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A SERVICE OF EVENING PRAYER
April 15, 2021
Prelude
Christ is Alive! Let Christians Sing (1,2,& 5) ELW 389 ELW 379
Christ is alive! Let Christians sing.
The cross stands empty to the sky.
Let streets and homes with praises ring.
Love, drowned in death, shall never die.
Christ is alive! No longer bound
to distant years in Palestine,
but saving, healing, here and now,
and touching ev’ry place and time.
Christ is alive, and comes to bring
good news to this and every age,
till earth and sky and ocean ring
with joy, with justice, love, and praise.
Be Not Afraid ELW 388
Be not afraid, sing out for joy!
Christ is risen, alleluia!
Be not afraid, sing out for joy!
Christ is risen, alleluia!
Welcome
Dialogue
Jesus Christ is risen from the dead.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!
We are illumined by the brightness of his rising.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!
Death has no more dominion over us.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!
Thanksgiving for Baptism
Holy God, holy and merciful, holy and mighty, you are the river of life, you are the everlasting wellspring, you are the fire of rebirth.
Glory to you for oceans and lakes, for rivers and streams. Honor to you for cloud and rain, for dew and snow. Your waters are below us, around us, above us: our life is born in you. You are the fountain of resurrection.
Praise to you for your saving waters: Noah and the animals survive the flood, Hagar discovers your well. The Israelites escape through the sea, and they drink from your gushing rock. Naaman washes his leprosy away, and the Samaritan woman will never be thirsty again.
At the font, holy God, we pray: Praise to you for the water of baptism and for your Word that saves us in this water. Breathe your Spirit into all who are gathered here and into all creation. Illumine our days. Enliven our bones. Dry our tears. Wash away the sin within us and drown the evil around us.
Satisfy all our thirst with your living water, Jesus Christ, our Savior, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
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.
Psalm 34
1I will bless the LORD at all times;
his praise shall continually be in my mouth.
2My soul makes its boast in the LORD;
let the humble hear and be glad.
3O magnify the LORD with me,
and let us exalt his name together.
4I sought the LORD, and he answered me,
and delivered me from all my fears.
5Look to him, and be radiant;
so your faces shall never be ashamed.
6This poor soul cried, and was heard by the LORD,
and was saved from every trouble.
7The angel of the LORD encamps
around those who fear him, and delivers them.
8O taste and see that the LORD is good;
happy are those who take refuge in him.
9O fear the LORD, you his holy ones,
for those who fear him have no want.
10The young lions suffer want and hunger,
but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.
11Come, O children, listen to me;
I will teach you the fear of the LORD.
12Which of you desires life,
and covets many days to enjoy good?
13Keep your tongue from evil,
and your lips from speaking deceit.
14Depart from evil, and do good;
seek peace, and pursue it.
15The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous,
and his ears are open to their cry.
16The face of the LORD is against evildoers,
to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.
17When the righteous cry for help, the LORD hears,
and rescues them from all their troubles.
18The LORD is near to the brokenhearted,
and saves the crushed in spirit.
19Many are the afflictions of the righteous,
but the LORD rescues them from them all.
20He keeps all their bones;
not one of them will be broken.
21Evil brings death to the wicked,
and those who hate the righteous will be condemned.
22The LORD redeems the life of his servants;
none of those who take refuge in him will be condemned.
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.
Psalm 27
1The LORD is my light and my salvation;
whom shall I fear?
The LORD is the stronghold of my life;
of whom shall I be afraid?
2When evildoers assail me
to devour my flesh —
my adversaries and foes —
they shall stumble and fall.
3Though an army encamp against me,
my heart shall not fear;
though war rise up against me,
yet I will be confident.
4One thing I asked of the LORD,
that will I seek after:
to live in the house of the LORD
all the days of my life,
to behold the beauty of the LORD,
and to inquire in his temple.
5For he will hide me in his shelter
in the day of trouble;
he will conceal me under the cover of his tent;
he will set me high on a rock.
6Now my head is lifted up
above my enemies all around me,
and I will offer in his tent
sacrifices with shouts of joy;
I will sing and make melody to the LORD.
7Hear, O LORD, when I cry aloud,
be gracious to me and answer me!
8"Come," my heart says, "seek his face!"
Your face, LORD, do I seek.
9Do not hide your face from me.
Do not turn your servant away in anger,
you who have been my help.
Do not cast me off, do not forsake me,
O God of my salvation!
