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SERVICE OF LIGHT
Greeting/Invocation
We light the EVENING CANDLE and say or sing:
Light and peace in Jesus Christ our Love!
~Thanks be to God!
Proclaim among the nations,
~Our God reigns from the tree!
HYMN FOR A FRIDAY EVENING
There in God’s garden stands the Tree of Wisdom,
whose leaves hold forth the healing of the nations:
Tree of all knowledge, Tree of all compassion, Tree of all beauty.
Its name is Jesus, name that says, “Our Savior!”
There on its branches see the scars of suff’ring;
see where the tendrils of our human selfhood feed on its life-blood.
Thorns not his own are tangled in its foliage;
our greed has starved it, our despite has choked it.
Yet, look! it lives! its grief has not destroyed it nor fire consumed it.
See how its branches reach to us in welcome;
hear what the Voice says, “Come to me, ye weary!
Give me your sickness, give me all your sorrow, I will give blessing.”
This is my ending, this my resurrection;
into your hands, Love, I commit my spirit.
This have I searched for: now I can possess it. This ground is holy.
All heav’n is singing, “Thanks to Christ whose Passion
offers in mercy healing, strength and pardon.
Peoples and nations, take it, take it freely!” Amen! My Lover!
Text: Imre von Pecselyi Kiraly (1641) tr. Erik Routley (1974) alt. ; Tune: TREE OF LIFE 56.56.56.5 K. Lee Scott
SERVICE OF THE WORD
Evening Psalmody
Antiphon
Tell it among the nations:
“Our Love has reigned from the Tree, Alleluia!”
Psalm 95/96
Sing a new song to Adonai!
Sing it and bless God’s Name!
Sing it everyone, and everywhere!
Proclaim God’s help every day,
Tell every nation about the triumph!
God’s glory and wonders among the peoples.
A God so great deserves all praise,
and the dread of all other gods,
far too many value their worthless idols
but it was Adonai who made the heavens;
to God belong majesty and power
and splendorous beauty in the temple.
Proclaim Adonai, O families of nations,
Praise the glory of God’s power
Praise the glory of the Holy Name.
Bring gifts to offer in the temple,
worship with reverence and awe,
O Earth, join us in praise.
Tell it among the nations:
“Adonai reigns with justice!
As the firmness of Earth is not swayed,
nothing will sway the justice of God.
Let heaven and Earth be glad,
the sea and its creatures render praise;
the fields and their animals exult,
the trees and their birds sing for joy,
at the presence of Adonai who comes–
who comes to reign on Earth.
With justice God will set Earth aright;
with truth restore the world to right order!
Glory to the ONE and to the WORD
and to the BREATH of Love.
As always before
so now and evermore. Amen.
Tell it among the nations:
“Our Love has reigned from the Tree, Alleluia!”
READING HEBREWS 12: 1-3
Because we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us rid ourselves of every burden and sin that clings to us and persevere in running the race that lies before us while keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, the leader and finisher of faith. For the sake of the joy that lay before him he endured the cross, despising its shame, and has taken his seat at the right of the throne of God. Consider how he endured such opposition from sinners, in order that you may not grow weary and lose heart.
Responsory
Gospel Canticle
Antiphon
Is this not the carpenter, the Son of Mary?
Where does he get this wisdom and the wonders that he works.
Canticle of Mary
My heart + is radiant with the Lord,
My whole being delights in God my Savior.
All people now will call me blessed
For God has loved this humble handmaid.
The Almighty has shown me great favor
Holy is the NAME,
Whose mercy embraces the faithful,
From one generation to the next.
The mighty arm of God,
Scatters the proud in their own conceit,
Pulls tyrants from their thrones
While lifting up the lowly:
Fills the famished with bounty,
And reveals the emptiness of riches.
Rescues lowly Israel,
Sharing such loving kindness,
As promised to our ancestors
To Abraham and Sarah, and their descendants forever.
Glory to the One and to the Word
And to the Breath of Love
As always before
So now and evermore. Amen
Is this not the carpenter, the Son of Mary?
Where does he get this wisdom and the wonders that he works.
SERVICE OF PRAYER
Litany of Intercession
O Jesus our Savior, you gave your flesh and blood for the life of the world;
~may we use our hearts, minds and bodies to be bread for the world.
O Jesus our Mother, you reveal yourself in the simple-yet-sacred act of breaking-and-sharing bread; ~may we recognize the sacred in every part of our lives and the power of your presence in the sharing of all your gifts that nourish and sustain life.
O Jesus our Brother, you reveal yourself in the hungry, the thirsty, the naked, the prisoners and the sick; ~may we recognize you in the least of our sisters and brothers and put their needs first in our priorities and actions.
O Jesus our Redeemer, you came to serve and to lay down your life for us; ~ may these glorious days of summer free us to serve our sisters and brothers and work for the restoration of health to the whole of creation.
Prayer of Jesus
Our Father…
Closing Prayer
Creating and Sustaining God, as we celebrate the sixth day of the week, we praise and thank you for the wonder and beauty of all the creatures that You have made, for each one of them reveals something of Your inexpressible love. Awaken in us such a sense of wonder and delight that we receive with gratitude the gifts that Mother Earth provides to supply our needs, generously share these gifts with all your creatures, and lovingly care for our common home—all to the honor and glory of your Holy Name. Amen.
Blessing
May the God of Life and Light + bless us and our world with goodness and peace. ~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 hearts 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.