Evening Prayer (Evensong) in Contemporary Language

¶ Evening Prayer on Tuesday
Tuesday, 7 September 2010

Preparation

O God, make speed to save us.
AllO Lord, make haste to help us.

One or more of the following is said or sung:
a prayer of thanksgiving (page 110),
a suitable hymn,
or A Song of Mercy and Truth

1O God, will you not give us life again, •
that your people may rejoice in you?

2Show us your mercy, O Lord, •
and grant us your salvation.

3Truly, his salvation is near to those who fear him, •
that his glory may dwell in our land.

4Mercy and truth are met together, •
righteousness and peace have kissed each other;

5Truth shall spring up from the earth •
and righteousness look down from heaven.

6Righteousness shall go before him •
and direct his steps in the way.

Psalm 85.6, 7, 9-11, 13

AllGlory 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.

This opening prayer may be said

That this evening may be holy, good and peaceful,
let us pray with one heart and mind.

Silence is kept.

As our evening prayer rises before you, O God,
so may your mercy come down upon us
to cleanse our hearts
and set us free to sing your praise
now and for ever.
AllAmen.

The Word of God

Psalmody

The appointed psalmody is said.

Psalm 9

Refrain: You, Lord, have never failed those who seek you.

1I will give thanks to you, Lord, with my whole heart; •
I will tell of all your marvellous works.

2I will be glad and rejoice in you; •
I will make music to your name, O Most High.

3When my enemies are driven back, •
they stumble and perish at your presence.

4For you have maintained my right and my cause; •
you sat on your throne giving righteous judgement. R

5You have rebuked the nations and destroyed the wicked; •
you have blotted out their name for ever and ever.

6The enemy was utterly laid waste. •
You uprooted their cities;
   their very memory has perished.

7But the Lord shall endure for ever; •
he has made fast his throne for judgement.

8For he shall rule the world with righteousness •
and govern the peoples with equity. R

9Then will the Lord be a refuge for the oppressed, •
a refuge in the time of trouble.

10And those who know your name will put their trust in you, •
for you, Lord, have never failed those who seek you.

11Sing praises to the Lord who dwells in Zion; •
declare among the peoples the things he has done.

12The avenger of blood has remembered them; •
he did not forget the cry of the oppressed. R

13Have mercy upon me, O Lord; •
consider the trouble I suffer from those who hate me,
   you that lift me up from the gates of death;

14That I may tell all your praises in the gates of the city of Zion •
and rejoice in your salvation.

15The nations shall sink into the pit of their making •
and in the snare which they set will their own foot be taken.

16The Lord makes himself known by his acts of justice; •
the wicked are snared in the works of their own hands. R

17They shall return to the land of darkness, •
all the nations that forget God.

18For the needy shall not always be forgotten •
and the hope of the poor shall not perish for ever.

19Arise, O Lord, and let not mortals have the upper hand; •
let the nations be judged before your face.

20Put them in fear, O Lord, •
that the nations may know themselves to be but mortal. R

Refrain: You, Lord, have never failed those who seek you.

Remember, Lord, all who cry to you
from death’s dark gates;
do not forget those whom the world forgets,
but raise your faithful ones to Zion’s gate,
with your all-conquering Son,
Jesus Christ our Lord.

Psalm 10

Refrain: You, Lord, have never failed those who seek you.

1Why stand so far off, O Lord? •
Why hide yourself in time of trouble?

2The wicked in their pride persecute the poor; •
let them be caught in the schemes they have devised.

3The wicked boast of their heart’s desire; •
the covetous curse and revile the Lord.

4The wicked in their arrogance say, ‘God will not avenge it’; •
in all their scheming God counts for nothing.

5They are stubborn in all their ways,
   for your judgements are far above out of their sight; •
they scoff at all their adversaries.

6They say in their heart, ‘I shall not be shaken; •
no harm shall ever happen to me.’

7Their mouth is full of cursing, deceit and fraud; •
under their tongue lie mischief and wrong. R

8They lurk in the outskirts
   and in dark alleys they murder the innocent; •
their eyes are ever watching for the helpless.

9They lie in wait, like a lion in his den;
   they lie in wait to seize the poor; •
they seize the poor when they get them into their net.

10The innocent are broken and humbled before them; •
the helpless fall before their power.

11They say in their heart, ‘God has forgotten; •
he hides his face away; he will never see it.’

12Arise, O Lord God, and lift up your hand; •
forget not the poor.

13Why should the wicked be scornful of God? •
Why should they say in their hearts, ‘You will not avenge it’? R

14Surely, you behold trouble and misery; •
you see it and take it into your own hand.

15The helpless commit themselves to you, •
for you are the helper of the orphan.

16Break the power of the wicked and malicious; •
search out their wickedness until you find none.

17The Lord shall reign for ever and ever; •
the nations shall perish from his land.

18Lord, you will hear the desire of the poor; •
you will incline your ear to the fullness of their heart,

19To give justice to the orphan and oppressed, •
so that people are no longer driven in terror from the land. R

Refrain: You, Lord, have never failed those who seek you.

When wickedness triumphs
and the poor are betrayed,
come to your kingdom, strong and holy God,
destroy the masks of evil
and reign in our broken hearts;
through Jesus Christ our Lord

Each psalm or group of psalms may end with

AllGlory 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.

If there are two Scripture readings, the first may be read here, or both may be read after the canticle.

