The Lord by wisdom founded the earth; by understanding he established the heavens; by his knowledge the deeps broke open, and the clouds drop down the dew.

Proverbs 3:19-20

A COVENANT PRAYER

I am no longer my own, but yours. Put me to what you will, rank me with whom you will. Put me to doing, put me to suffering. Let me be employed by you or laid aside for you, exalted for you or brought low for you. Let me be full, let me be empty. Let me have all things, let me have nothing. I freely and heartily yield all things to your pleasure and disposal. And now, O glorious and blessed God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, you are mine, and I am yours. So be it. And the covenant which I have made on earth, let it be ratified in heaven. Amen.

John Wesley

PREPARATION FOR PERSONAL PRAYER

Holy Spirit, breath of God and fire of love, we cannot pray without your aid:

Kindle in us the fire of your love, and illumine us with your light; that with a steadfast will and holy thoughts we may approach the Father in spirit and in truth; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who reigns with you and the Father in eternal union. Amen.

Let us pray:

The Lord’s Prayer

Our Father in heaven;
Hallowed be your Name;
Your kingdom come;
Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today 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 the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours, now and forever.
Amen.

For Intimacy With The Son

Lord Jesus Christ, as I surrender to you as Lord of my life, draw me ever closer to you. Show me where I may harbour resistance to your lordship and rejection of your will. Bring me into the greater joy of the abundant life that you desire for me, now and forever; through your holy Name. Amen.

Confession of Sin

Let us confess our sins to Almighty God:

O Almighty Father, Lord of heaven and earth, we confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed. Have mercy upon us, O Lord; have mercy upon us after your great goodness. According to the multitude of your mercies do away our offences. Wash us thoroughly from our wickedness, and cleanse us from our sins. For Jesus Christ’s sake. Amen.
 

For Pardon through the Cross

Almighty Father, who of your great love gave your dearly beloved Son to die for us: Grant that through his Cross our sins may be put away, and remembered no more against us, and that, cleansed by his Blood, and mindful of his sufferings, we may take up our cross daily, and follow him in newness of life, until we come to his everlasting kingdom; through the same your Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

For INtimacy With The Spirit

Almighty God, thank you for giving me new life in Jesus Christ. I ask you to fill me afresh with your Holy Spirit. Bring forth in me the goodness and love of Jesus. Empower me to serve you in faith and obedience to Christ, that I may always live for your glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

PHOS HILARON | O Gladsome Light

O gladsome light,
pure brightness of the everliving Father in heaven,
O Jesus Christ, holy and blessed!

Now as we come to the setting of the sun,
and our eyes behold the vesper light,
we sing your praises, O God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

You are worthy at all times to be praised by happy voices,
O Son of God, O Giver of Life,
and to be glorified through all the worlds.

THE PSALMS OF THE DAY

Read or chant the Psalms of the Day:

Let us prepare our hearts to hear from God’s Word:

FOR INNER RENEWAL THROUGH THE WORD

Gracious God and most merciful Father, who have granted us the rich and precious jewel of your holy Word: Assist us with your Spirit, that the same Word may be written in our hearts to our everlasting comfort, to reform us, to renew us according to your own image, to build us up and edify us into the perfect dwelling place of your Christ, sanctifying and increasing in us all heavenly virtues; grant this, O heavenly Father, for Jesus Christ’s sake. Amen.

THE FIRST LESSON

Read an Old Testament passage from Proverbs through Malachi.

