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.
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 74 Ut quid, Deus?
1 O God, why have you utterly cast us off? *
why is your wrath so hot against the sheep of your pasture?
2 Remember your congregation that you purchased long ago, *
the tribe you redeemed to be your inheritance,
and Mount Zion where you dwell.
3 Turn your steps toward the endless ruins; *
the enemy has laid waste everything in your sanctuary.
4 Your adversaries roared in your holy place; *
they set up their banners as tokens of victory.
5 They were like men coming up with axes to a grove of trees; *
they broke down all your carved work with hatchets
and hammers.
6 They set fire to your holy place; *
they defiled the dwelling-place of your Name
and razed it to the ground.
7 They said to themselves, "Let us destroy them altogether." *
They burned down all the meeting-places of God in the land.
8 There are no signs for us to see;
there is no prophet left; *
there is not one among us who knows how long.
9 How long, O God, will the adversary scoff? *
will the enemy blaspheme your Name for ever?
10 Why do you draw back your hand? *
why is your right hand hidden in your bosom?
11 Yet God is my King from ancient times, *
victorious in the midst of the earth.
12 You divided the sea by your might *
and shattered the heads of the dragons upon the waters;
13 You crushed the heads of Leviathan *
and gave him to the people of the desert for food.
14 You split open spring and torrent; *
you dried up ever-flowing rivers.
15 Yours is the day, yours also the night; *
you established the moon and the sun.
16 You fixed all the boundaries of the earth; *
you made both summer and winter.
17 Remember, O Lord, how the enemy scoffed, *
how a foolish people despised your Name.
18 Do not hand over the life of your dove to wild beasts; *
never forget the lives of your poor.
19 Look upon your covenant; *
the dark places of the earth are haunts of violence.
20 Let not the oppressed turn away ashamed; *
let the poor and needy praise your Name.
21 Arise, O God, maintain your cause; *
remember how fools revile you all day long.
22 Forget not the clamor of your adversaries, *
the unending tumult of those who rise up against you.
THE FIRST LESSON: A READING FROM THE BOOK OF EZRA 7:1-26
After this, in the reign of King Artaxerxes of Persia, Ezra son of Seraiah, son of Azariah,
son of Hilkiah, 2son of Shallum, son of Zadok, son of Ahitub, 3son of Amariah, son of
Azariah, son of Meraioth, 4son of Zerahiah, son of Uzzi, son of Bukki, 5son of Abishua,
son of Phinehas, son of Eleazar, son of the chief priest Aaron— 6
this Ezra went up from
Babylonia. He was a scribe skilled in the law of Moses that the LORD the God of Israel
had given; and the king granted him all that he asked, for the hand of the LORD his God
was upon him.
7 Some of the people of Israel, and some of the priests and Levites, the singers and
gatekeepers, and the temple servants also went up to Jerusalem, in the seventh year of
King Artaxerxes. 8They came to Jerusalem in the fifth month, which was in the seventh
year of the king. 9On the first day of the first month the journey up from Babylon was
begun, and on the first day of the fifth month he came to Jerusalem, for the gracious hand
of his God was upon him. 10For Ezra had set his heart to study the law of the LORD, and
to do it, and to teach the statutes and ordinances in Israel.
11 This is a copy of the letter that King Artaxerxes gave to the priest Ezra, the scribe, a
scholar of the text of the commandments of the LORD and his statutes for
Israel: 12‘Artaxerxes, king of kings, to the priest Ezra, the scribe of the law of the God of
heaven: Peace.* And now 13I decree that any of the people of Israel or their priests or
Levites in my kingdom who freely offers to go to Jerusalem may go with you. 14For you
are sent by the king and his seven counsellors to make inquiries about Judah and
Jerusalem according to the law of your God, which is in your hand, 15and also to convey
the silver and gold that the king and his counsellors have freely offered to the God of
Israel, whose dwelling is in Jerusalem, 16with all the silver and gold that you shall find in
the whole province of Babylonia, and with the freewill-offerings of the people and the
priests, given willingly for the house of their God in Jerusalem. 17With this money, then,
you shall with all diligence buy bulls, rams, and lambs, and their grain-offerings and their
drink-offerings, and you shall offer them on the altar of the house of your God in
Jerusalem. 18Whatever seems good to you and your colleagues to do with the rest of the
silver and gold, you may do, according to the will of your God. 19The vessels that have
been given you for the service of the house of your God, you shall deliver before the God
of Jerusalem. 20And whatever else is required for the house of your God, which you are
responsible for providing, you may provide out of the king’s treasury.
