Tuesday after Proper 21
Evening Prayer
September 28, 2021
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Evening Prayer
Enriching Our Worship 1 and Book of Common Prayer
Let my prayer be set forth in your sight as incense, the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.
[Psalm 141:2; BCP, p. 115]
Confession & Absolution
[EOW1, pp. 19-20]
Let us confess our sins to God.
Silence may be kept.
God of all mercy,
we confess that we have sinned against you,
opposing your will in our lives.
We have denied your goodness in each other,
in ourselves, and in the world you have created.
We repent of the evil that enslaves us,
the evil we have done,
and the evil done on our behalf.
Forgive, restore, and strengthen us
through our Savior Jesus Christ,
that we may abide in your love
and serve only your will. Amen.
A Bishop or Priest says:
Almighty God have mercy on you, forgive you all your sins through the grace of Jesus Christ, strengthen you in all goodness, and by the power of the Holy Spirit keep you in eternal life. Amen.
[OR, a Deacon or Lay Person says:]
[Almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us all our sins through the grace of 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
[EOW1, p. 20]
V: O God, be not far from us. R: Come quickly to help us, O God.
Praise to the holy and undivided Trinity, one God:
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.
Alleluia!
O Gracious Light (Phos hilaron)
[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 94
[BCP, p. 722]
1 O LORD God of vengeance, *
O God of vengeance, show yourself.
2 Rise up, O Judge of the world; *
give the arrogant their just deserts.
3 How long shall the wicked, O LORD, *
how long shall the wicked triumph?
4 They bluster in their insolence; *
all evildoers are full of boasting.
5 They crush your people, O LORD, *
and afflict your chosen nation.
6 They murder the widow and the stranger *
and put the orphans to death.
7 Yet they say, "The LORD does not see, *
the God of Jacob takes no notice."
8 Consider well, you dullards among the people; *
when will you fools understand?
9 He that planted the ear, does he not hear? *
he that formed the eye, does he not see?
10 He who admonishes the nations, will he not punish? *
he who teaches all the world, has he no knowledge?
11 The LORD knows our human thoughts; *
how like a puff of wind they are.
12 Happy are they whom you instruct, O Lord! *
whom you teach out of your law;
13 To give them rest in evil days, *
until a pit is dug for the wicked.
14 For the LORD will not abandon his people, *
nor will he forsake his own.
15 For judgment will again be just, *
and all the true of heart will follow it.
16 Who rose up for me against the wicked? *
who took my part against the evildoers?
17 If the LORD had not come to my help, *
I should soon have dwelt in the land of silence.
18 As often as I said, "My foot has slipped," *
your love, O LORD, upheld me.
19 When many cares fill my mind, *
your consolations cheer my soul.
20 Can a corrupt tribunal have any part with you, *
one which frames evil into law?
21 They conspire against the life of the just *
and condemn the innocent to death.
22 But the LORD has become my stronghold, *
and my God the rock of my trust.
23 He will turn their wickedness back upon them
and destroy them in their own malice; *
the LORD our God will destroy them.
Psalm 95
[BCP, p. 724]
1 Come, let us sing to the LORD; *
let us shout for joy to the Rock of our salvation.
2 Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving *
and raise a loud shout to him with psalms.
3 For the LORD is a great God, *
and a great King above all gods.
4 In his hand are the caverns of the earth, *
and the heights of the hills are his also.
5 The sea is his, for he made it, *
and his hands have molded the dry land.
6 Come, let us bow down, and bend the knee, *
and kneel before the LORD our Maker.
7 For he is our God,
and we are the people of his pasture and the sheep of his hand. *
Oh, that today you would hearken to his voice!
8 Harden not your hearts,
as your forebears did in the wilderness, *
at Meribah, and on that day at Massah,
when they tempted me.
9 They put me to the test, *
though they had seen my works.
10 Forty years long I detested that generation and said, *
"This people are wayward in their hearts;
they do not know my ways."
11 So I swore in my wrath, *
"They shall not enter into my rest."
Praise to the holy and undivided Trinity, One God: as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.
The Lessons
A Reading from Matthew (7:1-12)
“Do not judge, so that you may not be judged. For with the judgment you make you will be judged, and the measure you give will be the measure you get. Why do you see the speck in your neighbor's eye, but do not notice the log in your own eye? Or how can you say to your neighbor, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' while the log is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your neighbor's eye. "Do not give what is holy to dogs; and do not throw your pearls before swine, or they will trample them under foot and turn and maul you. "Ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. Is there anyone among you who, if your child asks for bread, will give a stone? Or if the child asks for a fish, will give a snake? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him! "In everything do to others as you would have them do to you; for this is the law and the prophets.
Hear what the Spirit is saying to God's people.
