Thursday evening August 3
Friday evening
Wednesday evening
Preparation
Opening response
Favor us, Lord, and deliver us.
Lord, come quickly and help us.
Prayer of thanksgiving
Blessed are you, Lord God, creator of day and night:
to you be praise and glory forever.
As darkness falls you renew your promise
to reveal among us the light of your presence.
By the light of Christ, your living Word,
dispel the darkness of our hearts
that we may walk as children of light
and sing your praise throughout the world.
Blessed be God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Blessed be God forever.
That this evening may be holy, good and peaceful,
let us pray with one heart and mind.
Silence is kept.
As our evening prayer rises before you, O God,
so may your mercy come down upon us
to cleanse our hearts
and set us free to sing your praise
now and forever.
Amen.
Hymn
Come, Thou All-Inspiring Spirit
Charles Wesley
Come, thou all-inspiring Spirit,
Into every longing heart!
Bought for us by Jesus' merit,
Now thy blissful self impart;
Sign our uncontested pardon,
Wash us in the atoning blood;
Make our hearts a watered garden,
Fill our spotless souls with God.
If thou gavest the enlarged desire
Which for thee we ever feel,
Now our longing souls inspire,
Now our cancelled sin reveal;
Claim us for thy habitation,
Dwell within our hallowed breast;
Seal us heirs of full salvation,
Fitted for our heavenly rest.
Give us quietly to tarry,
Till for all thy glory meet,
Waiting, like attentive Mary,
Happy at the Savior's feet.
Keep us from the world unspotted,
From all earthly passions free,
Wholly to thyself devoted,
Fixed to live and die for thee.
Wrestling on in mighty prayer,
Lord, we will not let thee go
Till thou all thy mind declare,
All thy grace on us bestow;
Peace, the seal of sin forgiven,
Joy and perfect love impart;
Present everlasting heaven,
All thou hast and all thou art.
Confession of sin
Seek the Lord when he can still be found;
call him while he is yet near.
Let the wicked abandon their ways
and the sinful their schemes.
Let them return to the Lord so that he may have mercy on them,
to our God, because he is generous with forgiveness.
cf Isaiah 55
A time of silence and self-examination may be kept.
Lord God,
we have sinned against you;
we have committed evil in your sight.
We are sorry and repent.
Have mercy on us according to your faithful love.
Wash us completely clean of our guilt; purify us from our sin.
Put a new, faithful spirit deep inside us,
and return the joy of your salvation to us
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
cf Psalm 51
May the Father of all mercies
cleanse us from our sins,
and restore us in his image
to the praise and glory of his name,
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Bless the Lord,
because he has listened to our request for mercy.
Therefore our hearts will rejoice
and we will thank him with our song.
cf Psalm 28:7,9
The Word of God
Psalm 18
Refrain:
The Lord my God illumines my darkness.
He said: I love you, Lord, my strength.
The Lord is my solid rock,
my fortress, my rescuer.
My God is my rock—
I take refuge in him!—
he’s my shield,
my salvation’s strength,
my place of safety.
Because he is praiseworthy,
I cried out to the Lord,
and I was saved from my enemies.
Death’s cords were wrapped around me;
rivers of wickedness terrified me.
The cords of the grave surrounded me;
death’s traps held me tight.
In my distress I cried out to the Lord;
I called to my God for help.
God heard my voice from his temple;
I called to him for help,
and my call reached his ears.
The earth rocked and shook;
the bases of the mountains trembled and reeled
because of God’s anger.
Smoke went up from God’s nostrils;
out of his mouth came a devouring fire;
flaming coals blazed out in front of him!
God parted the skies and came down;
thick darkness was beneath his feet.
God mounted the heavenly creatures and flew;
he soared on the wings of the wind.
God made darkness cloak him;
his covering was dark water and dense cloud.
God’s clouds went ahead
of the brightness before him;
hail and coals of fire went too.
The Lord thundered in heaven;
the Most High made his voice heard
with hail and coals of fire.
God shot his arrows, scattering the enemy;
he sent the lightning and threw them into confusion.
The seabeds were exposed;
the earth’s foundations were laid bare
at your rebuke, Lord,
at the angry blast of air coming from your nostrils.
From on high God reached down and grabbed me;
he took me out of all that water.
God saved me from my powerful enemy,
saved me from my foes,
who were too much for me.
They came at me on the very day of my distress,
but the Lord was my support.
He brought me out to wide-open spaces;
he pulled me out safe
because he is pleased with me.
The Lord rewarded me for my righteousness;
he restored me because my hands are clean,
because I have kept the Lord’s ways.
