Evening Prayer for June 30, 2021

 

June 23, 2021

Evening Prayer (Vespers)

You may wish to light a candle and place it before you as you begin.

 

OPENING DIALOGUE

Sing praises to the Lord, sing praises.
We will declare God’s deeds among the people.
Shout for joy, you children of the Most High.
God remembers the needy
and gives hope to the poor.
Sing praises to the Lord, sing praises.
We will declare God’s deeds among the people.

 

HYMN: O God, Our Help in Ages Past

YouTube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQHSVF438Cg

 

 

READINGS

FIRST READING: Psalm 88: 1-3, 13-18 (CEB)

 

Lord, God of my salvation,
    by day I cry out,
    even at night, before you—
²     let my prayer reach you!
Turn your ear to my outcry
³     because my whole being is filled with distress;
    my life is at the very brink of hell.

But I cry out to you, Lord!
    My prayer meets you first thing in the morning!
¹⁴ Why do you reject my very being, Lord?
    Why do you hide your face from me?
¹⁵ Since I was young I’ve been afflicted, I’ve been dying.
    I’ve endured your terrors. I’m lifeless.
¹⁶ Your fiery anger has overwhelmed me;
    your terrors have destroyed me.
¹⁷ They surround me all day long like water;
    they engulf me completely.
¹⁸ You’ve made my loved ones and companions distant.
    My only friend is darkness.

 

 

Gospel: Mark 9:14-29 (CEB)

A reading from: Mark

¹⁴ When Jesus, Peter, James, and John approached the other disciples, they saw a large crowd surrounding them and legal experts arguing with them. ¹⁵ Suddenly the whole crowd caught sight of Jesus. They ran to greet him, overcome with excitement. ¹⁶ Jesus asked them, “What are you arguing about?”

¹⁷ Someone from the crowd responded, “Teacher, I brought my son to you, since he has a spirit that doesn’t allow him to speak. ¹⁸ Wherever it overpowers him, it throws him into a fit. He foams at the mouth, grinds his teeth, and stiffens up. So I spoke to your disciples to see if they could throw it out, but they couldn’t.”

¹⁹ Jesus answered them, “You faithless generation, how long will I be with you? How long will I put up with you? Bring him to me.”

²⁰ They brought him. When the spirit saw Jesus, it immediately threw the boy into a fit. He fell on the ground and rolled around, foaming at the mouth. ²¹ Jesus asked his father, “How long has this been going on?”

He said, “Since he was a child. ²² It has often thrown him into a fire or into water trying to kill him. If you can do anything, help us! Show us compassion!”

²³ Jesus said to him, “‘If you can do anything’? All things are possible for the one who has faith.”

²⁴ At that the boy’s father cried out, “I have faith; help my lack of faith!”

²⁵ Noticing that the crowd had surged together, Jesus spoke harshly to the unclean spirit, “Mute and deaf spirit, I command you to come out of him and never enter him again.” ²⁶ After screaming and shaking the boy horribly, the spirit came out. The boy seemed to be dead; in fact, several people said that he had died. ²⁷ But Jesus took his hand, lifted him up, and he arose.

²⁸ After Jesus went into a house, his disciples asked him privately, “Why couldn’t we throw this spirit out?”

²⁹ Jesus answered, “Throwing this kind of spirit out requires prayer.”

 

Word of God, word of life. Thanks be to God.

 

REFLECTION:

  

I suppose most, if not all of us, have been in so much pain, either physical or spiritual, that we have found ourselves curled into a fetal position, crying out our misery. I’ve been there: when my younger brother Rob was ill and then died; when Mom was diagnosed with cancer; when my marriage to Jim was failing.

People of faith cry out to God in those times. “O God, I am in such pain! Help me!” “Jesus, heal my mother!”

People of faith also cry out, “O God, where are you? Why have you let this happen!” Sometimes, we even choose to turn away from God because we don’t believe God can or will help us.

The Psalmist is in deep pain, pain that has him or her in that fetal position, wondering why God doesn’t help. This psalm is interesting to me, because though the psalmist is a person of faith, there is no statement of praise at the end. Most psalms end with at least a “and yet, I praise you.” This one doesn’t. It is mostly a lament, a crying out for help. The statement of faith is easy to miss. It’s in verse 1: “God of my salvation.” The cry is: Savior, I am in misery! Help me!”

The father in our Gospel reading could be making the same cry. “Here is my son. He is miserable, and so I am miserable. Please, if you can, make him well.” Jesus focuses on the phrase, ‘if you can,’ in his response and adds, “All things are possible for those who have faith.”  

Dad responds, “I believe. Help my unbelief!” This is one of my favorite verses in scripture. There are always times when we doubt, when we struggle to believe.

Sometimes, we simply lose connection, stop praying, stop worshiping, and soon, God is no longer important in our lives.

Sometimes, the crises happening in our lives are so terrible, we wonder how a good God could allow them. This last year is a good example. And we begin to wonder if there is a God at all.

Sometimes, like this father, we are not sure God has the power – or the interest – to heal what hurts in our lives. At the least, we share the father’s statement. “I believe. Help my unbelief.”

It’s the work of the Holy Spirit to create and sustain faith. When we pray, “I believe. Help my unbelief,” Spirit immediately goes to work to heal our brokenness and bring us back into belief again.

When we cry out in pain, our prayers are answered, not always with physical healing, but always with a desire to comfort, give strength and guidance. I always find it intriguing the ways prayers are answered through the people in our lives – so it’s not just us who are healed, but those whom God sends are also healed, because they have been sent to do some healing.

When we hurt, it is good to ask God for healing, for mercy. And when someone else hurts, and we respond, it is Spirit who is sending us to the hurting ones. Let’s keep our hearts and ears open to the cries of others so we can say, “Here am I; send me,” when God sends us as healing balm to someone else. Amen  

 

SCRIPTURE DIALOGUE

People of God, do you feel the movement
of the Holy Spirit?
Our hearts have been broken open
to receive the grace of God.
People of God, what do you hear?
We hear Christ calling us to follow
and to be faithful.

 

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: Healer of our Every Ill

YouTube link:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v31s4grQ9tQ

 

BLESSING

As the Lord has given to you peace and healing, go into the world offering God’s love and hope to others. Go in peace and remember + that God goes with you. Amen

 

Scripture from Common English Bible © 2012

Liturgy from ELW Annual Liturgy License 26504

And Abingdon Worship Annual 2021