Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

John 8:12

IN TIMES OF SUFFERING OR WEAKNESS

Dear Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ: I hold up all my weakness to your strength, my failure to your faithfulness, my sinfulness to your perfection, my loneliness to your compassion, my little pains to your great agony on the Cross. I pray that you will cleanse me, strengthen me, guide me, so that in all ways my life may be lived as you would have it lived, without cowardice and for you alone. Show me how to live in true humility, true contrition, and true love. Amen.

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 10 | Fourth SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY

Let your merciful ears, O Lord, be open to the prayers of your humble servants; and, that we may receive what we ask, teach us by your Holy Spirit to ask only those things that are pleasing to you; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the same Spirit lives and reigns for ever and ever. Amen.

July 15 | Olga and Vladimir, Patrons of the Church in Russia, 969, 1016

Almighty God, by your Holy Spirit you have made us one with your saints in heaven and on earth: Grant that in our earthly pilgrimage we may always be supported by this fellowship of love and prayer, and know ourselves to be surrounded by their witness to your power and mercy; for the sake of Jesus Christ, in whom all our intercessions are acceptable through the Spirit, and who lives and reigns with you and the same Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

July 17 | William White, Bishop of Pennsylvania and First Primate of the Church in the USA, 1836

O God, our heavenly Father, you raised up your faithful servant William White to be Bishop and pastor in your Church and to feed your flock: Give abundantly to all pastors the gifts of your Holy Spirit, that they may minister in your household as true servants of Christ and stewards of your divine mysteries; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

July 18 | Macrina, Nun and Teacher of the Faith, 379

O God, your blessed Son became poor for our sake, and chose the Cross over the kingdoms of this world: Deliver us from an inordinate love of worldly things, that we, inspired by the devotion of your servant Macrina, may seek you with singleness of heart, behold your glory by faith, and attain to the riches of your everlasting kingdom, where we shall be united with our Saviour Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

July 19 | Gregory, Bishop of Nyssa and Teacher of the Faith, 396

Almighty God, you gave your servant Gregory of Nyssa special gifts of grace to understand and teach the truth revealed in Christ Jesus: Grant that by this teaching we may know you, the one true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

The Collect of the Day

Tuesday | for Aid against Perils

Lighten our darkness, we beseech you, O Lord; and by your great mercy defend us from all perils and dangers of this night; for the love of your only Son, our Saviour Jesus Christ. 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 MISSION OF THE CHURCH

O God, our heavenly Father, you manifested your love by sending your only-begotten Son into the world, that all might live through him: Pour out your Spirit on your Church, that we may fulfill his command to preach the Gospel to all people. Send forth labourers into your harvest; defend them in all dangers and temptations; and hasten the time when the fullness of the Gentiles shall be gathered in, and faithful Israel shall be saved; through your Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

FOR CIVIL AUTHORITIES 

Almighty God, our heavenly Father, send down on those who hold public office the spirit of wisdom, charity, and justice; that with steadfast purpose they may faithfully serve in their offices to promote the well being of all people; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

FOR THE UNEMPLOYED 

Heavenly Father, we remember before you those who suffer want and anxiety from lack of work. Guide the people of this land so to use our public and private wealth that all may find suitable and fulfilling employment, and receive a just reward for their labour; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

FOR THOSE AFFLICTED WITH MENTAL SUFFERING

Almighty God, whose Son took upon himself the afflictions of your people: Regard with your tender compassion those suffering from anxiety, depression, or mental illness; bear their sorrows and their cares; supply all their needs; help them to put their whole trust and confidence in you; and restore them to strength of mind and cheerfulness of spirit; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

FOR JOY AT THE END OF LIFE

Lord Jesus, be mindful of your promise. Think of us, your servants, and when we shall depart, speak to our spirits these loving words: “Today you shall be with me in joy.” O Lord Jesus Christ, remember us, your servants who trust in you, when our tongues cannot speak, when the sight of our eyes fails, and when our ears are stopped. Let our spirits always rejoice in you and be joyful about our salvation, which you, through your death, have purchased for us. Amen.

Miles Coverdale

For Freedom from Worry

O Lord, you have pity for all our weakness: Put away from us worry and every anxious fear, that, having ended the labours of the day in your sight, and committing our tasks, ourselves, and all we love into your keeping, we may, now that night has come, receive from you your priceless gift of sleep; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The Collect for Protection

Look down, O Lord, from your heavenly throne, illumine this night with your celestial brightness, and from the children of light banish the deeds of darkness; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

An Evening COLLECT

O Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, who at this evening hour rested in the tomb, and thereby sanctified the grave to be a bed of hope to your people: Make us so to abound in sorrow for our sins, which were the cause of your passion, that when our bodies lie in the dust, our souls may live with you, who live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, world without end. Amen.

Thanksgiving

O most merciful Father, we humbly thank you for all your gifts so freely bestowed upon us. For life and health and safety, for power to work and leisure to rest, for all that is beautiful in creation and in our lives, we praise and magnify your holy Name.

But, above all, we thank you for our spiritual mercies in Christ Jesus our Lord, for the means of grace, and for the hope of glory. Fill our hearts with all joy and peace in believing; through Jesus Christ our Lord. 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.