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Thursday, January 28, 2027

Evening Prayer

Epiphanytide

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OFFICIANT

From the rising of the sun to its setting my Name shall be great among the nations, and in every place incense shall be offered to my Name, and a pure offering: for my Name shall be great among the nations, says the Lord of hosts.

Malachi 1:11

OFFICIANT

From the rising of the sun even unto the going down of the same my Name shall be great among the Gentiles, and in every place incense shall be offered unto my Name, and a pure offering: for my Name shall be great among the heathen, saith the Lord of hosts.

Malachi 1:11

Confession of Sin

OFFICIANT

Let us confess our sins against God and our neighbor.

OFFICIANT

Let us humbly confess our sins unto Almighty God.

Silence may be kept.

Officiant and People together, all kneeling

ALL

Most merciful God, we confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done, and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We are truly sorry and we humbly repent. For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and forgive us; that we may delight in your will, and walk in your ways, to the glory of your Name. Amen.

ALL

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. But thou, O Lord, have mercy upon us, spare thou those who confess their faults, restore thou those who 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.

Remain kneeling for the concluding prayer.

OFFICIANT

Almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us all our sins through our Lord Jesus Christ, strengthen us in all goodness, and by the power of the Holy Spirit keep us in eternal life. Amen.

OFFICIANT

The Almighty and merciful Lord grant us absolution and remission of all our sins, true repentance, amendment of life, and the grace and consolation of his Holy Spirit. Amen.

The Invitatory and Psalter

All stand

OFFICIANT

O God, make speed to save us.

PEOPLE

O Lord, make haste to help us.

ALL

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

ALL

Alleluia.

OFFICIANT

O God, make speed to save us.

PEOPLE

O Lord, make haste to help us.

ALL

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

ALL

Alleluia

The following, or some other suitable hymn, or an Invitatory Psalm, may be sung or said.

O Gracious Light

O gracious 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.

O gracious 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 thy praises, O God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Thou art 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.

Psalms [59, 60]

Psalm 59Eripe me de inimicis

1

Rescue me from my enemies, O God; *

protect me from those who rise up against me.

2

Rescue me from evildoers *

and save me from those who thirst for my blood.

3

See how they lie in wait for my life,

how the mighty gather together against me; *

not for any offense or fault of mine, O LORD.

4

Not because of any guilt of mine *

they run and prepare themselves for battle.

5

Rouse yourself, come to my side, and see; *

for you, LORD God of hosts, are Israel's God.

6

Awake, and punish all the ungodly; *

show no mercy to those who are faithless and evil.

7

They go to and fro in the evening; *

they snarl like dogs and run about the city.

8

Behold, they boast with their mouths,

and taunts are on their lips; *

"For who," they say, "will hear us?"

9

But you, O LORD, you laugh at them; *

you laugh all the ungodly to scorn.

10

My eyes are fixed on you, O my Strength; *

for you, O God, are my stronghold.

11

My merciful God comes to meet me; *

God will let me look in triumph on my enemies.

12

Slay them, O God, lest my people forget; *

send them reeling by your might

and put them down, O Lord our shield.

13

For the sins of their mouths, for the words of their lips,

for the cursing and lies that they utter, *

let them be caught in their pride.

14

Make an end of them in your wrath; *

make an end of them, and they shall be no more.

15

Let everyone know that God rules in Jacob, *

and to the ends of the earth.

16

They go to and fro in the evening; *

they snarl like dogs and run about the city.

17

They forage for food, *

and if they are not filled, they howl.

18

For my part, I will sing of your strength; *

I will celebrate your love in the morning;

19

For you have become my stronghold, *

a refuge in the day of my trouble.

20

To you, O my Strength, will I sing; *

for you, O God, are my stronghold and my merciful God.

Psalm 60Deus, repulisti nos

1

O God, you have cast us off and broken us; *

you have been angry;

oh, take us back to you again.

2

You have shaken the earth and split it open; *

repair the cracks in it, for it totters.

3

You have made your people know hardship; *

you have given us wine that makes us stagger.

4

You have set up a banner for those who fear you, *

to be a refuge from the power of the bow.

5

Save us by your right hand and answer us, *

that those who are dear to you may be delivered.

6

God spoke from his holy place and said: *

"I will exult and parcel out Shechem;

I will divide the valley of Succoth.

7

Gilead is mine and Manasseh is mine; *

Ephraim is my helmet and Judah my scepter.

8

Moab is my wash-basin,

on Edom I throw down my sandal to claim it, *

and over Philistia will I shout in triumph."

9

Who will lead me into the strong city? *

who will bring me to Edom?

10

Have you not cast us off, O God? *

you no longer go out, O God, with our armies.

11

Grant us your help against the enemy, *

for vain is the help of man.

12

With God we will do valiant deeds, *

and he shall tread our enemies under foot.

Or Psalm 118.

