Monday Evening 27 November 2023

Monday Evening 27 November 2023

Monday Evening Prayer 27th November 2023; Readings: Psalm 68.24–35; Ecclesiastes 8.1–13; Revelation 11.1–14.

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 Monday evening prayer according to the Anglican ‘A prayer book for Australia’.

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

Let us Pray.

 

 

1

May the God of hope fill us with all joy and peace in believing

so that by the power of the Holy Spirit we may abound in hope. 

Romans 15.13

  

 

Glory to God; Father, Son and Holy Spirit: 

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

  

 

2 The Opening Canticle, A Song of Hope

The spirit of the Lord God is upon me: 
because the Lord has anointed me 
to bring good tidings to the afflicted. 
The Lord has sent me to bind up the broken-hearted: 
to proclaim liberty for the captives, 
and release for those in prison, 
To comfort all who mourn: 
to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, 
The oil of gladness instead of mourning: 
a garment of splendour for the heavy heart. 
They shall be called trees of righteousness: 
planted for the glory of the Lord. 

Isaiah 61.1–3

  

 

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. 

  

 

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

Psalm 68.24–35

²⁴ Your procession is seen, O God:

the procession of my God and King in the sanctuary.

²⁵ The singers go before, the musicians come after:

and around them the maidens beating on the timbrels.

²⁶ In their choirs they bless God:

those that are sprung from the fount of Israel bless the Lord.

²⁷ There is the little tribe of Benjamin leading them:

the throng of the princes of Judah,

the princes of Zebulun and the princes of Naphtali.

²⁸ Give the command, my God,

in accordance with your power:

that godlike power whereby you act for us.

²⁹ Give the command from your temple at Jerusalem:

and kings shall bring you tribute.

³⁰ Rebuke the beast of the reeds,

the herd of bulls amidst the brutish peoples:

tread down those that are greedy for silver,

scatter the peoples that relish war.

³¹ Let them bring bronze from Egypt:

let the hands of the Nubians carry it swiftly to God.

³² Sing to God, you kingdoms of the earth:

O sing praises to the Lord,

³³ To him that rides upon the highest heavens,

that were from the beginning:

who utters his voice, which is a mighty voice.

³⁴ Ascribe power to God, whose majesty is over Israel:

and his might is in the clouds.

³⁵ Terrible is God who comes from his holy place:

the God of Israel who gives power

and strength to his people. Blessed be God.

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

God who wonderfully created us and even more wonderfully restored our humanity: strengthen us by your Holy Spirit to triumph over suffering and death, and grant us eternal joy; through Jesus Christ our Lord. 

Amen.

  

 

6 One or two Readings from the Bible as appointed.

 

1st Reading

Ecclesiastes 8.1–13

¹ Who is like the wise man?
     And who knows the interpretation of a thing?
Wisdom makes one’s face shine,
     and the hardness of one’s countenance is changed. 
² Keep the king’s command because of your sacred oath. 
³ Do not be terrified; go from his presence, do not delay when the matter is unpleasant, for he does whatever he pleases. 
⁴ For the word of the king is powerful, and who can say to him, ‘What are you doing?’ 
⁵ Whoever obeys a command will meet no harm, and the wise mind will know the time and way. 
⁶ For every matter has its time and way, although the troubles of mortals lie heavy upon them. 
⁷ Indeed, they do not know what is to be, for who can tell them how it will be? 
⁸ No one has power over the wind to restrain the wind, or power over the day of death; there is no discharge from the battle, nor does wickedness deliver those who practise it. 
⁹ All this I observed, applying my mind to all that is done under the sun, while one person exercises authority over another to the other’s hurt. 
¹⁰ Then I saw the wicked buried; they used to go in and out of the holy place, and were praised in the city where they had done such things. This also is vanity. 
¹¹ Because sentence against an evil deed is not executed speedily, the human heart is fully set to do evil. 
¹² Though sinners do evil a hundred times and prolong their lives, yet I know that it will be well with those who fear God, because they stand in fear before him, 
¹³ but it will not be well with the wicked, neither will they prolong their days like a shadow, because they do not stand in fear before God.

2nd Reading

Revelation 11.1–14

¹ Then I was given a measuring rod like a staff, and I was told, ‘Come and measure the temple of God and the altar and those who worship there, ² but do not measure the court outside the temple; leave that out, for it is given over to the nations, and they will trample over the holy city for forty-two months. ³ And I will grant my two witnesses’ authority to prophesy for one thousand two hundred and sixty days, wearing sackcloth.’ ⁴ These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth. ⁵ And if anyone wants to harm them, fire pours from their mouth and consumes their foes; anyone who wants to harm them must be killed in this manner. ⁶ They have authority to shut the sky, so that no rain may fall during the days of their prophesying, and they have authority over the waters to turn them into blood, and to strike the earth with every kind of plague, as often as they desire. ⁷ When they have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up from the bottomless pit will make war on them and conquer them and kill them, ⁸ and their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city that is prophetically called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified. ⁹ For three and a half days members of the peoples and tribes and languages and nations will gaze at their dead bodies and refuse to let them be placed in a tomb; ¹⁰ and the inhabitants of the earth will gloat over them and celebrate and exchange presents, because these two prophets had been a torment to the inhabitants of the earth. ¹¹ But after the three and a half days, the breath of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet, and those who saw them were terrified. ¹² Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, ‘Come up here!’ And they went up to heaven in a cloud while their enemies watched them. ¹³ At that moment there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell; seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the rest were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven. ¹⁴ The second woe has passed. The third woe is coming very soon.

 

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 of God’s Children

In Christ Jesus, the life-giving law of the Spirit: 
has set us free from the law of sin and death. 
All who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God: 
 it is the Spirit that enables us to cry, ‘Abba!’ Father. 
The Spirit bears witness 
that we are God’s children: 
and if God’s children, then heirs of God. 
We are heirs of God and fellow-heirs with Christ: 
If we share his sufferings now 
we shall be glorified with him hereafter. 
These sufferings that we now endure: 
are not worth comparing 
with the glory that shall be revealed. 
For the creation waits with eager longing: 
for the revealing of the children of God. 

Romans 8.2, 14, 15b–19

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

Stir up, we pray you, O Lord,

the wills of your faithful people,

that they, plenteously bringing forth the fruit of good works,

may by you be plenteously rewarded;

through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

 

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

Let us Pray.

 

We honour your greatness and thank you, God of all loveliness,

For the beauty of earth and sky and sea.

For the richness of mountains, deserts, and rivers.

For the songs of birds and the beauty of flowers.

We praise you for these good gifts,

and pray that we may guard our heritage to the honour and glory of your name. Amen

 

God of wisdom, we ask for your wisdom to be bestowed upon all people, to give all people the knowledge to always co-exist in peace and to continue to respect one another in all ways; also teaching their children to do the same.

We ask this through Jesus Christs name. Amen

 

Merciful God, we ask for your mercy to be given to the country of Ukraine. We ask for your intervention, to impart peace as an initiative in the minds of all those at war across the world. We ask this in Jesus Christ’s name. Amen

 

We pray for those listed on the Anglican cycle of prayer.

Gracious God we ask your blessing on:

• The Diocese of Ayod – Province of the Episcopal Church of South Sudan
• The Diocese of Willochra: †Jeremy James; Clergy and People
• The Parish of Mt Gravatt: Michael Stalley, Gary Tognola, Cheryl Selvage, Trevor Butler
• Anglicare SQ Mental Health & Wellbeing, Riverview (Booval)
• Parishes seeking new incumbents.
• Anglican schools seeking new chaplains

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. 

  

 

Since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. 

Amen.

Hebrews 12.1