Evening Prayer: Thursday 31 July 2014

July 31, 2014

Thursday after Pentecost 7
Ignatius Loyola, Priest and Religious, 1556

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!

Eternal God, faithful in your tender compassion, you give us hope for our life here and hereafter through the victory of your only Son. When we share his cup of salvation, revive in us the joy of this everlasting gift. We ask this in his name.

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!

Faithful God, your loving kindness for all people is revealed in Jesus Christ. Let your kingdom come now in peace and justice in all the world. We ask this in his name.

Psalm 126

1 When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion,*
then were we like those who dream.
2 Then was our mouth filled with laughter,*
and our tongue with shouts of joy.
3 Then they said among the nations,*
‘The Lord has done great things for them.’
4 The Lord has done great things for us,*
and we are glad indeed.
5 Restore our fortunes, O Lord,*
like the watercourses of the Negev.
6 Those who sowed with tears*
will reap with songs of joy.
7 Those who go out weeping, carrying the seed,*
will come again with joy, shouldering their sheaves.
Praise to you, God of our salvation. Your generous gifts surpass all that we can ask or imagine. You have delivered us from the exile of sin and restored us to new life in Jesus Christ our Saviour. Glory and honour and praise to you for ever and ever.

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.

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

READING(S)
Matthew 27:55-66

Many women were also there, looking on from a distance; they had followed Jesus from Galilee and had provided for him. Among them were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee.
When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who was also a disciple of Jesus. He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus; then Pilate ordered it to be given to him. So Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn in the rock. He then rolled a great stone to the door of the tomb and went away. Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were there, sitting opposite the tomb.
The next day, that is, after the day of Preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate and said, ‘Sir, we remember what that impostor said while he was still alive, “After three days I will rise again.” Therefore command that the tomb be made secure until the third day; otherwise his disciples may go and steal him away, and tell the people, “He has been raised from the dead”, and the last deception would be worse than the first.’ Pilate said to them, ‘You have a guard of soldiers; go, make it as secure as you can.’ So they went with the guard and made the tomb secure by sealing the stone.

Silence
Response (from Ps. 132.15 or 147.12)

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.
or
You delight, Lord, in those who fear you.
You delight, Lord, in those who fear you.
Who wait in hope for your mercy.
Those who fear you.
Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
You delight, Lord, in those who fear you.

MAGNIFICAT

Magnificat Antiphons: 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)

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

O God, the protector of all who trust in you, without whom nothing is strong, nothing is holy: increase and multiply upon us your mercy, that with you as our ruler and guide, we may so pass through things temporal, that we lose not the things eternal; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

(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.