Tuesday in the Week of Proper 13
Evening Prayer
August 4, 2020
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Note: We are praying using Rite II (contemporary English) language, as is our normal pattern at St. Matthew's. It reminds us that we can speak to God with our ordinary, everyday language. This service is drawn from The Book of Common Prayer (1979) and other liturgical resources of The Episcopal Church and the scriptures are reprinted from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible.
Evening Prayer, Rite II
[BCP, p. 116]
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ
[Philippians 1:2; BCP, p. 115]
Confession of Sin
[BCP, p. 116]
Let us confess our sins against God and our neighbor. 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.
The Officiant says the following (a Priest substitutes "you" for "us")
Almighty God have mercy on [us], forgive [us] all your sins through our Lord Jesus Christ, strengthen [us] in all goodness, and by the power of the Holy Spirit keep [us] in eternal life. Amen.
The Invitatory and Psalter
[BCP, p. 117]
V: O God, make speed to save us. R: 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!
O Gracious Light
[BCP, p. 118]
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 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.
The Psalm or Psalms Appointed
Psalm 78:40-72 (Part II)
[BCP, p. 698]
40 How often the people disobeyed him in the wilderness *
and offended him in the desert!
41 Again and again they tempted God *
and provoked the Holy One of Israel.
42 They did not remember his power *
in the day when he ransomed them from the enemy;
43 How he wrought his signs in Egypt *
and his omens in the field of Zoan.
44 He turned their rivers into blood, *
so that they could not drink of their streams.
45 He sent swarms of flies among them, which ate them up, *
and frogs, which destroyed them.
46 He gave their crops to the caterpillar, *
the fruit of their toil to the locust.
47 He killed their vines with hail *
and their sycamores with frost.
48 He delivered their cattle to hailstones *
and their livestock to hot thunderbolts.
49 He poured out upon them his blazing anger: *
fury, indignation, and distress, a troop of destroying angels.
50 He gave full rein to his anger; he did not spare their souls from death; *
but delivered their lives to the plague.
51 He struck down all the firstborn of Egypt, *
the flower of manhood in the dwellings of Ham.
52 He led out his people like sheep *
and guided them in the wilderness like a flock.
53 He led them to safety, and they were not afraid; *
but the sea overwhelmed their enemies.
54 He brought them to his holy land, *
the mountain his right hand had won.
55 He drove out the Canaanites before them and apportioned an inheritance to them by lot; *
he made the tribes of Israel to dwell in their tents.
56 But they tested the Most High God, and defied him, *
and did not keep his commandments.
57 They turned away and were disloyal like their fathers; *
they were undependable like a warped bow.
58 They grieved him with their hill-altars *
they provoked his displeasure with their idols.
59 When God heard this, he was angry *
and utterly rejected Israel.
60 He forsook the shrine at Shiloh, *
the tabernacle where he had lived among his people.
61 He delivered the ark into captivity, *
his glory into the adversary's hand.
62 He gave his people to the sword *
and was angered against his inheritance.
63 The fire consumed their young men; *
there were no wedding songs for their maidens.
64 Their priests fell by the sword, *
and their widows made no lamentation.
65 Then the LORD woke as though from sleep, *
like a warrior refreshed with wine.
66 He struck his enemies on the backside *
and put them to perpetual shame.
67 He rejected the tent of Joseph *
and did not choose the tribe of Ephraim;
68 He chose instead the tribe of Judah *
and Mount Zion, which he loved.
69 He built his sanctuary like the heights of heaven, *
like the earth which he founded for ever.
70 He chose David his servant, *
and took him away from the sheepfolds.
71 He brought him from following the ewes, *
to be a shepherd over Jacob his people and over Israel his inheritance.
72 So he shepherded them with a faithful and true heart *
and guided them with the skillfulness of his hands.
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 Lessons
A reading from John (1:19-28)
This is the testimony given by John when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, "Who are you?" He confessed and did not deny it, but confessed, "I am not the Messiah." And they asked him, "What then? Are you Elijah?" He said, "I am not." "Are you the prophet?" He answered, "No." Then they said to him, "Who are you? Let us have an answer for those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?" He said, "I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, 'Make straight the way of the Lord,'" as the prophet Isaiah said. Now they had been sent from the Pharisees. They asked him, "Why then are you baptizing if you are neither the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the prophet?" John answered them, "I baptize with water. Among you stands one whom you do not know, the one who is coming after me; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandal." This took place in Bethany across the Jordan where John was baptizing.
The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
The Song of Mary
[BCP, p. 119; Luke 1:46-55]
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, my spirit rejoices in God my Savior; * for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant. From this day all generations will call me blessed: * the Almighty has done great things for me, and holy is his Name. He has mercy on those who fear him * in every generation. He has shown the strength of his arm, * he has scattered the proud in their conceit. He has cast down the mighty from their thrones, * and has lifted up the lowly. He has filled the hungry with good things, * and the rich he has sent away empty. He has come to the help of his servant Israel, * for he has remembered his promise of mercy, The promise he made to our fathers, * to Abraham and his children 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.
