Opening Sentences - Confession of Sin - The Invitatory and Psalter - The Lessons - The Apostles Creed - The Prayers
Daily Evening Prayer:
Rite One
or with the Service
of Light on pages 109-112, and continuing with the
appointed Psalmody;
or with the versicle
"O God, make speed to save us" on page 63.
Let my payer be set forth in thy
sight as the incense, and let
the lifting up of my hands be an evening sacrifice.
Psalm 141:2
Grace be unto you, and peace,
from God our Father, and
from the Lord Jesus Christ. Philippians 1:2
O worship the Lord in the beauty
of holiness; let the whole
earth stand in awe of him. Psalm 96:9
Thine is the day, O God, thine
also the night; thou hast
established the moon and the sun. Thou hast fixed all the
boundries of the earth; thou hast made summer and winter.
Psalm 74:15,16
I will bless the Lord, who giveth
me counsel; my heart
teacheth me, night after night. I have set the Lord always
before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not fall.
Psalm 16:7,8
Evening Prayer I 61
Seek him that made the Pleides
and Orion, that turneth deep
darkness into the morning, and darkeneth the day into night;
that calleth for the waters of the sea, and poureth them out
upon the face of the earth: The Lord is his Name.
Amos 5:8
If I say, "Surely the
darkness will cover me, and the light
around me turn to night," darkness is not dark to thee, O
Lord;
the night is as bright as the day; darkness and light to thee
are both alike. Psalm 139:10,11
Jesus said, "I am the light
of the world; he that followeth me
shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of
life."
John 8:12
The following
Confession of Sin may then be said; or the Office may
continue at once with "O God make speed to save us."
The Officiant says to the people
Dear friends in Christ, here in
the presence of Almighty God,
let us kneel in silence, and with penitent and obedient hearts
confess our sins, so that we may obtain forgiveness by his
infinite goodness and mercy.
or this
Let us humbly confess our sins
unto Almighty God.
Silence may be kept.
Officiant and People together, all kneeling
Almighty and most merciful
Father,
we have erred and strayed from thy ways like lost sheep,
we have followed too much the devices and desires of our
own hearts,
62 Evening Prayer I
we have offended against thy holy
laws,
we have left undone those things which we ought to
have done,
and we have done those things which we ought not to
have done.
But thou, O Lord, have mercy upon us,
spare thou those who confess their faults,
restore thou those who are penitent,
according to thy promises declared unto mankind
in Christ Jesus our Lord;
and grant, O most merciful Father, for his sake,
that we may hereafter live a godly, righteous, and sober life,
to the glory of thy holy Name. Amen.
The Priest alone stands and says
The Almighty and merciful Lord
grant you absolution and
remission of all your sins, true repentance, amendment of
life, and the grace and consolation of his Holy Spirit.
Amen.
A deacon or lay
person using the preceding form remains kneeling, and
substitutes "us" for "you" and
"our" for "your."
All stand
Officiant O God, make speed
to save us.
People O Lord, make haste
to help us.
Officiant and People
Glory to the Father, and to the
Son, and to the Holy Spirit: as
it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.
Except in Lent, Alleluia may be added.
Evening Prayer I 63
The following, or
some other suitable hymn, or an Invitatory Psalm, may
be sung or said
O Gracious Light
Phos hilaron
O gracious Light,
pure brightness of the everliving Father in heaven,
O Jesus Christ, holy and blessed!
Now as we come to the setting of
the sun,
and our eyes behold the vesper light,
we sing thy praises, O God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Thou art worthy at all times to
be praised by happy voices,
O Son of God, O Giver of life,
and to be glorified though all the worlds.
Then follows
The Psalm or Psalms Appointed
At the end of the Psalms is sung or said
Glory to the Father, and to the
Son, and to the Holy Spirit: *
as it was in the beginning, is now, and
will be for ever. Amen.
One or two lessons, as appointed, are read, the Reader first saying
A Reading (Lesson) from _______________.
A citation giving chapter and verse may be added.
64 Evening Prayer I
After each Lesson the Reader may say
The
Word of the Lord.
Answer
Thanks
be to God.
Or the Reader may say Here endeth
the Lesson (Reading).
