¶ Evening Prayer on Tuesday
Tuesday, 4 March 2025

Preparation

O God, make speed to save us.
AllO Lord, make haste to help us.

The Blessing of Light (page 110) may replace the Preparation at Evening Prayer on any occasion.

One or more of the following is said or sung:

A prayer of thanksgiving (page 110),

Blessed are you, Lord God, creator of day and night:
to you be praise and glory for ever.
As darkness falls you renew your promise
to reveal among us the light of your presence.
By the light of Christ, your living Word,
dispel the darkness of our hearts
that we may walk as children of light
and sing your praise throughout the world.
Blessed be God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit:
AllBlessed be God for ever.

or a suitable hymn,

or A Song of Mercy and Truth

1O God, will you not give us life again, ♦
that your people may rejoice in you?

2Show us your mercy, O Lord, ♦
and grant us your salvation.

3Truly, his salvation is near to those who fear him, ♦
that his glory may dwell in our land.

4Mercy and truth are met together, ♦
righteousness and peace have kissed each other;

5Truth shall spring up from the earth ♦
and righteousness look down from heaven.

6Righteousness shall go before him ♦
and direct his steps in the way.

Psalm 85.6, 7, 9-11, 13

AllGlory to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning is now
and shall be for ever. Amen.

This opening prayer may be said

That this evening may be holy, good and peaceful,
let us pray with one heart and mind.

Silence is kept.

As our evening prayer rises before you, O God,
so may your mercy come down upon us
to cleanse our hearts
and set us free to sing your praise
now and for ever.
AllAmen.

The Word of God

Psalmody

The appointed psalmody is said.

Psalm 89.19-end

Refrain: The Lord has sworn an oath to David,
a promise from which he will not shrink.

19 You spoke once in a vision and said to your faithful people: ♦
‘I have set a youth above the mighty;
I have raised a young man over the people.

20 ‘I have found David my servant; ♦
with my holy oil have I anointed him.

21 ‘My hand shall hold him fast ♦
and my arm shall strengthen him.

22 ‘No enemy shall deceive him, ♦
nor any wicked person afflict him.

23 ‘I will strike down his foes before his face ♦
and beat down those that hate him.

24 ‘My truth also and my steadfast love shall be with him, ♦
and in my name shall his head be exalted.

25 ‘I will set his dominion upon the sea ♦
and his right hand upon the rivers.

26 ‘He shall call to me, “You are my Father, ♦
my God, and the rock of my salvation;”

27 ‘And I will make him my firstborn: ♦
the most high above the kings of the earth.

28 ‘The love I have pledged to him will I keep for ever, ♦
and my covenant will stand fast with him.

29 ‘His seed also will I make to endure for ever ♦
and his throne as the days of heaven. R

30 ‘But if his children forsake my law ♦
and cease to walk in my judgements,

31 ‘If they break my statutes ♦
and do not keep my commandments,

32 ‘I will punish their offences with a rod ♦
and their sin with scourges.

33 ‘But I will not take from him my steadfast love ♦
nor suffer my truth to fail.

34 ‘My covenant will I not break ♦
nor alter what has gone out of my lips.

35 ‘Once for all have I sworn by my holiness ♦
that I will not prove false to David.

36 ‘His seed shall endure for ever ♦
and his throne as the sun before me;

37 ‘It shall stand fast for ever as the moon, ♦
the enduring witness in the heavens.’