21 ‘I, King Artaxerxes, decree to all the treasurers in the province Beyond the River:
Whatever the priest Ezra, the scribe of the law of the God of heaven, requires of you, let
it be done with all diligence, 22up to one hundred talents of silver, one hundred cors of
wheat, one hundred baths* of wine, one hundred baths* of oil, and unlimited
salt. 23Whatever is commanded by the God of heaven, let it be done with zeal for the
house of the God of heaven, or wrath will come upon the realm of the king and his
heirs. 24We also notify you that it shall not be lawful to impose tribute, custom, or toll on
any of the priests, the Levites, the singers, the doorkeepers, the temple servants, or other
servants of this house of God.
25 ‘And you, Ezra, according to the God-given wisdom you possess, appoint magistrates
and judges who may judge all the people in the province Beyond the River who know the
laws of your God; and you shall teach those who do not know them. 26All who will not
obey the law of your God and the law of the king, let judgement be strictly executed on
them, whether for death or for banishment or for confiscation of their goods or for
imprisonment.
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 REVELATION REVELATION 14:1-13
14 Then I looked, and there was the Lamb, standing on Mount Zion! And with him were
one hundred and forty-four thousand who had his name and his Father’s name written on
their foreheads. 2And I heard a voice from heaven like the sound of many waters and like
the sound of loud thunder; the voice I heard was like the sound of harpists playing on their
harps, 3and they sing a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures
and before the elders. No one could learn that song except the one hundred forty-four
thousand who have been redeemed from the earth. 4
It is these who have not defiled
themselves with women, for they are virgins; these follow the Lamb wherever he goes.
They have been redeemed from humankind as first fruits for God and the Lamb, 5and in
their mouth no lie was found; they are blameless.
6 Then I saw another angel flying in mid-heaven, with an eternal gospel to proclaim to
those who live* on the earth—to every nation and tribe and language and people. 7He
said in a loud voice, ‘Fear God and give him glory, for the hour of his judgement has
come; and worship him who made heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water.’
8 Then another angel, a second, followed, saying, ‘Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! She
has made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.’
9 Then another angel, a third, followed them, crying with a loud voice, ‘Those who worship
the beast and its image, and receive a mark on their foreheads or on their hands, 10they
will also drink the wine of God’s wrath, poured unmixed into the cup of his anger, and they
will be tormented with fire and sulphur in the presence of the holy angels and in the
presence of the Lamb. 11And the smoke of their torment goes up for ever and ever. There
is no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and its image and for anyone who
receives the mark of its name.’
12 Here is a call for the endurance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of
God and hold fast to the faith of* Jesus.
13 And I heard a voice from heaven saying, ‘Write this: Blessed are the dead who from
now on die in the Lord.’ ‘Yes,’ says the Spirit, ‘they will rest from their labours, for their
deeds follow them.’
Leader: The Word of the Lord.
All: Thanks be to God.
A READING FROM THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW 14:1-12
15 When Jesus became aware of this, he departed. Many crowds*
followed
him, and he cured all of them, 16and he ordered them not to make him
known. 17This was to fulfil what had been spoken through the prophet Isaiah:
18 ‘Here is my servant, whom I have chosen,
my beloved, with whom my soul is well pleased.
I will put my Spirit upon him,
and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles.
19 He will not wrangle or cry aloud,
nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets.
20 He will not break a bruised reed
or quench a smouldering wick
until he brings justice to victory.
21 And in his name the Gentiles will hope.’
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 Dr. John Abraham, Generosa Aceveda, Jim Adams, Bernard Anderson, Cathy Aviolla, Harold Carrington, Matthew Cassone, Gweneth Chase, Trevor Chase, Juli Collazo, Carole Cramer, George Cramer, Paul DeFelice, Michael DeLuca, Jr., Francine Densieski, Arthur Elwell, Anthony Esposito, Ray Gant, Dillon Gonzalez, Henrietta Gowac, Dice Grigg, Christopher Guarente, Dan Italiano, Pauline Johnson, Chris Kilpert, David Kline, Robert Lane, and all those on our prayer list.
• 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 well-
beloved 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!