Friday Evening Prayer 5th January 2024

Friday Evening Prayer 5^th January 2024 – Readings. Psalm 19. 19-38; 2 Samuel 22. 47-51; Romans 15. 8–21.

Led by Felicity Scott, Liturgical Assistant at St John the Baptist Anglican Church Bulimba, QLD, Australia.

The full prayer transcript is available by going to this episode on the Podcast website.

https://dailyprayeranglicanprayerbookforaustralia.podbean.com

Welcome to Friday Evening prayer from the Anglican ‘A prayer book for Australia’.

We proclaim the Good News of our Lord Jesus Christ:

GOD in his infinite mercy, forgives all sins, and through our baptism in the name of our Saviour, Jesus Christ, we are given a rebirth into new life, free from the burden of all sin. ALLELUIA

Blessed be God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, Blessed be God forever.

Let us Pray.

 

1

Peace to those who are far off.

Peace to those who are near. 

Ephesians 2.17

  

 

Glory to God; Father, Son and Holy Spirit: 

as in the beginning, so now, and for ever. Amen. 

  

 

2 The Opening Canticle, The Lord’s Servant

He was despised; he was rejected: 
a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief. 
As one from whom people hide their faces: 
he was despised, and we esteemed him not. 
Ours were the sufferings he bore: 
ours the torments he endured, 
While we thought he was being punished: 
struck by God and brought low. 
He was pierced for our sins: 
bruised for no fault but ours. 
His punishment has won our peace: 
and by his wounds we are healed. 
We had all strayed like sheep: 
all taking our own way; 
But the Lord laid on him: 
the guilt of us all. 

Isaiah 53.3–6

  

 

3 The Opening Prayer

The day is now past and the night is at hand. 

Let us pray with one heart and mind. 

 

Silence may be kept.

Father of lights, receive the prayer and praise we offer you as our evening sacrifice; make us a light for all the world, delivered by your goodness from all the works of darkness; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord. 

Amen.

 

4 The Psalms as appointed. A pause is observed after each.

Psalm 19

¹ The heavens declare the glory of God:

and the firmament proclaims his handiwork;

² One day tells it to another:

and night to night communicates knowledge.

³ There is no speech or language:

nor are their voices heard;

⁴ Yet their sound has gone out through all the world:

and their words to the ends of the earth.

⁵ There he has pitched a tent for the sun:

which comes out as a bridegroom from his chamber,

and rejoices like a strong man to run his course.

⁶ Its rising is at one end of the heavens,

and its circuit to their farthest bound:

and nothing is hidden from its heat.

⁷ The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul:

the command of the Lord is true,

and makes wise the simple.

⁸ The precepts of the Lord are right,

and rejoice the heart:

the commandment of the Lord is pure,

and gives light to the eyes.

⁹ The fear of the Lord is clean, and endures for ever:

the judgements of the Lord are unchanging,

and righteous every one.

¹⁰ More to be desired are they than gold,

even much fine gold:

sweeter also than honey,

than the honey that drips from the comb.

¹¹ Moreover, by them is your servant taught:

and in keeping them there is great reward.

¹² Who can know their own unwitting sins?:

O cleanse me from my secret faults.

¹³ Keep your servant also from presumptuous sins,

lest they get the mastery over me:

so I shall be clean, and innocent of great offence.

¹⁴ May the words of my mouth and the meditation

of my heart be acceptable in your sight:

O Lord, my strength and my redeemer.

5 At the end of the (last) pause there may follow

Holy Spirit, sanctifier, cleanse us from all hypocrisy, unite us to one another in the bonds of peace and love, and confirm us in holiness, through Jesus Christ our Lord. 

Amen.

  

 

6 One or two Readings from the Bible as appointed.

 

1st Reading

2 Samuel 22.47-51

⁴⁷ The Lord lives! Blessed be my rock,
     and exalted be my God, the rock of my salvation, 
⁴⁸ the God who gave me vengeance
     and brought down peoples under me, 
⁴⁹ who brought me out from my enemies;
     you exalted me above my adversaries,
     you delivered me from the violent. 
⁵⁰ For this I will extol you, O Lord , among the nations,
     and sing praises to your name. 
⁵¹ He is a tower of salvation for his king,
     and shows steadfast love to his anointed,
     to David and his descendants for ever. 

