Podcast: Play in new window | Download
SERVICE OF LIGHT
Greeting/Invocation
We light the Evening Candle and say or sing:
Light and Peace in Jesus Christ our Lord!
~Thanks be to God!
Stay with us Lord for it is evening,
~And the day is almost over.
Hymn for Saturday Evening
O fire that fuels the stars and suns,
rekindled in our evening flame:
your blinding radiance yet is dimmed
before the One from whom you came.
When out of darkness first you dawned,
you ushered in God’s gifts untold:
on this the eighth, unequaled day,
you blazed where Life lay dead and cold.
For Christ, our light, unquenchable,
death sought to master and defy,
yet from a darkened, empty tomb
Life gave definitive reply.
The universe will not be shamed,
delighting God in endless ways,
for neither human sin nor pride
can silence its unceasing praise. Amen
Text: Aelred-Seton Shanley
SERVICE OF THE WORD
Evening Psalm
Antiphon/Refrain
You will show me the path of life,
you will give me the fullness of joy
in your presence forever.
Psalm 15/16
Protect me God, I turn to you for help.
I profess, “You are my Love, my greatest good.”
I once put trust in false gods,
the idols of the land.
Now I make no offerings to them,
nor do I invoke their names
Those who chase after them
simply add grief to their grief.
Adonai, you are my portion and cup,
the shape of my future;
you mark off the best place for me
to enjoy my place on the earth.
I bless God who teaches me,
who even at night directs my heart.
I am sure that God is right here beside me,
I can never be shaken.
And so my heart rejoices
my body thrills with life,
my whole being rests securely.
You will not abandon me to Sheol,
nor send your faithful one down to death.
You show me the road to life:
boundless joy as your companion for ever!
Glory to the One and to the Word
And to the Breath of Love
As always before
So now and evermore, Amen.
You will show me the path of life,
you will give me the fullness of joy
in your presence forever.
Reading Ezekiel 33: 7-8
Thus says ADONAI:
You, O Human One, I have appointed sentry for the house of Israel;
when you hear me say anything, you shall warn them for me.
If I tell the wicked, “O wicked one, you shall surely die, ”
and you do not speak out to dissuade the wicked from his way,
the wicked shall die for his guilt,
but I will hold you responsible for his death.
Responsory
R. If today you hear God’s voice, *do not harden your hearts.
V. As on that day at Massah in the dessert, *do not harden your hearts. V. Glory to the Abba and to the Word and to the Holy Breath of Love.
Gospel Antiphon
The Sabbath is for humankind, not humans for the Sabbath
So is the Human One master even of the Sabbath.
Canticle from Philippians 2: 6-11
Though he was in the form of God
Jesus did not snatch at equality with God.
He emptied himself,
taking the form of a servant,
being born in the likeness of human beings.
And being found in human form,
he humbled himself,
and became obedient unto death,
even death on a cross.
Therefore God has highly exalted him
and bestowed on him
the name that is above every name.
That at the name of Jesus
every knee should bow
in heaven and on earth
and under the earth.
And every tongue confess
that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
The Sabbath is for humankind, not humans for the Sabbath;
So is the Human One master even of the Sabbath.
SERVICE OF PRAYER
Litany of Intercession
For the Unity of the Christian Churches and the common good of all Earthkind,
Love, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
For the people of this and every other nation, that all be guided in the ways of justice and peace, Love, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
For the health and well-being of all creation, and the wisdom and will to conserve it, Love in your mercy, hear our prayer.
For all those who have asked for our prayers and those for whom we have promised to pray, Love in your mercy, hear our prayer.
For all who are suffering in mind, body or spirit, and for those who care for them,
Love in your mercy, hear our prayer.
For those who have died, and for those who grieve their passing, Love, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
Prayer of Jesus
Our Dear Abba in heaven, …
Closing Prayer & Blessing
Risen Christ, by virtue of your passing over from death to life,
pour your Holy Spirit into our hearts. Fill us with awe and reverence for God and with love and compassion for our neighbor, for yours is the power and the glory, now and forever. ~Amen.
May the Great Spirit + bless us and all of creation. ~Amen
Let us bless Adonai ~Thanks be to God.
Those who wish may end evening prayer with the Marian Antiphon.
Marian Antiphon
Mother of mercy, our Queen, we greet you! Our life, our hope, our happiness, we hail you.
We call to you as Eve’s own children, and exiles; To you we lift our heart in sorrow and fear, in this valley of tears. Turn then, our loving Advocate, and look with favor upon us. And after our life in exile, show us the blessed fruit of your womb, Jesus. O gracious, O loving, O Virgin benign, our Mother Mary.
Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God;
~ That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Let us pray. Holy, Mighty and Immortal God, through the working of the Holy Spirit, you prepared the body and soul of the glorious virgin Mother Mary, as a worthy dwelling for your Word; grant that we, who celebrate her memory each evening, may with the help of her prayers, be freed from ever-present evil, and come to share the fulness of life eternal. Amen.