Sunday 26 April 2020
3rd Sunday of Easter
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.
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Hymn
The Lamb’s high banquet we await,
In snow-white robes of royal state;
And now, the Red Sea’s channel past,
To Christ our Prince we sing at last.
Upon the altar of the Cross
His body hath redeemed our loss;
And tasting of his scarlet blood,
Our life is hid with him in God.
Now Christ our paschal Lamb is slain,
The Lamb of God that knows no stain,
The true oblation offered here,
Our own unleavened bread sincere.
O thou, from whom hell’s monarch flies,
O great, O very Sacrifice,
Thy captive people are set free,
And endless life restored in thee.
To thee who, dead, again dost live,
All glory, Lord, thy people give:
All glory, as is ever meet,
To Father and to Paraclete.
________
Psalm 109 (110)
The Messiah, king and priest
“He must be king so that he may put all his enemies under his feet” (1 Cor 15:25).
When he had made purification for sin, he sat at the right hand of the Majesty on high. Alleluia.
The Lórd’s revelátion to my Máster: †
‘Sít on my ríght: *
your fóes I will pút beneath your féet.’
The Lórd will wíeld from Síon †
your scéptre of pówer: *
rúle in the mídst of all your fóes.
A prínce from the dáy of your bírth †
on the hóly móuntains; *
from the wómb before the dáwn I begót you.
The Lórd has sworn an óath he will not chánge. †
‘You are a príest for éver, *
a príest like Melchízedek of óld.’
The Máster stánding at your ríght hand *
will shatter kíngs in the dáy of his wráth.
He shall drínk from the stréam by the wáyside *
and thérefore he shall líft up his héad.
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.
When he had made purification for sin, he sat at the right hand of the Majesty on high. Alleluia.
Psalm-prayer
Father, we ask you to give us victory and peace. In Jesus Christ, our Lord and King, we are already seated at your right hand. We look forward to praise you in the fellowship of all your saints in our heavenly homeland.
Or:
Almighty God, bring the kingdom of Christ, your anointed one, to its fullness. May the perfect offering of your Son, eternal priest of the new Jerusalem, be offered in every place to your name and make all nations a holy people for you.
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Psalm 110 (111)
Great are the works of the Lord
“How great and wonderful are all your works, Lord God Almighty” (Rev 15:3).
The Lord has delivered his people. Alleluia.
I will thánk the Lórd with all my héart *
in the méeting of the júst and their assémbly.
Gréat are the wórks of the Lórd, *
to be póndered by áll who lóve them.
Majéstic and glórious his wórk, *
his jústice stands fírm for éver.
He mákes us remémber his wónders. *
The Lórd is compássion and lóve.
He gives fóod to thóse who féar him; *
keeps his cóvenant éver in mínd.
He has shówn his míght to his péople *
by gíving them the lánds of the nátions.
His wórks are jústice and trúth, *
his précepts are áll of them súre,
standing fírm for éver and éver; *
they are máde in úprightness and trúth.
He has sént delíverance to his péople †
and estáblished his cóvenant for éver. *
Hóly his náme, to be féared.
To fear the Lórd is the fírst stage of wísdom; *
all who dó so próve themselves wíse.
His práise shall lást 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.
The Lord has delivered his people. Alleluia.
Psalm-prayer
Merciful and gentle Lord, you are the crowning glory of all the saints. Give us, your children, the gift of obedience which is the beginning of wisdom, so that we may do what you command and be filled with your mercy.
Or:
Merciful God, splendour of the Church and crown of all saints, give us that firm faith which begets wisdom and nourish us with heavenly bread in the holy assembly. May we renew the memory of your wondrous deeds in the one sacrifice worthy of you, until we enjoy the fullness of your covenant in an eternity of happiness.
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Canticle
(Apocalypse 19)
The wedding of the Lamb
Alleluia. The Lord our God is king: let us rejoice and give glory to him. Alleluia.
Alleluia.
Salvation and glory and power belong to our God, *
his judgements are true and just.
Alleluia.
Alleluia.
Praise our God, all you his servants, *
you who fear him, small and great.
Alleluia.
Alleluia.
The Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns, *
let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory.
Alleluia.
Alleluia.
The marriage of the Lamb has come, *
and his bride has made herself ready.
Alleluia.
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. The Lord our God is king: let us rejoice and give glory to him. Alleluia.
________
Short Reading
Hebrews 10:12-14
Christ has offered one single sacrifice for sins, and then taken his place forever, at the right hand of God, where he is now waiting until his enemies are made into a footstool for him. By virtue of that one single offering, he has achieved the eternal perfection of all whom he is sanctifying.
________
Short Responsory
The Lord has truly risen, alleluia, alleluia.
– The Lord has truly risen, alleluia, alleluia.
He has appeared to Simon.
– The Lord has truly risen, alleluia, alleluia.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
– The Lord has truly risen, alleluia, alleluia.
________
Canticle
Magnificat
My soul rejoices in the Lord
While he was with them at table, he took the bread and said the blessing; then he broke it and handed it to them. And their eyes were opened and they recognised him. Alleluia. (Year A)
Or: Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Bring some of the fish you have just caught.’ Simon Peter went aboard and dragged the net to the shore, full of fish. Alleluia.
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.
While he was with them at table, he took the bread and said the blessing; then he broke it and handed it to them. And their eyes were opened and they recognised him. Alleluia. (Year A)
Or: Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Bring some of the fish you have just caught.’ Simon Peter went aboard and dragged the net to the shore, full of fish. Alleluia.
________
Prayers and intercessions
Let us pray with joy to Christ the Lord. He rose from the dead and is living now to intercede for us.
– Victorious king, hear us.
Christ, you are the light of the world and the salvation of nations;
set us on fire with your Spirit as we proclaim the wonder of your resurrection.
– Victorious king, hear us.
Let Israel recognize in you the Messiah it has longed for;
fill all men with the knowledge of your glory.
– Victorious king, hear us.
Keep us united in the communion of saints;
may we find rest with them, when life’s work is done.
– Victorious king, hear us.
You have overcome death, the last enemy of man;
destroy everything in us that is at enmity with God.
– Victorious king, hear us.
Christ, our Saviour, you became obedient to death, but God raised you to the heights;
receive our brothers into the kingdom of your glory.
– Victorious king, hear us.
________
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,
grant your people constant joy
in the renewed vigour of their souls.
They rejoice because you have restored them
to the glory of your adopted children:
let them look forward gladly
in the certain hope of resurrection.
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 © 1996-2020 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.