Evening Prayer (Evensong) in Contemporary Language

¶ Evening Prayer on Wednesday
Wednesday, 5 February 2025

Preparation

O God, make speed to save us.
AllO Lord, make haste to help us.

The Blessing of Light (page 110) may replace the Preparation at Evening Prayer on any occasion.

One or more of the following is said or sung:

A prayer of thanksgiving (page 110),

Blessed are you, Lord God, creator of day and night:
to you be praise and glory for ever.
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:
AllBlessed be God for ever.

or a suitable hymn,

or A Song of God’s Descending

1I love you, O Lord my strength. ♦
The Lord is my crag, my fortress and my deliverer.

2In my distress I called upon the Lord ♦
and cried out to my God for help.

3He heard my voice in his temple ♦
and my cry came to his ears.

4He parted the heavens and came down ♦
and thick darkness was under his feet.

5He rode upon the cherubim and flew; ♦
he came flying on the wings of the wind.

6He made darkness his covering round about him, ♦
dark waters and thick clouds his pavilion.

7From the brightness of his presence, through the clouds ♦
burst hailstones and coals of fire.

8The Lord also thundered out of heaven; ♦
the Most High uttered his voice
with hailstones and coals of fire.

9For you will save a lowly people ♦
and bring down the high looks of the proud.

10You also shall light my candle; ♦
the Lord my God shall make my darkness to be bright.

11As for God, his way is perfect;
the word of the Lord is tried in the fire; ♦
he is a shield to all who trust in him.

Psalm 18.1, 6, 7 ,10-14, 28, 29, 31

AllGlory to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning is now
and shall be for ever. Amen.

This opening prayer may be said

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 for ever.
AllAmen.

The Word of God

Psalmody

The appointed psalmody is said.

Psalm 11

Refrain: The Lord’s throne is in heaven.

1 In the Lord have I taken refuge; ♦
how then can you say to me,
‘Flee like a bird to the hills,

2 ‘For see how the wicked bend the bow
and fit their arrows to the string, ♦
to shoot from the shadows at the true of heart.

3 ‘When the foundations are destroyed, ♦
what can the righteous do?’ R

4 The Lord is in his holy temple; ♦
the Lord’s throne is in heaven.

5 His eyes behold, ♦
his eyelids try every mortal being.

6 The Lord tries the righteous as well as the wicked, ♦
but those who delight in violence his soul abhors.

7 Upon the wicked he shall rain coals of fire
and burning sulphur; ♦
scorching wind shall be their portion to drink.

8 For the Lord is righteous;
he loves righteous deeds, ♦
and those who are upright shall behold his face.

Refrain: The Lord’s throne is in heaven.

God of heaven,
when the foundations are shaken
and there is no escape,
test us, but not to destruction,
look on the face of your anointed
and heal us in Jesus Christ your Son.

Psalm 12

Refrain: You, O Lord, will watch over us.

1 Help me, Lord, for no one godly is left; ♦
the faithful have vanished from the whole human race.

2 They all speak falsely with their neighbour; ♦
they flatter with their lips, but speak from a double heart.

3 O that the Lord would cut off all flattering lips ♦
and the tongue that speaks proud boasts!

4 Those who say, ‘With our tongue will we prevail; ♦
our lips we will use; who is lord over us?’ R

5 ‘Because of the oppression of the needy,
and the groaning of the poor, ♦
I will rise up now,’ says the Lord,
‘and set them in the safety that they long for.’

6 The words of the Lord are pure words, ♦
like silver refined in the furnace
and purified seven times in the fire.

7 You, O Lord, will watch over us ♦
and guard us from this generation for ever.

8 The wicked strut on every side, ♦
when what is vile is exalted by the whole human race.

Refrain: You, O Lord, will watch over us.

Lord, when faith is faint
and speech veils our intentions,
restore us by your word of power and purity,
both now and for ever.

Psalm 13

Refrain: I love the Lord, for he has heard the voice of my supplication.

1 How long will you forget me, O Lord; for ever? ♦
How long will you hide your face from me?

2 How long shall I have anguish in my soul
and grief in my heart, day after day? ♦
How long shall my enemy triumph over me? R

3 Look upon me and answer, O Lord my God; ♦
lighten my eyes, lest I sleep in death;

4 Lest my enemy say, ‘I have prevailed against him,’ ♦
and my foes rejoice that I have fallen. R

5 But I put my trust in your steadfast love; ♦
my heart will rejoice in your salvation.

6 I will sing to the Lord, ♦
for he has dealt so bountifully with me.

Refrain: I love the Lord, for he has heard the voice of my supplication.