A Reading from "non-biblical Christian literature" [OPTIONAL]
[(BCP, p. 142)]
The Song of Simeon
[BCP, p. 120; Luke 2:29-32]
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 forever. Amen.
The Apostles' Creed
[BCP, p. 120]
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
[BCP, p. 121]
V: The Lord be with you. R: And also with you. Let us pray.
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your Name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins
as we forgive those
who sin against us.
Save us from the time of trial,
and deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power,
and the glory are yours,
now and for ever. Amen.
Suffrages B
[BCP, p. 122]
That this evening may be holy, good, and peaceful,
We entreat you, O Lord.
That your holy angels may lead us in paths of peace and goodwill,
We entreat you, O Lord.
That we may be pardoned and forgiven for our sins and offenses,
We entreat you, O Lord.
That there may be peace to your Church and to the whole world,
We entreat you, O Lord.
That we may depart this life in your faith and fear, and not be condemned before the great judgment seat of Christ,
We entreat you, O Lord.
That we may be bound together by your Holy Spirit in the communion of Blessed Mary the Bearer of God, Blessed Matthew our patron, Blessed William, whom we commemorate today, and all your saints, entrusting one another and all our life to Christ,
We entreat you, O Lord.
Collect of the Day: Proper 13
[BCP, p. 231]
Let your continual mercy, O Lord, cleanse and defend your Church; and, because it cannot continue in safety without your help, protect and govern it always by your goodness; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Collect of the Day: William Edward Burghardt Du Bois, Sociologist (d. 1963)
[A Great Cloud of Witnesses, 2015, p. 372]
Gracious God, kindle in your Church a zeal for justice and the dignity of all, that we, following the example of your servant William Edward Burghardt Du Bois, may have the grace to defend all the oppressed and maintain the cause of those who have been silenced; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
A Collect for Aid against Perils
[BCP, p. 123]
Be our light in the darkness, O Lord, and in your great mercy defend us from all perils and dangers of this night; for the love of your only Son, our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
Prayer for Mission
[BCP, p. 124]
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. Amen.
Offer your own intercessions and thanksgivings.
The General Thanksgiving
[BCP, p. 125]
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
[BCP, p. 126]
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. Amen.
The Dismissal
[BCP, p. 126]
Let us bless the Lord. Thanks be to God.
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)
About Today's Commemoration(s)
August 3: William Edward Burghardt Du Bois, Sociologist (d. 1963)
[A Great Cloud of Witnesses, 2015, p. 372]
William Edward Burghardt Du Bois was born on February 23, 1868, in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. Du Bois is remembered for his powerful advocacy of the civil rights of African Americans and for his writings on their spiritual life.
Raised as a Congregationalist, Du Bois maintained great affection for The Episcopal Church of his grandparents and, in the 1950s, he attended Holy Trinity Episcopal Church in Brooklyn, New York. Throughout his career, Du Bois invoked the faith of African Americans and the centrality of the Church in their communities as key to overcoming institutionalized racism in the United States. With the publication of The Souls of Black Folks in 1903, many African Americans heralded him as a contemporary prophet. In this book, Du Bois dismantled the prevailing cultural and religious assumptions of white Americans that African Americans were spiritually and morally inferior beings. Anticipating black liberation theology, Du Bois articulated an Afrocentric religious perspective in which African Americans were the bearers of spiritual insight from which white Americans must learn. Alongside the Bible, The Souls of Black Folk became a touchstone for African American identity in the twentieth century.
In 1906, he worked with others toward “organized determination and aggressive action on the part of men who believe in Negro freedom and growth.” The result was the so-called “Niagara Movement” (named for the group’s first meeting site, which was shifted to Canada when they were prevented from meeting in the U.S.), the objectives of which were to advocate for civil justice and oppose discrimination. In 1909, most of the group members merged with white supporters, and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People was formed.
Du Bois had deeply held religious convictions grounded in the liberal Christianity of his era, but he consistently criticized institutional churches, black and white alike, for overweening concern on external displays of religiosity and materialism. In his later years, Du Bois was a Communist and remained a reluctant defender of Joseph Stalin when most on the American Left had denounced him. Yet during these very same years Du Bois maintained that Christianity’s vision of justice and peace represented the highest ethical standards for humanity.
A leading participant in the Pan-African movement, Du Bois renounced his American citizenship and moved to Ghana, where he died on August 27, 1963, on the eve of the March on Washington. Martin Luther King Jr. wrote of Du Bois, “His singular greatness lay in his quest for truth about his own people. There were very few scholars who concerned themselves with honest study of the black man, and he sought to fill the immense void.”