Josephine Butler, 1906
Evening Prayer – Incarnation
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: Let your loving-kindness, O Lord, be upon us,*
as we have put our trust in you. (Ps. 33.22)
Opening (from Psalm 33)
1 The eye of the Lord is upon those who fear him*
on those who wait upon his love.
2 To pluck their lives from death,*
and to feed them in time of famine.
3 Our soul waits for the Lord;*
he is our help and our shield.
4 Indeed, our heart rejoices in him,*
for in his holy name we put our trust.
Glory to the Father…
or a suitable hymn
Psalm 138
1 I will give thanks to you, O Lord, with my whole heart;*
before the gods I will sing your praise.
2 I will bow down toward your holy temple
and praise your name,*
because of your love and faithfulness;
3 For you have glorified your name*
and your word above all things.
4 When I called, you answered me;*
you increased my strength within me.
5 All the kings of the earth will praise you, O Lord,*
when they have heard the words of your mouth.
6 They will sing of the ways of the Lord,*
that great is the glory of the Lord.
7 Though the Lord be high, he cares for the lowly;*
he perceives the haughty from afar.
8 Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you keep me safe;*
you stretch forth your hand against the fury of my enemies;
your right hand shall save me.
9 The Lord will make good his purpose for me;*
O Lord, your love endures for ever;
do not abandon the works of your hands.
God of creation and fulfilment, help us to seek and discover your purposes, that we may become willing instruments of your grace, and that all the world may come to love and praise your name, in the kingdom of your Son Jesus Christ our Lord.
Conclusion Philippians 2
1 Let this mind be in you which was in Christ Jesus:*
the divine nature was his from the first:
2 Yet he did not grasp at equality with God;*
he emptied himself and became like a slave.
3 Taking the nature of man he was revealed in human form;*
he humbled himself and became obedient even to death,
death on a cross.
4 Therefore God has raised him on high,*
and has given him a name above every other name;
5 So that in the name of Jesus every knee shall bow,*
in heaven, on earth, and in the depths;
6 And every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord;*
to the glory of God the Father.
Glory to the Father…
Antiphon: Let your loving-kindness, O Lord, be upon us,
as we have put our trust in you.
READING(S)
John 4.46-54
Then he came again to Cana in Galilee where he had changed the water into wine. Now there was a royal official whose son lay ill in Capernaum.When he heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went and begged him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death. Then Jesus said to him, ‘Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe.’ The official said to him, ‘Sir, come down before my little boy dies.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Go; your son will live.’ The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and started on his way. As he was going down, his slaves met him and told him that his child was alive. So he asked them the hour when he began to recover, and they said to him, ‘Yesterday at one in the afternoon the fever left him.’ The father realized that this was the hour when Jesus had said to him, ‘Your son will live.’ So he himself believed, along with his whole household. Now this was the second sign that Jesus did after coming from Judea to Galilee.
Response Ps.89.27
I will make him my first-born.
I will make him my first-born.
Higher than the kings of the earth.
My first-born.
Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
I will make him my first-born.
MAGNIFICAT
Magnificat Antiphon: 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 Antiphon: 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 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
O God,
who wonderfully created
and yet more wonderfully restored
the dignity of our human nature:
grant that we may share in the divinity of Christ,
who humbled himself to share in our humanity;
who lives and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, world without end.
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.
