Evening Prayer: Thursday 23 February 2017

February 23, 2017

Polycarp of Smyrna, Bishop and Martyr, c156
Evening Prayer – Week C

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: Search me out, O God, and know my heart;*
try me and know my restless thoughts.

Opening (from Psalm 139.22)

1 You trace my journeys and my resting-places*
and are acquainted with all my ways.
2 Indeed there is not a word on my lips,*
but you, O Lord, know it altogether.
3 If I say, ‘Surely the darkness will cover me,*
and the light around me turn to night’,
4 Darkness is not dark to you; the night is as bright as the day;*
darkness and light to you are both alike.

Glory to the Father…

or a suitable hymn

Psalm 77
1 I will cry aloud to God;*
I will cry aloud, and he will hear me.
2 In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord;*
my hands were stretched out by night and did not tire;
I refused to be comforted.
3 I think of God, I am restless,*
I ponder, and my spirit faints.
4 You will not let my eyelids close;*
I am troubled and I cannot speak.
5 I consider the days of old;*
I remember the years long past;
6 I commune with my heart in the night;*
I ponder and search my mind.
7 Will the Lord cast me off for ever?*
will he no more show his favour?
8 Has his loving-kindness come to an end for ever?*
has his promise failed for evermore?
9 Has God forgotten to be gracious?*
has he, in his anger, withheld his compassion?
10 And I said, ‘My grief is this:*
the right hand of the Most High has lost its power.’
11 I will remember the works of the Lord,*
and call to mind your wonders of old time.
12 I will meditate on all your acts*
and ponder your mighty deeds.
13 Your way, O God, is holy;*
who is so great a god as our God?
14 You are the God who works wonders*
and have declared your power among the peoples.
15 By your strength you have redeemed your people,*
the children of Jacob and Joseph.
16 The waters saw you, O God;
the waters saw you and trembled;*
the very depths were shaken.
17 The clouds poured out water;
the skies thundered;*
your arrows flashed to and fro;
18 The sound of your thunder was in the whirlwind;
your lightnings lit up the world;*
the earth trembled and shook.
19 Your way was in the sea,
and your paths in the great waters,*
yet your footsteps were not seen.
20 You led your people like a flock*
by the hand of Moses and Aaron.

God of saving power, remember us in times of sorrow and despair. Redeem us with your strength and guide us through the wilderness. We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ.

Conclusion A song of Pilgrimage (from Sirach 51)

1 While I was still young, before I began my travels,*
I sought for wisdom openly in my prayers.
2 I asked for her outside the temple sanctuary,*
and I will seek her to the end.
3 She has been the delight of my heart.*
from first blossom to early fruit.
4 I have kept firmly to the true path;*
I have followed her steps since my youth.
5 I bowed my ear a little and received her;*
I found wisdom and was well instructed.
6 Glory to the One who gives me wisdom!*
I will live according to her way.
7 From the beginning I gained understanding from her;*
therefore I will never be deserted.
8 Because I longed to find her with all my heart,*
I have gained a good possession.
9 As my reward the Lord has given me a tongue*
with which I shall sing his praises.

Glory to the Father…

Antiphon: Search me out, O God, and know my heart; try me and know my restless thoughts.

READING(S)

Matthew 5.27-37

‘You have heard that it was said, “You shall not commit adultery.” But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to go into hell.

‘It was also said, “Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.” But I say to you that anyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of unchastity, causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

‘Again, you have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, “You shall not swear falsely, but carry out the vows you have made to the Lord.” But I say to you, Do not swear at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. Let your word be “Yes, Yes” or “No, No”; anything more than this comes from the evil one.

Response (Sirach 51.26)

Buy wisdom without money, take her yoke upon you
Buy wisdom without money, take her yoke upon you.
Let your souls receive instruction.
Take her yoke upon you.
Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
Buy wisdom without money, take her yoke upon you.

MAGNIFICAT

Magnificat Antiphon: Show, O Lord, the strength of your arm;* scatter the proud and exalt the lowly.

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: Show, O Lord, the strength of your arm;* scatter the proud and exalt the lowly.

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

Hear the prayers of your people, O Lord: that we, who are weighed down by our sins, may be delivered for the glory of your Name; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, world without end. 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.