Leader: I will bless the Lord who gives me counsel; my heart teaches 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
THE CONFESSION OF SIN
Leader: Let us confess our sins against God and our neighbor.
Silence may be kept.
All: Most merciful God, we confess that we have sinned against you in
thought, word, and deed, by what we have done, and by what we have left
undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart; we have not loved
our neighbors as ourselves. We are truly sorry and we humbly repent. For
the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and forgive us; that
we may delight in your will, and walk in your ways, to the glory of your
Name. Amen.
Leader: Almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us all our sins through our Lord Jesus
Christ, strengthen us in all goodness, and by the power of the Holy Spirit keep
us in eternal life.
All: Amen.
THE INVITATORY AND PSALTER
Leader: O God, make speed to save us.
All: O Lord, make haste to help us.
Welcome
to
St. John’s Episcopal Church
EVENING PRAYER
7:00 PM
Conference Call Dial-in (978) 990-5000
Access Code: 893082
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: as it was in the
beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen. Alleluia.
Please recite together.
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
behld the vesper light, we sing your praises, O God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
You are worthy at all times to be praised by happy voices, O Son of God, O Giver
of Life, and to be glorified through all the worlds.
PSALM 85 Benedixisti, Domine
1 You have been gracious to your land, O Lord, *
you have restored the good fortune of Jacob.
2 You have forgiven the iniquity of your people *
and blotted out all their sins.
3 You have withdrawn all your fury *
and turned yourself from your wrathful indignation.
4 Restore us then, O God our Savior; *
let your anger depart from us.
5 Will you be displeased with us for ever? *
will you prolong your anger from age to age?
6 Will you not give us life again, *
that your people may rejoice in you?
7 Show us your mercy, O Lord, *
and grant us your salvation.
8 I will listen to what the Lord God is saying, *
for he is speaking peace to his faithful people
and to those who turn their hearts to him.
9 Truly, his salvation is very near to those who fear him, *
that his glory may dwell in our land.
10 Mercy and truth have met together; *
righteousness and peace have kissed each other.
11 Truth shall spring up from the earth, *
and righteousness shall look down from heaven.
12 The Lord will indeed grant prosperity, *
and our land will yield its increase.
13 Righteousness shall go before him, *
and peace shall be a pathway for his feet.
86 Inclina, Domine
1 Bow down your ear, O Lord, and answer me, *
for I am poor and in misery.
2 Keep watch over my life, for I am faithful; *
save your servant who puts his trust in you.
3 Be merciful to me, O Lord, for you are my God; *
I call upon you all the day long.
4 Gladden the soul of your servant, *
for to you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
5 For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving, *
and great is your love toward all who call upon you.
6 Give ear, O Lord, to my prayer, *
and attend to the voice of my supplications.
7 In the time of my trouble I will call upon you, *
for you will answer me.
8 Among the gods there is none like you, O Lord, *
nor anything like your works.
9 All nations you have made will come and worship you, O Lord, *
and glorify your Name.
10 For you are great;
you do wondrous things; *
and you alone are God.
11 Teach me your way, O Lord,
and I will walk in your truth; *
knit my heart to you that I may fear your Name.
12 I will thank you, O Lord my God, with all my heart, *
and glorify your Name for evermore.
13 For great is your love toward me; *
you have delivered me from the nethermost Pit.
14 The arrogant rise up against me, O God,
and a band of violent men seeks my life; *
they have not set you before their eyes.
15 But you, O Lord, are gracious and full of compassion, *
slow to anger, and full of kindness and truth.
16 Turn to me and have mercy upon me; *
give your strength to your servant;
and save the child of your handmaid.
17 Show me a sign of your favor,
so that those who hate me may see it and be ashamed; *
because you, O Lord, have helped me and comforted me.
