Tuesday after Pentecost Evening Prayer, 2nd June 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.

OPENING  

Variable Psalms

Tuesdays: From Psalm 84, Quam dilecta! 

How dear to me is your dwelling, *
O Lord of hosts!
My soul has a desire and longing for the courts of the Lord; * my heart and my flesh
rejoice in the living God.
The sparrow has found her a house *
and the swallow a nest where she may lay her young;
by the side of your altars, O Lord of hosts, *
my Sovereign and my God.
Happy are they who dwell in your house! *
They will always be praising you.
Happy are the people whose strength is in you, *
whose hearts are set on the pilgrims’ way!

Those who go through the desolate valley will find it a place of springs, *
for the early rains have covered it with pools of water.
They will climb from height to height, *
and you, the God of gods, will reveal yourself in Zion.

Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer; *
hearken, O God of Jacob.
Behold our defender, O God; and look upon the face of your anointed.
For one day in your courts is better than a thousand in my own room, * and to stand at the threshold of the house of my God than to dwell in the tents of the wicked.
For you, Lord God, are both sun and shield; *
you will give grace and glory;
no good thing will you withhold, O Lord, *
from those who walk with integrity.
O Lord of hosts, *
happy are they who put their trust in you! 

CLOSING: A song of Pilgrimage (from Sirach 51)

While I was still young, before I began my travels,*
I sought for wisdom openly in my prayers.
I asked for her outside the temple sanctuary,* and I will seek her to the end.
She has been the delight of my heart.* from first blossom to early fruit.
I have kept firmly to the true path;* I have followed her steps since my youth.
I bowed my ear a little and received her;* I found wisdom and was well instructed.
Glory to the One who gives me wisdom!* I will live according to her way.
Because I longed to find her with all my heart,* I have gained a good possession.
As my reward the Lord has given me a tongue* with which I shall sing his praises.

READING: Matthew 13:53–58

When Jesus had finished these parables, he left that place.

He came to his home town and began to teach the people in their synagogue, so that they were astounded and said, ‘Where did this man get this wisdom and these deeds of power? Is not this the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother called Mary? And are not his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? And are not all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all this?’ And they took offence at him. But Jesus said to them, ‘Prophets are not without honour except in their own country and in their own house.’ And he did not do many deeds of power there, because of their unbelief.

SILENCE 

PRAYERS
We have judged others too harshly and thought ourselves superior to them.
Lord, have mercy upon us.
We have judged ourselves too harshly and thought ourselves inferior to others.
Christ, have mercy upon us.
We have refused to accept that there is no condemnation, only compassion, in God’s heart.
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

Tuesdays: You have blessed us, Risen Jesus; we want to root our lives in your trust, to such an extent that the wellsprings of jubilation never run dry. Amen. 

O God, who on the day of Pentecost enlightened the hearts of your people by the fire of the Holy Spirit: give us wisdom and understanding, and lead us into all truth, that your Church may be kept in the unity of the Spirit and the bond of peace; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the same Spirit, one God, world without end. 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.

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