Evening Prayer (Vespers)
You may wish to light a
candle and place it before you as you begin.
OPENING DIALOGUE
Give the Lord glory and power.
Adore the Lord, resplendent and holy.
Holy, holy,
holy is the Lord of hosts.
The whole
earth is full of God’s glory.
Heed the voice of the Lord, full of power.
Regard the voice of the Lord, full of splendor.
Holy, holy,
holy is the Lord of hosts.
The whole
earth is full of God’s glory.
In God’s temple, the people cry, “Glory!”
For the Lord will give strength to the people.
The Lord will
bless the people with peace.
HYMN: Joyous Light of Heavenly Glory
YouTube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K1rtTHWAsFw
READINGS
FIRST
READING: Numbers 6:22-27 (CEB)
A reading from: Numbers
22 The Lord spoke
to Moses: 23 Tell Aaron and his sons: You will
bless the Israelites as follows. Say to them: 24 The Lord bless you and protect you. 25 The Lord make his face shine on you and
be gracious to you. 26 The Lord lift up his face to you and grant you peace. 27 They
will place my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them.
Word of God, word of life. Thanks be
to God.
PSALM 20:1-8
I pray that the Lord answers you
whenever you are in trouble.
Let the name of Jacob’s
God protect you.
2 Let God send help to you from the sanctuary
and support you from
Zion.
3 Let God recall your many grain offerings;
let him savor your
entirely burned offerings.
4 Let God grant what is in
your heart
and fulfill all your
plans.
5 Then we will rejoice that you’ve been helped.
We will fly our flags in
the name of our God.
Let the Lord fulfill all your requests!
6 Now I know that
the Lord saves his
anointed one;
God answers his anointed
one
from his heavenly sanctuary,
answering with mighty
acts of salvation
achieved by his strong hand.
7 Some people trust in chariots, others in horses;
but we praise the Lord’s name.
8 They will collapse and fall,
but we will stand up
straight and strong.
Gospel: Mark 4:21-25 (CEB)
A reading
from: Mark
21 Jesus said to them, “Does anyone bring in a
lamp in order to put it under a basket or a bed? Shouldn’t it be placed on a
lampstand? 22 Everything hidden will be revealed,
and everything secret will come out into the open. 23 Whoever
has ears to listen should pay attention!”
24 He said to them, “Listen carefully! God
will evaluate you with the same standard you use to evaluate others. Indeed,
you will receive even more. 25 Those who have will
receive more, but as for those who don’t have, even what they don’t have will
be taken away from them.”
Word of God, word of life. Thanks be to God.
REFLECTION:
These texts reflect back on Holy Trinity Sunday, specifically on God’s
glory. Here is one person’s take on it.
“Ezekiel
10:4 helps us to glimpse and understand God’s glory: “Then the LORD’s
glory rose from above the winged creatures and moved toward the temple’s
threshold. The temple was filled with the cloud, and the courtyard was filled
with the brightness of the LORD’s glory.”
“The word translated here as “glory” is kabod in Hebrew. Curiously, this word is derived from a root with the basic meaning of “heavy.” From this root came, among other things, a word meaning “rich.” Speakers of ancient Hebrew would refer to a rich person as “heavy in wealth,” much as we might say someone is loaded.
“A
similar extension of the literal sense of kabod included being
loaded with power, reputation, or honor. It’s from this use of the word that we
get the meaning of glory. God’s glory is God’s weightiness in wonderful
qualities such as might, beauty, goodness, justice, and honor. When it comes to
these characteristics and so many others, God has them in superabundance.
"Thus, when we think of God's glory, we remember that God has all good things in greater quantity and quality than we can ever imagine. Notice, too, that God's glory is solid and substantial. It isn't mere reputation. It isn't dependent on anyone or anything else. God's glory reflects [God's] essential nature."
Jesus
speaks about being glorified. He bears God’s glory when he dies on the cross, obedient
to God until his death. But, what are we to do with that glory other than to
praise God for having so much of it?
Because
of Jesus, God’s glory shines on us, too. We bear the image of God, we are
siblings with Jesus, and we are called to let the light of God’s glory shine
through us. So, shine on, friends, shine on. Amen
SCRIPTURE DIALOGUE
Long
ago God spoke to our ancestors in many and various ways by the prophets,
but
in these last days, God has spoken to us by the Son.
PRAYERS
In Christ Jesus we meet the God who knows our weakness and bears
the wounds of the world. Therefore, let us be bold as we pray, trusting that
God draws near to those in any kind of need.
Individual prayers are offered silently or aloud.
Into your wide embrace, O God, we place all our prayers, spoken
and unspoken, trusting that you will receive them into your heart of mercy,
Jesus Christ, your Son, our Savior. Amen
LORD’S PRAYER
Our 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, and the power,
and the glory, forever and ever. Amen.
HYMN: I Want to Walk as a Child of the Light
YouTube link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sDzcZWa_YqQ
BLESSING
Now go forth
with the song of the seraphs in your hearts.
We will praise
God’s glory and strength.
Depart to rejoin the wayward world we live in.
We will be led
by the voice of the Lord.
Go in peace as children of the Almighty Creator,
Thanks be to
the Father, + Son, and Holy Spirit.
Scripture from Common
English Bible © 2012
Liturgy from ELW
Annual Liturgy License 26504
And Abingdon Worship
Annual 2021
A portion of Reflection taken from What
Is God’s Glory? | Daily Reflection | The High Calling (theologyofwork.org)
accessed 06/02/2021
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