Jesus Christ, Son of God,
who passed through the dark sleep of death,
remember those who cry to you
in shame and silence and defeat
and raise them to your risen life,
for you are alive and reign for ever.

Each psalm or group of psalms may end with

AllGlory to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning is now
and shall be for ever. Amen.

If there are two Scripture readings, the first may be read here, or both may be read after the canticle.

Leviticus 8

The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: Take Aaron and his sons with him, the vestments, the anointing-oil, the bull of sin-offering, the two rams, and the basket of unleavened bread; and assemble the whole congregation at the entrance of the tent of meeting. And Moses did as the Lord commanded him. When the congregation was assembled at the entrance of the tent of meeting, Moses said to the congregation, ‘This is what the Lord has commanded to be done.’

Then Moses brought Aaron and his sons forward, and washed them with water. He put the tunic on him, fastened the sash around him, clothed him with the robe, and put the ephod on him. He then put the decorated band of the ephod around him, tying the ephod to him with it. He placed the breastpiece on him, and in the breastpiece he put the Urim and the Thummim. And he set the turban on his head, and on the turban, in front, he set the golden ornament, the holy crown, as the Lord commanded Moses.

Then Moses took the anointing-oil and anointed the tabernacle and all that was in it, and consecrated them. He sprinkled some of it on the altar seven times, and anointed the altar and all its utensils, and the basin and its base, to consecrate them. He poured some of the anointing-oil on Aaron’s head and anointed him, to consecrate him. And Moses brought forward Aaron’s sons, and clothed them with tunics, and fastened sashes around them, and tied head-dresses on them, as the Lord commanded Moses.

He led forward the bull of sin-offering; and Aaron and his sons laid their hands upon the head of the bull of sin-offering, and it was slaughtered. Moses took the blood and with his finger put some on each of the horns of the altar, purifying the altar; then he poured out the blood at the base of the altar. Thus he consecrated it, to make atonement for it. Moses took all the fat that was around the entrails, and the appendage of the liver, and the two kidneys with their fat, and turned them into smoke on the altar. But the bull itself, its skin and flesh and its dung, he burned with fire outside the camp, as the Lord commanded Moses.

Then he brought forward the ram of burnt-offering. Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the head of the ram, and it was slaughtered. Moses dashed the blood against all sides of the altar. The ram was cut into its parts, and Moses turned into smoke the head and the parts and the suet. And after the entrails and the legs were washed with water, Moses turned into smoke the whole ram on the altar; it was a burnt-offering for a pleasing odour, an offering by fire to the Lord, as the Lord commanded Moses.

Then he brought forward the second ram, the ram of ordination. Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the head of the ram, and it was slaughtered. Moses took some of its blood and put it on the lobe of Aaron’s right ear and on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot. After Aaron’s sons were brought forward, Moses put some of the blood on the lobes of their right ears and on the thumbs of their right hands and on the big toes of their right feet; and Moses dashed the rest of the blood against all sides of the altar. He took the fat—the broad tail, all the fat that was around the entrails, the appendage of the liver, and the two kidneys with their fat—and the right thigh. From the basket of unleavened bread that was before the Lord, he took one cake of unleavened bread, one cake of bread with oil, and one wafer, and placed them on the fat and on the right thigh. He placed all these on the palms of Aaron and on the palms of his sons, and raised them as an elevation-offering before the Lord. Then Moses took them from their hands and turned them into smoke on the altar with the burnt-offering. This was an ordination-offering for a pleasing odour, an offering by fire to the Lord. Moses took the breast and raised it as an elevation-offering before the Lord; it was Moses’ portion of the ram of ordination, as the Lord commanded Moses.

Then Moses took some of the anointing-oil and some of the blood that was on the altar and sprinkled them on Aaron and his vestments, and also on his sons and their vestments. Thus he consecrated Aaron and his vestments, and also his sons and their vestments.

And Moses said to Aaron and his sons, ‘Boil the flesh at the entrance of the tent of meeting, and eat it there with the bread that is in the basket of ordination-offerings, as I was commanded, “Aaron and his sons shall eat it”; and what remains of the flesh and the bread you shall burn with fire. You shall not go outside the entrance of the tent of meeting for seven days, until the day when your period of ordination is completed. For it will take seven days to ordain you; as has been done today, the Lord has commanded to be done to make atonement for you. You shall remain at the entrance of the tent of meeting day and night for seven days, keeping the Lord’s charge so that you do not die; for so I am commanded.’ Aaron and his sons did all the things that the Lord commanded through Moses.

