Evening Prayer: Saturday 3 July 2021

Saturday 3 July 2021

Thomas, Apostle
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.

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 37
1 Do not fret yourself because of evildoers;*
do not be jealous of those who do wrong.

2 For they shall soon wither like the grass,*
and like the green grass fade away.

3 Put your trust in the Lord and do good;*
dwell in the land and feed on its riches.

4 Take delight in the Lord,*
and he shall give you your heart's desire.

5 Commit your way to the Lord and put your trust in him,*
and he will bring it to pass.

6 He will make your righteousness as clear as the light*
and your just dealing as the noonday.

7 Be still before the Lord*
and wait patiently for him.

8 Do not fret yourself over the one who prospers,*
the one who succeeds in evil schemes.

9 Refrain from anger, leave rage alone;*
do not fret yourself; it leads only to evil.

10 For evildoers shall be cut off,*
but those who wait upon the Lord shall possess the land.

11 In a little while the wicked shall be no more;*
you shall search out their place, but they will not be there.

12 But the lowly shall possess the land;*
they will delight in abundance of peace.

13 The wicked plot against the righteous*
and gnash at them with their teeth.

14 The Lord laughs at the wicked,*
because he sees that their day will come.
15 The wicked draw their sword and bend their bow
to strike down the poor and needy,*
to slaughter those who are upright in their ways.

16 Their sword shall go through their own heart,*
and their bow shall be broken.

17 The little that the righteous has*
is better than great riches of the wicked.

18 For the power of the wicked shall be broken,*
but the Lord upholds the righteous.

19 The Lord cares for the lives of the godly,*
and their inheritance shall last for ever.

20 They shall not be ashamed in bad times,*
and in days of famine they shall have enough.

21 As for the wicked, they shall perish,*
and the enemies of the Lord, like the glory of
the meadows, shall vanish; they shall vanish like smoke.

22 The wicked borrow and do not repay,*
but the righteous are generous in giving.

23 Those who are blessed by God shall possess the land,*
but those who are cursed by him shall be destroyed.

24 Our steps are directed by the Lord;*
he strengthens those in whose way he delights.

25 If they stumble, they shall not fall headlong,*
for the Lord holds them by the hand.

26 I have been young and now I am old,*
but never have I seen the righteous forsaken,
or their children begging bread.

27 The righteous are always generous in their lending,*
and their children shall be a blessing.

28 Turn from evil, and do good,*
and dwell in the land for ever.

29 For the Lord loves justice;*
he does not forsake his faithful ones.

30 They shall be kept safe for ever,*
but the offspring of the wicked shall be destroyed.

31 The righteous shall possess the land*
and dwell in it for ever.

32 The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom,*
and their tongue speaks what is right.

33 The law of their God is in their heart,*
and their footsteps shall not falter.


34 The wicked spy on the righteous*
and seek occasion to kill them.

35 The Lord will not abandon them to their hand,*
nor let them be found guilty when brought to trial.

36 Wait upon the Lord and keep his way;*
he will raise you up to possess the land,
and when the wicked are cut off, you will see it.

37 I have seen the wicked in their arrogance,*
flourishing like a tree in full leaf.

38 I went by, and behold, they were not there;*
I searched for them, but they could not be found.

39 Mark those who are honest; observe the upright;*
for there is a future for the peaceable.

40 Transgressors shall be destroyed, one and all;*
the future of the wicked is cut off.

41 But the deliverance of the righteous comes from the Lord;*
he is their stronghold in Timothye of trouble.

42 The Lord will help them and rescue them;*
he will rescue them from the wicked and deliver them,
because they seek refuge in him.

Glory to the Father…

God our strength, give us the humility to trust in your loving care, and the patience to be faithful in seeking your kingdom, that we may come to share in the inheritance of your saints; through Jesus Christ our Saviour.

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)

Isaiah 43.8-13

Bring forth the people who are blind, yet have eyes, who are deaf, yet have ears! Let all the nations gather together, and let the peoples assemble. Who among them declared this, and foretold to us the former things? Let them bring their witnesses to justify them, and let them hear and say, "It is true." You are my witnesses, says the Lord, and my servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he. Before me no god was formed, nor shall there be any after me. I, I am the Lord, and besides me there is no saviour. I declared and saved and proclaimed, when there was no strange god among you; and you are my witnesses, says the Lord. I am God, and also henceforth I am He; there is no one who can deliver from my hand; I work and who can hinder it?

John 14.1-7

"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father"s house there are many dwelling-places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also. And you know the way to the place where I am going." Thomas said to him, "Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?" Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him."

Silence

Response Psalm Psalm 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 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 and everliving God,
who strengthened your apostle Thomas
with faith in the resurrection of your Son:
grant to us, who have not seen,
that we also may believe,
and so confess Christ as our Lord and our God;
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.