Thanks be to God.
Canticle D: A Song of the Wilderness
[EOW1, p. 32; Isaiah 35:1-7, 10]
The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad, *
the desert shall rejoice and blossom;
It shall blossom abundantly, *
and rejoice with joy and singing.
They shall see the glory of the Lord, *
the majesty of our God.
Strengthen the weary hands, *
and make firm the feeble knees.
Say to the anxious, “Be strong, do not fear! *
Here is your God, coming with judgment to save you.”
Then shall the eyes of the blind be opened, *
and the ears of the deaf be unstopped.
Then shall the lame leap like a deer, *
and the tongue of the speechless sing for joy.
For waters shall break forth in the wilderness *
and streams in the desert;
The burning sand shall become a pool *
and the thirsty ground, springs of water.
The ransomed of God shall return with singing, *
with everlasting joy upon their heads.
Joy and gladness shall be theirs, *
and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.
Praise to the holy and undivided Trinity, one God:
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.
A Reading from Lesser Feasts and Fasts 2018
September 27: Euphrosyne/Smaragdus of Alexandria, Monastic, d. 5th Century AD [p. 429]
Euphrosyne was born in the 5th century, the beloved only child of a couple in Alexandria. She had a warm and loving family life, but her mother died when she was still a young girl. Her father Paphnutius instructed her in the Christian faith, and often used to take her to visit the monasteries outside of the city.
As she grew to adulthood, her father arranged what he thought was an excellent future for her– marriage to a wealthy and handsome young man from a prominent family. But Euphrosyne would have none of it. She and her father quarreled, and she ran away from home in anger without even saying goodbye. She cut her hair, changed her clothing for men’s attire, and adopted the name of Smaragdus.
Smaragdus entered a monastic community outside of Alexandria, where he made great progress in prayer and in wisdom. Many years later, Paphnutius came to that same monastery, seeking consolation in his bereavement over the daughter he had lost, whom he believed to be dead. The abbot of the monastery (perhaps perceiving the situation more clearly than he had ever admitted), sent Paphnutius to Smaragdus for spiritual direction and guidance. Paphnutius was then instructed in the spiritual life by Smaragdus for years, coming weekly to the monastery for his wisdom and advice, but during all that time he failed to recognize his own child.
It was only as Smaragdus was ill and near to death that Paphnutius’ eyes were finally opened, and he recognized that the beloved daughter he had mourned as dead and the monk who had guided him through his grief were in fact the same person. He nursed Smaragdus lovingly during his final illness, and then became a monk himself, occupying the same cell that his child had lived in for the rest of his life.
Canticle P: A Song of the Spirit
[EOW1, p. 38; Revelation 22:12-17]
“Behold, I am coming soon,” says the Lord,
“and bringing my reward with me, *
to give to everyone according to their deeds.
“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, *
the beginning and the end.”
Blessed are those who do God’s commandments,
that they may have the right to the tree of life, *
and may enter the city through the gates.
“I, Jesus, have sent my angel to you, *
with this testimony for all the churches.
“I am the root and the offspring of David, *
I am the bright morning star.”
“Come!” say the Spirit and the Bride; *
“Come!” let each hearer reply!
Come forward, you who are thirsty, *
let those who desire take the water of life as a gift.
Praise to the holy and undivided Trinity, one God:
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.
The Apostles' Creed
[EOW1, p. 41]
I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
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,
he is seated at the right hand of the Father,
and 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
[EOW1, p. 42; BCP, p. 121]
V: God 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 [________ and] all your saints, entrusting one another and all our life to Christ, We entreat you, O Lord.
Collect of the Day: Proper 21
[BCP, 234]
O God, you declare your almighty power chiefly in showing mercy and pity: Grant us the fullness of your grace, that we, running to obtain your promises, may become partakers of your heavenly treasure; 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: Euphrosyne/Smaragdus of Alexandria, Monastic, d. 5th Century AD
[Lesser Feasts and Fasts 2018, p. 430]
Merciful God, who looks not with outward eyes but discerns the heart of each: we confess that those whom we love the most are often strangers to us. Give to all parents and children, we pray, the grace to see one another as they truly are and as you have called them to be. All this we ask in the name of Jesus Christ, our only mediator and advocate. 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]
O God and Father of all, whom the whole heavens adore: Let the whole earth also worship you, all nations obey you, all tongues confess and bless you, and men and women everywhere love you and serve you in peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Offer your own intercessions and thanksgivings.
One or both of the following prayers may be used:
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.
AND/OR
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]
Credits: This service is drawn from The Book of Common Prayer (1979), Enriching Our Worship 1 (1997), and other liturgical resources of The Episcopal Church and the scriptures are reprinted from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible.
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