Canticle

A Song of the Blessed, or another suitable canticle,
for example, number 69 (page 627), may be said

Refrain:

AllRejoice and be glad
for you are the light of the world,
and great is your reward in heaven. Alleluia.

1Blessed are the poor in spirit, ♦
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

2Blessed are those who mourn, ♦
for they shall be comforted.

3Blessed are the meek, ♦
for they shall inherit the earth.

4Blessed are those who hunger
and thirst after righteousness, ♦
for they shall be satisfied.

5Blessed are the merciful, ♦
for they shall obtain mercy.

6Blessed are the pure in heart, ♦
for they shall see God.

7Blessed are the peacemakers, ♦
for they shall be called children of God.

8Blessed are those who suffer persecution
for righteousness’ sake, ♦
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 5.3-10

AllGlory to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning is now
and shall be for ever. Amen.

AllRejoice and be glad
for you are the light of the world,
and great is your reward in heaven. Alleluia.

Scripture Reading

One or more readings appointed for the day are read.

The reading(s) may be followed by a time of silence.

Philippians 2.1-13

If then there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation from love, any sharing in the Spirit, any compassion and sympathy, make my joy complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others. Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus,
who, though he was in the form of God,
   did not regard equality with God
   as something to be exploited,
but emptied himself,
   taking the form of a slave,
   being born in human likeness.
And being found in human form,
   he humbled himself
   and became obedient to the point of death—
   even death on a cross.

Therefore God also highly exalted him
   and gave him the name
   that is above every name,
so that at the name of Jesus
   every knee should bend,
   in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue should confess
   that Jesus Christ is Lord,
   to the glory of God the Father.

Therefore, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed me, not only in my presence, but much more now in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, enabling you both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

A suitable song or chant, or a responsory in this or another form, may follow

Lord, you will guide me with your counsel
and afterwards receive me with glory.
AllLord, you will guide me with your counsel
and afterwards receive me with glory.
For I am always with you;
you hold me by my right hand.
AllAnd afterwards receive me with glory.
Glory to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit.
AllLord, you will guide me with your counsel
and afterwards receive me with glory.

from Psalm 73

Gospel Canticle

The Magnificat (The Song of Mary) is normally said,
or the Nunc dimittis (The Song of Simeon) (page 613) may be said

AllRemember your promise of mercy,
to Abraham and his children for ever.

1My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour; ♦
he has looked with favour on his lowly servant.

2From this day all generations will call me blessed; ♦
the Almighty has done great things for me
and holy is his name.

3He has mercy on those who fear him, ♦
from generation to generation.

4He has shown strength with his arm ♦
and has scattered the proud in their conceit,

5Casting down the mighty from their thrones ♦
and lifting up the lowly.

6He has filled the hungry with good things ♦
and sent the rich away empty.

7He has come to the aid of his servant Israel, ♦
to remember his promise of mercy,

8The promise made to our ancestors, ♦
to Abraham and his children for ever.

Luke 1.46-55

AllGlory to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning is now
and shall be for ever. Amen.

AllRemember your promise of mercy,
to Abraham and his children for ever.

Prayers

Thanksgiving may be made for the day.

Intercessions are offered
¶ for peace
¶ for individuals and their needs

Prayers may include the following concerns from the cycle on pages 362–363

¶ The social services
¶ All who work in the criminal justice system
¶ Victims and perpetrators of crime
¶ The work of aid agencies throughout the world
¶ Those living in poverty or under oppression

One of the forms of prayer found on pages 362–371 may be used.

These responses may be used

Lord, in your mercy
hear our prayer

(or)

Lord, hear us.
Lord, graciously hear us.

Silence may be kept.

The Collect of the day is said

Almighty God,
by whose grace alone we are accepted
      and called to your service:
strengthen us by your Holy Spirit
and make us worthy of our calling;
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 for ever.
AllAmen.

The Lord’s Prayer is said

As our Saviour taught us, so we pray

AllOur 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 for ever.
Amen.

(or)

Let us pray with confidence as our Saviour has taught us

AllOur 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,
the power and the glory,
for ever and ever.
Amen.

The Conclusion

All 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.

Let us bless the Lord. Alleluia, alleluia.
AllThanks be to God. Alleluia, alleluia.