Evening Prayer (Evensong) in Contemporary Language

¶ Evening Prayer on Monday
Monday, 27 July 2026
Brooke Foss Westcott, Bishop of Durham, Teacher of the Faith, 1901 [Commemoration]

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 Greatness

1Bless the Lord, O my soul. ♦
O Lord my God, how excellent is your greatness!

2You are clothed with majesty and honour, ♦
wrapped in light as in a garment.

3The sun knows the time for its setting. ♦
You make darkness that it may be night.

4O Lord, how manifold are your works! ♦
In wisdom you have made them all;
the earth is full of your creatures.

5When you send forth your spirit, they are created, ♦
and you renew the face of the earth.

6May the glory of the Lord endure for ever; ♦
may the Lord rejoice in his works;

7I will sing to the Lord as long as I live; ♦
I will make music to my God while I have my being.

Psalm 104.1, 2, 21b ,22a, 26, 32, 33, 35

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 26

Refrain: Lord, I love the place where your glory abides.

1 Give judgement for me, O Lord,
for I have walked with integrity; ♦
I have trusted in the Lord and have not faltered.

2 Test me, O Lord, and try me; ♦
examine my heart and my mind.

3 For your love is before my eyes; ♦
I have walked in your truth.

4 I have not joined the company of the false, ♦
nor consorted with the deceitful. R

5 I hate the gathering of evildoers ♦
and I will not sit down with the wicked.

6 I will wash my hands in innocence, O Lord, ♦
that I may go about your altar,

7 To make heard the voice of thanksgiving ♦
and tell of all your wonderful deeds.

8 Lord, I love the house of your habitation ♦
and the place where your glory abides. R

9 Sweep me not away with sinners, ♦
nor my life with the bloodthirsty,

10 Whose hands are full of wicked schemes ♦
and their right hand full of bribes.

11 As for me, I will walk with integrity; ♦
redeem me, Lord, and be merciful to me.

12 My foot stands firm; ♦
in the great congregation I will bless the Lord.

Refrain: Lord, I love the place where your glory abides.

Have mercy on us and redeem us, O Lord,
for our merits are your mercies
and in your judgement is our salvation;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Psalm 28

Refrain: The Lord is my strength and my shield.

1 To you I call, O Lord my rock;
be not deaf to my cry, ♦
lest, if you do not hear me,
I become like those who go down to the Pit.

2 Hear the voice of my prayer when I cry out to you, ♦
when I lift up my hands to your holy of holies. R

3 Do not snatch me away with the wicked,
with the evildoers, ♦
who speak peaceably with their neighbours,
while malice is in their hearts.

4 Repay them according to their deeds ♦
and according to the wickedness of their devices. R

5 Reward them according to the work of their hands ♦
and pay them their just deserts.

6 They take no heed of the Lord’s doings,
nor of the works of his hands; ♦
therefore shall he break them down
and not build them up. R

7 Blessed be the Lord, ♦
for he has heard the voice of my prayer.

8 The Lord is my strength and my shield; ♦
my heart has trusted in him and I am helped;

9 Therefore my heart dances for joy ♦
and in my song will I praise him. R

10 The Lord is the strength of his people, ♦
a safe refuge for his anointed.

11 Save your people and bless your inheritance; ♦
shepherd them and carry them for ever.

Refrain: The Lord is my strength and my shield.

Hear us, Shepherd of your people,
forgive us our sins
and, in a world of pretences,
make us true in heart and mind;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Psalm 29

Refrain: The Lord shall give his people the blessing of peace.

1 Ascribe to the Lord, you powers of heaven, ♦
ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.

2 Ascribe to the Lord the honour due to his name; ♦
worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.

3 The voice of the Lord is upon the waters;
the God of glory thunders; ♦
the Lord is upon the mighty waters. R

4 The voice of the Lord is mighty in operation; ♦
the voice of the Lord is a glorious voice.

5 The voice of the Lord breaks the cedar trees; ♦
the Lord breaks the cedars of Lebanon;

6 He makes Lebanon skip like a calf ♦
and Sirion like a young wild ox. R

7 The voice of the Lord splits the flash of lightning;
the voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness; ♦
the Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.

8 The voice of the Lord makes the oak trees writhe
and strips the forests bare; ♦
in his temple all cry, ‘Glory!’

9 The Lord sits enthroned above the water flood; ♦
the Lord sits enthroned as king for evermore.

10 The Lord shall give strength to his people; ♦
the Lord shall give his people the blessing of peace.

Refrain: The Lord shall give his people the blessing of peace.

