THE ORDER FOR
EVENING PRAYER
17th Sunday after Trinity (18th after Pentecost Proper 27)
The Minister shall read aloud one or more of these Sentences of
the Scriptures that follow, or at special seasons the appropriately
Sentences provided in Morning Prayer.
I chose you and appointed you, says the Lord, that you should go and bear fruit, fruit that
will last. John 15.16
Opening Hymn: I Bind Unto Myself Today (Common Praise 436)
1 I bind unto myself today
the strong name of the Trinity
by invocation of the same,
the Three in One and One in Three.
2 I bind this day to me forever,
by power of faith, Christ’s incarnation,
his baptism in the Jordan river,
his death on cross for my salvation,
his bursting from the spiced tomb,
his riding up the heavenly way,
his coming at the day of doom,
I bind unto myself today.
3 I bind unto myself today
the virtues of the starlit heaven,
the glorious sun’s life-giving ray,
the whiteness of the moon at even,
the flashing of the lightning free,
the whirling wind’s tempestuous shocks,
the stable earth, the deep salt sea
around the old eternal rocks.
4 I bind unto myself today
the power of God to hold and lead,
God’s eye to watch, God’s might to stay,
God’s ear to hearken to my need,
the wisdom of my God to teach,
God’s hand to guide, God’s shield to ward,
the word of God to give me speech,
God’s heavenly host to be my guard.
5 Christ be with me, Christ within me,
Christ behind me, Christ before me,
Christ beside me, Christ to win me,
Christ to comfort and restore me.
Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ in quiet, Christ in danger,
Christ in hearts of all that love me,
Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.
6 I bind unto myself the name,
the strong name of the Trinity
by invocation of the same,
the Three in One and One in Three,
of whom all nature has creation,
eternal Father, Spirit, Word.
Praise to the Lord of my salvation;
salvation is of Christ the Lord!
Text: St. Patrick of Ireland
Tune: ST. PATRICK’S BREASTPLATE
Text: George Hugh Bourne (1840-1925) . Tune: ST. OSMUND (Healey Willan, 1880-1968)
The Minister, turning to the people, shall say the Exhortation in the form following. Occasionally the second paragraph may
be omitted, or in place of the Exhortation the Minister may say, Let us humbly confess our sins to Almighty God.
DEARLY beloved brethren, the Scripture moveth us in sundry places to acknowledge and confess
our manifold sins and wickedness; and that we should not dissemble nor cloke them before the
face of Almighty God our heavenly Father; but confess them with an humble, lowly, penitent, and
obedient heart; to the end that we may obtain forgiveness of the same, by his infinite goodness
and mercy. And although we ought at all times humbly to acknowledge our sins before God; yet
ought we most chiefly so to do, when we assemble and meet together to render thanks for the
great benefits that we have received at his hands, to set forth his most worthy praise, to hear his
most holy Word, and to ask those things which are requisite and necessary, as well for the body as
the soul. Wherefore I pray and beseech you, as many as are here present, to accompany me with a
pure heart and humble voice unto the throne of the heavenly grace.
A general Confession to be said of the whole Congregation with the Minister, all kneeling.
ALMIGHTY and most merciful Father, We have erred and strayed from thy ways like lost sheep,
We have followed too much the devices and desires of our own hearts, We have offended against
thy holy laws, We have left undone those things which we ought to have done, And we have done
those things which we ought not to have done; And there is no health in us. But thou, O Lord,
have mercy upon us, miserable offenders. Spare thou them, O God, which confess their faults.
Restore thou them that are penitent; According to thy promises declared unto mankind in Christ
Jesus our Lord. And grant, O most merciful Father, for his sake, That we may hereafter live a
godly, righteous, and sober life, To the glory of thy holy Name. Amen
The Absolution, or Remission of sins, to be pronounced by the Priest alone, standing: the people still kneeling.
ALMIGHTY God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who desireth not the death of a sinner, but rather
that he may turn from his wickedness, and live, hath given power and commandment to his Ministers, to
declare and pronounce to his people, being penitent, the Absolution and Remission of their sins. He
pardoneth and absolveth all them that truly repent and unfeignedly believe his holy Gospel. Wherefore we
beseech him to grant us true repentance and his Holy Spirit, that those things may please him which we do
at this present, and that the rest of our life hereafter may be pure and holy; so that at the last we may come
to his eternal joy; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Here the Lord’s Prayer may be said; the people repeating it with the Minister.
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 them that
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.
Minister. O LORD, open thou our lips;
People. And our mouth shall show forth thy praise.
Minister. O God, make speed to save us;
People. O Lord, make haste to help us.
Here, all standing up, the Minister shall say: GLORY be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
People. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
Minister. Praise ye the Lord;
People. The Lord’s Name be praised.
Then shall follow THE PSALMS. Then THE FIRST LESSON as appointed. And after that shall be sung or said
Magnificat (or the Song of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
PSALM 19 . Caeli enarrant.