I haven’t acted wickedly against my God.
All his rules are right in front of me;
I haven’t turned away from any of his laws.
I have lived with integrity before him;
I’ve kept myself from wrongdoing.
And so the Lord restored me for my righteousness
because my hands are clean in his eyes.
You deal faithfully with the faithful;
you show integrity
toward the one who has integrity.
You are pure toward the pure,
but toward the crooked, you are tricky.
You are the one who saves people who suffer
and brings down those with proud eyes.
You are the one who lights my lamp—
the Lord my God illumines my darkness.
With you I can charge into battle;
with my God I can leap over a wall.
God! His way is perfect;
the Lord’s word is tried and true.
He is a shield for all who take refuge in him.
Now really, who is divine except the Lord?
And who is a rock but our God?
Only God! The God who equips me with strength
and makes my way perfect,
who makes my step as sure as the deer’s,
who lets me stand securely on the heights,
who trains my hands for war
so my arms can bend a bronze bow.
You’ve given me the shield of your salvation;
your strong hand has supported me;
your help has made me great.
You’ve let me walk fast and safe,
without even twisting an ankle.
I chased my enemies and caught them!
I didn’t come home until I finished them off.
I struck them down;
they couldn’t get up again;
they fell under my feet.
You equipped me with strength for war;
you brought my adversaries down underneath me.
You made my enemies turn tail from me;
I destroyed my foes.
They cried for help,
but there was no one to save them.
They cried for help to the Lord,
but he wouldn’t answer them.
I crushed them
like dust blown away by the wind;
I threw them out
like mud dumped in the streets.
You delivered me from struggles with many people;
you appointed me the leader of many nations.
Strangers come to serve me.
After hearing about me, they obey me;
foreigners grovel before me.
Foreigners lose their nerve;
they come trembling out of their fortresses.
The Lord lives! Bless God, my rock!
Let the God of my salvation be lifted high!
This is the God who avenges on my behalf,
who subdues people before me,
who delivers me from my enemies.
Yes, you lifted me high above my adversaries;
you delivered me from violent people.
That’s why I thank you, Lord,
in the presence of the nations.
That’s why I sing praises to your name.
You are the one who gives great victories to your king,
who shows faithful love to your anointed one—
to David and to his descendants forever.
Glory to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning is now
and will be forever. Amen.
Refrain:
The Lord my God illumines my darkness.
Psalm prayer
From your royal throne, God,
you sent your living Word
to pierce the gloom of oppression;
so, in our souls’ night,
come with your saving help
and penetrate our darkness with the
rays of your glory
in Jesus Christ our Lord.
Old Testament reading
1 Samuel 12
Samuel said to all Israel: “Listen: I have done everything you asked of me and have placed a king over you. The king will lead you now. I am old and gray, though my sons are still with you, and I’ve been your leader since I was young until now. So I’m here: Tell the truth about me in the presence of the Lord and his anointed. Have I ever stolen someone’s ox? Have I ever taken someone’s donkey? Have I ever oppressed or mistreated anyone? Have I ever taken bribes from someone and looked the other way about something? Tell me the truth. I will make it right.”
“You haven’t oppressed or mistreated us, and you’ve never taken anything from anyone,” the people answered.
Samuel replied, “The Lord and his anointed one are witnesses against you today that you haven’t found anything in my possession.”
“Agreed,” they said.
Then Samuel told the people: “The witness is indeed the Lord, who appointed Moses and Aaron and brought your ancestors up from the land of Egypt. So now stand here, and I will judge you in the Lord’s presence because of all the Lord’s righteous acts that he has done for you and your ancestors:
“When Jacob entered Egypt, the Egyptians oppressed them. So your ancestors cried out to the Lord. The Lord then sent Moses and Aaron, who brought your ancestors out of Egypt and settled them here. But your ancestors forgot the Lord their God, so he handed them over to Sisera the commander of Hazor’s army, and to the Philistines, and to the Moabite king, all of whom fought against them. Then your ancestors cried out to the Lord and said: ‘We have sinned because we have abandoned the Lord and have worshipped the Baals and the Astartes. But now deliver us from the power of our enemies, and we will worship you.’ So the Lord sent Jerubbaal, Barak, Jephthah, and Samson, and he delivered you from the power of your enemies on every side. And you lived safe and secure. But when you saw that Nahash the Ammonite king was coming against you, you said to me, ‘No! There must be a king to rule over us.’ But the Lord your God was already your king!