CANTEMUS DOMINO | The Song of Moses

I will sing to the Lord, for he is lofty and uplifted;
the horse and its rider has he hurled into the sea.
The Lord is my strength and my refuge;
the Lord has become my Saviour.
This is my God and I will praise him,
the God of my people and I will exalt him.
The Lord is a mighty warrior;
The Lord is his Name.
The chariots of Pharaoh and his army has he hurled into the sea;
the finest of those who bear armour have been drowned in the Red Sea.
The fathomless deep has overwhelmed them;
they sank into the depths like a stone.
Your right hand, O Lord, is glorious in might;
your right hand, O Lord, has overthrown the enemy.
Who can be compared with you, O Lord, among the gods?
Who is like you, glorious in holiness, awesome in renown,
and worker of wonders?
You stretched forth your right hand;
the earth swallowed them up.
With your constant love you led the people you redeemed;
you brought them in safety to your holy dwelling.
You will bring them in and plant them
on the mount of your possession,
The resting-place you have made for yourself, O Lord,
the sanctuary, O Lord, that your hand has established.
The Lord shall reign
for ever and for ever.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen.

EXODUS 15:1-6, 11-13, 17-18

THE SECOND LESSON

Read a New Testament passage from Acts through Revelation.

DIGNUS ES | A Song to the Lamb

Splendour and honour and kingly power
are yours by right, O Lord our God,
For you created everything that is,
and by your will they were created and have their being;
And yours by right, O Lamb that was slain,
for with your blood you have redeemed for God,
From every family, language, people, and nation,
a kingdom of priests to serve our God.
And so, to him who sits upon the throne,
and to Christ the Lamb,
Be worship and praise, dominion and splendour,
for ever and for evermore. Amen.

REVELATION 4:11; 5:9-10, 13, 14

Hymns

Select a few hymns to sing, either by Topic or Scripture.

Bible Study

Meditate on the Scripture passages you’ve just read, then take the time to read through the notes in your Study Bible / Library panel or use an Expository Commentary to ensure you’ve understood God’s Word to you this evening.

The Summary of the Law

Hear what our Lord Jesus Christ says:

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment.

And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbour as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.

Matthew 22:37-40

Lord, have mercy upon us,
and write both these, your laws, in our hearts, we beseech you.

The Nicene Creed

We believe in one God,
     the Father, the Almighty,
     maker of heaven and earth,
     of all that is, visible and invisible. 

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God,
     eternally begotten of the Father, 
     God from God, Light from Light, 
     true God from true God, 
     begotten, not made, 
     of one Being with the Father;
     through him all things were made.
     For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven,
     was incarnate from the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary,
     and was made man.
     For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
     he suffered death and was buried.
     On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures;
     he ascended into heaven
     and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
     He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
     and his kingdom will have no end. 

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
     who proceeds from the Father and the Son,
     who with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified,
     who has spoken through the prophets.
     We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
     We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
     We look for the resurrection of the dead,
     and the life of the world to come.

Amen.

The Catechism

Read or listen to a selection of questions and answers from
To Be A Christian: An Anglican Catechism.

Theology & Church History

Delve into further Christian resources in order to know God more deeply and to be inspired by the lives of the saints who’ve gone before us.

Let us continue in prayer:

The Collects of the Week
 

PROPER 13 | Eve of the Seventh SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY

Almighty and merciful God, it is only by your grace that your faithful people offer you true and laudable service: Grant that we may run without stumbling to obtain your heavenly promises; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

The Collect of the Day

Saturday | for the Eve of Worship

O God, the source of eternal light: Shed forth your unending day upon us who watch for you, that our lips may praise you, our lives may bless you, and our worship on the morrow give you glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Saturday | For the Eve of Communion

We give you thanks, O God, for revealing your Son Jesus Christ to us by the light of his resurrection: Grant that as we sing your glory at the close of this day, our joy may abound in the morning as we celebrate the Paschal mystery; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Listen for God’s Guidance

Spend time in quiet reflection and actively listen for the Holy Spirit’s gentle promptings, finding a sense of peace and clarity, while also discerning alignment with Holy Scripture and the fruit of the Spirit, which is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

For Relatives and Friends

Starting with open intercessions for our family and community, and then:

O Loving Father, we commend to your gracious keeping all who are near and dear to us. Have mercy upon any who are sick, and comfort those who are in pain, anxiety or sorrow.

