Evening Prayer (Evensong) in Contemporary Language

¶ Evening Prayer
Epiphany Season
Monday, 12 January 2026
Aelred of Hexham, Abbot of Rievaulx, 1167 [Lesser Festival]
Benedict Biscop, Abbot of Wearmouth, Scholar, 689 [Commemoration]

Preparation

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

From the rising of the sun to its setting
Allyour glory is proclaimed in all the world.

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.
You gave your Christ as a light to the nations,
and through the anointing of the Spirit
you established us as a royal priesthood.
As you call us into your marvellous light,
may our lives bear witness to your truth
and our lips never cease to proclaim your praise.
Blessed be God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
AllBlessed be God for ever.

A Song of God’s Splendour (page 561), the following or another suitable hymn

O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness!
Bow down before him, his glory proclaim;
with gold of obedience, and incense of lowliness,
kneel and adore him, the Lord is his name!

Low at his feet lay thy burden of carefulness,
high on his heart he will bear it for thee,
comfort thy sorrows, and answer thy prayerfulness,
guiding thy steps as may best for thee be.

Fear not to enter his courts in the slenderness
of the poor wealth thou wouldst reckon as thine:
truth in its beauty, and love in its tenderness,
these are the offerings to lay on his shrine.

These though we bring them in trembling and fearfulness,
he will accept for the name that is dear;
mornings of joy give for evenings of tearfulness,
trust for our trembling and hope for our fear.

O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness!
Bow down before him, his glory proclaim;
with gold of obedience, and incense of lowliness,
kneel and adore him, the Lord is his name!

J S B Monsell
(Tune: 13 10 13 10)

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 34

Refrain: O taste and see that the Lord is gracious.

1 I will bless the Lord at all times; ♦
his praise shall ever be in my mouth.

2 My soul shall glory in the Lord; ♦
let the humble hear and be glad.

3 O magnify the Lord with me; ♦
let us exalt his name together.

4 I sought the Lord and he answered me ♦
and delivered me from all my fears.

5 Look upon him and be radiant ♦
and your faces shall not be ashamed. R

6 This poor soul cried, and the Lord heard me ♦
and saved me from all my troubles.

7 The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him ♦
and delivers them.

8 O taste and see that the Lord is gracious; ♦
blessed is the one who trusts in him.

9 Fear the Lord, all you his holy ones, ♦
for those who fear him lack nothing.

10 Lions may lack and suffer hunger, ♦
but those who seek the Lord
lack nothing that is good. R

11 Come, my children, and listen to me; ♦
I will teach you the fear of the Lord.

12 Who is there who delights in life ♦
and longs for days to enjoy good things?

13 Keep your tongue from evil ♦
and your lips from lying words.

14 Turn from evil and do good; ♦
seek peace and pursue it. R

15 The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous ♦
and his ears are open to their cry.

16 The face of the Lord is against those who do evil, ♦
to root out the remembrance of them from the earth.

17 The righteous cry and the Lord hears them ♦
and delivers them out of all their troubles.

18 The Lord is near to the brokenhearted ♦
and will save those who are crushed in spirit. R

19 Many are the troubles of the righteous; ♦
from them all will the Lord deliver them.

20 He keeps all their bones, ♦
so that not one of them is broken.

21 But evil shall slay the wicked ♦
and those who hate the righteous will be condemned.

22 The Lord ransoms the life of his servants ♦
and will condemn none who seek refuge in him.

Refrain: O taste and see that the Lord is gracious.

Send your holy angels
to watch over us, O God,
that on our lips will be found your truth
and in our hearts your love;
so we may ever taste your goodness
in the land of the living;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Psalm 36

Refrain: With you, O God, is the well of life.

1 Sin whispers to the wicked, in the depths of their heart; ♦
there is no fear of God before their eyes.

2 They flatter themselves in their own eyes ♦
that their abominable sin will not be found out.

3 The words of their mouth are unrighteous and full of deceit; ♦
they have ceased to act wisely and to do good.

4 They think out mischief upon their beds
and have set themselves in no good way; ♦
nor do they abhor that which is evil. R

5 Your love, O Lord, reaches to the heavens ♦
and your faithfulness to the clouds.

6 Your righteousness stands like the strong mountains,
your justice like the great deep; ♦
you, Lord, shall save both man and beast.

7 How precious is your loving mercy, O God! ♦
All mortal flesh shall take refuge
under the shadow of your wings.

8 They shall be satisfied with the abundance of your house; ♦
they shall drink from the river of your delights.

9 For with you is the well of life ♦
and in your light shall we see light. R

10 O continue your loving-kindness to those who know you ♦
and your righteousness to those who are true of heart.

11 Let not the foot of pride come against me, ♦
nor the hand of the ungodly thrust me away.

12 There are they fallen, all who work wickedness. ♦
They are cast down and shall not be able to stand.

Refrain: With you, O God, is the well of life.

O God, the well of life,
make us bright with wisdom,
that we may be lightened with the knowledge of your glory
in the face of 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.

