Evening Prayer (Evensong) in Contemporary Language

¶ Evening Prayer
Advent
Friday, 12 December 2025
Ember Day

Preparation

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

Reveal among us the light of your presence
Allthat we may behold your power and glory.

One or more of the following is said or sung:

this or another prayer of thanksgiving

Blessed are you, Sovereign God,
creator of light and darkness,
to you be glory and praise for ever.
As evening falls, you renew your promise
to reveal among us the light of your presence.
May your word be a lantern to our feet
and a light upon our path
that we may behold your coming among us.
Strengthen us in our stumbling weakness
and free our tongues to sing your praise.
Blessed be God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
AllBlessed be God for ever.

A Song of Mercy and Truth (page 559), the following or another suitable hymn

Creator of the stars of night,
thy people’s everlasting light,
O Jesu, Saviour of us all,
regard thy servants when they call.

Thou, grieving at the bitter cry
of all creation doomed to die,
didst come to save a ruined race
with healing gifts of heavenly grace.

Thou camest, Bridegroom of the bride,
as drew the world to evening-tide,
proceeding from a virgin shrine,
the Son of Man, yet Lord divine.

At thy great name, exalted now,
all knees must bend, all hearts must bow,
and things in heaven and earth shall own
that thou art Lord and King alone.

To thee, O holy One, we pray
our judge in that tremendous day,
preserve us, while we dwell below,
from every onslaught of the foe.

All praise, eternal Son, to thee,
whose advent sets thy people free,
whom with the Father we adore,
and Spirit blest, for evermore.

Latin, tr: J M Neale
(Tune: LM)

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 82

Refrain: Arise, O God, and judge the earth.

1 God has taken his stand in the council of heaven; ♦
in the midst of the gods he gives judgement:

2 ‘How long will you judge unjustly ♦
and show such favour to the wicked?

3 ‘You were to judge the weak and the orphan; ♦
defend the right of the humble and needy;

4 ‘Rescue the weak and the poor; ♦
deliver them from the hand of the wicked. R

5 ‘They have no knowledge or wisdom;
they walk on still in darkness: ♦
all the foundations of the earth are shaken.

6 ‘Therefore I say that though you are gods ♦
and all of you children of the Most High,

7 ‘Nevertheless, you shall die like mortals ♦
and fall like one of their princes.’

8 Arise, O God and judge the earth, ♦
for it is you that shall take all nations for your possession.

Refrain: Arise, O God, and judge the earth.

God our deliverer,
when the foundations are shaken
and justice has departed,
defend the poor and needy
and give your people strength to fight all wrong
in the name of your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Psalm 90

Refrain: O Lord my God, in you I take refuge.

1 Lord, you have been our refuge ♦
from one generation to another.

2 Before the mountains were brought forth,
or the earth and the world were formed, ♦
from everlasting to everlasting you are God.

3 You turn us back to dust and say: ♦
‘Turn back, O children of earth.’

4 For a thousand years in your sight are but as yesterday, ♦
which passes like a watch in the night.

5 You sweep them away like a dream; ♦
they fade away suddenly like the grass.

6 In the morning it is green and flourishes; ♦
in the evening it is dried up and withered. R

7 For we consume away in your displeasure; ♦
we are afraid at your wrathful indignation.

8 You have set our misdeeds before you ♦
and our secret sins in the light of your countenance.

9 When you are angry, all our days are gone; ♦
our years come to an end like a sigh.

10 The days of our life are three score years and ten,
or if our strength endures, even four score; ♦
yet the sum of them is but labour and sorrow,
for they soon pass away and we are gone.

11 Who regards the power of your wrath ♦
and your indignation like those who fear you?

12 So teach us to number our days ♦
that we may apply our hearts to wisdom. R

13 Turn again, O Lord; how long will you delay? ♦
Have compassion on your servants.

14 Satisfy us with your loving-kindness in the morning; ♦
that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.

15 Give us gladness for the days you have afflicted us, ♦
and for the years in which we have seen adversity.

16 Show your servants your works, ♦
and let your glory be over their children.

17 May the gracious favour of the Lord our God be upon us; ♦
prosper our handiwork; O prosper the work of our hands.

Refrain: O Lord my God, in you I take refuge.

Almighty God,
our eternal refuge,
teach us to live with the knowledge of our death
and to rejoice in the promise of your glory,
revealed to us in 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 48.12-end

Listen to me, O Jacob,
   and Israel, whom I called:
I am He; I am the first,
   and I am the last.
My hand laid the foundation of the earth,
   and my right hand spread out the heavens;
when I summon them,
   they stand at attention.