Awaken all who are careless about eternal things. Bless those who are young and in health, that they may give the days of their strength to you. Comfort the aged and infirm, that your peace may rest upon them.

Hallow the ties of kindred, that we may help, and not hinder, one another in all such good works as you have prepared for us to walk in; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

FOR THE HARVEST OF LANDS AND WATERS

O gracious Father, you open your hand and fill all living things with plenteousness: Bless the lands and waters, and multiply the harvests of the world; send forth your breath, and renew the face of the earth; show your loving-kindness, that our land may yield its increase; and save us from selfish use of what you provide, that the poor and needy may give thanks to your Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE

Almighty God, you created us in your own image: Grant us grace to contend fearlessly against evil and to make no peace with oppression; and help us to use our freedom rightly in the establishment of justice in our communities and among the nations, to the glory of your holy Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

FOR THE DISCOURAGED AND DOWNCAST

O God, almighty and merciful, you heal the broken-hearted, and turn the sadness of the sorrowful to joy: Let your fatherly goodness be upon all whom you have made. Remember in pity all those who are this day destitute, homeless, elderly, infirm, or forgotten. Bless the multitude of your poor. Lift up those who are cast down. Mightily befriend innocent sufferers, and sanctify to them the endurance of their wrongs. Cheer with hope all who are discouraged and downcast, and by your heavenly grace preserve from falling those whose poverty tempts them to sin. Though they be troubled on every side, suffer them not to be distressed; though they are perplexed, save them from despair. Grant this, O Lord, for the love of him who for our sakes became poor, your Son our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.

For Mission

O God and Father of all, whom the whole heavens adore: Let the whole earth also worship you, all nations obey you, all tongues confess and bless you, and men, women, and children everywhere love you and serve you in peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

FOR TRUSTFULNESS IN TIMES OF WORRY AND ANXIETY

Most loving Father, you will us to give thanks for all things, to dread nothing but the loss of you, and to cast all our care on the One who cares for us. Preserve us from faithless fears and worldly anxieties, and grant that no clouds of this mortal life may hide from us the light of that love which is immortal, and which you have manifested unto us in your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The Collect for Protection

Visit this place, O Lord, and drive far from it all snares of the enemy; let your holy angels dwell with us to preserve us in peace; and let your blessing be upon us always; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

FOR SLEEP

Father, in your mercy dispel the darkness of this night, and let your servant sleep in peace, that at the dawn of a new day I may wake with joy in your Name; through Christ our Lord. Amen.

FOR THE ACCEPTANCE OF PRAYER

O Lord our God, accept the fervent prayers of your people; in the multitude of your mercies, look with compassion upon us and all who turn to you for help; for you are gracious, O lover of souls, and to you we give glory, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, now and for ever. Amen.

A LITANY OF THANKSGIVING

Let us give thanks to God our Father for all his gifts so freely bestowed upon us:

For the beauty and wonder of your creation, in earth and sky and sea,
We thank you, Lord.

For our daily food and drink, our homes and families, and our friends,
We thank you, Lord.

For minds to think, and hearts to love, and hands to serve,
We thank you, Lord.

For health and strength to work, and time to rest and worship,
We thank you, Lord.

For all who are patient in suffering and faithful in adversity,
We thank you, Lord.

For all who earnestly seek after truth, and all who labour for justice,
We thank you, Lord.

For all that is good and gracious in the lives of men and women, revealing the image of Christ,
We thank you, Lord.

For the communion of saints, in all times and places,
We thank you, Lord.

Above all, we give you thanks for the great mercies and promises given to us in Christ Jesus our Lord:
To him be praise and glory, with you, O Father, and the Holy Spirit, now and for ever.
Amen.

The Commendation

The Lord Almighty grant us a quiet night, and at the last a perfect end.

And the blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be with us this night, and for evermore. Amen.