Vespers (Evening Prayer)
(First Vespers of tomorrow, Christ the King)
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
Crown him with many crowns,
the Lamb upon his throne;
hark, how the heavenly anthem drowns
all music but its own.
Awake, my soul, and sing
of him who died for thee,
and hail him as thy matchless King
through all eternity.
Crown him the Virgin’s Son,
the God incarnate born,
whose arm those crimson trophies won
which now his brow adorn;
Fruit of the mystic Rose,
as of that Rose the Stem;
the Root whence mercy ever flows,
the Babe of Bethlehem.
Crown him the Lord of love,
behold his hands and side,
those wounds, yet visible above,
in beauty glorified.
No angel in the sky
can fully bear that sight,
but downward bends his burning eye
at mysteries so bright.
Crown him the Lord of peace,
whose power a sceptre sways
from pole to pole, that wars may cease,
and all be prayer and praise.
His reign shall know no end,
and round his piercèd feet
fair flowers of paradise extend
their fragrance ever sweet.
Crown him the Lord of years,
the Potentate of time,
Creator of the rolling spheres,
ineffably sublime:
all hail, Redeemer, hail!
for thou hast died for me;
thy praise shall never, never fail
throughout eternity.
Psalm 112 (113)
Praise of the Lord's name
He will be called the ‘Peacemaker’, and his throne will stand firm for ever.
Praise, servants of the Lord,
praise the name of the Lord.
Let the Lord’s name be blessed,
now and for ever.
From the sun’s rising to its setting,
the Lord’s name is to be praised.
The Lord is high over all peoples,
his glory is above the heavens.
Who is like the Lord our God, who lives on high,
who bends down to watch over heaven and earth?
He raises the weak from the ground,
the poor from the dunghill,
raises them among the princes,
the princes of his people.
He gives the barren woman a household,
makes her the happy mother of children.
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.
He will be called the ‘Peacemaker’, and his throne will stand firm for ever.
Psalm 116 (117)
Praise of the merciful Lord
His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom; all kings will serve him and obey him.
Praise the Lord, all nations; all peoples, praise him.
For his mercy is strong over us and his faithfulness is 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.
His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom; all kings will serve him and obey him.
Canticle
Apocalypse 4,5
The song of the redeemed
Christ has received the authority and glory of a king; every people, tribe and nation will serve him for ever.
You are worthy, our Lord and our God,
to receive glory and honour and power;
for you made all things,
and it is by your will that they exist and were created.
You are worthy, Lord,
to receive the book and open its seals,
for you were killed,
and with your blood you have ransomed people
from every tribe and language and people and nation,
and made them rulers and priests for God;
and they will rule over the earth.
The Lamb is worthy, who was killed,
to receive power and riches and wisdom,
strength and honour, glory and blessing.
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.
Christ has received the authority and glory of a king; every people, tribe and nation will serve him for ever.
Short Reading
(Ephesians 1:20-23)
©
God raised Christ from the dead and made him sit at his right hand, in heaven, far above every Sovereignty, Authority, Power, or Domination, or any other name that can be named not only in this age but also in the age to come. He has put all things under his feet and made him, as the ruler of everything, the head of the Church; which is his body, the fullness of him who fills the whole creation.
Short Responsory
Yours are majesty and power; yours, Lord, is the sovereignty.
– Yours are majesty and power; yours, Lord, is the sovereignty.
You are ruler of all.
– Yours are majesty and power; yours, Lord, is the sovereignty.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
– Yours are majesty and power; yours, Lord, is the sovereignty.
Canticle
Magnificat
My soul rejoices in the Lord
The Lord God will give him the throne of David, his ancestor; he will reign in the House of Jacob for ever and his kingdom will know no end, alleluia.
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.
The Lord God will give him the throne of David, his ancestor; he will reign in the House of Jacob for ever and his kingdom will know no end, alleluia.
Prayers and intercessions
To Christ our King, who is first in all things and in whom all things exist, let us confidently pray:
– Lord, may your kingdom come.
Lord Jesus Christ, our king and our shepherd, gather your flock from every corner of the earth:
set it to graze in your fresh and fertile pastures.
– Lord, may your kingdom come.
Jesus, our leader and Saviour, make all people your own; heal the sick, seek out the lost, preserve the strong:
bring back the strayed, reunite those who are scattered and give new hope to the downhearted.
– Lord, may your kingdom come.
Jesus, eternal judge, when you hand over your kingdom to your Father, seat us at your right hand;
and let us take possession of the kingdom prepared for us since the foundation of the world.
– Lord, may your kingdom come.
Jesus, prince of peace, destroy the weapons of war:
speak words of peace to your people.
– Lord, may your kingdom come.
Jesus, heir of all nations, bring all mankind into the kingdom of your Church, which was entrusted to you by the Father:
so that all may acknowledge you as the Head in the unity of the Holy Spirit.
– Lord, may your kingdom come.
Jesus, firstborn of the dead and first-fruits of those who sleep,
bring all who have died to the glory of your resurrection.
– Lord, may your kingdom come.
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.
Almighty, ever-living God,
it is your will to unite the entire universe under your beloved Son,
Jesus Christ, the King of heaven and earth.
Grant freedom to the whole of creation,
and let it praise and serve your majesty for ever.
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.
