Monday after Ascension Day Evening Prayer, 25th 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.

FROM Psalm 131, Domine, non est

O Lord, I am not proud; * I have no haughty looks.
I do not occupy myself with great matters, *
or with things that are too hard for me.
But I still my soul and make it quiet, like a child upon its mother’s breast; *
my soul is quieted within me.
O Israel, wait upon the Lord, * from this time forth for evermore.

READING: Matthew 8:5–17

When he entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, appealing to him and saying, ‘Lord, my servant is lying at home paralysed, in terrible distress.’ And he said to him, ‘I will come and cure him.’ The centurion answered, ‘Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof; but only speak the word, and my servant will be healed. For I also am a man under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to one, “Go”, and he goes, and to another, “Come”, and he comes, and to my slave, “Do this”, and the slave does it.’ When Jesus heard him, he was amazed and said to those who followed him, ‘Truly I tell you, in no one in Israel have I found such faith. I tell you, many will come from east and west and will eat with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, while the heirs of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ And to the centurion Jesus said, ‘Go; let it be done for you according to your faith.’ And the servant was healed in that hour.

When Jesus entered Peter’s house, he saw his mother-in-law lying in bed with a fever; he touched her hand, and the fever left her, and she got up and began to serve him. That evening they brought to him many who were possessed by demons; and he cast out the spirits with a word, and cured all who were sick. This was to fulfil what had been spoken through the prophet Isaiah, ‘He took our infirmities and bore our diseases.’

SILENCE 

MAGNIFICAT

PRAYERS
For those times when our faith has seized up through fear,
and we have neglected the gifts of the Spirit: Lord, have mercy upon us.
For those times when our hope has slumped towards despair,
and we have neglected the gifts of the Spirit: Christ, have mercy upon us.
For those times when our love has been drained by apathy,
and we have neglected the gifts of the Spirit. 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, the King of Glory, hear our prayer: that as we believe your Son Jesus Christ to be exalted with great triumph to your kingdom in heaven; so also we may know his presence with us now, and to the end of time; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, world without end. Amen.

MONDAYS: O God of Jacob, struggle with us through the dark nights of our questioning, hang on to us when we lose hold of you. Cripple our false certainties, disable our selfishness, that though we come stumbling and limping we may come to see you face to face. 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 .