A SERVICE OF EVENING PRAYER
July 7, 2022
Welcome
Prelude
Opening
Jesus Christ is the light of the world,
the light no dark ness can overcome.
Stay with us, Lord, for it is evening,
and the day is almost over.
Let your light scatter the darkness
and illumine your church.
Confession and Forgiveness
Blessed be the holy Trinity, + one God,
Whose steadfast love endures forever.
Amen.
Let us confess our sin in the presence of God and of one another
Silence is kept for reflection.
Merciful God,
we confess that we have not followed your path but have chosen our own way. Instead of putting others before ourselves, we long to take the best seats at the table. When met by those in need, we have too often passed by on the other side. Set us again on the path of life. Save us from ourselves and free us to love our neighbors. Amen.
Hear the good news!
God does not deal with us according to our sins but delights in granting pardon and mercy. In the name of + Jesus Christ, your sins are forgiven. You are free to love as God loves
Amen.
Thanksgiving for Light
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give our thanks and praise.
We give you thanks, O God, for in the beginning you called light into being,and you set lights in the sky to govern night and day. In a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night you led your people into freedom.
Enlighten our darkness by the light of your Christ; may your Word be a lamp to our feet and a light to our path; for you are merciful, and you love your whole creation, and with all your creatures we give you glory,through your Son Jesus Christ, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, now and forever. Amen.
Prayer
Let us pray.
O Lord God, your mercy delights us, and the world longs for your loving care. Hear the cries of everyone in need, and turn our hearts to love our neighbors with the love of your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.
Amen.
Proverbs 8:1-11
1Does not wisdom call,
and does not understanding raise her voice?
2On the heights, beside the way,
at the crossroads she takes her stand;
3beside the gates in front of the town,
at the entrance of the portals she cries out:
4"To you, O people, I call,
and my cry is to all that live.
5O simple ones, learn prudence;
acquire intelligence, you who lack it.
6Hear, for I will speak noble things,
and from my lips will come what is right;
7for my mouth will utter truth;
wickedness is an abomination to my lips.
8All the words of my mouth are righteous;
there is nothing twisted or crooked in them.
9They are all straight to one who understands
and right to those who find knowledge.
10Take my instruction instead of silver,
and knowledge rather than choice gold;
11for wisdom is better than jewels,
and all that you may desire cannot compare with her.
Psalm 82 (read responsively by whole verse)
1God has taken his place in the divine council;
in the midst of the gods he holds judgment:
2"How long will you judge unjustly
and show partiality to the wicked?
Selah
3Give justice to the weak and the orphan;
maintain the right of the lowly and the destitute.
4Rescue the weak and the needy;
deliver them from the hand of the wicked."
5They have neither knowledge nor understanding,
they walk around in darkness;
all the foundations of the earth are shaken.
6I say, "You are gods,
children of the Most High, all of you;
7nevertheless, you shall die like mortals,
and fall like any prince."
8Rise up, O God, judge the earth;
for all the nations belong to you!
Gloria Patri
Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning is now and ever shall be. Amen.
Luke 10:25-37 (Spark Story Bible)
A clever man who thought he knew all the rules for living God’s way asked Jesus a question. He wanted to see if he could trick Jesus into giving the wrong answer. “Teacher,” he said, ‘what must I do to live forever with God?”
Jesus asked another question, “What do the commandments say?”
The man answered, “The commandments say you should love God with everything you have. And you should love your neighbor as much as you love yourself.”
Jesus replied, “That’s the right answer! Live like this and you’ll live with God forever.”
“So, Jesus,” the man continued, “who’s my neighbor?”
Jesus answered the question with a story.
A man was traveling down a scary and rocky road by himself. All of a sudden, a group of men jumped out. They stole his money and hurt him, leaving him by the side of the road. He moaned and groaned in pain. He couldn’t get up.
A little while later a priest was going down the road. He saw the hurt man and passed my him on the opposite side of the road. Later, another man came along and passed on the other side of the road too. When a Samaritan came along and saw that the man was hurt, he stopped to help him.
A tear ran down the Samaritan’s cheek as he bent down to help the hurt man. He put bandages on the man’s cuts. The Samaritan huffed and puffed as he tried to lift the man onto his donkey.
