Vespers (Evening Prayer)
INTRODUCTION
O God, come to our aid.
O Lord, make haste to help us.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen. Alleluia.
Hymn
Come, praise the Lord, the Almighty, the King of all nations!
Tell forth his fame, O ye peoples, with loud acclamations!
His love is sure;
Faithful his word shall endure,
Steadfast through all generations!
Praise to the Father most gracious, the Lord of creation!
Praise to his Son, the Redeemer who wrought our salvation!
O heav’nly Dove,
Praise to thee, fruit of their love,
Giver of all consolation.
Psalm 122 (123)
The Lord guards his people
Our eyes are turned to the Lord; we look for his mercy.
To you I lift up my eyes,
to you who dwell in the heavens.
Like the eyes of a servant watching his master,
like the eyes of a maid on her mistress’s hands,
so we keep our eyes on the Lord our God,
as we wait for his kindness.
Take pity on us, Lord, take pity:
we have had our fill of contempt.
Our souls have had their fill
of the laughter of the rich,
of the contempt of the proud.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen.
Our eyes are turned to the Lord; we look for his mercy.
Psalm 123 (124)
Our help is in the name of the Lord
Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
If the Lord had not been with us
(so let Israel sing),
If the Lord had not been with us
when men rose up against us,
they might have skinned us alive,
such was their anger.
The waters could have drowned us,
the torrent poured over us,
the foaming waters poured over us.
Blessed be the Lord, who saved us
from being torn to pieces by their teeth.
We have escaped, like a bird
from the snare of the fowler.
The snare was broken,
and we escaped.
Our help is in the name of the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen.
Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
Canticle
Ephesians 1
God the Saviour
God chose us in his Son and made us his adopted sons.
Blessed be God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who has blessed us, in Christ,
with every spiritual blessing in heaven.
In love, he chose us before the creation of the world,
to be holy and spotless in his sight.
He predestined us to be his adopted children through Jesus Christ,
simply because it pleased him to do so.
This he did for the praise of the glory of his grace,
of his free gift to us in his Beloved,
in whose blood we have gained redemption,
and the forgiveness of our sins.
This he did according to the riches of his grace,
which he gave us in abundance,
with all wisdom and discernment,
revealing to us the mysteries of his will,
because it pleased him to do so.
In this action he has planned, in the fulfilment of time,
to bring all things together in Christ,
from the heavens and from the earth.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen.
God chose us in his Son and made us his adopted sons.
Short Reading
James 4:11-12
©
Brothers, do not slander one another. Anyone who slanders a brother, or condemns him, is speaking against the Law and condemning the Law. But if you condemn the Law, you have stopped keeping it and become a judge over it. There is only one lawgiver and he is the only judge and has the power to acquit or to sentence. Who are you to give a verdict on your neighbour?
Short Responsory
Heal my soul, for I have sinned against you.
– Heal my soul, for I have sinned against you.
I said: ‘Lord, have mercy on me.’
– Heal my soul, for I have sinned against you.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
– Heal my soul, for I have sinned against you.
Canticle
Magnificat
My soul rejoices in the Lord
My soul magnifies the Lord, since God has had regard for my humble state.
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God, my salvation.
For he has shown me such favour –
me, his lowly handmaiden.
Now all generations will call me blessed,
because the mighty one has done great things for me.
His name is holy,
his mercy lasts for generation after generation
for those who revere him.
He has put forth his strength:
he has scattered the proud and conceited,
torn princes from their thrones;
but lifted up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things;
the rich he has sent away empty.
He has come to the help of his servant Israel,
he has remembered his mercy as he promised to our fathers,
to Abraham and his children for ever.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen.
My soul magnifies the Lord, since God has had regard for my humble state.
Prayers and intercessions
The will of Christ is for all men to be saved. Let us pray that his will may be done.
– Draw all men to yourself, Lord.
Lord, by your sacrifice on the cross you redeemed us from the slavery of sin:
lead us to the freedom and glory of the sons of God.
– Draw all men to yourself, Lord.
Be with our bishop, N., and all the bishops of your Church:
grant them courage and compassion in their ministry.
– Draw all men to yourself, Lord.
Help those who seek the truth to find it:
let them be consecrated in truth.
– Draw all men to yourself, Lord.
We pray especially for peace in family life, and for those orphaned and widowed:
comfort them in your love.
– Draw all men to yourself, Lord.
May our departed brothers and sisters come to the heavenly city:
there, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, you will reign for ever.
– Draw all men to yourself, Lord.
Our 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.
Lord God,
it is our bounden duty to proclaim you as the Light
with whom there is no alteration or shadow of change.
Enlighten our darkness as we reach the close of this day,
and in your mercy forgive us our sins.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
Amen.
The Lord bless us, and keep us from all evil, and bring us to everlasting life.
Amen.
