Evening Prayer for November 10, 2020
Tuesday in the Week of Proper 27
Evening Prayer
November 10, 2020
Check out the live stream at 5:00 p.m. at www.FaceBook.com/StMattSav.
Want to pray on your own? Visit prayer.forwardmovement.org for many varieties of Daily Prayer in the Episcopal tradition.
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: 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 Luke (14:25-35)
Now large crowds were traveling with [Jesus]; and he turned and said to them, "Whoever comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even life itself, cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not carry the cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not first sit down and estimate the cost, to see whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it will begin to ridicule him, saying, 'This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.' Or what king, going out to wage war against another king, will not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to oppose the one who comes against him with twenty thousand? If he cannot, then, while the other is still far away, he sends a delegation and asks for the terms of peace. So therefore, none of you can become my disciple if you do not give up all your possessions. "Salt is good; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile; they throw it away. Let anyone with ears to hear listen!"
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 Lesser Feasts and Fasts 2018
November 10: Leo of Rome, Bishop, d. 461 (p. 495)
When Leo was born, around the year 400, the Western Roman Empire was almost in shambles. Weakened by barbarian invasions and by a totally inefficient economic and political system, the structure that had been carefully built by Augustus had become a chaos of internal warfare, subversion, and corruption.
The social and political situation notwithstanding, Leo received a good education, and was ordained as a deacon, with the responsibility of looking after church possessions, managing the distribution of food, and generally administering the finances. He won considerable respect for his abilities, and a contemporary of his, Cassian, described him as “the ornament of the Roman Church and the divine ministry.”
In 440, Leo was unanimously elected Pope, despite the fact that he was absent at the time on a mission in Gaul. His ability as a preacher shows clearly in the 96 sermons still extant, in which he expounds doctrine, encourages almsgiving, and refutes various heresies.
In Gaul, Africa, and Spain, Leo’s strong hand was felt, as he issued orders to limit the powers of one over-presumptuous bishop, confirmed the rights of another bishop over his vicars, and selected candidates for holy orders. Leo’s letter to the Council of Chalcedon in 451 dealt so effectively with the doctrine of the human and divine natures of the One Person of Christ that the assembled bishops declared, “Peter has spoken by Leo,” and affirmed his definition as orthodox teaching.
With similar strength of spirit and wisdom, Leo negotiated with Attila when the Huns were about to sack Rome. He persuaded them to withdraw from Italy and to accept an annual tribute. Three years later, Genseric led the Vandals against Rome. Again Leo negotiated. Unable to prevent pillaging by the barbarians, he did dissuade them from burning the city and slaughtering its inhabitants. He worked, thereafter, to repair the damage, to replace the holy vessels in the desecrated churches, and to restore the morale of the Roman people. Leo died in Rome in 461.
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 Leo 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 27
[BCP, p. 236]
O God, whose blessed Son came into the world that he might destroy the works of the devil and make us children of God and heirs of eternal life: Grant that, having this hope, we may purify ourselves as he is pure; that, when he comes again with power and great glory, we may be made like him in his eternal and glorious kingdom; where he lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Collect of the Day: Leo of Rome, Bishop, d. 461
[Lesser Feasts and Fasts 2018, p. 496 (pre-publication)]
O Lord our God, grant that your church, following the teaching of your servant Leo of Rome, may hold fast the great mystery of our redemption and adore the one Christ, true God and true Man, neither divided from our human nature nor separate from your divine Being; through the same 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)