“So now, here is the king you chose, the one you asked for. Yes, the Lord has put a king over you! If you will fear the Lord, worship him, obey him, and not rebel against the Lord’s command, and if both you and the king who rules over you follow the Lord your God—all will be well. But if you don’t obey the Lord and rebel against the Lord’s command, then the Lord’s power will go against you and your king to destroy you.
“So now take a stand! Look at this awesome thing the Lord is doing. Isn’t the wheat harvest today? I will call upon the Lord to send thunder and rain. Then you will know and will see for yourselves what great evil you’ve done in the Lord’s eyes by asking for a king.”
Samuel called upon the Lord, and God sent thunder and rain on that very day. Then all the people were in awe of the Lord and Samuel.
All of them said to Samuel, “Please pray for us, your servants, to the Lord your God so we don’t die because we have added to our many sins the evil of asking for a king.”
But Samuel answered the people, “Don’t be afraid. Yes, you’ve done all this evil; just don’t turn back from following the Lord. Serve the Lord with all your heart. Don’t turn aside to follow useless idols that can’t help you or save you. They’re absolutely useless! For the sake of his reputation, the Lord won’t abandon his people, because the Lord has decided to make you his very own people. But me? I would never sin against the Lord by failing to pray for you. I will teach you what is good and right. Just fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart. Look at what great things he has done for you! But if you continue to do evil, then both you and your king will be destroyed.”
Silence may be kept.
New Testament reading
Luke 22:47-62
While Jesus was still speaking, a crowd appeared, and the one called Judas, one of the Twelve, was leading them. He approached Jesus to kiss him.
Jesus said to him, “Judas, would you betray the Human One[a] with a kiss?”
When those around him recognized what was about to happen, they said, “Lord, should we fight with our swords?” One of them struck the high priest’s servant, cutting off his right ear.
Jesus responded, “Stop! No more of this!” He touched the slave’s ear and healed him.
Then Jesus said to the chief priests, the officers of the temple guard, and the elders who had come to get him, “Have you come with swords and clubs to arrest me, as though I were a thief? Day after day I was with you in the temple, but you didn’t arrest me. But this is your time, when darkness rules.”
After they arrested Jesus, they led him away and brought him to the high priest’s house. Peter followed from a distance. When they lit a fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat down together, Peter sat among them.
Then a servant woman saw him sitting in the firelight. She stared at him and said, “This man was with him too.”
But Peter denied it, saying, “Woman, I don’t know him!”
A little while later, someone else saw him and said, “You are one of them too.”
But Peter said, “Man, I’m not!”
An hour or so later, someone else insisted, “This man must have been with him, because he is a Galilean too.”
Peter responded, “Man, I don’t know what you are talking about!” At that very moment, while he was still speaking, a rooster crowed. The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter, and Peter remembered the Lord’s words: “Before a rooster crows today, you will deny me three times.” And Peter went out and cried uncontrollably.
Silence may be kept.
Gospel canticle
The Magnificat (The Song of Mary)
Refrain:
God, you have done great things and holy is your name.
With all my heart I glorify the Lord!
In the depths of who I am I rejoice in God my savior.
He has looked with favor on the low status of his servant.
Look! From now on, everyone will consider me highly favored
because the mighty one has done great things for me.
Holy is his name.
He shows mercy to everyone,
from one generation to the next,
who honors him as God.
He has shown strength with his arm.
He has scattered those with arrogant thoughts and proud inclinations.
He has pulled the powerful down from their thrones
and lifted up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things
and sent the rich away empty-handed.
He has come to the aid of his servant Israel,
remembering his mercy,
just as he promised to our ancestors,
to Abraham and to Abraham’s descendants forever.
Luke 1:46-55
Glory to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning is now
and will be forever. Amen.
Refrain:
God, you have done great things and holy is your name.
Brief silence.
The Apostle’s Creed
Let us unite in this historic confession of the Christian faith:
I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, his 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,
is seated at the right hand of the Father,
and 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.
Prayers
Thanksgiving and intercession
Thanksgiving may be made for the day.
Intercessions are offered
for peace
for individuals and their needs
Prayers may include the following concerns:
Local government, community leaders
All who provide local services
Those who work with young or elderly people
Schools, colleges and universities
Emergency and rescue organizations
Other intercessions and supplications may be offered as the Holy Spirit leads.
Response
Father, hear our prayer,
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Silence may be kept.
Collect of the day
Lord of all power and might,
the author and giver of all good things:
graft in our hearts the love of your name,
increase in us true religion,
nourish us with all goodness,
and of your great mercy keep us in the same;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever.
Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer
As our Savior taught us, so we pray
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.
Lead us not into temptation
but deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power,
and the glory are yours
now and forever.
Amen.
Conclusion
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.