Evening Prayer (Evensong) in Contemporary Language

¶ Evening Prayer
Epiphany Season
Monday, 19 January 2026
Wulfstan, Bishop of Worcester, 1095 [Lesser Festival]
Second Day of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity

Preparation

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

From the rising of the sun to its setting
Allyour glory is proclaimed in all the world.

One or more of the following is said or sung:

this or another prayer of thanksgiving

Blessed are you, Sovereign God,
our light and our salvation,
to you be glory and praise for ever.
You gave your Christ as a light to the nations,
and through the anointing of the Spirit
you established us as a royal priesthood.
As you call us into your marvellous light,
may our lives bear witness to your truth
and our lips never cease to proclaim your praise.
Blessed be God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
AllBlessed be God for ever.

A Song of God’s Splendour (page 561), the following or another suitable hymn

O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness!
Bow down before him, his glory proclaim;
with gold of obedience, and incense of lowliness,
kneel and adore him, the Lord is his name!

Low at his feet lay thy burden of carefulness,
high on his heart he will bear it for thee,
comfort thy sorrows, and answer thy prayerfulness,
guiding thy steps as may best for thee be.

Fear not to enter his courts in the slenderness
of the poor wealth thou wouldst reckon as thine:
truth in its beauty, and love in its tenderness,
these are the offerings to lay on his shrine.

These though we bring them in trembling and fearfulness,
he will accept for the name that is dear;
mornings of joy give for evenings of tearfulness,
trust for our trembling and hope for our fear.

O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness!
Bow down before him, his glory proclaim;
with gold of obedience, and incense of lowliness,
kneel and adore him, the Lord is his name!

J S B Monsell
(Tune: 13 10 13 10)

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 71

Refrain: O God, be not far from me.

1 In you, O Lord, do I seek refuge; ♦
let me never be put to shame.

2 In your righteousness, deliver me and set me free; ♦
incline your ear to me and save me.

3 Be for me a stronghold to which I may ever resort; ♦
send out to save me, for you are my rock and my fortress.

4 Deliver me, my God, from the hand of the wicked, ♦
from the grasp of the evildoer and the oppressor.

5 For you are my hope, O Lord God, ♦
my confidence, even from my youth.

6 Upon you have I leaned from my birth,
when you drew me from my mother’s womb; ♦
my praise shall be always of you. R

7 I have become a portent to many, ♦
but you are my refuge and my strength.

8 Let my mouth be full of your praise ♦
and your glory all the day long.

9 Do not cast me away in the time of old age; ♦
forsake me not when my strength fails.

10 For my enemies are talking against me, ♦
and those who lie in wait for my life take counsel together.

11 They say, ‘God has forsaken him;
pursue him and take him, ♦
because there is none to deliver him.’

12 O God, be not far from me; ♦
come quickly to help me, O my God.

13 Let those who are against me
be put to shame and disgrace; ♦
let those who seek to do me evil
be covered with scorn and reproach. R

14 But as for me I will hope continually ♦
and will praise you more and more.

15 My mouth shall tell of your righteousness
and salvation all the day long, ♦
for I know no end of the telling.

16 I will begin with the mighty works of the Lord God; ♦
I will recall your righteousness, yours alone. R

17 O God, you have taught me since I was young, ♦
and to this day I tell of your wonderful works.

18 Forsake me not, O God,
when I am old and grey-headed, ♦
till I make known your deeds to the next generation
and your power to all that are to come.

19 Your righteousness, O God, reaches to the heavens; ♦
in the great things you have done, who is like you, O God?

20 What troubles and adversities you have shown me, ♦
and yet you will turn and refresh me
and bring me from the deep of the earth again.

21 Increase my honour; ♦
turn again and comfort me. R

22 Therefore will I praise you upon the harp
for your faithfulness, O my God; ♦
I will sing to you with the lyre, O Holy One of Israel.

23 My lips will sing out as I play to you, ♦
and so will my soul, which you have redeemed.

24 My tongue also will tell of your righteousness all the day long, ♦
for they shall be shamed and disgraced
who sought to do me evil.

Refrain: O God, be not far from me.

Faithful Lord, living Saviour,
in youth and old age,
from the womb to the grave,
may we know your protection
and proclaim your great salvation
to the glory of God the Father.

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.

Amos 6

Alas for those who are at ease in Zion,
   and for those who feel secure on Mount Samaria,
the notables of the first of the nations,
   to whom the house of Israel resorts!
Cross over to Calneh, and see;
   from there go to Hamath the great;
   then go down to Gath of the Philistines.
Are you better than these kingdoms?
   Or is your territory greater than their territory,
O you that put far away the evil day,
   and bring near a reign of violence?

