Daily Office Readings

Week of Sunday, January-08-2012
Wednesday

Daily Evening Prayer: Rite Two

Officiant begins with the following:

Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness; let the whole earth tremble before him. Psalm 96:9

Yours is the day, O God, yours also the night; you established the moon and the sun. You fixed all the boundaries of the earth; you made both summer and winter. Psalm 74:15,16

Confession of Sin
Officiant says to the people:
Dear friends in Christ, here in the presence of Almighty God, let us kneel in silence, and with penitent and obedient hearts confess our sins, so that we may obtain forgiveness by his infinite goodness and mercy.

Let us confess our sins against God and our neighbor.

Silence may be kept.
Officiant and People together, all kneeling

Most merciful God,
we confess that we have sinned against you
in thought, word, and deed,
by what we have done,
and by what we have left undone.
We have not loved you with our whole heart;
we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves.
We are truly sorry and we humbly repent.
For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ,
have mercy on us and forgive us;
that we may delight in your will,
and walk in your ways,
to the glory of your Name. Amen.

Almighty God have mercy on you, forgive you all your sins through our Lord Jesus Christ, strengthen you in all goodness, and by the power of the Holy Spirit keep you in eternal life. Amen.

*A deacon or lay person using the preceding form remains kneeling, and substitutes "us" for "you" and "our" for "your."

The Invitatory and Psalter
All stand
Officiant O God, make speed to save us.
People O Lord, make haste to help us.

Officiant and People

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: 
  as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever.  Amen

-or-
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

O Gracious Light Phos hilaron

O gracious Light,
pure brightness of the everliving Father in heaven,
O Jesus Christ, holy and blessed!

Now as we come to the setting of the sun,
and our eyes behold the vesper light,
we sing your praises, O God:  Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

You are worthy at all times to be praised by happy voices,
O Son of God, O Giver of life,
and to be glorified through all the worlds.

The Psalm or Psalms Appointed:

Psalm 12

Salvum me fac
1Help me, LORD, for there is no godly one left; *
     the faithful have vanished from among us.
2Everyone speaks falsely with his neighbor; *
     with a smooth tongue they speak from a double heart.
3Oh, that the LORD would cut off all smooth tongues, *
     and close the lips that utter proud boasts!
4Those who say, "With our tongue will we prevail; *
     our lips are our own; who is lord over us?"
5"Because the needy are oppressed,
     and the poor cry out in misery, *
I will rise up," says the LORD,
     "and give them the help they long for."
6The words of the LORD are pure words, *
     like silver refined from ore
     and purified seven times in the fire.
7O LORD, watch over us *
     and save us from this generation for ever.
8The wicked prowl on every side, *
     and that which is worthless is highly prized by everyone.

Psalm 13

Usquequo, Domine?
1How long, O LORD?
     will you forget me for ever? *
     how long will you hide your face from me?
2How long shall I have perplexity in my mind,
     and grief in my heart, day after day? *
     how long shall my enemy triumph over me?
3Look upon me and answer me, O LORD my God; *
     give light to my eyes, lest I sleep in death;
4Lest my enemy say, "I have prevailed over him," *
     and my foes rejoice that I have fallen.
5But I put my trust in your mercy; *
     my heart is joyful because of your saving help.
6I will sing to the LORD, for he has dealt with me richly; *
     I will praise the Name of the Lord Most High.

Psalm 14

Dixit insipiens
1The fool has said in his heart, "There is no God." *
     All are corrupt and commit abominable acts;
     there is none who does any good.
2The LORD looks down from heaven upon us all, *
     to see if there is any who is wise,
     if there is one who seeks after God.
3Every one has proved faithless;
     all alike have turned bad; *
     there is none who does good; no, not one.
4Have they no knowledge, all those evildoers *
     who eat up my people like bread
     and do not call upon the LORD?
5See how they tremble with fear, *
     because God is in the company of the righteous.
6Their aim is to confound the plans of the afflicted, *
     but the LORD is their refuge.
7Oh, that Israel's deliverance would come out of Zion! *
     when the LORD restores the fortunes of his people,
     Jacob will rejoice and Israel be glad.

At the end of the Psalm is sung or said

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: 
  as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever.  Amen

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:* 
  as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end.  Amen.

The Gospel

Reader: A reading from the Gospel, according to St. .

John 1:(29-34)35-42
(²⁹The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! ³⁰This is He of whom I said, 'After me comes a Man who is preferred before me, for He was before me.' ³¹I did not know Him; but that He should be revealed to Israel, therefore I came baptizing with water." ³²And John bore witness, saying, "I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him. ³³I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, 'Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.' ³⁴And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God." )³⁵Again, the next day, John stood with two of his disciples. ³⁶And looking at Jesus as He walked, he said, "Behold the Lamb of God!" ³⁷The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. ³⁸Then Jesus turned, and seeing them following, said to them, "What do you seek?" They said to Him, "Rabbi" (which is to say, when translated, Teacher), "where are You staying?" ³⁹He said to them, "Come and see." They came and saw where He was staying, and remained with Him that day (now it was about the tenth hour). ⁴⁰One of the two who heard John speak, and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. ⁴¹He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, "We have found the Messiah" (which is translated, the Christ). ⁴²And he brought him to Jesus. Now when Jesus looked at him, He said, "You are Simon the son of Jonah. You shall be called Cephas" (which is translated, A Stone). -- NKJV

Reader: The Word of the Lord
People: Thanks be to God.

