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Writer's pictureDavid Genovese

Evening Prayer, Rite II (Thursday, September 21, 2023)


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 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 1 Kings 22:29-45

29  So the king of Israel and King Jehoshaphat of Judah went up to Ramoth-

gilead.  30 The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, ‘I will disguise myself and go into battle,

but you wear your robes.’ So the king of Israel disguised himself and went into

battle.  31 Now the king of Aram had commanded the thirty-two captains of his chariots,

‘Fight with no one small or great, but only with the king of Israel.’  32 When the captains of


the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, they said, ‘It is surely the king of Israel.’ So they turned

to fight against him; and Jehoshaphat cried out.  33 When the captains of the chariots saw

that it was not the king of Israel, they turned back from pursuing him.  34 But a certain man

drew his bow and unknowingly struck the king of Israel between the scale-armour and

the breastplate; so he said to the driver of his chariot, ‘Turn around, and carry me out of

the battle, for I am wounded.’  35 The battle grew hot that day, and the king was propped

up in his chariot facing the Arameans, until at evening he died; the blood from the

wound had flowed into the bottom of the chariot.  36 Then about sunset a shout went

through the army, ‘Every man to his city, and every man to his country!’

37 So the king died, and was brought to Samaria; they buried the king in

Samaria.  38 They washed the chariot by the pool of Samaria; the dogs licked up his

blood, and the prostitutes washed themselves in it, *  according to the word of

the LORD that he had spoken.  39 Now the rest of the acts of Ahab, and all that he did, and

the ivory house that he built, and all the cities that he built, are they not written in the

Book of the Annals of the Kings of Israel?  40 So Ahab slept with his ancestors; and his

son Ahaziah succeeded him.

41 Jehoshaphat son of Asa began to reign over Judah in the fourth year of King Ahab of

Israel.  42 Jehoshaphat was thirty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned

for twenty-five years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Azubah daughter of

Shilhi.  43 He walked in all the way of his father Asa; he did not turn aside from it, doing

what was right in the sight of the LORD; yet the high places were not taken away, and the

people still sacrificed and offered incense on the high places.  44 Jehoshaphat also made

peace with the king of Israel.

45 Now the rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat, and his power that he showed, and how he

waged war, are they not written in the Book of the Annals of the Kings of Judah?

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 1 Corinthians 2:14-3:15

14 Those who are unspiritual *  do not receive the gifts of God’s Spirit, for they are

foolishness to them, and they are unable to understand them because they are

discerned spiritually.  15 Those who are spiritual discern all things, and they are

themselves subject to no one else’s scrutiny.

16  ‘For who has known the mind of the Lord

   so as to instruct him?’

But we have the mind of Christ.

3And so, brothers and sisters, *  I could not speak to you as spiritual people, but rather as

people of the flesh, as infants in Christ.  2 I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were

not ready for solid food. Even now you are still not ready,  3 for you are still of the flesh.

For as long as there is jealousy and quarrelling among you, are you not of the flesh, and

behaving according to human inclinations?  4 For when one says, ‘I belong to Paul’, and

another, ‘I belong to Apollos’, are you not merely human?

5 What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you came to believe, as

the Lord assigned to each.  6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.  7 So

neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God who gives

the growth.  8 The one who plants and the one who waters have a common purpose, and

each will receive wages according to the labour of each.  9 For we are God’s servants,

working together; you are God’s field, God’s building.

10 According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a

foundation, and someone else is building on it. Each builder must choose with care how

to build on it.  11 For no one can lay any foundation other than the one that has been laid;

that foundation is Jesus Christ.  12 Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold,

silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw—  13 the work of each builder will become

visible, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed with fire, and the fire will

test what sort of work each has done.  14 If what has been built on the foundation

survives, the builder will receive a reward.  15 If the work is burned, the builder will suffer

loss; the builder will be saved, but only as through fire.


A READING FROM THE GOSPEL OF Matthew 2:13-23

13 Now after they had left, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and

said, ‘Get up, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I

tell you; for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.’ 

14 Then Joseph *  got up, took the child and his mother by night, and went to Egypt, 

15 and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfil what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet, ‘Out of Egypt I have called my son.’

16 When Herod saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, *  he was infuriated, and

he sent and killed all the children in and around Bethlehem who were two years old or

under, according to the time that he had learned from the wise men. *   17 Then was fulfilled

what had been spoken through the prophet Jeremiah:

18  ‘A voice was heard in Ramah,

   wailing and loud lamentation,

Rachel weeping for her children;

   she refused to be consoled, because they are no more.’

19 When Herod died, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared in a dream to Joseph in

Egypt and said,  20 ‘Get up, take the child and his mother, and go to the land of Israel, for

those who were seeking the child’s life are dead.’  21 Then Joseph *  got up, took the child

and his mother, and went to the land of Israel.  22 But when he heard that Archelaus was

ruling over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And after being

warned in a dream, he went away to the district of Galilee.  23 There he made his home in

a town called Nazareth, so that what had been spoken through the prophets might be

fulfilled, ‘He will be called a Nazorean.’

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, Harold Carrington, Matthew Cassone, Cathy Aviolla, Gweneth

Chase, Trevor Chase, 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, and

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!

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