THE FIRST LESSON: A READING FROM THE BOOK OF 1 SAMUEL 2:27-36
27 A man of God came to Eli and said to him, ‘Thus the LORD has said, “I
revealed* myself to the family of your ancestor in Egypt when they were slaves*
to the
house of Pharaoh. 28I chose him out of all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to go up to
my altar, to offer incense, to wear an ephod before me; and I gave to the family of your
ancestor all my offerings by fire from the people of Israel. 29Why then look with greedy
eye* at my sacrifices and my offerings that I commanded, and honour your sons more
than me by fattening yourselves on the choicest parts of every offering of my people
Israel?” 30Therefore the LORD the God of Israel declares: “I promised that your family and
the family of your ancestor should go in and out before me for ever”; but now
the LORD declares: “Far be it from me; for those who honour me I will honour, and those
who despise me shall be treated with contempt. 31See, a time is coming when I will cut
off your strength and the strength of your ancestor’s family, so that no one in your family
will live to old age. 32Then in distress you will look with greedy eye* on all the prosperity
that shall be bestowed upon Israel; and no one in your family shall ever live to old
age. 33The only one of you whom I shall not cut off from my altar shall be spared to weep
out his* eyes and grieve his* heart; all the members of your household shall die by the
sword.* 34The fate of your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, shall be the sign to you—both
of them shall die on the same day. 35I will raise up for myself a faithful priest, who shall
do according to what is in my heart and in my mind. I will build him a sure house, and he
shall go in and out before my anointed one for ever. 36Everyone who is left in your family
shall come to implore him for a piece of silver or a loaf of bread, and shall say, Please put
me in one of the priest’s places, that I may eat a morsel of bread.” ’
Leader: The Word of the Lord.
All: Thanks be to God.
Please recite together
THE SONG OF SIMEON: NUNC DIMITTIS
Lord, you now have set your servant free *
to go in peace as you have promised;
For these eyes of mine have seen the Savior, *
whom you have prepared for all the world to see:
A Light to enlighten the nations, *
and the glory of your 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.
THE SECOND LESSON: A READING FROM THE BOOK OF ACTS 2:22-36
22 ‘ You that are Israelites,*
listen to what I have to say: Jesus of Nazareth,* a man
attested to you by God with deeds of power, wonders, and signs that God did through
him among you, as you yourselves know— 23this man, handed over to you according to
the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of those
outside the law. 24But God raised him up, having freed him from death,* because it was
impossible for him to be held in its power. 25For David says concerning him,
“I saw the Lord always before me,
for he is at my right hand so that I will not be shaken;
26 therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced;
moreover, my flesh will live in hope.
27 For you will not abandon my soul to Hades,
or let your Holy One experience corruption.
28 You have made known to me the ways of life;
you will make me full of gladness with your presence.”
29 ‘Fellow Israelites,*
I may say to you confidently of our ancestor David that he both died
and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. 30Since he was a prophet, he knew
that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would put one of his descendants on his
throne. 31Foreseeing this, David* spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah,* saying,
“He was not abandoned to Hades,
nor did his flesh experience corruption.”
32 This Jesus God raised up, and of that all of us are witnesses. 33Being therefore
exalted at*
the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of
the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you both see and hear. 34For David did not
ascend into the heavens, but he himself says,
“The Lord said to my Lord,
‘Sit at my right hand,
35
until I make your enemies your footstool.’ ”
36Therefore let the entire house of Israel know with certainty that God has made him both
Lord and Messiah,*
this Jesus whom you crucified.’
A READING FROM THE GOSPEL OF LUKE 20:41-21:4
41 Then he said to them, ‘How can they say that the Messiah*
is David’s son? 42For
David himself says in the book of Psalms,
“The Lord said to my Lord,
‘Sit at my right hand,
43
until I make your enemies your footstool.’ ”
44David thus calls him Lord; so how can he be his son?’
45 In the hearing of all the people he said to the* disciples, 46‘Beware of the scribes, who
like to walk around in long robes, and love to be greeted with respect in the market-places,
and to have the best seats in the synagogues and places of honour at banquets. 47They
devour widows’ houses and for the sake of appearance say long prayers. They will
receive the greater condemnation.’
21 He looked up and saw rich people putting their gifts into the treasury; 2he also saw a
poor widow put in two small copper coins. 3He said, ‘Truly I tell you, this poor widow has
put in more than all of them; 4
for all of them have contributed out of their abundance, but
she out of her poverty has put in all she had to live on.’
