Evening Prayer (Evensong) in Contemporary Language

¶ Evening Prayer
from All Saints’ Day until
the day before the First Sunday of Advent
Thursday, 26 November 2020

Preparation

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

Your faithful servants bless you.
AllThey make known the glory of your kingdom. Alleluia.

One or more of the following is said or sung:

this or another prayer of thanksgiving

Blessed are you, Sovereign God,
our light and our salvation,
to you be glory and praise for ever.
Now, as darkness is falling,
wash away our transgressions,
cleanse us by your refining fire
and make us temples of your Holy Spirit.
By the light of Christ,
dispel the darkness of our hearts
and make us ready to enter your kingdom,
where songs of praise for ever sound.
Blessed be God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
AllBlessed be God for ever.

A Song of Tobit (page 596), the following or another suitable hymn

Give me the wings of faith to rise
within the veil, and see
the saints above, how great their joys,
how bright their glories be.

Once they were mourning here below,
and wet their couch with tears;
they wrestled hard, as we do now,
with sins and doubts and fears.

I ask them whence their victory came:
they, with united breath,
ascribe their conquest to the Lamb,
their triumph to his death.

They marked the footsteps that he trod,
his zeal inspired their breast,
and, following their incarnate God,
possess the promised rest.

Our glorious Leader claims our praise
for his own pattern given;
while the long cloud of witnesses
show the same path to heaven.

Isaac Watts
(Tune: CM)

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 131

Refrain: O Israel, trust in the Lord.

1 O Lord, my heart is not proud; ♦
my eyes are not raised in haughty looks.

2 I do not occupy myself with great matters, ♦
with things that are too high for me.

3 But I have quieted and stilled my soul,
like a weaned child on its mother’s breast; ♦
so my soul is quieted within me.

4 O Israel, trust in the Lord, ♦
from this time forth for evermore.

Refrain: O Israel, trust in the Lord.

Eternal God,
calm and quieten our souls;
keep us humble and full of wonder
and trusting as we live in your love;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Psalm 132

Refrain: Arise, O Lord, into your resting place.

1 Lord, remember for David ♦
all the hardships he endured;

2 How he swore an oath to the Lord ♦
and vowed a vow to the Mighty One of Jacob:

3 ‘I will not come within the shelter of my house, ♦
nor climb up into my bed;

4 ‘I will not allow my eyes to sleep, ♦
nor let my eyelids slumber,

5 ‘Until I find a place for the Lord, ♦
a dwelling for the Mighty One of Jacob.’ R

6 Now, we heard of the ark in Ephrathah ♦
and found it in the fields of Ja-ar.

7 Let us enter his dwelling place ♦
and fall low before his footstool.

8 Arise, O Lord, into your resting place, ♦
you and the ark of your strength.

9 Let your priests be clothed with righteousness ♦
and your faithful ones sing with joy.

10 For your servant David’s sake, ♦
turn not away the face of your anointed. R

11 The Lord has sworn an oath to David, ♦
a promise from which he will not shrink:

12 ‘Of the fruit of your body ♦
shall I set upon your throne.

13 ‘If your children keep my covenant
and my testimonies that I shall teach them, ♦
their children also shall sit upon your throne for evermore.’

14 For the Lord has chosen Zion for himself; ♦
he has desired her for his habitation: R

15 ‘This shall be my resting place for ever; ♦
here will I dwell, for I have longed for her.

16 ‘I will abundantly bless her provision; ♦
her poor will I satisfy with bread.

17 ‘I will clothe her priests with salvation, ♦
and her faithful ones shall rejoice and sing.

18 ‘There will I make a horn to spring up for David; ♦
I will keep a lantern burning for my anointed.

19 ‘As for his enemies, I will clothe them with shame; ♦
but on him shall his crown be bright.’

Refrain: Arise, O Lord, into your resting place.

Jesus, Son of David,
make us a priestly people;
clothe us in righteousness,
make us fruitful,
and give us hearts to shout for joy in your salvation;
we pray in the power of the Spirit.

Psalm 133

Refrain: Mercy and truth are met together,
righteousness and peace have kissed each other.

1 Behold how good and pleasant it is ♦
to dwell together in unity.

2 It is like the precious oil upon the head, ♦
running down upon the beard,

3 Even on Aaron’s beard, ♦
running down upon the collar of his clothing.

4 It is like the dew of Hermon ♦
running down upon the hills of Zion.

5 For there the Lord has promised his blessing: ♦
even life for evermore.

Refrain: Mercy and truth are met together,
righteousness and peace have kissed each other.

Grant to your people, good Lord,
the spirit of unity,
that they may dwell together in your love,
and so bear to the world
the ointment of your healing and the
dew of your blessing;
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.