The Song of Mary Magnificat
Luke 1:46-55

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior; *
 for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant. 

From this day all generations will call me blessed: *
 the Almighty has done great things for me,
 and holy is his Name. 

He has mercy on those who fear him *
 in every generation. 

He has shown the strength of his arm, *
 he has scattered the proud in their conceit. 

He has cast down the mighty from their thrones, *
 and has lifted up the lowly. 

He has filled the hungry with good things, *
 and the rich he has sent away empty. 

He has come to the help of his servant Israel, *
 for he has remembered his promise of mercy,

The promise he made to our fathers, *
 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 will be for ever.  Amen.

-OR-

The Song of Simeon Nunc dimittis
Luke 2:29-32

Lord, you now have set your servant free *
 to go in peace as you have promised; 

For these eyes of mine have seen the Savior, *
 whom you have prepared for all the world to see: 

A Light to enlighten the nations, *
 and the glory of your people Israel. 

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: *
 as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever.  Amen. 

The Apostles' Creed
Officiant and People together, all standing

I believe in God, the Father almighty,
 creator of heaven and earth. 
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only son, our Lord.
 He was conceived by the Holy Spirit
	and born of the Virgin Mary.
 He suffered under Pontius Pilate,
	was crucified, died, and was buried.
 He descended to the dead.
 On the third day he rose again.
 He ascended into heaven,
	and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
 He will come again to judge the living and the dead. 

I believe in the Holy Spirit,
 the holy catholic Church,
 the communion of saints,
 the forgiveness of sins,
 the resurrection of the body,
 and the life everlasting.  Amen. 

The Prayers
The People stand or kneel

Our 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,
  and the power, and the glory,
  for ever and ever.  Amen. 

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. 

Save us from the time of trial,
 and deliver us from evil. 

For the kingdom, the power,
 and the glory are yours,
 now and for ever.  Amen. 

A
V. Show us your mercy, O Lord;
R. And grant us your salvation.
V. Clothe your ministers with righteousness;
R. Let your people sing with joy.
V. Give peace, O Lord, in all the world;
R. For only in you can we live in safety.
V. Lord, keep this nation under your care;
R. And guide us in the way of justice and truth.
V. Let your way be known upon earth;
R. Your saving health among all nations.
V. Let not the needy, O Lord, be forgotten;
R. Nor the hope of the poor be taken away.
V. Create in us clean hearts, O God;
R. And sustain us by your Holy Spirit.

B
That this evening may be holy, good, and peaceful,
We entreat you, O Lord.

That your holy angels may lead us in paths of peace and goodwill,
We entreat you, O Lord.

That we may be pardoned and forgiven for our sins and offenses,
We entreat you, O Lord.

That there may be peace to your Church and to the whole world,
We entreat you, O Lord.

That we may depart this life in your faith and fear, and not be condemned before the great judgment seat of Christ,
We entreat you, O Lord.

That we may be bound together by your Holy Spirit in the communion of [_________ and] all your saints, entrusting one another and all our life to Christ,
We entreat you, O Lord.

The Collect of the Day:

First Sunday after the Epiphany: The Baptism of our Lord
Father in heaven, who at the baptism of Jesus in the River Jordan proclaimed him your beloved Son and anointed him with the Holy Spirit: Grant that all who are baptized into his Name may keep the covenant they have made, and boldly confess him as Lord and Savior; who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen

A Collect for Aid against Perils
Be our light in the darkness, O Lord, and in your great mercy defend us from all perils and dangers of this night; for the love of your only Son, our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

Then, unless the Eucharist or a form of general intercession is to follow, the following prayer for mission is added.

Prayer for Mission
O God, you manifest in your servants the signs of your presence: Send forth upon us the spirit of love, that in companionship with one another your abounding grace may increase among us; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Authorized intercessions and thanksgivings may follow.

Before the close of the Office one or both of the following may be used

The General Thanksgiving
Officiant and People

Almighty God, Father of all mercies,
we your unworthy servants give you humble thanks
for all your goodness and loving-kindness
to us and to all whom you have made.
We bless you for our creation, preservation,
and all the blessings of this life;
but above all for your immeasurable love
in the redemption of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ;
for the means of grace, and for the hope of glory.
And, we pray, give us such an awareness of your mercies,
that with truly thankful hearts we may show forth your praise,
not only with our lips, but in our lives,
by giving up our selves to your service,
and by walking before you
in holiness and righteousness all our days;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit,
be honor and glory throughout all ages. Amen. 

A Prayer of St. Chrysostom

Almighty God, you have given us grace at this time with one
accord to make our common supplication to you; and you
have promised through your well-beloved Son that when two
or three are gathered together in his Name you will be in the 
midst of them:  Fulfill now, O Lord, our desires and petitions
as may be best for us; granting us in this world knowledge of
your truth, and in the age to come life everlasting.  Amen.

Then may be said
Let us bless the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Officiant concludes with:

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us all evermore. Amen.
2 Corinthians 13:14

Scripture taken from the New King James Version.
(Unless otherwise noted.)
Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
Used by permission. All rights reserved.
For a more complete Copyright, please go here.