Friday evening November 30

Saturday evening
Thursday evening

Preparation

Opening response

Favor us, Lord, and deliver us.

Lord, come quickly and help us.

All your faithful ones bless you.

They speak of the glory of your kingdom.

Prayer of thanksgiving

Blessed are you, Sovereign God,

our light and our salvation,

to you be glory and praise forever.

Now, as darkness is falling,

wash away our transgressions,

cleanse us by your refining fire

and make us temples of your Holy Spirit.

By the light of Christ,

dispel the darkness of our hearts

and make us ready to enter your kingdom,

where songs of praise forever sound.

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

Drooping Soul, Shake Off Thy Fears

Charles Wesley

Drooping soul, shake off thy fears,

Fearful soul be strong, be bold;

Tarry till the Lord appears.

Never, never quit thy hold!

Murmur not at his delay,

Dare not set thy God a time,

Calmly for his coming stay,

Leave it, leave it all to him.

Fainting soul, be bold, be strong

Wait the leisure of thy Lord;

Though it seem to tarry long,

True and faithful is his word;

On his word my soul I cast

(He cannot himself deny)

Surely it shall speak at last;

It shall speak, and shall not lie.

Everyone that seeks shall find,

Everyone that asks shall have,

Christ, the Savior of mankind,

Willing, able, all to save;

I shall his salvation see,

I in faith on Jesus call,

I from sin shall he set free,

Perfectly set free from all.

Lord, my time is in thine hand,

Weak and helpless as I am,

Surely thou canst make me stand;

l believe in Jesus’ name:

Savior in temptation thou;

Thou hast saved me heretofore,

Thou from sin dost save me now,

Thou shalt save me evermore.

Confession of sin

O King enthroned on high,

filling the earth with your glory:

holy is your name,

Lord God almighty.

A time of silence and self-examination may be kept.

In our sinfulness we cry to you

to take our guilt away,

and to cleanse our lips to speak your word,

through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

May the God of all healing and forgiveness

draw us to himself,

and cleanse us from all our sins

that we may behold the glory of his Son,

the Word made flesh,

Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

The Word of God

Psalm 87

Refrain:

The Lord has chosen Zion for himself.

God’s foundation is set on the holy mountains.

The Lord loves Zion’s gates

more than all of Jacob’s houses combined.

Glorious things are said about you,

the city of God!

I count Rahab and Babel among those who know me;

also Philistia and Tyre, along with Cush—

each of these was born there.

And of Zion it is said:

“Each person was born in it,

but the one who will establish it is the Most High.”

The Lord makes a record as he registers the peoples:

“Each one was born there.”

And while they dance, people sing:

“The source of my life comes from you.”

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 has chosen Zion for himself.

Psalm prayer

Lord, as you call us to your city

founded on the rock of ages,

let the springs of living water

rise within us to eternal life;

in Jesus Christ our Lord.

Psalm 96

Refrain:

Bow down to the Lord in his holy splendor!

Sing to the Lord a new song!

Sing to the Lord, all the earth!

Sing to the Lord! Bless his name!

Share the news of his saving work every single day!

Declare God’s glory among the nations;

declare his wondrous works among all people

because the Lord is great and so worthy of praise.

He is awesome beyond all other gods

because all the gods of the nations are just idols,

but it is the Lord who created heaven!

Greatness and grandeur are in front of him;

strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.

Give to the Lord, all families of the nations—

give to the Lord glory and power!

Give to the Lord the glory due his name!

Bring gifts!

Enter his courtyards!

Bow down to the Lord in his holy splendor!

Tremble before him, all the earth!

Tell the nations, “The Lord rules!

Yes, he set the world firmly in place;

it won’t be shaken.

He will judge all people fairly.”

Let heaven celebrate! Let the earth rejoice!

Let the sea and everything in it roar!

Let the countryside and everything in it celebrate!

Then all the trees of the forest too

will shout out joyfully

before the Lord because he is coming!

He is coming to establish justice on the earth!

He will establish justice in the world rightly.

He will establish justice among all people fairly.

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:

Bow down to the Lord in his holy splendor!

Psalm prayer

Lord God, you draw us by your beauty

and transform us by your holiness;

let our worship echo all creation’s praise

and declare your glory to the nations;

through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Old Testament reading
Zechariah 8:20-23

The Lord of heavenly forces proclaims:

Peoples will still come, the inhabitants of many cities. The inhabitants of one city will go to another saying, “Let’s go and seek the favor of the Lord, and look for the Lord of heavenly forces. I’m going too.” Many peoples and mighty nations will come to seek the Lord of heavenly forces in Jerusalem and to seek the favor of the Lord.

The Lord of heavenly forces proclaims:

In those days ten men from nations with entirely different languages will grab hold of a Judean’s clothes and say, “Let’s go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.”

Silence may be kept.

New Testament reading
John 1:35-42

The next day John was standing again with two of his disciples. When he saw Jesus walking along he said, “Look! The Lamb of God!” The two disciples heard what he said, and they followed Jesus.

When Jesus turned and saw them following, he asked, “What are you looking for?”

They said, “Rabbi (which is translated Teacher), where are you staying?”

He replied, “Come and see.” So they went and saw where he was staying, and they remained with him that day. It was about four o’clock in the afternoon.

One of the two disciples who heard what John said and followed Jesus was Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter. He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which is translated Christ). He led him to Jesus.

Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon, son of John. You will be called Cephas” (which is translated Peter).

Silence may be kept.

Gospel canticle
The Magnificat (The Song of Mary)

Refrain:

You show mercy to everyone, from one generation to the next, who honors you as God.

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:

You show mercy to everyone, from one generation to the next, who honors you as God.

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:

The saints on earth, that they may live as citizens of heaven

All people, that they may hear and believe the word of God

All who fear the winter months

All sovereigns and political leaders, that they may imitate the righteous rule of Christ

All who grieve or wait with the dying

Other intercessions and supplications may be offered as the Holy Spirit leads.

Response

Father, by your Spirit

Bring in your kingdom.

Silence may be kept.

Collect of the day

Eternal Father,

whose Son Jesus Christ ascended to the throne of heaven

that he might rule over all things as Lord and King:

keep the Church in the unity of the Spirit

and in the bond of peace,

and bring the whole created order to worship at his feet;

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

May Christ, who has opened the kingdom of heaven, bring us to reign with him in glory.

Amen.