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A SERVICE OF EVENING PRAYER
April 29, 2021
Prelude
We Know That Christ Is Raised (vs. 1, 2, 4) ELW 449
We know that Christ is raised and dies no more.
Embraced by death, he broke its fearful hold,
and our despair he turned to blazing joy.
Hallelujah!
We share by water in his saving death.
Reborn, we share with him an Easter life,
as living members of our Savior Christ.
Hallelujah!
A new creation comes to life and grows
as Christ's new body takes on flesh and blood.
The universe restored and whole will sing:
Hallelujah!
Now All the Vault of Heaven Resounds (v. 1, 3) ELW 367
Now all the vault of heav'n resounds
in praise of love that still abounds:
"Christ has triumphed! He is living!"
Sing, choirs of angels, loud and clear!
Repeat their song of glory here:
"Christ has triumphed! He is living!"
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!
Oh, fill us, Lord, with dauntless love;
set heart and will on things above
that we conquer through your triumph;
grant grace sufficient for life's day
that by our lives we truly say:
"Christ has triumphed! He is living!"
Alleluia, alleluia, 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 of the Day
O God, you give us your Son as the vine apart from whom we cannot live. Nourish our life in his resurrection, that we may bear the fruit of love and know the fullness of your joy, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spriit, one God, now and forever.
Amen.
Psalm 22
1My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Why are you so far from helping me, from the words of my groaning?
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p;2O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer;
and by night, but find no rest.
3Yet you are holy,
enthroned on the praises of Israel.
4In you our ancestors trusted;
they trusted, and you delivered them.
5To you they cried, and were saved;
in you they trusted, and were not put to shame.
8"Commit your cause to the LORD; let him deliver —
let him rescue the one in whom he delights!"
for trouble is near
and there is no one to help.
19But you, O LORD, do not be far away!
O my help, come quickly to my aid!
20Deliver my soul from the sword,
my life from the power of the dog!
21Save me from the mouth of the lion!
From the horns of the wild oxen you have rescued me.
22I will tell of your name to my brothers and sisters
in the midst of the congregation I will praise you:
23You who fear the LORD, praise him!
All you offspring of Jacob, glorify him;
stand in awe of him, all you offspring of Israel!
24For he did not despise or abhor
the affliction of the afflicted;
he did not hide his face from me,
but heard when I cried to him.
25From you comes my praise in the great congregation;
my vows I will pay before those who fear him.
26The poor shall eat and be satisfied;
those who seek him shall praise the LORD.
May your hearts live forever!
27All the ends of the earth shall remember
and turn to the LORD;
and all the families of the nations
shall worship before him.
28For dominion belongs to the LORD,
and he rules over the nations.
29To him, indeed, shall all who sleep in the earth bow down;
before him shall bow all who go down to the dust,
and I shall live for him.
30Posterity will serve him;
future generations will be told about the LORD,
31and proclaim his deliverance to a people yet unborn,
saying that he has done it.
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 37
1Do not fret because of the wicked;
do not be envious of wrongdoers,
2for they will soon fade like the grass,
and wither like the green herb.
3Trust in the LORD, and do good;
so you will live in the land, and enjoy security.
4Take delight in the LORD,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
5Commit your way to the LORD;
trust in him, and he will act.
6He will make your vindication shine like the light,
and the justice of your cause like the noonday.
7Be still before the LORD, and wait patiently for him;
do not fret over those who prosper in their way,
over those who carry out evil devices.
8Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath.
Do not fret — it leads only to evil.
9For the wicked shall be cut off,
but those who wait for the LORD shall inherit the land.
10Yet a little while, and the wicked will be no more;
though you look diligently for their place, they will not be there.
11But the meek shall inherit the land,
and delight themselves in abundant prosperity.
12The wicked plot against the righteous,
and gnash their teeth at them;
13but the LORD laughs at the wicked,
for he sees that their day is coming.
14The wicked draw the sword and bend their bows
to bring down the poor and needy,
to kill those who walk uprightly;
15their sword shall enter their own heart,
and their bows shall be broken.
16Better is a little that the righteous person has
than the abundance of many wicked.
17For the arms of the wicked shall be broken,
but the LORD upholds the righteous.
18The LORD knows the days of the blameless,
and their heritage will abide forever;
19they are not put to shame in evil times,
in the days of famine they have abundance.
20But the wicked perish,
and the enemies of the LORD are like the glory of the pastures;
they vanish — like smoke they vanish away.
