Wednesday 8 January 2020
Wednesday after Epiphany Sunday
Vespers (Evening Prayer)
Introduction (without Invitatory)
If this is the first Hour that you are reciting today, use the version with the Invitatory Psalm instead.
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
Why, impious Herod, vainly fear
That Christ the Saviour cometh here?
He takes not earthly thrones away
Who gives the crown that lasts for aye.
To greet his birth the wise men went,
Led by the star before them sent;
Called on by light, towards Light they pressed,
And by their gifts their God confessed.
In holy Jordan’s purest wave
The heavenly Lamb vouchsafed to lave;
That he, to whom was sin unknown,
Might cleanse his people from their own.
New miracle of power divine,
The Water reddens into wine;
He spoke the word, and poured the wave
In other streams than nature gave.
All glory, Lord, to thee we pay
For thine Epiphany today;
All glory, as is ever meet,
To Father and to Paraclete.
________
Psalm 61 (62)
Peace in God
“May the God of hope fill you with all peace as you believe in him” (Rom 15:13).
We are waiting in hope for the blessings of the glorious coming of our Saviour.
In God alóne is my sóul at rést; *
my hélp comes from hím.
He alóne is my róck, my strónghold, *
my fórtress: I stand fírm.
How lóng will you áll attack one mán *
to bréak him dówn,
as thóugh he were a tóttering wáll, *
or a túmbling fénce?
Their plán is ónly to destróy: *
they take pléasure in líes.
With their móuth they útter bléssing *
but in their héart they cúrse.
In God alóne be at rést, my sóul; *
for my hópe comes from hím.
He alóne is my róck, my strónghold, *
my fórtress: I stand fírm.
In Gód is my sáfety and glóry, *
the róck of my stréngth.
Take réfuge in Gód, all you péople. *
Trúst him at áll times.
Póur out your héarts befóre him *
for Gód is our réfuge.
Cómmon folk are ónly a bréath, *
gréat men an illúsion.
Pláced in the scáles, they ríse; *
they weigh léss than a bréath.
Dó not put your trúst in oppréssion *
nor vain hópes on plúnder.
Dó not set your héart on ríches *
even whén they incréase.
For Gód has sáid only óne thing: *
only twó do I knów:
that to Gód alóne belongs pówer *
and to yóu, Lord, lóve;
and that yóu repáy each mán *
accórding to his déeds.
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.
We are waiting in hope for the blessings of the glorious coming of our Saviour.
Psalm-prayer
Lord God, you reward each one according to his works. Hear us as we pour out our hearts to you, seeking your grace and secure protection. We look to you for our stable hope in a constantly changing world.
________
Psalm 66 (67)
All peoples, praise the Lord
“Let it be known to you that this salvation from God has been sent to all peoples” (Acts 28:28).
Let God bless us; let his face shine upon us.
O Gód, be grácious and bléss us *
and let your fáce shed its líght upón us.
So will your wáys be knówn upon éarth *
and all nátions learn your sáving hélp.
Let the péoples práise you, O Gód; *
let áll the péoples práise you.
Let the nátions be glád and exúlt *
for you rúle the wórld with jústice.
With fáirness you rúle the péoples, *
you gúide the nátions on éarth.
Let the péoples práise you, O Gód; *
let áll the péoples práise you.
The éarth has yíelded its frúit *
for Gód, our Gód, has bléssed us.
May Gód still gíve us his bléssing *
till the énds of the éarth revére him.
Let the péoples práise you, O Gód; *
let áll the péoples práise you.
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.
Let God bless us; let his face shine upon us.
Psalm-prayer
Be gracious and bless us, Lord, and let your face shed its light on us, so that we can make you known with reverence and bring forth a harvest of justice.
Or:
All peoples praise you, Father, because through your kindly power the earth has brought forth its fruit, the tree of the cross. We ask that this cross unite all peoples in its embrace and feed them with its fruit, everlasting life.
________
Canticle
(Colossians 1)
Christ, firstborn of all creatures and firstborn from the dead
All things were created in him and he holds all things in being.
Let us give thanks to the Father, †
who has qualified us to share *
in the inheritance of the saints in light.
He has delivered us from the dominion of darkness *
and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son,
in whom we have redemption, *
the forgiveness of sins.
He is the image of the invisible God, *
the firstborn of all creation,
for in him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, *
visible and invisible.
All things were created *
through him and for him.
He is before all things, *
and in him all things hold together.
He is the head of the body, the Church; *
he is the beginning,
the firstborn from the dead, *
that in everything he might be pre-eminent.
For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, *
and through him to reconcile to himself all things,
whether on earth or in heaven, *
making peace by the blood of his cross.
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.
All things were created in him and he holds all things in being.
________
Short Reading
Colossians 1:13-15
God has taken us out of the power of darkness and created a place for us in the kingdom of the Son that he loves, and in him, we gain our freedom, the forgiveness of our sins. He is the image of the unseen God and the first-born of all creation.
________
Short Responsory
All the peoples will be blessed in him.
– All the peoples will be blessed in him.
All nations will praise him.
– All the peoples will be blessed in him.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
– All the peoples will be blessed in him.
________
Canticle
Magnificat
My soul rejoices in the Lord
Herod asked the Magi, ‘What sign have you seen regarding this newborn king?’ – ‘We saw a bright star whose light fills the whole world.’
My soul glórifies the Lórd, *
my spirit rejóices in Gód, my Sáviour.
He looks on his sérvant in her lówliness; *
henceforth all áges will cáll me bléssed.
The Almíghty works márvels for me. *
Hóly his náme!
His mércy is from age to áge, *
on thóse who féar him.
He púts forth his árm in stréngth *
and scátters the proud-héarted.
He casts the míghty from their thrónes *
and ráises the lówly.
He fills the stárving with good thíngs, *
sends the rích away émpty.
He protects Ísrael, his sérvant, *
remémbering his mércy,
the mercy prómised to our fáthers, *
to Ábraham and his sóns for éver.
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.
Herod asked the Magi, ‘What sign have you seen regarding this newborn king?’ – ‘We saw a bright star whose light fills the whole world.’
________
Prayers and intercessions
Full of confidence, we pray to the Word of God who came to drown all our sins in the ocean of his love.
– Lord, have mercy.
Eternal High-Priest, in you the fullness of divine worship is given to us;
grant all men a share in this worship through your Church.
– Lord, have mercy.
You came to us as healer of soul and body;
strengthen the sick and restore them to health.
– Lord, have mercy.
With you there is mercy and fullness of redemption;
may all men discover the deep joy of repentance.
– Lord, have mercy.
Mighty King, you broke the chains that held us;
give strength and comfort to those in prison.
– Lord, have mercy.
Lord of life and death, you opened the gate of heaven,
receive the dead into the glory of your presence.
– Lord, have mercy.
________
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.
________
God and Father, light of all mankind,
make our hearts radiant with the splendour of that light
which long ago you shed on our fathers in the faith,
and give your people the joy of lasting peace.
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.
Copyright © 1996-2019 Universalis Publishing Limited: see www.universalis.com. Scripture readings from the Jerusalem Bible are published and copyright © 1966, 1967 and 1968 by Darton, Longman & Todd, Ltd and Doubleday, a division of Random House, Inc, and used by permission of the publishers. Text of the Psalms: Copyright © 1963, The Grail (England). Used with permission of A.P. Watt Ltd. All rights reserved.