Amos 1

The words of Amos, who was among the shepherds of Tekoa, which he saw concerning Israel in the days of King Uzziah of Judah and in the days of King Jeroboam son of Joash of Israel, two years before the earthquake.
And he said:
The Lord roars from Zion,
   and utters his voice from Jerusalem;
the pastures of the shepherds wither,
   and the top of Carmel dries up.

Thus says the Lord:
For three transgressions of Damascus,
   and for four, I will not revoke the punishment;
because they have threshed Gilead
   with threshing-sledges of iron.
So I will send a fire on the house of Hazael,
   and it shall devour the strongholds of Ben-hadad.
I will break the gate-bars of Damascus,
   and cut off the inhabitants from the Valley of Aven,
and the one who holds the sceptre from Beth-eden;
   and the people of Aram shall go into exile to Kir,

says the Lord.

Thus says the Lord:
For three transgressions of Gaza,
   and for four, I will not revoke the punishment;
because they carried into exile entire communities,
   to hand them over to Edom.
So I will send a fire on the wall of Gaza,
   fire that shall devour its strongholds.
I will cut off the inhabitants from Ashdod,
   and the one who holds the sceptre from Ashkelon;
I will turn my hand against Ekron,
   and the remnant of the Philistines shall perish,

says the Lord God.

Thus says the Lord:
For three transgressions of Tyre,
   and for four, I will not revoke the punishment;
because they delivered entire communities over to Edom,
   and did not remember the covenant of kinship.
So I will send a fire on the wall of Tyre,
   fire that shall devour its strongholds.

Thus says the Lord:
For three transgressions of Edom,
   and for four, I will not revoke the punishment;
because he pursued his brother with the sword
   and cast off all pity;
he maintained his anger perpetually,
   and kept his wrath for ever.
So I will send a fire on Teman,
   and it shall devour the strongholds of Bozrah.

Thus says the Lord:
For three transgressions of the Ammonites,
   and for four, I will not revoke the punishment;
because they have ripped open pregnant women in Gilead
   in order to enlarge their territory.
So I will kindle a fire against the wall of Rabbah,
   fire that shall devour its strongholds,
with shouting on the day of battle,
   with a storm on the day of the whirlwind;
then their king shall go into exile,
   he and his officials together,

says the Lord.

Canticle

A Song of Praise, or another suitable canticle, for example, number 63 (page 621) or number 71 (page 629), may be said

Refrain:

AllYou created all things, O God,
and are worthy of our praise for ever. Alleluia.

1You are worthy, our Lord and God, ♦
to receive glory and honour and power.

2For you have created all things, ♦
and by your will they have their being.

3You are worthy, O Lamb, for you were slain, ♦
and by your blood you ransomed for God
saints from every tribe and language and nation.

4You have made them to be a kingdom and priests
serving our God, ♦
and they will reign with you on earth.

Revelation 4.11; 5.9b, 10

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.

AllYou created all things, O God,
and are worthy of our praise for ever. Alleluia.

Scripture Reading

One or more readings appointed for the day are read.

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

1 Corinthians 1.1-17

Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and our brother Sosthenes,

To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, together with all those who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours:

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that has been given you in Christ Jesus, for in every way you have been enriched in him, in speech and knowledge of every kind—just as the testimony of Christ has been strengthened among you—so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ. He will also strengthen you to the end, so that you may be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful; by him you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Now I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you should be in agreement and that there should be no divisions among you, but that you should be united in the same mind and the same purpose. For it has been reported to me by Chloe’s people that there are quarrels among you, my brothers and sisters. What I mean is that each of you says, ‘I belong to Paul’, or ‘I belong to Apollos’, or ‘I belong to Cephas’, or ‘I belong to Christ.’ Has Christ been divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, so that no one can say that you were baptized in my name. (I did baptize also the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized anyone else.) For Christ did not send me to baptize but to proclaim the gospel, and not with eloquent wisdom, so that the cross of Christ might not be emptied of its power.

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

Arise, shine, for your light has come;
the glory of the Lord is rising upon you.
AllArise, shine, for your light has come;
the glory of the Lord is rising upon you.
God’s salvation has been openly shown to all people.
AllThe glory of the Lord is rising upon you.
Glory to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit.
AllArise, shine, for your light has come;
the glory of the Lord is rising upon you.

from Isaiah 60

Gospel Canticle

The Magnificat (The Song of Mary) is normally said,
or A Song of Christ’s Appearing (page 621) may be said

Refrain:

AllYou have left all things and followed me:
you will be rewarded a hundred times over and gain eternal life. Alleluia.

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 left all things and followed me:
you will be rewarded a hundred times over and gain eternal life. Alleluia.

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 unity of the Church
¶ The peace of the world
¶ The healing of the sick
¶ The revelation of Christ to those from whom his glory is hidden
¶ All who travel

A form of prayer found on page 379 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,
who endowed Aelred the abbot
with the gift of Christian friendship
and the wisdom to lead others in the way of holiness:
grant to your people that same spirit of mutual affection,
so that, in loving one another,
we may know the love of Christ
and rejoice in the eternal possession
      of your supreme goodness;
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

Believing the promises of God,
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)

Believing the promises of God,
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 sends us to the nations,
give us the power of his Spirit.
AllAmen.

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