Assemble, all of you, and hear!
   Who among them has declared these things?
The Lord loves him;
   he shall perform his purpose on Babylon,
   and his arm shall be against the Chaldeans.
I, even I, have spoken and called him,
   I have brought him, and he will prosper in his way.
Draw near to me, hear this!
   From the beginning I have not spoken in secret,
   from the time it came to be I have been there.
And now the Lord God has sent me and his spirit.

Thus says the Lord,
   your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel:
I am the Lord your God,
   who teaches you for your own good,
   who leads you in the way you should go.
O that you had paid attention to my commandments!
   Then your prosperity would have been like a river,
   and your success like the waves of the sea;
your offspring would have been like the sand,
   and your descendants like its grains;
their name would never be cut off
   or destroyed from before me.

Go out from Babylon, flee from Chaldea,
   declare this with a shout of joy, proclaim it,
send it forth to the end of the earth;
   say, ‘The Lord has redeemed his servant Jacob!’
They did not thirst when he led them through the deserts;
   he made water flow for them from the rock;
   he split open the rock and the water gushed out.

‘There is no peace’, says the Lord, ‘for the wicked.’

Canticle

A Song of the Spirit, or another suitable canticle, for example, number 57 (page 614) or number 72 (page 630), may be said

Refrain:

AllSurely I am coming soon.
Amen. Come, Lord Jesus! Alleluia.

1‘Behold, I am coming soon’, says the Lord,
‘and bringing my reward with me, ♦
to give to everyone according to their deeds.

2‘I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, ♦
the beginning and the end.’

3Blessed are those who do God’s commandments,
that they may have the right to the tree of life, ♦
and may enter into the city through the gates.

4‘I, Jesus, have sent my angel to you, ♦
with this testimony for all the churches.

5‘I am the root and the offspring of David, ♦
I am the bright morning star.’

6‘Come!’ say the Spirit and the Bride; ♦
‘Come!’ let each hearer reply.

7Come forward, you who are thirsty, ♦
let those who desire take the water of life as a gift.

Revelation 22.12-14, 16, 17

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.

AllSurely I am coming soon.
Amen. Come, Lord Jesus! 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 Thessalonians 4.1-12

Finally, brothers and sisters, we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus that, as you learned from us how you ought to live and to please God (as, in fact, you are doing), you should do so more and more. For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus. For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from fornication; that each one of you knows how to control your own body in holiness and honour, not with lustful passion, like the Gentiles who do not know God; that no one wrongs or exploits a brother or sister in this matter, because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, just as we have already told you beforehand and solemnly warned you. For God did not call us to impurity but in holiness. Therefore whoever rejects this rejects not human authority but God, who also gives his Holy Spirit to you.

Now concerning love of the brothers and sisters, you do not need to have anyone write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another; and indeed you do love all the brothers and sisters throughout Macedonia. But we urge you, beloved, to do so more and more, to aspire to live quietly, to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we directed you, so that you may behave properly towards outsiders and be dependent on no one.

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

My soul is waiting for you, O Lord:
in your word is my hope.
AllMy soul is waiting for you, O Lord:
in your word is my hope.
There is forgiveness with you,
so that you shall be feared.
AllIn your word is my hope.
Glory to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit.
AllMy soul is waiting for you, O Lord:
in your word is my hope.

from Psalm 130

 

Gospel Canticle

The Magnificat (The Song of Mary) is normally said, or The Song of Christ's Glory (page 619) may be said

Refrain:

AllLord Jesus, you are the one who is to come,
the one whom we await with longing hearts.

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:

AllLord Jesus, you are the one who is to come,
the one whom we await with longing hearts.

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 Church, that she may be ready for the coming of Christ
¶ The leaders of the Church
¶ The nations, that they may be subject to the rule of God
¶ Those who are working for justice in the world
¶ The broken, that they may find God’s healing

A form of prayer found 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

O Lord, raise up, we pray, your power
and come among us,
and with great might succour us;
that whereas, through our sins and wickedness
we are grievously hindered
in running the race that is set before us,
your bountiful grace and mercy
may speedily help and deliver us;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
to whom with you and the Holy Spirit,
be honour and glory, now and for ever.
AllAmen.

The Lord’s Prayer is said

Awaiting his coming in glory,
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)

Awaiting his coming in glory,
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 the Lord, when he comes,
find us watching and waiting.
AllAmen.

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