Canticle

A Song of the Holy City, or another suitable canticle, for example, number 72 (page 630), may be said

Refrain:

AllBy the river stood the tree of life,
with healing for all the nations.

1I saw no temple in the city, •
for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty
and the Lamb.

2And the city has no need of sun or moon
to shine upon it, •
for the glory of God is its light,
and its lamp is the Lamb.

3By its light the nations shall walk, •
and the rulers of the earth
shall bring their glory into it.

4Its gates shall never be shut by day,
nor shall there be any night; •
they shall bring into it
the glory and honour of the nations.

5I saw the river of the water of life,
bright as crystal, •
flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb.

6And either side of the river stood the tree of life,
yielding its fruit each month, •
and the leaves of the tree
were for the healing of the nations.

7The throne of God and of the Lamb shall be there,
and his servants shall worship him; •
and they shall see his face
and his name shall be on their foreheads.

Revelation 21.22-26; 22.1, 2b, d, 3b, 4

AllTo the One who sits on the throne and to the Lamb •
be blessing and honour and glory and might,
for ever and ever. Amen.

Scripture Reading

One or more readings appointed for the day are read.

The reading(s) may be followed by a time of silence.

Zechariah 6.9-end

The word of the Lord came to me: Collect silver and gold from the exiles—from Heldai, Tobijah, and Jedaiah—who have arrived from Babylon; and go the same day to the house of Josiah son of Zephaniah. Take the silver and gold and make a crown, and set it on the head of the high priest Joshua son of Jehozadak; say to him: Thus says the Lord of hosts: Here is a man whose name is Branch: for he shall branch out in his place, and he shall build the temple of the Lord. It is he that shall build the temple of the Lord; he shall bear royal honour, and shall sit and rule on his throne. There shall be a priest by his throne, with peaceful understanding between the two of them. And the crown shall be in the care of Heldai, Tobijah, Jedaiah, and Josiah son of Zephaniah, as a memorial in the temple of the Lord.

Those who are far off shall come and help to build the temple of the Lord; and you shall know that the Lord of hosts has sent me to you. This will happen if you diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God.

Mark 10.1-16

He left that place and went to the region of Judea and beyond the Jordan. And crowds again gathered around him; and, as was his custom, he again taught them.

Some Pharisees came, and to test him they asked, ‘Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?’ He answered them, ‘What did Moses command you?’ They said, ‘Moses allowed a man to write a certificate of dismissal and to divorce her.’ But Jesus said to them, ‘Because of your hardness of heart he wrote this commandment for you. But from the beginning of creation, “God made them male and female.” “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.’

Then in the house the disciples asked him again about this matter. He said to them, ‘Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her; and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.’

People were bringing little children to him in order that he might touch them; and the disciples spoke sternly to them. But when Jesus saw this, he was indignant and said to them, ‘Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs. Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it.’ And he took them up in his arms, laid his hands on them, and blessed them.

A suitable song or chant, or a responsory in this or another form, may follow

Open my eyes, O Lord
that I may see the wonders of your law.
AllOpen my eyes, O Lord
that I may see the wonders of your law.
Lead me in the path of your commandments
Allthat I may see the wonders of your law.
Glory to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit.
AllOpen my eyes, O Lord
that I may see the wonders of your law.

from Psalm 119

Gospel Canticle

The Magnificat (The Song of Mary) is normally said,
or Great and Wonderful (page 629) may be said

Refrain:

AllYou have mercy on those who fear you,
from generation to generation.

1My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour; •
he has looked with favour on his lowly servant.

2From this day all generations will call me blessed; •
the Almighty has done great things for me
and holy is his name.

3He has mercy on those who fear him, •
from generation to generation.

4He has shown strength with his arm •
and has scattered the proud in their conceit,

5Casting down the mighty from their thrones •
and lifting up the lowly.

6He has filled the hungry with good things •
and sent the rich away empty.

7He has come to the aid of his servant Israel, •
to remember his promise of mercy,

8The promise made to our ancestors, •
to Abraham and his children for ever.

Luke 1.46-55

AllGlory 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.

Refrain:

AllYou have mercy on those who fear you,
from generation to generation.

Prayers

Thanksgiving may be made for the day.

Intercessions are offered
¶ for peace
¶ for individuals and their needs

The cycle on pages 364–365 and the prayer on page 377 may be used.

These responses may be used

Lord, in your mercy
hear our prayer

(or)

Lord, hear us.
Lord, graciously hear us.

Silence may be kept.

The Collect of the day is said

Almighty God,
whose only Son has opened for us
a new and living way into your presence:
give us pure hearts and steadfast wills
to worship you in spirit and in truth;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.
AllAmen.

The Lord’s Prayer is said

As our Saviour taught us, so we pray

AllOur 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.
Lead us not into temptation
but deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power,
and the glory are yours
now and for ever.
Amen.

(or)

Let us pray with confidence as our Saviour has taught us

AllOur Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name;
thy kingdom come;
thy will be done;
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation;
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
the power and the glory,
for ever and ever.
Amen.

The Conclusion

All The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,
and the love of God,
and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit,
be with us all evermore.
Amen.

Let us bless the Lord.
AllThanks be to God.

© The Archbishops' Council of the Church of England, 2000-2005
All of the official Common Worship publications are being published by Church House Publishing.
 
The Bible readings (other than the psalms) are from The New Revised Standard Version Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995 Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.