Silence may be kept
after each Reading. One of the following Canticles,
or one of those on pages 47-52, or 85-95, is sung or said after
each
Reading. If three Lessons are used, the Lesson from the Gospel is
read
after the second Canticle.
The Song of Mary
Magnificat
Luke
1:46-55
My soul doth magnify the Lord, *
and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my
Savior.
For he hath regarded *
the lowliness of his handmaiden.
For behold from henceforth *
all generations shall call me blessed.
For he that is mighty hath magnified me, *
and holy is his Name.
And his mercy is on them that fear him *
throughout all generations.
He hath showed strength with his arm; *
he hath scattered the proud in the
imagination of their hearts.
He hath put down the mighty from their seat, *
and hath exalted the humble and meek.
He hath filled the hungry with good things, *
and the rich he hath sent empty away.
He remembering his mercy hath holpen his servant Israel, *
as he promised to our forefathers,
Abraham and his seed for ever.
Glory to the Father, and to the
Son, and to the Holy Spirit: *
as it was in the beginning, is now, and
will be for ever. Amen.
Evening Prayer I 65
The Song of Simeon
Nunc dimittis
Luke
2:29-32
Lord, now lettest thou thy
servant depart in peace, *
according to thy word;
For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, *
which thou hast prepared before the face
of all people,
To be a light to lighten the Gentiles, *
and to be the glory of thy people Israel.
Glory to the Father, and to the
Son, and to the Holy Spirit: *
as it was in the beginning, is now, and
will be for ever. Amen.
Officiant and People together, all standing
I believe in God, the Father
almighty,
maker of heaven and earth;
And in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord;
who was conceived by the Holy Ghost,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, dead, and buried.
He descended into hell.
The third day he rose again from the
dead.
He ascended into heaven,
and sitteth on the right hand of God the
Father almighty.
From thence he shall come to judge the
quick and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Ghost,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.
The text of the Creed on page 120 may be used instead.
66 Evening Prayer I
The People stand or kneel
Officiant The Lord be
with you.
People
And also with you.
Officiant Let us
pray.
Officiant and People
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 tresspasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against
us.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory,
for ever and ever. Amen.
Then follows one of
these sets of Suffrages
A
V. O Lord, show
thy mercy upon us;
R. And grant us thy salvation.
V. Endue thy ministers with righteousness;
R. And make thy chosen people joyful.
V. Give peace, O Lord, in all the world;
R. For only in thee can we live in safety.
V. Lord, keep this nation under thy care;
R. And guide us in the way of justice and
truth.
Evening Prayer I 67
V. Let thy way
be known upon earth;
R. Thy saving health among all nations.
V. Let not the needy, O Lord, be forgotten;
R. Nor the hope of the poor be taken away.
V. Create in us clean hearts, O God;
R. And sustain us with your Holy Spirit.
B
That this evening may be holy,
good, and peaceful,
We entreat thee, O Lord.
That thy holy angels may lead us
in paths of peace and
goodwill,
We entreat thee, O Lord.
That we may be pardoned and
forgiven for our sins
and offenses,
We entreat thee, O Lord.
That there may be peace to thy
Church and to the whole
world,
We entreat thee, O Lord.
That we may depart this life in
thy faith and fear, and
not be condemned before the great judgment seat
of Christ,
We entreat thee, O Lord.
That we may be bound together by
thy Holy Spirit in
the communion of [___________ and] all thy saints,
entrusting one another and all our life to Christ,
We entreat thee, O Lord.
The Officiant then
says one or more of the following Collects
The Collect of the Day
68 Evening Prayer I
O God, who makest us glad with
the weekly remembrance of
the glorious resurrection of thy Son our Lord: Grant us this
day such blessing through our worship of thee, that the days
to come may be spent in thy favor; through the same Jesus
Christ our Lord. Amen.
Almighty God, whose most dear Son
went not up to joy but
first he suffered pain, and entered not into glory before he
was crucified: Mercifully grant that we, walking in the way
of the cross, may find it none other than the way of life and
peace; through the same thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Almighty God, who after the
creation of the world didst rest
from all thy works and sanctify a day of rest for all thy
creatures: Grant that we, putting away all earthly anxieties,
may be duly prepared for the service of thy sanctuary, and
that our rest here upon earth may be a preparation for the
eternal rest promised to thy people in heaven; through Jesus
Christ our Lord. Amen.
