Evening Prayer 1st April

The Suffering Christ.

Holy One, make speed to save us: O God, come quickly to help us.

Glory to God, Source of all being, Eternal Word and Holy Spirit;*
as it was in the beginning, is now, and shall be for ever.  Amen.

Tuesdays: From Psalm 55,

1 Hear my prayer, O God;*
do not hide yourself from my petition.
2 Listen to me and answer me;*
I have no peace, because of my cares.

3 I am shaken by the noise of the enemy*
and by the pressure of the wicked;
4 For they have cast an evil spell upon me*
and are set against me in fury.

5 My heart quakes within me,*
and the terrors of death have fallen upon me.
6 Fear and trembling have come over me,*
and horror overwhelms me.

7 And I said, ‘Oh, that I had wings like a dove!*
I would fly away and be at rest.
8 I would flee to a far-off place*
and make my lodging in the wilderness.

9 I would hasten to escape*
from the stormy wind and tempest.’
10 Swallow them up, O Lord; confound their speech;*
for I have seen violence and strife in the city.

11 Day and night the watchmen make their rounds upon her walls,*
but trouble and misery are in the midst of her.
12 There is corruption at her heart;*
her streets are never free of oppression and deceit.

13 For had it been an adversary who taunted me,
then I could have borne it;*
or had it been an enemy who vaunted himself against me,
then I could have hidden from him.
14 But it was you, a man after my own heart,*
my companion, my own familiar friend.

15 We took sweet counsel together,*
and walked with the throng in the house of God.
16 Let death come upon them suddenly;
let them go down alive into the grave;*

for wickedness is in their dwellings, in their very midst.
17 But I will call upon God,*
and the Lord will deliver me.
18 In the evening, in the morning, and at noonday,
I will complain and lament,* and he will hear my voice.

19 He will bring me safely back from the battle
waged against me;* for there are many who fight me.
20 God, who is enthroned of old, will hear me and
bring them down;* they never change; they do not fear God.

21 My companion stretched forth his hand against his comrade;*
he has broken his covenant.
22 His speech is softer than butter,*
but war is in his heart.

23 His words are smoother than oil,*
but they are drawn swords.
24 Cast your burden upon the Lord, and he will sustain you;*
he will never let the righteous stumble.

25 For you will bring the bloodthirsty and deceitful*
down to the pit of destruction, O God.
26 They shall not live out half their days,*
but I will put my trust in you.

CLOSING: FROM 1 Peter 2

1 Christ our Lord suffered for us, leaving us an example,*
that we should follow in his steps.
2 He committed no sin, no guile was found on his lips;*
when he was reviled he did not revile in return.
3 When he suffered he did not threaten,*
but trusted in God who judges justly.
4 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree,*
that we might die to sin and live to righteousness.
5 By his wounds we have been healed;*
for we were straying like sheep,
6 But now we have returned*
to the shepherd and guardian of our souls.


Glory 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.

Reading Mark 10:1–16

He left that place and went to the region of Judea and beyond the Jordan. And crowds again gathered around him; and, as was his custom, he again taught them.

Some Pharisees came, and to test him they asked, ‘Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?’ He answered them, ‘What did Moses command you?’ They said, ‘Moses allowed a man to write a certificate of dismissal and to divorce her.’ But Jesus said to them, ‘Because of your hardness of heart he wrote this commandment for you. But from the beginning of creation, “God made them male and female.” “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.’

Then in the house the disciples asked him again about this matter. He said to them, ‘Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her; and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.’

People were bringing little children to him in order that he might touch them; and the disciples spoke sternly to them. But when Jesus saw this, he was indignant and said to them, ‘Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs. Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it.’ And he took them up in his arms, laid his hands on them, and blessed them.

MAGNIFICAT

1 My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,*
my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour;
2 for he has looked with favour on his lowly servant;*
from this day all generations will call me blessed.
3 The Almighty has done great things for me* and holy is his name.
4 He has mercy on those who fear him* in every generation.
5 He has shown the strength of his arm;*
he has scattered the proud in their conceit.
6 He has cast down the mighty from their thrones*
and has lifted up the lowly.
7 He has filled the hungry with good things,*
and the rich he has sent away empty.
8 He has come to the help of his servant Israel,*
for he has remembered his promise of mercy,
9 the promise he made to our forebears,*
to Abraham and his children for ever.
Glory 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.

PRAYERS

We have kept silent when we should have spoken.
Lord, have mercy upon us.

We have spoken when we should have kept silent.
Christ, have mercy upon us.

We have been guilty of denial and betrayal.
Lord, have mercy upon us

This video is a virtual journey around a set of prayer beads, using our chant. It can be useful to pray along with this as you’re learning to use beads too. We hope you find it helpful.

Merciful God, look upon your family as we travel to the foot of the cross: and, by your great goodness, guide us in body; that, by your protection, we may also be preserved in heart and mind; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you,in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, world without end. Amen.

Wednesdays: Bless us, Risen Jesus; you offer us this Gospel freshness: to begin everything with a heart that trusts Amen.

Lord God almighty, come and dispel the darkness from our hearts, that in the radiance of your brightness we may know you, the only unfading light, glorious in all eternity. Amen.

The God of hope fill us with all joy and peace in believing: through the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Compiled with Materials from:  SEC Daily Prayer; Jim Cotter, Lectionary Resources; Taizé A prayer for each day; The Astonishing Community Prayer Resources: Hannah Haynes Composer & Lynsay Downs Words.

A priest and poet in the Scottish Episcopal Church, exploring the workings of the Holy Spirit in Banchory .