Alas for those who lie on beds of ivory,
   and lounge on their couches,
and eat lambs from the flock,
   and calves from the stall;
who sing idle songs to the sound of the harp,
   and like David improvise on instruments of music;
who drink wine from bowls,
   and anoint themselves with the finest oils,
   but are not grieved over the ruin of Joseph!
Therefore they shall now be the first to go into exile,
   and the revelry of the loungers shall pass away.

The Lord God has sworn by himself
(says the Lord, the God of hosts):
I abhor the pride of Jacob
   and hate his strongholds;
   and I will deliver up the city and all that is in it.

If ten people remain in one house, they shall die. And if a relative, one who burns the dead, shall take up the body to bring it out of the house, and shall say to someone in the innermost parts of the house, ‘Is anyone else with you?’ the answer will come, ‘No.’ Then the relative shall say, ‘Hush! We must not mention the name of the Lord.’

See, the Lord commands,
   and the great house shall be shattered to bits,
   and the little house to pieces.
Do horses run on rocks?
   Does one plough the sea with oxen?
But you have turned justice into poison
   and the fruit of righteousness into wormwood—
you who rejoice in Lo-debar,
   who say, ‘Have we not by our own strength
   taken Karnaim for ourselves?’
Indeed, I am raising up against you a nation,
   O house of Israel, says the Lord, the God of hosts,
and they shall oppress you from Lebo-hamath
   to the Wadi Arabah.

Canticle

A Song of Praise, or another suitable canticle, for example, number 63 (page 621) or number 71 (page 629), may be said

Refrain:

AllYou created all things, O God,
and are worthy of our praise for ever. Alleluia.

1You are worthy, our Lord and God, ♦
to receive glory and honour and power.

2For you have created all things, ♦
and by your will they have their being.

3You are worthy, O Lamb, for you were slain, ♦
and by your blood you ransomed for God
saints from every tribe and language and nation.

4You have made them to be a kingdom and priests
serving our God, ♦
and they will reign with you on earth.

Revelation 4.11; 5.9b, 10

AllTo the One who sits on the throne and to the Lamb ♦
be blessing and honour and glory and might, for ever and ever. Amen.

AllYou created all things, O God,
and are worthy of our praise for ever. Alleluia.

Scripture Reading

One or more readings appointed for the day are read.

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

1 Corinthians 6.1-11

When any of you has a grievance against another, do you dare to take it to court before the unrighteous, instead of taking it before the saints? Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is to be judged by you, are you incompetent to try trivial cases? Do you not know that we are to judge angels—to say nothing of ordinary matters? If you have ordinary cases, then, do you appoint as judges those who have no standing in the church? I say this to your shame. Can it be that there is no one among you wise enough to decide between one believer and another, but a believer goes to court against a believer—and before unbelievers at that?

In fact, to have lawsuits at all with one another is already a defeat for you. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be defrauded? But you yourselves wrong and defraud—and believers at that.

Do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived! Fornicators, idolaters, adulterers, male prostitutes, sodomites, thieves, the greedy, drunkards, revilers, robbers—none of these will inherit the kingdom of God. And this is what some of you used to be. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.

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

Arise, shine, for your light has come;
the glory of the Lord is rising upon you.
AllArise, shine, for your light has come;
the glory of the Lord is rising upon you.
God’s salvation has been openly shown to all people.
AllThe glory of the Lord is rising upon you.
Glory to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit.
AllArise, shine, for your light has come;
the glory of the Lord is rising upon you.

from Isaiah 60

Gospel Canticle

The Magnificat (The Song of Mary) is normally said,
or A Song of Christ’s Appearing (page 621) may be said

Refrain:

All Well done, good and faithful servant:
you have been faithful over a little, I will make you ruler over much. Alleluia.

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:

All Well done, good and faithful servant:
you have been faithful over a little, I will make you ruler over much. Alleluia.

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 364–365

¶ The unity of the Church
¶ The peace of the world
¶ The healing of the sick
¶ The revelation of Christ to those from whom his glory is hidden
¶ All who travel

A form of prayer found on page 379 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

Lord God,
who raised up Wulfstan to be a bishop among your people
      and a leader of your Church:
help us, after his example,
      to live simply,
      to work diligently
      and to make your kingdom known;
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

Believing the promises of God,
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)

Believing the promises of God,
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

May Christ, who sends us to the nations,
give us the power of his Spirit.
AllAmen.

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

© The Archbishops’ Council of the Church of England, 2000–2005
Official Common Worship apps, books and eBooks are available from Church House Publishing.

The Bible readings (other than the psalms) are from The New Revised Standard Version Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995 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.

Implemented by Simon Kershaw at Crucix.
Implementation copyright © Simon Kershaw, 2002–2021.