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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!
Stay with us O Christ 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 Colossians 1:2b-6a
May God give you grace and peace. We always give thanks to God, the Abba of our Lord Jesus Christ, in our prayers for you because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and the love you bear toward all the saints – moved as you are by the hope held in store for you in heaven. You heard of this hope through the message of truth, the gospel, which has come to you, has borne fruit, and has continued to grow in your midst, as it has everywhere in the world.
Responsory
R. We give thanks to God our Abba, *Who has delivered us from the domain of darkness and brought us into the kin-dom of Christ, the Beloved One. V. Every good gift, every perfect gift comes from above, comes from the Source of Lights. *Who has delivered us from the domain of darkness and brought us into the kin-dom of Christ, the Beloved One. V. Glory to the Abba and the Word and the Breath of Love.
Gospel Antiphon
Go and learn the meaning of these words:
“It is mercy that I desire and not sacrifice.”
For I have not come to call the just but to call sinners.
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 other 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 Abba.
Glory to the Abba and to the Word
And to the Breath of Love
As always before
So now and evermore. Amen
Go and learn the meaning of these words:
“It is mercy that I desire and not sacrifice.”
For I have not come to call the just but to call sinners.
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 gratitude and reverence for you, with love and compassion for our neighbor, and concern for the whole of creation, for yours is the power and the glory of love, now and forever. ~Amen.
May God + bless us and keep us and all of creation in peace. ~Amen
Let us bless Adonai.
~Thanks be to God.
Those who wish may end evening prayer with the Marian Antiphon for this season.
Marian Antiphon
Salve Regina, Mater misericordiae, Vita dulcedo et Spes nostra, salve!
Ad te clamamus, exsules filii Evae; Ad te suspiramus, gementes et flentes in hac lacrimarum vale. Eia, ergo, Advocata nostra, illos tuos misericordes oculos, ad nos converte; et Jesum benedictum fructum ventris tui, nobis, post hoc exilium ostende. O Clemens, O Pia, O Dulcis, Virgo Maria!
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.