THE heavens declare the glory of God; / and the
firmament showeth his handy-work.
2 One day telleth another; / and one night certifieth
another.
3 There is neither speech nor language; / their voice
cannot be heard;
4 Yet their sound is gone out into all lands; / and
their words into the ends of the world.
5 IN them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun; /
which cometh forth as a bridegroom out of his
chamber, and rejoiceth as a giant to run his course.
6 It goeth forth from the uttermost part of the
heaven, and runneth about unto the end of it
again; / and there is nothing hid from the heat
thereof.
7 THE law of the LORD is an undefiled law,
restoring the soul; / the testimony of the LORD is
sure, and giveth wisdom unto the simple.
8 The precepts of the LORD are right, and rejoice
the heart; / the commandment of the LORD is pure,
and giveth light unto the eyes.
9 The fear of the LORD is clean, and endureth for
ever; / the judgements of the LORD are true, and
righteous altogether.
10 More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than
much fine gold; / sweeter also than honey, and the
honey-comb.
11 Moreover, by them is thy servant taught; / and in
keeping of them there is great reward.
12 Who can tell how oft he offendeth? / O cleanse
thou me from my secret faults.
13 Keep thy servant also from presumptuous sins,
lest they get the dominion over me; / so shall I be
undefiled and innocent from the great offence.
14 LET the words of my mouth, and the meditation
of my heart, be alway acceptable in thy sight, / O
LORD, my strength and my redeemer.
The First Lesson is taken from the Book of Exodus, in the 20th Chapter, beginning at the 1st verse. (Exodus 20:1–4,
7–9, 12–20 NRSV)
Then God spoke all these words: I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of
Egypt, out of the house of slavery; you shall have no other gods before me. You shall not
make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on
the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not make wrongful use of
the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not acquit anyone who misuses his name.
Remember the sabbath day, and keep it holy. Six days you shall labour and do all your work.
Honour your father and your mother, so that your days may be long in the land that the Lord
your God is giving you. You shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not
steal. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbour. You shall not covet your
neighbour's house; you shall not covet your neighbour's wife, or male or female slave, or ox,
or donkey, or anything that belongs to neighbour. When all the people witnessed the thunder
and lightning, the sound of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking, they were afraid and
trembled and stood at a distance, and said to Moses, "You speak to us, and we will listen; but
do not let God speak to us, or we will die." Moses said to the people, "Do not be afraid; for
God has come only to test you and to put the fear of him upon you so that you do not sin."
EXODUS 20:1-4, 7-9, 12-20
Here endeth the lesson.
MAGNIFICAT. St Luke 1. 46.
MY soul doth magnify • the | Lord : and my spirit hath re- joiced • in
| God my | Saviour.
2 For he hath • re- | garded : the | lowli-ness ' of his | hand-maiden.
3 For be- | hold from | henceforth : all gene- | rations • shall | call
me | blessed.
4 For he that is mighty hath | magni- • fied | me : and | holy ' is his | Name.
5 And his mercy is on | them that | fear him : throughout | all ' gene- | rations.
6 He hath shewed | strength • with his | arm : he hath scattered the proud, in the imagi- | nation ' of their
| hearts.
7 He hath put down the mighty ' from their | seat : and hath ex- | alted • the | humble • and | meek.
8 He hath filled the | hungry with | good things : and the rich he ' hath sent | empty • a- 1 way.
9 He re- | memb'ring • his | mercy : hath | holpen • his | servant | Israel;
10 As he promised ' to our | forefathers : Abraham ' and his | seed for | ever.
Glory be to the Father & to the Son & to the Holy Ghost; As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall
be world without end, Amen.
The Second Lesson is taken from the Epistle of Paul to the Philippians in the 3rd 1st Chapter, beginning at the 4th verse.
(Philippians 3.4b-14)
If anyone has reason to be confident in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day,
a member of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrews; as to
the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law,
blameless. Yet whatever gains I had, these I have come to regard as loss because of Christ.
More than that, I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ
Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and I regard them as
rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my
own that comes from the law, but one that comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness
from God based on faith. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the
sharing of his sufferings by becoming like him in his death, if somehow I may attain the
resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained this or have already reached the
goal; but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Beloved,
I do not consider that I have made it my own; but this one thing I do: forgetting what lies
behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the
heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus.
Here endeth the lesson.
THE SECOND LESSON as appointed. And after that shall be sung or said Nunc Dimittis (or the Song of Simeon).
NUNC DIMITTIS. St Luke 2.29.
LORD, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, / according to thy word. For mine eyes have seen thy
salvation, / which thou hast prepared before the face of all people; To be a light to lighten the Gentiles, /
and to be the glory of thy people Israel. GLORY be to the Father, and to the Son, / and to the Holy
Ghost; As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, / world without end. Amen.
The Holy Gospel is written in the 21st Chapter of the Gospel according to Saint Matthew beginning at the
33rd Verse. (Matthew 21.33-46)
Glory be to thee, O Lord.
