¶ Evening Prayer on Thursday
Thursday, 9 September 2010
Charles Fuge Lowder, Priest, 1880 [Commemoration]

Psalmody

The appointed psalmody is said.

Psalm 18

Refrain: The Lord my God shall make my darkness to be bright.

1I love you, O Lord my strength. •
The Lord is my crag, my fortress and my deliverer,

2My God, my rock in whom I take refuge, •
my shield, the horn of my salvation and my stronghold.

3I cried to the Lord in my anguish •
and I was saved from my enemies.

4The cords of death entwined me •
and the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me. R

5The cords of the Pit fastened about me •
and the snares of death entangled me.

6In my distress I called upon the Lord •
and cried out to my God for help.

7He heard my voice in his temple •
and my cry came to his ears.

8The earth trembled and quaked; •
the foundations of the mountains shook;
   they reeled because he was angry. R

9Smoke rose from his nostrils
   and a consuming fire went out of his mouth; •
burning coals blazed forth from him.

10He parted the heavens and came down •
and thick darkness was under his feet.

11He rode upon the cherubim and flew; •
he came flying on the wings of the wind.

12He made darkness his covering round about him, •
dark waters and thick clouds his pavilion. R

13From the brightness of his presence, through the clouds •
burst hailstones and coals of fire.

14The Lord also thundered out of heaven; •
the Most High uttered his voice
   with hailstones and coals of fire.

15He sent out his arrows and scattered them; •
he hurled down lightnings and put them to flight.

16The springs of the ocean were seen,
   and the foundations of the world uncovered •
at your rebuke, O Lord,
   at the blast of the breath of your displeasure. R

17He reached down from on high and took me; •
he drew me out of the mighty waters.

18He delivered me from my strong enemy, •
from foes that were too mighty for me.

19They came upon me in the day of my trouble; •
but the Lord was my upholder.

20He brought me out into a place of liberty; •
he rescued me because he delighted in me.

21The Lord rewarded me after my righteous dealing; •
according to the cleanness of my hands he recompensed me,

22Because I had kept the ways of the Lord •
and had not gone wickedly away from my God,

23For I had an eye to all his laws, •
and did not cast out his commandments from me.

24I was also wholehearted before him •
and kept myself from iniquity;

25Therefore the Lord rewarded me
   after my righteous dealing, •
and according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight. R

26With the faithful you show yourself faithful; •
with the true you show yourself true;

27With the pure you show yourself pure, •
but with the crooked you show yourself perverse.

28For you will save a lowly people •
and bring down the high looks of the proud.

29You also shall light my candle; •
the Lord my God shall make my darkness to be bright. R

30By your help I shall run at an enemy host; •
with the help of my God I can leap over a wall.

31As for God, his way is perfect;
   the word of the Lord is tried in the fire; •
he is a shield to all who trust in him.

32For who is God but the Lord, •
and who is the rock except our God?

33It is God who girds me about with strength •
and makes my way perfect. R

34He makes my feet like hinds’ feet •
so that I tread surely on the heights.

35He teaches my hands to fight •
and my arms to bend a bow of bronze.

36You have given me the shield of your salvation; •
your right hand upholds me
   and your grace has made me great.

37You enlarge my strides beneath me, •
yet my feet do not slide. R

38I will pursue my enemies and overtake them, •
nor turn again until I have destroyed them.

39I will smite them down so they cannot rise; •
they shall fall beneath my feet.

40You have girded me with strength for the battle; •
you will cast down my enemies under me;

41You will make my foes turn their backs upon me •
and I shall destroy them that hate me. R

42They will cry out, but there shall be none to help them; •
they will cry to the Lord, but he will not answer.

43I shall beat them as small as the dust on the wind; •
I will cast them out as the mire in the streets.

44You will deliver me from the strife of the peoples; •
you will make me the head of the nations.

45A people I have not known shall serve me;
   as soon as they hear me, they shall obey me; •
strangers will humble themselves before me. R

46The foreign peoples will lose heart •
and come trembling out of their strongholds.

47The Lord lives, and blessed be my rock! •
Praised be the God of my salvation,

48Even the God who vindicates me •
and subdues the peoples under me! R

49You that deliver me from my enemies,
   you will set me up above my foes; •
from the violent you will deliver me;

50Therefore will I give you thanks, O Lord, among the nations •
and sing praises to your name,

51To the one who gives great victory to his king •
and shows faithful love to his anointed,
   to David and his seed for ever. R

Refrain: The Lord my God shall make my darkness to be bright.

From your royal throne, O God,
you sent your living Word
to pierce the gloom of oppression;
so, in our souls’ night,
come with your saving help
and penetrate our darkness with the
rays of your glory
in Jesus Christ our Lord.

Each psalm or group of psalms may end with

If there are two Scripture readings, the first may be read here, or both may be read after the canticle.

Canticle

Great and Wonderful, or another suitable canticle, for example, number 63 (page 621), may be said

Refrain:

AllAll nations shall come and worship you, O Christ,
and share in the feast of your kingdom.

1Great and wonderful are your deeds, •
Lord God the Almighty.

2Just and true are your ways, •
O ruler of the nations.

3Who shall not revere and praise your name, O Lord? •
for you alone are holy.

4All nations shall come and worship in your presence: •
for your just dealings have been revealed.

Revelation 15.3, 4

AllTo the One who sits on the throne and to the Lamb •
be blessing and honour and glory and might,
for ever and ever. Amen.

AllAll nations shall come and worship you, O Christ,
and share in the feast of your kingdom.

Scripture Reading

One or more readings appointed for the day are read.

The reading(s) may be followed by a time of silence.

Zechariah 8.1-8

The word of the Lord of hosts came to me, saying: Thus says the Lord of hosts: I am jealous for Zion with great jealousy, and I am jealous for her with great wrath. Thus says the Lord: I will return to Zion, and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem; Jerusalem shall be called the faithful city, and the mountain of the Lord of hosts shall be called the holy mountain. Thus says the Lord of hosts: Old men and old women shall again sit in the streets of Jerusalem, each with staff in hand because of their great age. And the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in its streets. Thus says the Lord of hosts: Even though it seems impossible to the remnant of this people in these days, should it also seem impossible to me, says the Lord of hosts? Thus says the Lord of hosts: I will save my people from the east country and from the west country; and I will bring them to live in Jerusalem. They shall be my people and I will be their God, in faithfulness and in righteousness.

Mark 10.32-34

They were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking ahead of them; they were amazed, and those who followed were afraid. He took the twelve aside again and began to tell them what was to happen to him, saying, ‘See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death; then they will hand him over to the Gentiles; they will mock him, and spit upon him, and flog him, and kill him; and after three days he will rise again.’

A suitable song or chant, or a responsory in this or another form, may follow

Gospel Canticle

The Magnificat (The Song of Mary) is normally said,
or A Song of Christ’s Appearing (page 621) may be said

Refrain:

AllYou have filled the hungry with good things,
and sent the rich away empty.

Thanksgiving may be made for the day.

Intercessions are offered
¶ for peace
¶ for individuals and their needs

The cycle on pages 364–365 and the prayer on page 377 may be used.

These responses may be used

Almighty God,
whose only Son has opened for us
a new and living way into your presence:
give us pure hearts and steadfast wills
to worship you in spirit and in truth;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.
AllAmen.

The Lord’s Prayer is said