He took the man to the nearest inn and put him in a room. He took care of him for the rest of that day. The next day the Samaritan had to leave for a few days. He paid the innkeeper to take care of the hurt man. The Samaritan promised to return and pay the innkeeper any more money that was needed to cure the man. He wanted the hurt man to get better.
After Jesus finished the story, he asked the clever man, “Which of the three men was a neighbor to the man who was hurt?”
The man replied, “The one who stopped to help him.”
Jesus told him, “God wants us to help everyone. People of every size, shape, and color and from every country are important to God. Now, go and be like the Samaritan and help everyone who needs help.”
The word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Reflection
Response
Long ago God spoke to our ancestors in many and various ways by the prophets,
but in these last days God has spoken to us by the Son.
Gospel Canticle (together)
Magnificat A Prayer-Paraphrase of Luke 1: 46-55
We praise you, Lord,
and our spirits rejoice in you – our Saviour;
For you take notice of the unnoticeable,
and transform them into the blessed;
You are strong and true to yourself and all that is good
in everything you are and do and say;
and you do great things for us;
Through the ages you have shown compassion
to those who trust you,
And in your strength you have scattered
those who are arrogant and abusive;
You have made the thrones of tyrants topple
and you have made humble people into leaders of many;
You have cared for and provided for those who have nothing,
and you have left the over-satisfied with empty hands;
You have always been a help to your people,
and have shown mercy when we have gone astray;
You made this promise to our ancestors,
and you continue to stay true to it even now.
We praise you, Lord,
and our spirits rejoice in you – our Saviour. Amen.
Apostles’ Creed
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 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.
Prayers
In peace, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
For the peace from above, and for our salvation, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
For the peace of the whole world, for the well-being of the church of God,
and for the unity of all, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
For this holy house, and for all who offer here their worship and praise,
let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
For the health of the creation, for abundant harvests that all may share,
and for peaceful times, let us pray to the Lord,
Lord, have mercy.
For public servants, the government, and those who protect us;
for those who work to bring peace, justice, healing, and protection
in this and every place, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
For those who travel, for those who are sick and suffering, and for those who are in captivity, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
For deliverance in the time of affliction, wrath, danger, and need, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
For all servants of the church, for this assembly, and for all people who await from the Lord great and abundant mercy, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
Help, save, comfort, and defend us, gracious Lord.
Giving thanks for all who have gone before us and are at rest, rejoicing in the communion of all the saints, we commend ourselves, one another, and our whole life to you, through Christ our Lord.
To you, O Lord.
O God, from whom come all holy desires, all good counsels, and all just works: give to us, your servants, that peace which the world cannot give, that our hearts may be set to obey your commandments; and also that we, being defended from the fear of our enemies, may live in peace and quietness; through Jesus Christ our Savior, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, God forever.
Amen.
Lord’s Prayer
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 forever.
Amen
Written Offering
Benediction
Let us bless the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
The peace of God which passes all understanding keep our hearts and our minds in Christ Jesus.
Amen.
Postlude Be Thou My Vision
ELW 793 (v. 1,2,4)
Be thou my vision, O Lord of my heart;
naught be all else to me, save that thou art:
thou my best thought both by day and by night,
waking or sleeping, thy presence my light.
Be thou my wisdom, and thou my true word;
I ever with thee and thou with me, Lord.
Thou my soul's shelter, and thou my high tow'r,
raise thou me heav'nward, O Pow'r of my pow'r..
Light of my soul, after victory won,
may I reach heaven's joys, O heaven's Sun!
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
still be my vision, O Ruler of all.
Liturgical Text and Music, from Evangelical Lutheran Worship, © 2006 and 2020 Augsburg Fortress, Reprinted and/or streamed with permission under Augsburg Fortress Liturgies License #SAS016761. All rights reserved.
Spark Story Bible, ©2009 Augsburg Fortress, Used with permission, All rights reserved.
Magnificat, A Prayer-Paraphrase of Luke 1: 46-55, John van de Laar, copyright © 2008 Sacredise. Posted on Sacredise.com. Used with permission.
Be Thou My Vision, Text: Irish, 8th cent.; vers. Eleanor H. Hull, 1860-1935, alt.; tr. Mary E. Byrne, 1880-1931, Music: Irish traditional.. Public domain.
