Vespers (Evening Prayer)

O God, come to my aid.
O Lord, make haste to help me.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen. Alleluia.

A suitable hymn may be inserted at this point.

Psalm 122 (123)
The Lord guards his people
To you I lift up my eyes, to you who dwell in the heavens. Like the eyes of a servant watching his master, like the eyes of a maid on her mistress’s hands, so we keep our eyes on the Lord our God, as we wait for his kindness. Take pity on us, Lord, take pity: we have had our fill of contempt. Our souls have had their fill of the laughter of the rich, of the contempt of the proud. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Psalm 122 (123)

The Lord guards his people

To you I lift up my eyes,
to you who dwell in the heavens.

Like the eyes of a servant watching his master,
like the eyes of a maid on her mistress’s hands,
so we keep our eyes on the Lord our God,
as we wait for his kindness.

Take pity on us, Lord, take pity:
we have had our fill of contempt.
Our souls have had their fill
of the laughter of the rich,
of the contempt of the proud.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen.

Psalm 123 (124)
Our help is in the name of the Lord
If the Lord had not been with us (so let Israel sing), If the Lord had not been with us when men rose up against us, they might have skinned us alive, such was their anger. The waters could have drowned us, the torrent poured over us, the foaming waters poured over us. Blessed be the Lord, who saved us from being torn to pieces by their teeth. We have escaped, like a bird from the snare of the fowler. The snare was broken, and we escaped. Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Psalm 123 (124)

Our help is in the name of the Lord

If the Lord had not been with us
(so let Israel sing),
If the Lord had not been with us
when men rose up against us,
they might have skinned us alive,
such was their anger.
The waters could have drowned us,
the torrent poured over us,
the foaming waters poured over us.

Blessed be the Lord, who saved us
from being torn to pieces by their teeth.
We have escaped, like a bird
from the snare of the fowler.
The snare was broken,
and we escaped.

Our help is in the name of the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen.

Canticle	Ephesians 1
God the Saviour
Blessed be God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us, in Christ, with every spiritual blessing in heaven. In love, he chose us before the creation of the world, to be holy and spotless in his sight. He predestined us to be his adopted children through Jesus Christ, simply because it pleased him to do so. This he did for the praise of the glory of his grace, of his free gift of us to his Beloved, in whose blood we have gained redemption, and the forgiveness of our sins. This he did according to the riches of his grace, which he gave us in abundance, with all wisdom and discernment, revealing to us the mysteries of his will, because it pleased him to do so. In this action he has planned, in the fulfilment of time, to bring all things together in Christ, from the heavens and from the earth. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Canticle

Ephesians 1

God the Saviour

Blessed be God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who has blessed us, in Christ, with every spiritual blessing in heaven.

In love, he chose us before the creation of the world,
to be holy and spotless in his sight.

He predestined us to be his adopted children through Jesus Christ,
simply because it pleased him to do so.

This he did for the praise of the glory of his grace,
of his free gift of us to his Beloved,

in whose blood we have gained redemption,
and the forgiveness of our sins.

This he did according to the riches of his grace,
which he gave us in abundance,

with all wisdom and discernment,
revealing to us the mysteries of his will,
because it pleased him to do so.

In this action he has planned, in the fulfilment of time,
to bring all things together in Christ,
from the heavens and from the earth.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen.

Short reading	James 4:11 - 12 ©
Brothers, do not slander one another. Anyone who slanders a brother, or condemns him, is speaking against the Law and condemning the Law. But if you condemn the Law, you have stopped keeping it and become a judge over it. There is only one lawgiver and he is the only judge and has the power to acquit or to sentence. Who are you to give a verdict on your neighbour?

Canticle	Magnificat
My soul rejoices in the Lord
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God, my salvation. For he has shown me such favour – me, his lowly handmaiden. Now all generations will call me blessed, because the mighty one has done great things for me. His name is holy, his mercy lasts for generation after generation for those who revere him. He has put forth his strength: he has scattered the proud and conceited, torn princes from their thrones; but lifted up the lowly. He has filled the hungry with good things; the rich he has sent away empty. He has come to the help of his servant Israel, he has remembered his mercy as he promised to our fathers, to Abraham and his children for ever. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Canticle

Magnificat

My soul rejoices in the Lord

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God, my salvation.
For he has shown me such favour –
me, his lowly handmaiden.
Now all generations will call me blessed,
because the mighty one has done great things for me.
His name is holy,
his mercy lasts for generation after generation
for those who revere him.

He has put forth his strength:
he has scattered the proud and conceited,
torn princes from their thrones;
but lifted up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things;
the rich he has sent away empty.

He has come to the help of his servant Israel,
he has remembered his mercy as he promised to our fathers,
to Abraham and his children for ever.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen.

Prayers and Intercessions

It is Christ’s will to lead all men to final salvation. With sincere hearts let us pray to him: - Lord, draw all things to yourself.
Blessed are you, Lord: with your precious blood you ransomed us from the slavery of sin:: give us the freedom that belongs to the children of glory.
Give your grace to our Bishop N., and to all the bishops of your Church: may they celebrate your mysteries with ardent joy.
To all who seek the truth, grant the joy of finding what they seek,: and let them live always according to that truth.
Lord, be near to orphans, widows, and all who are abandoned:: may they feel your presence and keep always close to you.
In your goodness, receive our deceased into your heavenly city,: where you, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, will be all in 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 that trespass against us,
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.

God, you are truly said to be inexhaustible light.
You have brought us to this hour:
enlighten our souls and be pleased to forget our sins.

Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God for ever and ever.
Amen.

May the Lord bless us and keep us from all harm; and may he lead us to eternal life.

A M E N

The Word Among Us

Monday, February 19, 2007

Meditation
Sirach 1:1-10

We all have days we’d sooner forget. Maybe we’ve been late for work and missed a meeting; maybe our family has caught “the bug”; or maybe we’ve been in a fender-bender. Maybe we’ve just been overwhelmed by the tasks of daily life. Or perhaps we’ve experienced something really traumatic, like the death of a loved one. Whenever we have a day like this, it can be very hard to look heavenward.

Nevertheless, God has left us something we can turn to right here on earth—his word. As Sirach tells us, the Scriptures contain the wisdom we need to see the bigger picture. When our vision of life gets too small, God’s word can open to us a window into his marvelous ways. When our concerns oppress us, the Scriptures can lift us up and change our perspective. We can see that all the events in our lives—even the most unpleasant ones—can be transformed into seasons of grace.

Of course we can and should come to God in prayer—but what forms our prayer? God’s word is a key to developing the faith that we bring to him in prayer. The Scriptures can help us to deal with the conflicting emotions and thoughts that come to us as we pray. They are the ultimate reality check when we are feeling down, showing us proof that God is always there for his people, always loving and forgiving, and always calling us to himself. They are like God’s love letters to his children!

But the Scriptures can do much more than bring us peace of mind. They are also a guide to help us in our day-to-day decisions. Should I accept this new job? Should I marry this person? How much should I spend at the grocery store? We won’t get specific answers to these questions, but we will begin to see things from a heavenly perspective. We’ll get a look into the mind of God, and our minds will gradually be transformed as we begin to see things the way he sees them.

Is your Bible gathering dust on the shelf? Remember that none of us lives “by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4).

“Lord Jesus, give me a hunger for your word. Fill me with your wisdom as I meditate on the Scriptures.”

Psalm 93:1-2,5; Mark 9:14-29