Evening Prayer (Vespers)
You may wish to light a candle and place it before you as you begin.
OPENING DIALOGUE
Jesus Christ is the light if the world, the light no darkness
can overcome.
Stay with us Lord, for it is evening, and the day is almost
over.
Let your light scatter the darkness and illumine your church.
HYMN: Holy God, we
praise your name, ELW 414
YouTube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5vLtzrM_4E
READINGS
FIRST READING: Job 39:26-40:5 (MSG)
A reading from: Job
26-30 “Was
it through your know-how that the hawk learned to fly,
soaring effortlessly on thermal updrafts?
Did you command the eagle’s flight,
and teach her to build her nest in the heights,
Perfectly at home on the high cliff face,
invulnerable on pinnacle and crag?
From her perch she searches for prey,
spies it at a great distance.
Her young gorge themselves on carrion;
wherever there’s a roadkill, you’ll see her circling.”
soaring effortlessly on thermal updrafts?
Did you command the eagle’s flight,
and teach her to build her nest in the heights,
Perfectly at home on the high cliff face,
invulnerable on pinnacle and crag?
From her perch she searches for prey,
spies it at a great distance.
Her young gorge themselves on carrion;
wherever there’s a roadkill, you’ll see her circling.”
40 1-2 God then confronted
Job directly:
“Now
what do you have to say for yourself?
Are you going to haul me, the Mighty One, into court and press charges?”
Are you going to haul me, the Mighty One, into court and press charges?”
3-5 Job answered:
“I’m
speechless, in awe—words fail me.
I should never have opened my mouth!
I’ve talked too much, way too much.
I’m ready to shut up and listen.”
I should never have opened my mouth!
I’ve talked too much, way too much.
I’m ready to shut up and listen.”
Word of God,
word of life. Thanks be to God.
PSALM 29 (ELW)
1Ascribe to the LORD, you
gods,
ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.
2Ascribe to the LORD the
glory due God's name;
worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.
3The voice of the LORD is
upon the waters;
the God of glory
thunders;
the LORD is upon the mighty waters.
4The voice of the LORD is a
powerful voice;
the voice of the LORD is a voice of
splendor.
5The voice of the LORD breaks
the cedar trees;
the LORD breaks the cedars of Lebanon;
6the LORD makes Lebanon skip like
a calf,
and Mount Hermon like a young wild ox.
7The voice of the LORD
bursts forth in lightning flashes.
8The voice of the LORD shakes
the wilderness;
the LORD shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.
9The voice of the LORD makes
the oak trees writhe
and strips the forests
bare.
And in the temple of the LORD all are crying,
"Glory!"
10The LORD sits enthroned above
the flood;
the LORD sits enthroned as sovereign forevermore.
11O LORD, give strength to
your people;
give them, O LORD, the blessings of peace.
Gospel:
John 14:25-27
A reading from: John
25-27 “I’m telling you
these things while I’m still living with you. The Friend, the Holy Spirit whom
the Father will send at my request, will make everything plain to you. He will
remind you of all the things I have told you. I’m leaving you well and whole. That’s
my parting gift to you. Peace. I don’t leave you the way you’re used to being
left—feeling abandoned, bereft. So don’t be upset. Don’t be distraught.
Word of God, word of life. Thanks be to God.
REFLECTION:
Tonight’s readings force
us to consider many aspects of God. God asks Job: Was it YOU who taught the hawk
to fly, or showed the eagle to build nests up so high? Job’s response is that he should have
kept his mouth shut. He should be in too much awe to speak.
The Psalmist calls us to
ascribe power and glory to God. God has undreamed-of creative powers and in
response, like Job, we should remember who we are in relationship to God and cry
out “Glory”. It seems we should remember we are so small and insignificant in
comparison to God.
And then, there’s Jesus.
He has spent three years, or perhaps a lifetime, telling and demonstrating to people
that God is more than this powerful, awesome being. God is also as caring as a
human parent and as simple, as humble, as a craftsman’s son from the Galilee.
Jesus tells the disciples
this because he knows he will soon die, and his human body will no longer walk
and talk and laugh and heal. His divine self will rejoin the glorious Lord of
all and the Spirit who helps us know what God wants to say to us. Because God
cares so much about us, God is sending the Holy Spirit to continue guiding us,
to help us know how much God cares about and for us.
It sounds like God has
three parts, doesn’t it? It sounds like the familiar Trinity Sunday hymn, Holy,
Holy, Holy where God is described as having three persons. I don’t like this
song, because of this theology it expresses. The original sense of the word
translated as persons is that of personas, in theater. One person uses masks
and simple costume changes to represent different characters. One person,
different personas.
It is like the image
shows, three beings together in a dance, flowing one into another, not individual
pieces but one with each other. We have to look two or three times at first to see
beyond the swirl of colors to find the dancers.
This means that God is
much larger than we want to or can imagine. This means that God is powerful enough
to create canyons and rivers, sunsets, and babies. And tender enough to tell us
how much we are loved.
For all of that, let us
give God the glory. Amen
SCRIPTURE
DIALOGUE
Jesus said, I am the light of the world.
Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness.
PRAYERS
For the peace from above,
and for our salvation, let us pray to the Lord. Lord, have mercy.
For the health of
creation, for abundant harvests that all may share, for plentiful water, and
for peaceful times, let us pray to the Lord. Lord, have mercy.
For public servants, the
government, and those who protect us; for those who work to bring peace, justice,
healing, and protection in this and every place, let us pray to the Lord. Lord,
have mercy.
For those who travel or
have been prevented from traveling, for those who are sick and suffering, for
those who are in captivity, and for those who are living in isolation, let us
pray to the Lord. Lord, have mercy.
For deliverance in the
time of affliction, wrath, danger and need, let us pray to the Lord. Lord,
have mercy.
Other prayer petitions may
be offered here.
Merciful God, we know that
your heart overflows with compassion for your whole creation. Pour out your
Spirit on all people. Be with those who tend to the needs of the sick.
Strengthen us all in body and spirit, console us when anxious, comfort us in
grief and hearten us in discouragement. Help to remind us that you claim us as
your own and are with us wherever we go. Through Christ, our healer and Lord. Amen.
LORD’S PRAYER
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 forever. Amen.
HYMN: Come join the dance
of Trinity, ELW 412
YouTube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P15ZLwMO7iw
BLESSING
The peace of God, which
surpasses all understanding, + keep our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen
Liturgy from ELW Annual
Liturgy License 26504