Isaiah 21.1-12

The oracle concerning the wilderness of the sea.

As whirlwinds in the Negeb sweep on,
   it comes from the desert,
   from a terrible land.
A stern vision is told to me;
   the betrayer betrays,
   and the destroyer destroys.
Go up, O Elam,
   lay siege, O Media;
all the sighing she has caused
   I bring to an end.
Therefore my loins are filled with anguish;
   pangs have seized me,
   like the pangs of a woman in labour;
I am bowed down so that I cannot hear,
   I am dismayed so that I cannot see.
My mind reels, horror has appalled me;
   the twilight I longed for
   has been turned for me into trembling.
They prepare the table,
   they spread the rugs,
   they eat, they drink.
Rise up, commanders,
   oil the shield!
For thus the Lord said to me:
‘Go, post a lookout,
   let him announce what he sees.
When he sees riders, horsemen in pairs,
   riders on donkeys, riders on camels,
let him listen diligently,
   very diligently.’
Then the watcher called out:
‘Upon a watch-tower I stand, O Lord,
   continually by day,
and at my post I am stationed
   throughout the night.
Look, there they come, riders,
   horsemen in pairs!’
Then he responded,
   ‘Fallen, fallen is Babylon;
and all the images of her gods
   lie shattered on the ground.’
O my threshed and winnowed one,
   what I have heard from the Lord of hosts,
   the God of Israel, I announce to you.

The oracle concerning Dumah.

One is calling to me from Seir,
   ‘Sentinel, what of the night?
   Sentinel, what of the night?’
The sentinel says:
‘Morning comes, and also the night.
   If you will inquire, inquire;
   come back again.’

Canticle

A Song of God’s Assembled, or another suitable canticle, for example, number 70 (page 628) or number 73 (page 631), may be said

Refrain:

AllWe have come before the throne of God
to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. Alleluia.

1We have come before God’s holy mountain, ♦
to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God.

2We have come before countless angels making festival, ♦
before the assembly of the firstborn citizens of heaven.

3We have come before God, who is judge of all, ♦
before the spirits of the just made perfect.

4We have come before Jesus, ♦
the mediator of the new covenant.

5We are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken: ♦
so let us give thanks and offer to God acceptable worship,

6Full of reverence and awe; ♦
for our God is a consuming fire.

Hebrews 12.22-24a, 28, 29

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.

AllWe have come before the throne of God
to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. Alleluia.

Scripture Reading

One or more readings appointed for the day are read.

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

Matthew 10.34-11.1

‘Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.
For I have come to set a man against his father,
and a daughter against her mother,
and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;
and one’s foes will be members of one’s own household.
Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever does not take up the cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Those who find their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it.

‘Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. Whoever welcomes a prophet in the name of a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward; and whoever welcomes a righteous person in the name of a righteous person will receive the reward of the righteous; and whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones in the name of a disciple—truly I tell you, none of these will lose their reward.’

Now when Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and proclaim his message in their cities.

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

Lord, you will guide me with your counsel
and afterwards receive me with glory.
AllLord, you will guide me with your counsel
and afterwards receive me with glory.
For I am always with you;
you hold me by my right hand.
AllAnd afterwards receive me with glory.
Glory to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit.
AllLord, you will guide me with your counsel
and afterwards receive me with glory.

from Psalm 73

Gospel Canticle

The Magnificat (The Song of Mary) is normally said,
or the Nunc dimittis (The Song of the Simeon) (page 613) may be said

Refrain:

AllThe righteous will shine like the sun
in the kingdom of their Father.

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:

AllThe righteous will shine like the sun
in the kingdom of their Father.

Prayers

Thanksgiving may be made for the day.

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

Prayers may include the following concerns from the cycle on pages 364–365

¶ The saints on earth, that they may live as citizens of heaven
¶ All people, that they may hear and believe the word of God
¶ All who fear the winter months
¶ All sovereigns and political leaders, that they may imitate the righteous rule of Christ
¶ All who grieve or wait with the dying

A form of prayer found on page 384 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

Eternal Father,
whose Son Jesus Christ ascended to the throne of heaven
      that he might rule over all things as Lord and King:
keep the Church in the unity of the Spirit
and in the bond of peace,
and bring the whole created order to worship at his feet;
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

Uniting our prayers with the whole company of heaven,
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)

Uniting our prayers with the whole company of heaven,
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

May Christ, who has opened the kingdom of heaven,
bring us to reign with him in glory.
AllAmen.

Let us bless the Lord. Alleluia, alleluia.
AllThanks be to God. Alleluia, alleluia.