EVENING PRAYER FOR WEDNESDAY, JUNE 2, 2021

Evening Prayer for Wednesday after Proper 4
Blandina and Her Companions
June 2, 2021

The Invitatory and Psalter

V: O God, make speed to save us.
R: O Lord, make haste to help us.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever.  Amen.

Alleluia

O Gracious Light Phos hilaron

O gracious light,
pure brightness of the everliving Father in heaven,
O Jesus Christ, holy and blessed!

Now as we come to the setting of the sun,
and our eyes behold the vesper light,
we sing your praises, O God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

You are worthy at all times to be praised by happy voices,
O Son of God, O Giver of life,
and to be glorified through all the worlds.

The Psalm or Psalms Appointed

Psalm 49 Audite haec, omnes

¹   Hear this, all you peoples; hearken, all you who dwell in the world, *
you of high degree and low, rich and poor together.
²   My mouth shall speak of wisdom, *
and my heart shall meditate on understanding.
³   I will incline my ear to a proverb *
and set forth my riddle upon the harp.
⁴   Why should I be afraid in evil days, *
when the wickedness of those at my heels surrounds me,
⁵   The wickedness of those who put their trust in their goods, *
and boast of their great riches?
⁶   We can never ransom ourselves, *
or deliver to God the price of our life;
⁷   For the ransom of our life is so great, *
that we should never have enough to pay it,
⁸   In order to live for ever and ever, *
and never see the grave.
⁹   For we see that the wise die also; like the dull and stupid they perish *
and leave their wealth to those who come after them.
¹⁰   Their graves shall be their homes for ever, their dwelling places from generation to generation, *
though they call the lands after their own names.
¹¹   Even though honored, they cannot live for ever; *
they are like the beasts that perish.
¹²   Such is the way of those who foolishly trust in themselves, *
and the end of those who delight in their own words.
¹³   Like a flock of sheep they are destined to die; Death is their shepherd; *
they go down straightway to the grave.
¹⁴   Their form shall waste away, *
and the land of the dead shall be their home.
¹⁵   But God will ransom my life; *
he will snatch me from the grasp of death.
¹⁶   Do not be envious when some become rich, *
or when the grandeur of their house increases;
¹⁷   For they will carry nothing away at their death, *
nor will their grandeur follow them.
¹⁸   Though they thought highly of themselves while they lived, *
and were praised for their success,
¹⁹   They shall join the company of their forebears, *
who will never see the light again.
²⁰   Those who are honored, but have no understanding, *
are like the beasts that perish.

Psalm 53 Dixit insipiens

¹   The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.” *
All are corrupt and commit abominable acts; there is none who does any good.
²   God looks down from heaven upon us all, *
to see if there is any who is wise, if there is one who seeks after God.
³   Every one has proved faithless; all alike have turned bad; *
there is none who does good; no, not one.
⁴   Have they no knowledge, those evildoers *
who eat up my people like bread and do not call upon God?
⁵   See how greatly they tremble, such trembling as never was; *
for God has scattered the bones of the enemy; they are put to shame, because God has rejected them.
⁶   Oh, that Israel’s deliverance would come out of Zion! *
when God restores the fortunes of his people Jacob will rejoice and Israel be glad.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

The Lessons

A reading from Luke 17:20-37

Once Jesus was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God was coming, and he answered, “The kingdom of God is not coming with things that can be observed; nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There it is!’ For, in fact, the kingdom of God is among you.” Then he said to the disciples, “The days are coming when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it.  They will say to you, ‘Look there!’ or ‘Look here!’ Do not go, do not set off in pursuit.  For as the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other, so will the Son of Man be in his day.  But first he must endure much suffering and be rejected by this generation.  Just as it was in the days of Noah, so too it will be in the days of the Son of Man.  They were eating and drinking, and marrying and being given in marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed all of them.  Likewise, just as it was in the days of Lot: they were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building, but on the day that Lot left Sodom, it rained fire and sulfur from heaven and destroyed all of them — it will be like that on the day that the Son of Man is revealed.  On that day, anyone on the housetop who has belongings in the house must not come down to take them away; and likewise anyone in the field must not turn back. Remember Lot’s wife.  Those who try to make their life secure will lose it, but those who lose their life will keep it.  I tell you, on that night there will be two in one bed; one will be taken and the other left.  There will be two women grinding meal together; one will be taken and the other left.” Then they asked him, “Where, Lord?” He said to them, “Where the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.”

Here ends the Reading.

The Song of Mary Magnificat

Luke 1:46-55

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior; *
for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.
From this day all generations will call me blessed: *
the Almighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his Name.
He has mercy on those who fear him *
in every generation.
He has shown the strength of his arm, *
he has scattered the proud in their conceit.
He has cast down the mighty from their thrones, *
and has lifted up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things, *
and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has come to the help of his servant Israel, *
for he has remembered his promise of mercy,
The promise he made to our fathers, *
to Abraham and his children for ever.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever.  Amen

The Apostles’ Creed

I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, his only son, our Lord.  He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary.  He 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, and is seated at the right hand of the Father.  He will come again 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.

The Prayers

V: The Lord be with you.
R: And also with you.
Let us pray.

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 who trespass against us.  And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.  For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever.  Amen.

Suffrages B

That this evening may be holy, good, and peaceful,
We entreat you, O Lord.

That your holy angels may lead us in paths of peace and goodwill,
We entreat you, O Lord.

That we may be pardoned and forgiven for our sins and offenses,
We entreat you, O Lord.

That there may be peace to your Church and to the whole world,
We entreat you, O Lord.

That we may depart this life in your faith and fear,
and not be condemned before the great judgment seat of Christ,
We entreat you, O Lord.

That we may be bound together by your Holy Spirit in
the communion of [________ and] all your saints,
entrusting one another and all our life to Christ,
We entreat you, O Lord.

Collect of the Day

Grant, O Lord, that we who keep the feast of the holy martyrs Blandina and her companions may be rooted and grounded in love of you, and may endure the sufferings of this life for the glory that shall be revealed in us; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.  Amen.

A Collect for Protection

O God, the life of all who live, the light of the faithful, the strength of those who labor, and the repose of the dead:  We thank you for the blessings of the day that is past, and humbly ask for your protection through the coming night.  Bring us in safety to the morning hours; through him who died and rose again for us, your Son our Savior Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Prayer for Mission

O God and Father of all, whom the whole heavens adore:  Let the whole earth also worship you, all nations obey you, all tongues confess and bless you, and men and women every-where love you and serve you in peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.


{You may add your own intercessions and thanksgivings here.}

Let us bless the Lord. 
Thanks be to God. 

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us all evermore.  Amen.    2 Corinthians 13:14







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New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. The New Revised Standard Version Bible may be quoted and/or reprinted up to and inclusive of five hundred (500) verses without express written permission of the publisher, provided the verses quoted do not amount to a complete book of the Bible or account for fifty percent (50%) of the total work in which they are quoted.