Jesus said, "Listen to another parable. There was a landowner who planted a vineyard, put a
fence around it, dug a wine press in it, and built a watchtower. Then he leased it to tenants
and went to another country. When the harvest time had come, he sent his slaves to the
tenants to collect his produce. But the tenants seized his slaves and beat one, killed another,
and stoned another. Again he sent other slaves, more than the first; and they treated them in
the same way. Finally he sent his son to them, saying, 'They will respect my son.' But when
the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, 'This is the heir; come, let us kill him and
get his inheritance.' So they seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him. Now
when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?" They said to him,
"He will put those wretches to a miserable death, and lease the vineyard to other tenants who
will give him the produce at the harvest time." Jesus said to them, "Have you never read in
the scriptures: 'The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this was the
Lord's doing, and it is amazing in our eyes'? Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be
taken away from you and given to a people that produces the fruits of the kingdom. The one
who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and it will crush anyone on whom it falls."
When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they realized that he was
speaking about them. They wanted to arrest him, but they feared the crowds, because they
regarded him as a prophet.
MATTHEW 20:1-16
The Gospel of Christ
Praise be to thee, O Christ.
Then shall be said or sung the Confession of the Faith, called the Apostles’ Creed.
I BELIEVE in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth:
And in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord, Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, Born of the
Virgin Mary, Suffered under Pontius Pilate, Was crucified, dead, and buried:
He descended into hell; The third day he rose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven,
And sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; From thence he shall come to judge
the quick and the dead. I believe in the Holy Ghost; The holy Catholic Church; The Communion
of Saints; The Forgiveness of sins; The Resurrection of the body, And the Life everlasting.
Amen.
And after the Creed these prayers following, all devoutly kneeling, the Minister first pronouncing:
The Lord be with you;
People. And with thy spirit.
Minister. Let us pray.
Lord, have mercy upon us.
Christ, have mercy upon us.
Lord, have mercy upon us.
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 them that trespass against us; And lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from evil.
Amen.
Then the Priest standing up shall say: O Lord, show thy mercy upon us;
People. And grant us thy salvation.
Priest. O Lord, save the Queen;
People. And mercifully hear us when we call upon thee.
Priest. Endue thy Ministers with righteousness;
People. And make thy chosen people joyful.
Priest. O Lord, save thy people;
People. And bless thine inheritance.
Priest. Give peace in our time, O Lord;
People. And evermore mightily defend us.
Priest. O God, make clean our hearts within us;
People. And take not thy Holy Spirit from us.
Then shall follow THE COLLECT OF THE DAY, together with any other Collects appointed to be said, and these two
prayers in order.
Collect of the Day: Almighty God,
you have built your Church
on the foundation of the apostles and prophets,
Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone.
Join us together in unity of spirit by their teaching,
that we may become a holy temple, acceptable to you;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. AMEN.
The Second Collect, for Peace.
O GOD, from whom all holy desires, all good counsels, and all just works do proceed: Give unto thy
servants that peace which the world cannot give; that our hearts may be set to obey thy commandments,
and also that by thee we being defended from the fear of our enemies may pass our time in rest and
quietness; through the merits of Jesus Christ our Saviour. Amen.
The Third Collect, for Aid against all Perils.
LIGHTEN our darkness, we beseech thee, O Lord; and by thy great mercy defend us from all perils and
dangers of this night; for the love of thy only Son, our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.
Here may follow an Anthem or a Hymn. Here may be said the prayers found at this point in Morning Prayer or selections from the
Prayers and Thanksgivings or such other prayers as are contained in this Book or set forth by lawful authority, always ending with the
Prayer of St Chrysostom and the Grace.
Take my Life and Let it Be ( Common Praise 435) Tune: MOZART
1 Lead, kindly light, amid the encircling gloom,
lead thou me on;
the night is dark, and I am far from home;
lead thou me on.
Keep thou my feet; I do not ask to see
the distant scene; one step enough for me.
2 I was not ever thus, nor prayed that thou
shouldst lead me on;
I loved to choose and see my path; but now
lead thou me on.
I loved the garish day, and, spite of fears,
pride ruled my will: remember not past years.
3 So long thy power hath blest me, sure it still
will lead me on,
o'er moor and fen, o'er crag and torrent, till
the night is gone,
and with the morn those angel faces smile,
which I have loved long since, and lost awhile.
Text: John Henry Newman (1801-1890)
Tune: ALBERTA
Other prayers and thanksgivings are offered.
A Prayer of Saint Chrysostom.
ALMIGHTY God, who hast given us grace at this time with one accord to make our common
supplications unto thee; and dost promise that when two or three are gathered together in thy Name thou
wilt grant their requests: Fulfil now, O Lord, the desires and petitions of thy servants, as may be most
expedient for them; granting us in this world knowledge of thy truth, and in the world to come life
everlasting. Amen.
The Grace
THE grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Ghost, be with
us all evermore. Amen.