21The wicked borrow, and do not pay back,
but the righteous are generous and keep giving;
22for those blessed by the LORD shall inherit the land,
but those cursed by him shall be cut off.
23Our steps are made firm by the LORD,
when he delights in our way;
24though we stumble, we shall not fall headlong,
for the LORD holds us by the hand.
25I have been young, and now am old,
yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken
or their children begging bread.
26They are ever giving liberally and lending,
and their children become a blessing.
27Depart from evil, and do good;
so you shall abide forever.
28For the LORD loves justice;
he will not forsake his faithful ones.
The righteous shall be kept safe forever,
but the children of the wicked shall be cut off.
29The righteous shall inherit the land,
and live in it forever.
30The mouths of the righteous utter wisdom,
and their tongues speak justice.
31The law of their God is in their hearts;
their steps do not slip.
32The wicked watch for the righteous,
and seek to kill them.
33The LORD will not abandon them to their power,
or let them be condemned when they are brought to trial.
34Wait for the LORD, and keep to his way,
and he will exalt you to inherit the land;
you will look on the destruction of the wicked.
35I have seen the wicked oppressing,
and towering like a cedar of Lebanon.
36Again I passed by, and they were no more;
though I sought them, they could not be found.
37Mark the blameless, and behold the upright,
for there is posterity for the peaceable.
38But transgressors shall be altogether destroyed;
the posterity of the wicked shall be cut off.
39The salvation of the righteous is from the LORD;
he is their refuge in the time of trouble.
40The LORD helps them and rescues them;
he rescues them from the wicked, and saves them,
because they take refuge in him.
Reading Acts 8:26-40
26Then an angel of the Lord said to Philip, "Get up and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza." (This is a wilderness road.) 27So he got up and went. Now there was an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official of the Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, in charge of her entire treasury. He had come to Jerusalem to worship 28and was returning home; seated in his chariot, he was reading the prophet Isaiah. 29Then the Spirit said to Philip, "Go over to this chariot and join it." 30So Philip ran up to it and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah. He asked, "Do you understand what you are reading?" 31He replied, "How can I, unless someone guides me?" And he invited Philip to get in and sit beside him. 32Now the passage of the scripture that he was reading was this:
"Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter,
and like a lamb silent before its shearer, so he does not open his mouth.
33In his humiliation justice was denied him.
Who can describe his generation? For his life is taken away from the earth."
34The eunuch asked Philip, "About whom, may I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?" 35Then Philip began to speak, and starting with this scripture, he proclaimed to him the good news about Jesus. 36As they were going along the road, they came to some water; and the eunuch said, "Look, here is water! What is to prevent me from being baptized?" 38He commanded the chariot to stop, and both of them, Philip and the eunuch, went down into the water, and Philip baptized him. 39When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away; the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing. 40But Philip found himself at Azotus, and as he was passing through the region, he proclaimed the good news to all the towns until he came to Caesarea.
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 Let All Things Now LIving ELW 881
Let all things now living
a song of thanksgiving
to God the creator triumphantly raise,
who fashioned and made us,
protected and stayed us,
who still guides us on to the end of our days.
God's banners are o'er us,
God's light goes before us,
a pillar of fire shining forth in the night,
till shadows have vanished
and darkness is banished,
as forward we travel from light into light.
God rules all the forces:
the stars in their courses
and sun in its orbit obediently shine;
the hills and the mountains,
the rivers and fountains,
the deeps of the ocean proclaim God divine.
We too should be voicing
our love and rejoicing;
with glad adoration a song let us raise
till all things now living
unite in thanksgiving:
"To God in the highest, hosanna and praise!"
We Know That Christ Is Raised Text: John B. Geyer, b. 1932, Text © John B. Geyer. Reprinted and/or streamed with permission under OneLicense #A-722274. All rights reserved. Music: Charles V. Stanford, 1852-1924. Public domain.
Now All the Vault of Heaven Resounds Text: Paul Z. Strodach, 1876-1947, alt. Text © 1958 Service Book and Hymnal, admin. Augsburg Fortress. Reprinted and/or streamed with permission under OneLicense #A-722274. Music: Geistliche Kirchengesänge, Köln, 1623. Public domain.
Let All Things Now LIving Text: Katherine K. Davis, 1892-1980, alt. Text © 1939, 1966 E.C. Schirmer Music Company, Reprinted and/or streamed with permission under OneLicense #A-722274. All rights reserved. Music: Welsh Folk Tune, Public domain.