2nd Reading

Romans 15.8-21

⁸ For I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the circumcised-on behalf of the truth of God in order that he might confirm the promises given to the patriarchs, 
⁹ and in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written,
‘Therefore I will confess you among the Gentiles,
     and sing praises to your name’; 
¹⁰ and again he says,
‘Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people’; 
¹¹ and again,
‘Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles,
     and let all the peoples praise him’; 
¹² and again Isaiah says,
‘The root of Jesse shall come,
     the one who rises to rule the Gentiles;
in him the Gentiles shall hope.’ 
¹³ May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. 
¹⁴ I myself feel confident about you, my brothers and sisters, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, and able to instruct one another. 
¹⁵ Nevertheless, on some points I have written to you rather boldly by way of reminder, because of the grace given me by God 
¹⁶ to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles in the priestly service of the gospel of God, so that the offering of the Gentiles may be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit. 
¹⁷ In Christ Jesus, then, I have reason to boast of my work for God. 
¹⁸ For I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me to win obedience from the Gentiles, by word and deed, 
¹⁹ by the power of signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God, so that from Jerusalem and as far around as Illyricum I have fully proclaimed the good news of Christ. 
²⁰ Thus I make it my ambition to proclaim the good news, not where Christ has already been named, so that I do not build on someone else’s foundation, 
²¹ but as it is written,
‘Those who have never been told of him shall see,
     and those who have never heard of him shall understand.’

 

The readings may be followed by a period of silence for reflection, a hymn or

May your word live in us 

and bear much fruit to your glory.

 

 

7 The Canticle, A Song to the Lamb

You are worthy, our Lord and God: 
to receive glory and honour and power. 
For you have created all things: 
and by your will they have their being. 
You are worthy, O Lamb, for you were slain: 
and by your blood you ransomed for God 
saints from every tribe and language and nation. 
You have made them to be a kingdom and priests 
serving our God: 
and they will reign with you on earth. 
To the One who sits on the throne and to the Lamb: 
be blessing and honour and glory and might, for ever and ever. Amen. 

Revelation 4.11; 5.9b–10

  

 

8 The Prayers

Lord have mercy. 

Christ have mercy. 

Lord have mercy 

  

 

 

9 The Lord’s Prayer and the Collect of the Day

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. 

  

Prayer of the Week

Almighty God,

you have shed upon us the light of your incarnate Word:

may this light, kindled in our hearts,

shine forth in our lives;

through Jesus Christ our Lord,

who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and for ever. Amen.

 

10 Intercessions and Thanksgivings may be made according to local custom and need.

Let us pray

 Almighty and everlasting God, we ask you to direct, sanctify, and govern our hearts and bodies in the ways of your law and works of your commandments.

By your mighty protection may we be kept safe in body and soul, serving you and the people with generous and joyful hearts, bringing glory to your holy name.

God of Grace; Hear our prayer

 

O Lord our God, we ask for your mercy on the country of Ukraine and its people. We ask for your intervention, to impart peace as an initiative in the minds of all those at war across the world. We ask through Jesus Christ our Lord.

God of grace; Hear our prayer.

 

Loving God, we ask your blessing for those listed on the Anglican cycle of prayer:

• The Diocese of Brisbane – The Anglican Church of Australia
• The Diocese of Ballarat:
• The Parish of Toowoomba West:
• Anglicare SQ Community Aged & Disability, Brisbane North (Stafford)
• Coomera Anglican College, Coomera
• All Parishes seeking new incumbents.
• All Anglican schools seeking new chaplains.
• All Prison Chaplaincy Ministry Teams

God of Grace; Hear our prayer

 

11 The Evening Collect

Lighten our darkness, Lord, we pray: 

and in your great mercy 

defend us from all perils and dangers of this night; 

for the love of your only Son our Saviour Jesus Christ. 

Amen.

 

12

The Lord be with you.

And also with you. 

Let us praise the Lord. 

Thanks be to God. 

  

 

May the God of all grace, who has called us to eternal glory in Christ, restore, establish, strengthen us. To him be the dominion for ever and ever. 

Amen.

1 Peter 5.10–11