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 124 (125)
The Lord guards his people
Those who trust in the Lord are like the mountain of Sion: it cannot be shaken, it will stand firm for ever. Jerusalem – the mountains stand guard over it, and the Lord stands guard over his people, both now and for ever. The sceptre of the wicked shall not rest upon the inheritance of the just; lest the just themselves stretch out their hands and turn to wickedness. Be good, O Lord, to the good and the upright of heart. As for those who turn away to crooked paths, the Lord shall treat them like the doers of evil. Peace be on Israel! 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 124 (125)

The Lord guards his people

Those who trust in the Lord are like the mountain of Sion:
it cannot be shaken, it will stand firm for ever.

Jerusalem – the mountains stand guard over it,
and the Lord stands guard over his people,
both now and for ever.
The sceptre of the wicked shall not rest
upon the inheritance of the just;
lest the just themselves stretch out their hands
and turn to wickedness.

Be good, O Lord, to the good
and the upright of heart.
As for those who turn away to crooked paths,
the Lord shall treat them like the doers of evil.
Peace be on Israel!

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 130 (131)
Childlike trust in God
Lord, I do not puff myself up or stare about, or walk among the great or seek wonders beyond me. Truly calm and quiet I have made my spirit: quiet as a weaned child in its mother’s arms – like an infant is my soul. Let Israel hope in the Lord, now and for all time. 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 130 (131)

Childlike trust in God

Lord, I do not puff myself up or stare about,
or walk among the great or seek wonders beyond me.

Truly calm and quiet I have made my spirit:
quiet as a weaned child in its mother’s arms –
like an infant is my soul.

Let Israel hope in the Lord, now and for all time.

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	Apocalypse 4,5
The song of the redeemed
You are worthy, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honour and power; for you made all things, and it is by your will that they existed and were created. You are worthy, Lord, to receive the book and open its seals, for you were killed, and with your blood you have ransomed people from every tribe and language and people and nation, and made them rulers and priests for God; and they will rule over the earth. The Lamb is worthy, who was killed, to receive power and riches and wisdom, strength and honour, glory and blessing. 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

Apocalypse 4,5

The song of the redeemed

You are worthy, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honour and power;
for you made all things, and it is by your will that they existed and were created.

You are worthy, Lord, to receive the book and open its seals,
for you were killed, and with your blood you have ransomed people from every tribe and language and people and nation,
and made them rulers and priests for God; and they will rule over the earth.

The Lamb is worthy, who was killed, to receive power and riches and wisdom, strength and honour, glory and blessing.

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	Romans 12:9 - 12 ©
Do not let your love be a pretence, but sincerely prefer good to evil. Love each other as much as brothers should, and have a profound respect for each other. Work for the Lord with untiring effort and with great earnestness of spirit. If you have hope, this will make you cheerful. Do not give up if trials come; and keep on praying.

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

God has established his people in hope, and so with joy we acclaim him: - Lord, you are the hope of your people.
We give you thanks, Lord, that in Christ we have been made rich: in word and in knowledge.
O God, you know the hearts of rulers: in your wisdom guide those who guide the state.: Let them draw from your well of good counsel and be pleasing to you in what they plan and what they do.
You give artists the gift of reflecting your splendour in their work:: through the things they make, make the world bright with hope and joy.
You do not send us trials greater than we can bear:: strengthen the weak and raise the fallen.
Through your Son you have promised mankind resurrection on the last day:: remember those who have already left behind their mortal bodies.

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.

Most gentle Lord, may our evening prayer rise up to you and may your blessing come down upon us,
so that with your help here and in the next life
we may deserve salvation.

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

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Meditation
2 Samuel 6:12-19

Prayer can take many forms. Just consider the scene in today’s first reading, when David brought the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem. He not only had many sacrifices offered, he also danced before God with childlike abandon! This probably wasn’t what most people were expecting of their king. They were probably surprised at his lack of decorum. Yet David was so filled with joy that he let all pretenses fall away and danced freely before the God who had been so good to him and his people.

Our prayer, too, can—and should—take many forms. Don’t you sometimes feel like dancing before God in your prayer time? Go ahead! How about singing a song to him, something you just made up? If it seems appropriate, give it a try. What about marching around the room as a symbolic way of sharing in Jesus’ victory over sin and death? Or running through the forest, delighting in God’s gift of the created world? Or letting out a big belly laugh because the Lord has made you joyful? Or maybe falling prostrate before the Lord, saying the name of Jesus over and over again? These, and so many other forms of prayer, can be just as acceptable as sitting before God in long silence, praying the rosary, or just talking to God as familiarly as you would talk to your neighbor.

Sometimes, we can feel constrained by conventions and structured forms of prayer. Certainly, traditional, structured ways of prayer have their place and can be very powerful in helping us build up our relationship with God. But God also wants us to feel free to express ourselves spontaneously if we feel it is appropriate. An unstructured expression of worship, love, or gratitude may very well help us break through to a deeper relationship with God.

Remember that God is your Father. He loves you as his very own child. Children are naturally spontaneous and free, and you can be this way before God. He delights in seeing his children coming before him in many different ways. Why not take a chance and become a little spontaneous as you let your Father know how much you love him?

“Jesus, as you rejoiced in the Holy Spirit, teach me also to express my joy and worship. You are great, O Lord, and I take delight in you!”

Psalm 24:7-10; Mark 3:31-35