38 But you have cast off and rejected your anointed; ♦
you have shown fierce anger against him.

39 You have broken the covenant with your servant, ♦
and have cast his crown to the dust.

40 You have broken down all his walls ♦
and laid his strongholds in ruins.

41 All who pass by despoil him, ♦
and he has become the scorn of his neighbours.

42 You have exalted the right hand of his foes ♦
and made all his enemies rejoice.

43 You have turned back the edge of his sword ♦
and have not upheld him in battle.

44 You have made an end of his radiance ♦
and cast his throne to the ground.

45 You have cut short the days of his youth ♦
and have covered him with shame. R

46 How long will you hide yourself so utterly, O Lord? ♦
How long shall your anger burn like fire?

47 Remember how short my time is, ♦
how frail you have made all mortal flesh.

48 Which of the living shall not see death, ♦
and shall deliver their soul from the power of darkness?

49 Where, O Lord, is your steadfast love of old, ♦
which you swore to David in your faithfulness?

50 Remember, O Lord, how your servant is scorned, ♦
how I bear in my bosom the taunts of many peoples,

51 While your enemies mock, O Lord, ♦
while they mock the footsteps of your anointed.

52 Blessed be the Lord for evermore. ♦
Amen and Amen.

Refrain: The Lord has sworn an oath to David,
a promise from which he will not shrink.

Faithful God,
remember your promise
fulfilled in your anointed Son Jesus Christ,
in whose strength alone we stand,
now and for ever.

Each psalm or group of psalms may end with

AllGlory to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning is now
and shall be for ever. Amen.

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

Genesis 37.12-end

Now his brothers went to pasture their father’s flock near Shechem. And Israel said to Joseph, ‘Are not your brothers pasturing the flock at Shechem? Come, I will send you to them.’ He answered, ‘Here I am.’ So he said to him, ‘Go now, see if it is well with your brothers and with the flock; and bring word back to me.’ So he sent him from the valley of Hebron.

He came to Shechem, and a man found him wandering in the fields; the man asked him, ‘What are you seeking?’ ‘I am seeking my brothers,’ he said; ‘tell me, please, where they are pasturing the flock.’ The man said, ‘They have gone away, for I heard them say, “Let us go to Dothan.” ’ So Joseph went after his brothers, and found them at Dothan. They saw him from a distance, and before he came near to them, they conspired to kill him. They said to one another, ‘Here comes this dreamer. Come now, let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits; then we shall say that a wild animal has devoured him, and we shall see what will become of his dreams.’ But when Reuben heard it, he delivered him out of their hands, saying, ‘Let us not take his life.’ Reuben said to them, ‘Shed no blood; throw him into this pit here in the wilderness, but lay no hand on him’—that he might rescue him out of their hand and restore him to his father. So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe, the long robe with sleeves that he wore; and they took him and threw him into a pit. The pit was empty; there was no water in it.

Then they sat down to eat; and looking up they saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead, with their camels carrying gum, balm, and resin, on their way to carry it down to Egypt. Then Judah said to his brothers, ‘What profit is there if we kill our brother and conceal his blood? Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and not lay our hands on him, for he is our brother, our own flesh.’ And his brothers agreed. When some Midianite traders passed by, they drew Joseph up, lifting him out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver. And they took Joseph to Egypt.

When Reuben returned to the pit and saw that Joseph was not in the pit, he tore his clothes. He returned to his brothers, and said, ‘The boy is gone; and I, where can I turn?’ Then they took Joseph’s robe, slaughtered a goat, and dipped the robe in the blood. They had the long robe with sleeves taken to their father, and they said, ‘This we have found; see now whether it is your son’s robe or not.’ He recognized it, and said, ‘It is my son’s robe! A wild animal has devoured him; Joseph is without doubt torn to pieces.’ Then Jacob tore his garments, and put sackcloth on his loins, and mourned for his son for many days. All his sons and all his daughters sought to comfort him; but he refused to be comforted, and said, ‘No, I shall go down to Sheol to my son, mourning.’ Thus his father bewailed him. Meanwhile the Midianites had sold him in Egypt to Potiphar, one of Pharaoh’s officials, the captain of the guard.

Canticle

A Song of the Holy City, or another suitable canticle, for example, number 72 (page 630), may be said

Refrain:

AllI saw the holy city
coming down out of heaven from God. Alleluia.

1I saw a new heaven and a new earth, ♦
for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away
and the sea was no more.

2And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem,
coming down out of heaven from God, ♦
prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

3And I heard a great voice from the throne saying, ♦
‘Behold, the dwelling of God is among mortals.

4‘He will dwell with them and they shall be his peoples, ♦
and God himself will be with them.

5‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes, ♦
and death shall be no more.

