Evening Prayer: Saturday 31 October 2015

October 31, 2015

Eve of ALL SAINTS
Evening Prayer – Festivals

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: Sing to the Lord a new song;*
sing his praise in the congregation of the faithful. (Ps. 149.1)

Opening (from Psalm 149)

1 Let Israel rejoice in his maker;*
let the children of Zion be joyful in their king.
2 For the Lord takes pleasure in his people*
and adorns the poor with victory.
3 Let the faithful rejoice in triumph;*
let them be joyful on their beds.
4 Let the praises of God be in their throat*
and a two-edged sword in their hand.

Glory to the Father…

or a suitable hymn

Psalm 116
1 I love the Lord, because he has heard the voice of my
supplication,*
because he has inclined his ear to me
whenever I called upon him.
2 The cords of death entangled me;
the grip of the grave took hold of me;*
I came to grief and sorrow.
3 Then I called upon the name of the Lord:*
‘O Lord, I pray you, save my life.’
4 Gracious is the Lord and righteous;*
our God is full of compassion.
5 The Lord watches over the innocent;*
I was brought very low, and he helped me.
6 Turn again to your rest, O my soul,*
for the Lord has treated you well.
7 For you have rescued my life from death,*
my eyes from tears, and my feet from stumbling.
8 I will walk in the presence of the Lord*
in the land of the living.
9 I believed, even when I said,
‘I have been brought very low.’*
In my distress I said, ‘No one can be trusted.’
10 How shall I repay the Lord*
for all the good things he has done for me?
11 I will lift up the cup of salvation*
and call upon the name of the Lord.
12 I will fulfil my vows to the Lord*
in the presence of all his people.
13 Precious in the sight of the Lord*
is the death of his servants.
14 O Lord, I am your servant;*
I am your servant and the child of your handmaid;
you have freed me from my bonds.
15 I will offer you the sacrifice of thanksgiving*
and call upon the name of the Lord.
16 I will fulfil my vows to the Lord*
in the presence of all his people.
17 In the courts of the Lord’s house,*
in the midst of you, O Jerusalem.
Hallelujah!

Psalm 117
1 Praise the Lord, all you nations;*
laud him, all you peoples.
2 For his loving-kindness toward us is great,*
and the faithfulness of the Lord endures for ever.
Hallelujah!

Conclusion (from Revelation 4 and 5)

1 Glory and honour and power*
are yours by right, O Lord our God;
2 For you created all things*
and by your will they have their being.
3 Glory and honour and power*
are yours by right, O Lamb who was slain;
4 For by your blood you ransomed us for God,*
from every race and language,
from every people and nation.
5 To make us a kingdom of priests*
to stand and serve before our God.
6 To God who sits on the throne and to the Lamb*
be praise and honour, glory and might,
for ever and ever.
Amen.

Glory to the Father…

Antiphon: Sing to the Lord a new song; sing his praise in the congregation of the faithful.

READING(S)

Wisdom of Solomon 3:1-9
But the souls of the righteous are in the hand of God,
and no torment will ever touch them.
In the eyes of the foolish they seemed to have died,
and their departure was thought to be a disaster,
and their going from us to be their destruction;
but they are at peace.
For though in the sight of others they were punished,
their hope is full of immortality.
Having been disciplined a little, they will receive great good,
because God tested them and found them worthy of himself;
like gold in the furnace he tried them,
and like a sacrificial burnt-offering he accepted them.
In the time of their visitation they will shine forth,
and will run like sparks through the stubble.
They will govern nations and rule over peoples,
and the Lord will reign over them for ever.
Those who trust in him will understand truth,
and the faithful will abide with him in love,
because grace and mercy are upon his holy ones,
and he watches over his elect.

Revelation 19:1, 4-10
After this I heard what seemed to be the loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying,
‘Hallelujah!
Salvation and glory and power to our God,
And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshipped God who is seated on the throne, saying,
‘Amen. Hallelujah!’

And from the throne came a voice saying,
‘Praise our God,
all you his servants,
and all who fear him,
small and great.’

Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the sound of many waters and like the sound of mighty thunder-peals, crying out,

‘Hallelujah!
For the Lord our God
the Almighty reigns.
Let us rejoice and exult
and give him the glory,
for the marriage of the Lamb has come,
and his bride has made herself ready;
to her it has been granted to be clothed
with fine linen, bright and pure’—
for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.

And the angel said to me, ‘Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.’ And he said to me, ‘These are true words of God.’ Then I fell down at his feet to worship him, but he said to me, ‘You must not do that! I am a fellow-servant with you and your comrades who hold the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.’

Response (Ps. 132.15)

Zion shall be your resting place for ever.
Zion shall be your resting place for ever.
Here will you dwell for you delight in her.
Your resting place for ever.
Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
Zion shall be your resting place for ever.

MAGNIFICAT

Magnificat Antiphon: Those that sow in tears* shall reap with songs of joy.

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: Those that sow in tears* shall reap with songs of joy.

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

Lord God our redeemer, who heard the cry of your people and sent your servant Moses to lead them out of slavery, free us from the tyranny of sin and death, and by the leading of your Spirit bring us to our promised land; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

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.