Tuesday 22 December 2020
22 December
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
O come, now Rod of Jesse’s stem,
From every foe deliver them
That trust your mighty power to save,
And give them vict’ry o’er the grave.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to you, O Israel!
O come, now Key of David, come,
And open wide our heav’nly home;
Make safe the way that leads on high,
And close the path to misery.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to you, O Israel!
O come, now Day-spring from on high,
And cheer us by your drawing nigh;
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,
And death’s dark shadow put to flight.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to you, O Israel!
O come, Desire of nations, bind
In one the hearts of all mankind;
Bid now our sad divisions cease,
And be yourself our King of Peace.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to you, O Israel!
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Psalm 136 (137)
By the rivers of Babylon
“This bodily captivity of the people must be understood as pointing to their spiritual captivity” (St Hilary).
The Lord will come out from his holy place: he will come to save his people.
By the rivers of Babylon
there we sat and wept,
remembering Sion;
on the poplars that grew there
we hung up our harps.
For it was there that they asked us,
our captors, for songs,
our oppressors, for joy.
‘Sing to us,’ they said,
‘one of Sion’s songs.’
O how could we sing
the song of the Lord
on alien soil?
If I forget you, Jerusalem,
let my right hand wither!
O let my tongue
cleave to my mouth
if I remember you not,
if I prize not Jerusalem
above all my joys!
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 will come out from his holy place: he will come to save his people.
Psalm-prayer
Lord, remember your pilgrim Church. We sit weeping at the streams of Babylon. Do not let us be drawn into the current of the passing world, but free us from every evil and raise our thoughts to the heavenly Jerusalem.
Or:
Our Father in heaven, you willed to make us citizens of your country and singers of your kind mercy. Do not abandon us in the land of exile to weep at the streams of an earthly Babylon, but bring us to the heavenly Jerusalem chanting your songs.
________
Psalm 137 (138)
Thanksgiving
“The kings of the earth will bring glory and honour to the holy city” (cf Rev 21:24).
We have a strong city. The Saviour will set up wall and rampart to guard it: open the gates, for God is with us. Alleluia.
I thank you, Lord, with all my heart:
you have heard the words of my mouth.
In the presence of the angels I will bless you.
I will adore before your holy temple.
I thank you for your faithfulness and love,
which excel all we ever knew of you.
On the day I called, you answered;
you increased the strength of my soul.
All earth’s kings shall thank you
when they hear the words of your mouth.
They shall sing of the Lord’s ways:
‘How great is the glory of the Lord!’
The Lord is high yet he looks on the lowly
and the haughty he knows from afar.
Though I walk in the midst of affliction
you give me life and frustrate my foes.
You stretch out your hand and save me,
your hand will do all things for me.
Your love, O Lord, is eternal,
discard not the work of your hands.
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 have a strong city. The Saviour will set up wall and rampart to guard it: open the gates, for God is with us. Alleluia.
Psalm-prayer
Look down from your holy temple, Lord, and we will proclaim you with all our heart. Listen to the words of our lips and pardon the sins of your people.
Or:
Listen to the prayers of your Church, Lord God; in the presence of the angels we praise your name. You keep the proud at a distance and look upon the lowly with favour. Stretch out your hand to us in our suffering, perfect in us the work of your love and bring us to life.
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Canticle
Apocalypse 4,5
The song of the redeemed
Let us know your way on earth, Lord: let all the peoples know your saving power.
Worthy are you, our Lord and God,
to receive glory and honour and power,
for you created all things,
and by your will they existed and were created.
Worthy are you, O Lord,
to take the scroll and to open its seals,
for you were slain,
and by your blood you ransomed men for God
from every tribe and tongue and people and nation.
You have made us a kingdom and priests to our God,
and we shall reign on earth.
Worthy is the Lamb who was slain
to receive power and wealth
and wisdom and might
and honour and 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.
Let us know your way on earth, Lord: let all the peoples know your saving power.
________
Short Reading
James 5:7-8,9
Be patient, brothers, until the Lord’s coming. Think of a farmer: how patiently he waits for the precious fruit of the ground until it has had the autumn rains and the spring rains! You too have to be patient; do not lose heart, because the Lord’s coming will be soon. The Judge is already to be seen waiting at the gates.
________
Short Responsory
Come to us and save us, Lord God almighty.
– Come to us and save us, Lord God almighty.
Let your face smile on us and we shall be safe.
– Come to us and save us, Lord God almighty.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
– Come to us and save us, Lord God almighty.
________
Canticle
Magnificat
My soul rejoices in the Lord
O King whom all the peoples desire, you are the cornerstone which makes all one. O come and save man, whom you made from clay.
My soul glorifies the Lord,
my spirit rejoices in God, my Saviour.
He looks on his servant in her lowliness;
henceforth all ages will call me blessed.
The Almighty works marvels for me.
Holy his name!
His mercy is from age to age,
on those who fear him.
He puts forth his arm in strength
and scatters the proud-hearted.
He casts the mighty from their thrones
and raises the lowly.
He fills the starving with good things,
sends the rich away empty.
He protects Israel, his servant,
remembering his mercy,
the mercy promised to our fathers,
to Abraham and his sons 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.
O King whom all the peoples desire, you are the cornerstone which makes all one. O come and save man, whom you made from clay.
________
Prayers and intercessions
God is light: if we live and move in light, there is love between us.
– Lord Jesus, help us to love one another.
May we who are called Christians,
be known by our love.
– Lord Jesus, help us to love one another.
Without love the world cannot be at peace:
rid our world of hatred and fear.
– Lord Jesus, help us to love one another.
Help husbands and wives to find comfort in sorrow and strength in trials;
grant them enduring love.
– Lord Jesus, help us to love one another.
Lord, keep all the dead in your care:
those we have loved and those no one remembers.
– Lord Jesus, help us to love one another.
________
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,
you looked in pity on fallen man
and redeemed us by the coming of your Son.
Grant that we who profess our firm and humble faith in the incarnation of our Redeemer
may have some share in his divine life.
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.