Evening Prayer, Easter 4 Sunday, 3rd May 2020

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.

Sundays: From Psalm 150 Laudate Dominum 

Hallelujah! Praise the Lord in the holy temple;
praise God in the firmament of divine power.
Praise the Lord for mighty acts; praise God for excellent greatness.
Praise the Lord with the blast of the ram’s-horn;
praise God with lyre and harp.
Praise the Lord with timbrel and dance;
praise God with strings and pipe.
Praise the Lord with resounding cymbals;
praise God with loud-clanging cymbals.
Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Hallelujah! 

READING: John 6:30–40

So they said to him, ‘What sign are you going to give us then, so that we may see it and believe you? What work are you performing? Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, “He gave them bread from heaven to eat.” ’ Then Jesus said to them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.’ They said to him, ‘Sir, give us this bread always.’

Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. Everything that the Father gives me will come to me, and anyone who comes to me I will never drive away; for I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. This is indeed the will of my Father, that all who see the Son and believe in him may have eternal life; and I will raise them up on the last day.’

SILENCE 

MAGNIFICAT

PRAYERS
The power of the risen Christ sets us free from evil’s grip!
Lord, have mercy upon us.
The touch of the risen Christ heals our deepest wounds and sorrow!
Christ, have mercy upon us.
The life of the risen Christ swallows up our fear of death!
Lord, have mercy upon us. 

Lord’s Prayer
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.
Do not bring us to the time of trial, but deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours,
now and for ever. Amen.

COLLECTS

O God, who, in the death and resurrection of your Son, have raised up this fallen wO God, the light of whose truth stretches out to those who go astray, that they may return to the path of righteousness: give your grace to all who profess themselves Christians, that they may cast out what is harmful, and pursue all that gives life; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit,one God, world without end. Amen.

SUNDAYS:  O God, enlist us in your company of freedom, recruit us to the cause of justice, unfreeze our fear, undo our indifference, unlock our compassion, enable our hands to work and act and move for you who are in the heart of conflict. 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; GS2016 Pointed Liturgical Psalter 2016 04 08; Chris Thorpe, Touching the Sacred.

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