Leader: The Word of the Lord.
All: Thanks be to God.
** REFLECTIONS ON THE READINGS **
Please recite together.
THE APOSTLES' CREED
I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only son, our Lord.
He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary.
He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose again.
He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.
THE PRAYERS
Leader: The Lord be with you.
All: And also with you.
Leader: Let us pray.
All: 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. For
thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever.
Amen.
SUFFRAGE A
V. Show us your mercy, O Lord;
R. And grant us your salvation.
V. Clothe your ministers with righteousness;
R. Let your people sing with joy.
V. Give peace, O Lord, in all the world;
R. For only in you can we live in safety.
V. Lord, keep this nation under your care;
R. And guide us in the way of justice and truth.
V. Let your way be known upon earth;
R. Your 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 by your Holy Spirit.
A PRAYER FOR PROTECTION:
Leader: O God, 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 you for the blessings of the day
that is past, and humbly ask for your protection through the coming night. Bring
us in safety to the morning hours; through him who died and rose again for us,
your Son our Savior Jesus Christ.
All: Amen.
A PRAYER FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE:
Leader: Almighty God, who created us in your image: Grant us grace fearlessly to
contend against evil and to make no peace with oppression; and, that we may
reverently use our freedom, help us to employ it in the maintenance of justice
in our communities and among the nations, to the glory of your holy Name;
through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.
All: Amen.
A PRAYER FOR THE HUMAN FAMILY:
All: O God, you made us in your own image and redeemed us through Jesus
your Son: Look with compassion on the whole human family; take away
the arrogance and hatred which infect our hearts; break down the walls
that separate us; unite us in bonds of love; and work through our struggle
and confusion to accomplish your purposes on earth; that, in your good
time, all nations and races may serve you in harmony around your
heavenly throne; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Leader: Keep watch, dear Lord, with those who work, or watch, or weep this night, and
give your 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 your love's sake.
All: Amen.
** Friends, who can we pray for tonight? Let us offer up our intercessions &
thanksgivings **
• Prayers for the repose of the souls of all who have died from Covid-19. We pray
for their grieving families, and for all those who may be suffering in mind, body
and spirit Nancy Larsen, Jonathan Larsen, Madeleine Marchetti, Brian
Orlick, Joan Paravati, Joseph Pignatelli, Lynn Phimister, Michael Polito,
Diane Ritching, Robert Ross, Lindsay Scarangello Marilyn Shields, Diane
Sprosty, Jennifer Sprosty, Christopher Still, James Sutler, Antoinette
Taylor, and Darleene Vesci.
• Prayers for all those who may feel alone, hopeless or in despair
• Prayers for all school students, teachers, principals, school staff and parents
during these challenging times.
• Prayers for all who are without a job, source of income or food insecurity
• Prayers for our St. John’s and Canterbury House family
THE GENERAL THANKSGIVING:
All: Almighty God, Father of all mercies, we your unworthy servants give you
humble thanks for all your goodness and loving-kindness to us and to all
whom you have made. We bless you for our creation, preservation, and
all the blessings of this life; but above all for your immeasurable 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 pray, give us such an awareness
of your mercies, that with truly thankful hearts we may show forth your
praise, not only with our lips, but in our lives, by giving up our selves to
your service, and by walking before you in holiness and righteousness
all our days; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and the
Holy Spirit, be honor and glory throughout all ages. Amen.
A PRAYER OF ST. CHRYSOSTOM:
Leader: Almighty God, you have given us grace at this time with one accord to make
our common supplication to you; and you have promised through your wellbeloved Son that when two or three are gathered together in his Name you will
be in the midst of them: Fulfill now, O Lord, our desires and petitions as may
be best for us; granting us in this world knowledge of your truth, and in the age
to come life everlasting.
All: Amen.
Leader: Let us bless the Lord.
All: Thanks be to God.
Leader: 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.
Ephesians 3:20, 21
All: Amen.
Have a restful night!
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