10If my father and mother forsake me,
the LORD will take me up.
11Teach me your way, O LORD,
and lead me on a level path
because of my enemies.
12Do not give me up to the will of my adversaries,
for false witnesses have risen against me,
and they are breathing out violence.
13I believe that I shall see the goodness of the LORD
in the land of the living.
14Wait for the LORD;
be strong, and let your heart take courage;
wait for the LORD!
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.
Reading 1 John 3:1-7
1See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and that is what we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 2Beloved, we are God's children now; what we will be has not yet been revealed. What we do know is this: when he is revealed, we will be like him, for we will see him as he is. 3And all who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.
4Everyone who commits sin is guilty of lawlessness; sin is lawlessness. 5You know that he was revealed to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. 6No one who abides in him sins; no one who sins has either seen him or known him. 7Little children, let no one deceive you. Everyone who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous.
Reflection
Response
Jesus said, “I am the light of the world.
Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness.
Gospel Canticle (together)
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for you, Lord,
have looked with favor on your lowly servant.From this day all generations will call me bless’d:
you, the Almighty, have done great things for me and holy is your name.
You have mercy on those who fear you,
from generation to generation.
You have shown strength with your arm
and scattered the proud in their conceit,
casting down the mighty from their thrones
and lifting up the lowly.
You have filled the hungry with good things
and sent the rich away empty.
You have come to the aid of your servant Israel,
to remember the promise of mercy, the promise made
to our forebears, to Abraham and his children forever.
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.
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
Living God, giver of life, hear us as we pray, saying, Pour out your blessing, O Lord;
send us your Spirit of peace.
We pray for the church. Let your church be a living sign of the woundedness and healing of Christ, sharing the gift of forgiveness and the gospel of reconciliation. Pour out your blessing, O Lord;
send us your Spirit of peace.
We pray for the earth. Help us to see the scars of death that mark your good creation, and to seek the blessing of life that you offer to all creatures. Pour out your blessings, O Lord;
send your Spirit of peace.
We pray for all nations. Show us how good and pleasant it is when people live together in unity, and anoint us with your wisdom so that we may seek the ways of life . Pour out your blessing, O Lord;
send us your Spirit of peace.
We pray for this community. Give us a vision of the common good: not clinging to our own possessions but seeking the fullness of life for all as a testimony to Christ’s resurrection.
Pour out your blessing, O Lord;
send us your Spirit of peace.
We pray for loved ones. Be near to those who walk in darkness and lead us all into Christ’s light so that our fellowship may be true and our joy may be complete. Pour out your blessing, O Lord;
send us your Spirit of peace.
By the blessing of your Spirit, help us to live as we pray so that the world may come to know the gift of life in Christ our Lord.
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
Benediction
Postlude
Lord of All Hopefulness ELW 765
Lord of all hopefulness, Lord of all joy,
whose trust, ever child-like, no cares could destroy:
be there at our waking, and give us, we pray,
your bliss in our hearts, Lord, at the break of the day.
Lord of all eagerness, Lord of all faith,
whose strong hands were skilled at the plane and the lathe:
be there at our labors, and give us, we pray,
your strength in our hearts, Lord, at the noon of the day.
Lord of all kindliness, Lord of all grace,
your hands swift to welcome, your arms to embrace:
be there at our homing, and give us, we pray,
your love in our hearts, Lord, at the eve of the day.
Lord of all gentleness, Lord of all calm,
whose voice is contentment, whose presence is balm:
be there at our sleeping, and give us, we pray,
your peace in our hearts, Lord, at the end of the day.
Christ is Alive! Let Christians Sing Text: Brian A. Wren, b. 1936, Text © 1975, rev. 1995 Hope Publishing Company. Reprinted and/or streamed with permission under OneLicense #A-722274. All rights reserved. Music: T. Williams, Psalmodia Evangelica, 1789, Public domain.
Be Not Afraid Text: Matthew 28:5; Taizé Community; Music: Jacques Berthier, 1923-1994. Text and Music © 1998 Les Presses de Taizé, GIA Publications, Inc., agent. Reprinted and/or streamed with permission under OneLicense #A-722274. All rights reserved.
Lord of All Hopefulness Text: Jan Struther, 1901-1953, Text © Oxford University Press 1931., Reprinted and/or streamed with permission under OneLicense #A-722274. All rights reserved, Music: Irish traditional, Public domain.
