor*
and render justice to the needy.
4 Surely, the righteous will give thanks to your name,*
and the upright shall continue in your sight.
Glory to the Father…
or a suitable hymn
until I make your enemies your footstool.’
2 The Lord will send the sceptre of your power out of Zion,*
saying, ‘Rule over your enemies round about you.
3 Princely state has been yours from the day of your birth,*
in the beauty of holiness have I begotten you,
like dew from the womb of the morning.’
4 The Lord has sworn and he will not recant:*
‘You are a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.’
5 The Lord who is at your right hand
will smite kings in the day of his wrath;*
he will rule over the nations.
6 He will heap high the corpses;*
he will smash heads over the wide earth.
7 He will drink from the brook beside the road;*
therefore he will lift high his head.
Jesus Christ, King of kings and Lord of lords, born as a man, exalted now on high, priest of the new covenant, judge who will come at the end of time, glory to you for ever and ever.
Psalm 113
1 Hallelujah!
Give praise, you servants of the Lord;*
praise the name of the Lord.
2 Let the name of the Lord be blessed,*
from this time forth for evermore.
3 From the rising of the sun to its going down*
let the name of the Lord be praised.
4 The Lord is high above all nations,*
and his glory above the heavens.
5 Who is like the Lord our God, who sits enthroned on high,*
but stoops to behold the heavens and the earth?
6 He takes up the weak out of the dust*
and lifts up the poor from the ashes.
7 He sets them with the princes,*
with the princes of his people.
8 He makes the woman of a childless house*
to be a joyful mother of children.
We magnify your name, O Lord, in all times and places. You subdue the arrogant and raise the humble; you feed the hungry and reveal the poverty of wealth. We give thanks for your salvation, made known in Jesus Christ our Lord.
Conclusion (from Revelation 22)
1 ‘Behold, I am coming soon*
to repay everyone for what he has done.
2 ‘I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last,*
the beginning and the end.
3 ‘I am the root and offspring of David,*
the bright morning star.’
4 The Spirit and the Bride say, ‘Come’;*
let anyone who hears, say, ‘Come’,
5 Let anyone who is thirsty come;*
let anyone who desires take the water of life without price.
6 The Lord says, ‘Surely I am coming soon’.*
Amen; come, Lord Jesus!
Glory to the Father…
Antiphon: My eyes are turned to you, Lord God;
in you I take refuge; do not strip me of my life.
READING(S)
Isaiah 54:1-13
Sing, O barren one who did not bear;
burst into song and shout,
you who have not been in labour!
For the children of the desolate woman will be more
than the children of her that is married, says the Lord.
Enlarge the site of your tent,
and let the curtains of your habitations be stretched out;
do not hold back; lengthen your cords
and strengthen your stakes.
For you will spread out to the right and to the left,
and your descendants will possess the nations
and will settle the desolate towns.
Do not fear, for you will not be ashamed;
do not be discouraged, for you will not suffer disgrace;
for you will forget the shame of your youth,
and the disgrace of your widowhood you will remember no more.
For your Maker is your husband,
the Lord of hosts is his name;
the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer,
the God of the whole earth he is called.
For the Lord has called you
like a wife forsaken and grieved in spirit,
like the wife of a man’s youth when she is cast off,
says your God.
For a brief moment I abandoned you,
but with great compassion I will gather you.
In overflowing wrath for a moment
I hid my face from you,
but with everlasting love I will have compassion on you,
says the Lord, your Redeemer.
This is like the days of Noah to me:
Just as I swore that the waters of Noah
would never again go over the earth,
so I have sworn that I will not be angry with you
and will not rebuke you.
For the mountains may depart
and the hills be removed,
but my steadfast love shall not depart from you,
and my covenant of peace shall not be removed,
says the Lord, who has compassion on you.
O afflicted one, storm-tossed, and not comforted,
I am about to set your stones in antimony,
and lay your foundations with sapphires.
I will make your pinnacles of rubies,
your gates of jewels,
and all your wall of precious stones.
All your children shall be taught by the Lord,
and great shall be the prosperity of your children.
Mark 10:13-16
People were bringing little children to him in order that he might touch them; and the disciples spoke sternly to them. But when Jesus saw this, he was indignant and said to them, ‘Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs. Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it.’ And he took them up in his arms, laid his hands on them, and blessed them.
Silence
Response (Ps. 28.11)
Save your people and bless your inheritance.
Save your people and bless your inheritance.
Shepherd them and carry them for ever.
Bless your inheritance.
Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
Save your people and bless your inheritance.
MAGNIFICAT
Magnificat Antiphons: To us is born this day a Saviour,* Christ the Lord. (Luke 2.11)
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)
Magnificat Antiphons: To us is born this day a Saviour,* Christ the Lord. (Luke 2.11)
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
Almighty God, our heavenly Father, whose children suffered at the hands of Herod: receive, we pray, all innocent victims into the arms of your mercy. By your great might frustrate all evil designs and establish your reign of justice, love and peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen
(A suitable hymn)
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.
