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A SERVICE OF EVENING PRAYER
April 22, 2021
Prelude
The King of Love My Shepherd Is (vs. 1, 4, 6) ELW 502
The King of love my shepherd is,
whose goodness faileth never;
I nothing lack if I am his
and he is mine forever.
In death's dark vale I fear no ill,
with thee, dear Lord, beside me,
thy rod and staff my comfort still;
thy cross before to guide me.
And so, through all the length of days,
thy goodness faileth never.
Good Shepherd, may I sing thy praise
within thy house forever.
Christ the Lord Is Risen Today (v. 1, 2, 4) ELW 369
Christ the Lord is ris'n today; Alleluia!
Christians, hasten on your way; Alleluia!
offer praise with love replete, Alleluia!
at the paschal victim's feet. Alleluia!
For the sheep the Lamb has bled, Alleluia!
sinless in the sinner's stead. Alleluia!
Christ the Lord is ris'n on high; Alleluia!
now he lives, no more to die. Alleluia!
Christians, on this holy day, Alleluia!
all your grateful homage pay; Alleluia!
Christ the Lord is ris'n on high; Alleluia!
now he lives, no more to die. 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.
Prayer.
We are your people, O God - the sheep of your pasture, the flock you have gathered. Lead us beside still waters; teach us the way of righteousness; and feed us at your table; through Jesus Christ, our good shepherd. Amen.
Psalm 33
1Rejoice in the LORD, O you righteous.
Praise befits the upright.
2Praise the LORD with the lyre;
make melody to him with the harp of ten strings.
3Sing to him a new song;
play skillfully on the strings, with loud shouts.
4For the word of the LORD is upright,
and all his work is done in faithfulness.
5He loves righteousness and justice;
the earth is full of the steadfast love of the LORD.
6By the word of the LORD the heavens were made,
and all their host by the breath of his mouth.
7He gathered the waters of the sea as in a bottle;
he put the deeps in storehouses.
8Let all the earth fear the LORD;
let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him.
9For he spoke, and it came to be;
he commanded, and it stood firm.
10The LORD brings the counsel of the nations to nothing;
he frustrates the plans of the peoples.
11The counsel of the LORD stands forever,
the thoughts of his heart to all generations.
12Happy is the nation whose God is the LORD,
the people whom he has chosen as his heritage.
13The LORD looks down from heaven;
he sees all humankind.
14From where he sits enthroned he watches
all the inhabitants of the earth —
15he who fashions the hearts of them all,
and observes all their deeds.
16A king is not saved by his great army;
a warrior is not delivered by his great strength.
17The war horse is a vain hope for victory,
and by its great might it cannot save.
18Truly the eye of the LORD is on those who fear him,
on those who hope in his steadfast love,
19to deliver their soul from death,
and to keep them alive in famine.
20Our soul waits for the LORD;
he is our help and shield.
21Our heart is glad in him,
because we trust in his holy name.
22Let your steadfast love, O LORD, be upon us,
even as we hope in you.
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 23
1The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want.
2He makes me lie down in green pastures;
he leads me beside still waters;
3he restores my soul.
He leads me in right paths
for his name's sake.
4Even though I walk through the darkest valley,
I fear no evil;
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff —
they comfort me.
5You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
6Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD
my whole life long.
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 3:16-24
16We know love by this, that he laid down his life for us — and we ought to lay down our lives for one another. 17How does God's love abide in anyone who has the world's goods and sees a brother or sister in need and yet refuses help?
18Little children, let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action. 19And by this we will know that we are from the truth and will reassure our hearts before him 20whenever our hearts condemn us; for God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. 21Beloved, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have boldness before God; 22and we receive from him whatever we ask, because we obey his commandments and do what pleases him.
23And this is his commandment, that we should believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us. 24All who obey his commandments abide in him, and he abides in them. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit that he has given us.
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
With boldness, let us offer our prayers to the shepherd of our souls, saying, God of goodness and mercy, hear our prayer.
We pray for the church in every place . . . Gather us together and make us one, one in ministry and mission to the world, so that there will be one flock, one shepherd.God of goodness and mercy, hear our prayer.
We pray for the nations of the world . . . Anoint all leaders with your wisdomso that they will use their powerto help the poor and defend the vulnerable.God of goodness and mercy, hear our prayer.
We pray for this community . . . Strengthen those who work each dayto heal the sick, welcome the outcasts,and help sisters and brothers in need.God of goodness and mercy, hear our prayer.
We pray for friends and loved ones . . . Comfort all who are suffering;walk with them through dark valleysand restore them, body, mind, and soul.God of goodness and mercy, hear our prayer.
Loving God, by the power of your Spirit, help us to keep your commandments and to love one another with the love of Jesus, in whose holy name we pray. 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
The King of Love My Shepherd Is Text: Henry W. Baker, 1821-1877. Music: Irish tune. Public domain.
Christ the Lord Is Risen Today Text: attr. Wipo of Burgundy, d. c. 1050; tr. Jane E. Leeson, 1807-1882, alt. Music: Robert Williams, 1781-1821. Public domain.
The Lord's My Shepherd Text: The Psalms of David in Meeter, Edinburgh, 1650. Public domain. Music: James L. Macbeth Bain, arr. Gordon Jacob, 1895-1984, Arr. © Oxford University Press, Reprinted and/or streamed with permission under OneLicense #A-722274. All rights reserved.