6‘Neither shall there be mourning,
nor crying, nor pain any more, ♦
for the former things have passed away.’

7And the One who sat upon the throne said, ♦
‘Behold, I make all things new.’

Revelation 21.1-5a

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.

AllI saw the holy city
coming down out of heaven from God. Alleluia.

Scripture Reading

One or more readings appointed for the day are read.

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

Galatians 2.1-10

Then after fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, taking Titus along with me. I went up in response to a revelation. Then I laid before them (though only in a private meeting with the acknowledged leaders) the gospel that I proclaim among the Gentiles, in order to make sure that I was not running, or had not run, in vain. But even Titus, who was with me, was not compelled to be circumcised, though he was a Greek. But because of false believers secretly brought in, who slipped in to spy on the freedom we have in Christ Jesus, so that they might enslave us—we did not submit to them even for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might always remain with you. And from those who were supposed to be acknowledged leaders (what they actually were makes no difference to me; God shows no partiality)—those leaders contributed nothing to me. On the contrary, when they saw that I had been entrusted with the gospel for the uncircumcised, just as Peter had been entrusted with the gospel for the circumcised (for he who worked through Peter making him an apostle to the circumcised also worked through me in sending me to the Gentiles), and when James and Cephas and John, who were acknowledged pillars, recognized the grace that had been given to me, they gave to Barnabas and me the right hand of fellowship, agreeing that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised. They asked only one thing, that we remember the poor, which was actually what I was eager to do.

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

Open my eyes, O Lord
that I may see the wonders of your law.
AllOpen my eyes, O Lord
that I may see the wonders of your law.
Lead me in the path of your commandments
Allthat I may see the wonders of your law.
Glory to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit.
AllOpen my eyes, O Lord
that I may see the wonders of your law.

from Psalm 119

Gospel Canticle

The Magnificat (The Song of Mary) is normally said,
or Great and Wonderful (page 629) may be said

Refrain:

AllYou have mercy on those who fear you,
from generation to generation.

1My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour; ♦
he has looked with favour on his lowly servant.

2From this day all generations will call me blessed; ♦
the Almighty has done great things for me
and holy is his name.

3He has mercy on those who fear him, ♦
from generation to generation.

4He has shown strength with his arm ♦
and has scattered the proud in their conceit,

5Casting down the mighty from their thrones ♦
and lifting up the lowly.

6He has filled the hungry with good things ♦
and sent the rich away empty.

7He has come to the aid of his servant Israel, ♦
to remember his promise of mercy,

8The promise made to our ancestors, ♦
to Abraham and his children for ever.

Luke 1.46-55

AllGlory to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning is now
and shall be for ever. Amen.

Refrain:

AllYou have mercy on those who fear you,
from generation to generation.

Prayers

Thanksgiving may be made for the day.

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

Prayers may include the following concerns from the cycle on pages 362–363

¶ All who are sick in body, mind or spirit
¶ Those in the midst of famine or disaster
¶ Victims of abuse and violence, intolerance and prejudice
¶ Those who are bereaved
¶ All who work in the medical and healing professions

One of the forms of prayer found on pages 362–371 may be used.

These responses may be used

Lord, in your mercy
hear our prayer

(or)

Lord, hear us.
Lord, graciously hear us.

Silence may be kept.

The Collect of the day is said

Almighty Father,
whose Son was revealed in majesty
before he suffered death upon the cross:
give us grace to perceive his glory,
that we may be strengthened to suffer with him
and be changed into his likeness, from glory to glory;
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

As our Saviour taught us, so we pray

AllOur 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.
Lead us not into temptation
but deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power,
and the glory are yours
now and for ever.
Amen.

(or)

Let us pray with confidence as our Saviour has taught us

AllOur Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name;
thy kingdom come;
thy will be done;
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation;
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
the power and the glory,
for ever and ever.
Amen.

The Conclusion

All The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,
and the love of God,
and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit,
be with us all evermore.
Amen.

Let us bless the Lord. Alleluia, alleluia.
AllThanks be to God. Alleluia, alleluia.