A Collect for Peace
O God, who art the author of
peace and lover of concord, in
knowledge of whom standeth our eternal life, whose service
is perfect freedom: Defend us, thy humble servants, in all
assaults of our enemies; that we, surely trusting in thy
defense, may not fear the power of any adversaries; through
the might of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Evening Prayer I 69
A Collect for Aid against Perils
Lighten our darkness, we beseech
thee, O Lord; and by thy
great mercy defend us from all perils and dangers of this
night; for the love of thy only Son, our Savior Jesus Christ.
Amen.
A Collect for Protection
O God, who art the life of all
who live, the light of the faithful,
the strength of those who labor, and the repose of the dead:
We thank thee for the timely blessings of the day, and humbly
beseech thy merciful protection all the night. Bring us, we
pray thee, in safety to the morning hours; through him who
died for us and rose again, thy Son our Savior Jesus Christ.
Amen.
A Collect for the Presence of Christ
Lord Jesus, stay with us, for
evening is at hand and the day
is past; be our companion in the way, kindle our hearts, and
awaken hope, that we may know thee as thou art revealed in
Scripture and the breaking of bread. Grant this for the
sake
of thy love. Amen.
Then, unless the
Eucharist or a form of general intercession is to follow,
one of these prayers for mission is added
O God and Father of all, whom the
whole heavens adore:
Let the whole earth also worship thee, all nations obey thee,
all tongues confess and bless thee, and men and women every-
where love thee and serve thee in peace; through Jesus Christ
our Lord. Amen.
or the following
70 Evening Prayer I
Keep watch, dear Lord, with those
who work, or watch, or
weep this night, and give thine angels charge over those who
sleep. Tend the sick, Lord Christ; give rest to the weary,
bless
the dying, soothe the suffering, pity the afflicted, shield the
joyous; and all for thy love's sake. Amen.
or this
O God, who dost manifest in thy
servants the signs of thy
presence: Send forth upon us the Spirit of love, that
in
companionship with one another thine abounding grace may
increase among us; through Jesus Christ our
Lord. Amen.
Here may be sung a
hymn or anthem.
Authorized intercessions and thanksgivings may follow.
Before the close of
the Office one or both of the following may be used
The General Thanksgiving
Officiant and People
Almighty God, Father of all
mercies,
we thine unworthy servants
do give thee most humble and hearty thanks
for all thy goodness and loving-kindness
to us and to all men.
We bless thee for our creation, preservation,
and all the blessings of this life;
but above all for thine inestimable love
in the redemption of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ;
for the means of grace, and for the hope of glory.
And, we beseech thee,
give us that due sense of all thy mercies,
that our hearts may be unfeignedly thankful;
Evening Prayer I 71
and that we show forth thy
praise,
not only with our lips, but in our lives,
by giving up our selves to thy service,
and by walking before thee
in holiness and righteousness all our days;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
to whom, with thee and the Holy Spirit,
be all honor and glory, world without end.
Amen.
A Prayer of St. Chrysostom
Almighty God, who hast given us
grace at this time with one
accord to make our common supplication unto thee; and
hast promised through thy well-beloved Son that when two
or three are gathered together in his Name thou wilt be in the
midst of them: Fulfill now, O Lord, our desires and petitions
of thy servants as may be best for us; granting us in this
world knowledge of thy truth, and in the world to come life
everlasting. Amen.
Then may be said
Let us bless the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
From Easter Day
through the Day of Pentecost "Alleluia, alleluia" may
be added to the preceding versicle and response.
The Officiant may then conclude with one of the following
The grace of our Lord Jesus
Christ, and the love of God, and
the fellowship of the Holy Ghost, be with us all evermore.
Amen. 2 Corinthians 13:14
72 Evening Prayer I
May the God of hope fill us with
all joy and peace in
believing through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Romans 15:13
Glory to God whose power, working
in us, can do infinitely
more than we can ask or imagine: Glory to him from
generation to generation in the Church, and in Christ Jesus
for ever and ever. Amen. Ephesians 3:20,21
Evening Prayer I 73