Open our ears, glorious Lord Christ,
to hear the music of your voice
above the chaos of this world;
open our eyes to see the vision of your glory,
for you are our King, now and 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.

Jeremiah 31.23-25, 27-37

Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Once more they shall use these words in the land of Judah and in its towns when I restore their fortunes:
‘The Lord bless you, O abode of righteousness,
   O holy hill!’
And Judah and all its towns shall live there together, and the farmers and those who wander with their flocks.
I will satisfy the weary,
   and all who are faint I will replenish.

The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of humans and the seed of animals. And just as I have watched over them to pluck up and break down, to overthrow, destroy, and bring evil, so I will watch over them to build and to plant, says the Lord. In those days they shall no longer say:
‘The parents have eaten sour grapes,
   and the children’s teeth are set on edge.’
But all shall die for their own sins; the teeth of everyone who eats sour grapes shall be set on edge.

The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant that I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt—a covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, says the Lord. But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. No longer shall they teach one another, or say to each other, ‘Know the Lord’, for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the Lord; for I will forgive their iniquity, and remember their sin no more.

Thus says the Lord,
who gives the sun for light by day
   and the fixed order of the moon and the stars for light by night,
who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar—
   the Lord of hosts is his name:
If this fixed order were ever to cease
   from my presence, says the Lord,
then also the offspring of Israel would cease
   to be a nation before me for ever.

Thus says the Lord:
If the heavens above can be measured,
   and the foundations of the earth below can be explored,
then I will reject all the offspring of Israel
   because of all they have done,

says the Lord.

Canticle

A Song of God’s Grace, or another suitable canticle, for example, number 58 (page 615), may be said

Refrain:

AllThe glorious grace of God
is freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. Alleluia.

1Blessed are you,
the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, ♦
for you have blest us in Christ Jesus
with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.

2You chose us to be yours in Christ
before the foundation of the world, ♦
that we should be holy and blameless before you.

3In love you destined us for adoption as your children,
through Jesus Christ, ♦
according to the purpose of your will,

4To the praise of your glorious grace, ♦
which you freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.

5In you, we have redemption
through the blood of Christ, ♦
the forgiveness of our sins,

6According to the riches of your grace, ♦
which you have lavished upon us.

7You have made known to us, in all wisdom and insight, ♦
the mystery of your will,

8According to your purpose
which you set forth in Christ, ♦
as a plan for the fullness of time,

9To unite all things in Christ, ♦
things in heaven and things on earth.

Ephesians 1.3-10

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.

AllThe glorious grace of God
is freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. Alleluia.

Scripture Reading

One or more readings appointed for the day are read.

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

James 2.1-13

My brothers and sisters, do you with your acts of favouritism really believe in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ? For if a person with gold rings and in fine clothes comes into your assembly, and if a poor person in dirty clothes also comes in, and if you take notice of the one wearing the fine clothes and say, ‘Have a seat here, please’, while to the one who is poor you say, ‘Stand there’, or, ‘Sit at my feet’, have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts? Listen, my beloved brothers and sisters. Has not God chosen the poor in the world to be rich in faith and to be heirs of the kingdom that he has promised to those who love him? But you have dishonoured the poor. Is it not the rich who oppress you? Is it not they who drag you into court? Is it not they who blaspheme the excellent name that was invoked over you?

You do well if you really fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself.’ But if you show partiality, you commit sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it. For the one who said, ‘You shall not commit adultery’, also said, ‘You shall not murder.’ Now if you do not commit adultery but if you murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. So speak and so act as those who are to be judged by the law of liberty. For judgement will be without mercy to anyone who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgement.

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

Trust in the Lord with all your heart;
and be not wise in your own sight.
AllTrust in the Lord with all your heart;
and be not wise in your own sight.
In all your ways acknowledge him
and he will make straight your paths.
AllTrust in the Lord with all your heart.
Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
AllTrust in the Lord with all your heart;
and be not wise in your own sight.

from Proverbs 3

Gospel Canticle

The Magnificat (The Song of Mary) is normally said,
or A Song of the Blessed (page 606) may be said

Refrain:

AllMy spirit rejoices in you, O God,
my soul proclaims your greatness.

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.

Refrain:

AllMy spirit rejoices in you, O God,
my soul proclaims your greatness.

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 media and the arts
¶ Farming and fishing
¶ Commerce and industry
¶ Those whose work is unfulfilling, stressful or fraught with danger
¶ All who are unemployed

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 Lord and everlasting God,
we beseech you to direct, sanctify and govern
      both our hearts and bodies
in the ways of your laws
      and the works of your commandments;
that through your most mighty protection, both here and ever,
we may be preserved in body and soul;
through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ,
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.