ALL

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: *

as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

The Lessons

The First Lesson

15And Hagar bore Abram a son, and Abram gave the name Ishmael to the son she had borne. 16Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore Ishmael to him.

1When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to him and said, “I am God Almighty. Walk before Me and be blameless. 2I will establish My covenant between Me and you, and I will multiply you exceedingly.”

3Then Abram fell facedown, and God said to him, 4“As for Me, this is My covenant with you: You will be the father of many nations. 5No longer will you be called Abram, but your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations.

6I will make you exceedingly fruitful; I will make nations of you, and kings will descend from you.

7I will establish My covenant as an everlasting covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you.

8And to you and your descendants I will give the land where you are residing— all the land of Canaan— as an eternal possession; and I will be their God.”

9God also said to Abraham, “You must keep My covenant— you and your descendants in the generations after you. 10This is My covenant with you and your descendants after you, which you are to keep: Every male among you must be circumcised. 11You are to circumcise the flesh of your foreskin, and this will be a sign of the covenant between Me and you.

12Generation after generation, every male must be circumcised when he is eight days old, including those born in your household and those purchased from a foreigner — even those who are not your offspring. 13Whether they are born in your household or purchased, they must be circumcised. My covenant in your flesh will be an everlasting covenant.

14But if any male is not circumcised, he will be cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant.”

Silence may be kept after each Reading.

The Third Song of Isaiah

The Song of Mary

Arise, shine, for your light has come, *

and the glory of the Lord has dawned upon you.

For behold, darkness covers the land; *

deep gloom enshrouds the peoples.

But over you the Lord will rise, *

and his glory will appear upon you.

Nations will stream to your light, *

and kings to the brightness of your dawning.

Your gates will always be open; *

by day or night they will never be shut.

They will call you, The City of the Lord, *

The Zion of the Holy One of Israel.

Violence will no more be heard in your land, *

ruin or destruction within your borders.

You will call your walls, Salvation, *

and all your portals, Praise.

The sun will no more be your light by day; *

by night you will not need the brightness of the moon.

The Lord will be your everlasting light, *

and your God will be your glory.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: *

as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

My soul doth magnify the Lord, *

and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior.

For he hath regarded *

the lowliness of his handmaiden.

For behold from henceforth *

all generations shall call me blessed.

For he that is mighty hath magnified me, *

and holy is his Name.

And his mercy is on them that fear him *

throughout all generations.

He hath showed strength with his arm; *

he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.

He hath put down the mighty from their seat, *

and hath exalted the humble and meek.

He hath filled the hungry with good things, *

and the rich he hath sent empty away.

He remembering his mercy hath holpen his servant Israel, *

as he promised to our forefathers, Abraham and his seed for ever.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: *

as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

The Second Lesson

30Meanwhile, the apostles gathered around Jesus and brought Him news of all they had done and taught. 31And He said to them, “Come with Me privately to a solitary place, and let us rest for a while.” For many people were coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat.

32So they went away in a boat by themselves to a solitary place. 33But many people saw them leaving and recognized them. They ran together on foot from all the towns and arrived before them. 34When Jesus stepped ashore and saw a large crowd, He had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. And He began to teach them many things.

35By now the hour was already late. So the disciples came to Jesus and said, “This is a desolate place, and the hour is already late. 36Dismiss the crowd so they can go to the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.”

37But Jesus told them, “You give them something to eat.”

They asked Him, “Should we go out and spend two hundred denarii to give all of them bread to eat?”

38“Go and see how many loaves you have,” He told them.

And after checking, they said, “Five — and two fish.”

39Then Jesus directed them to have the people sit in groups on the green grass. 40So they sat down in groups of hundreds and fifties.

41Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, Jesus spoke a blessing and broke the loaves. Then He gave them to His disciples to set before the people. And He divided the two fish among them all.

42They all ate and were satisfied, 43and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces of bread and fish. 44And there were five thousand men who had eaten the loaves.

45Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of Him to Bethsaida, while He dismissed the crowd. 46After bidding them farewell, He went up on the mountain to pray.

Silence may be kept after each Reading.

The Song of Mary

The Song of Simeon

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,

my spirit rejoices in God my Savior; *

for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.

From this day all generations will call me blessed: *

the Almighty has done great things for me,

and holy is his Name.

He has mercy on those who fear him *

in every generation.

He has shown the strength of his arm, *

he has scattered the proud in their conceit.

He has cast down the mighty from their thrones, *

and has lifted up the lowly.

He has filled the hungry with good things, *

and the rich he has sent away empty.

He has come to the help of his servant Israel, *

for he has remembered his promise of mercy,

The promise he made to our fathers, *

to Abraham and his children for ever.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: *

as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

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 to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: *

as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

The Apostles’ Creed

Officiant and People together, all standing

ALL

I believe in God, the Father almighty,

creator of heaven and earth;

I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord.

He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit

and born of the Virgin Mary.

He suffered under Pontius Pilate,

was crucified, died, and was buried.

He descended to the dead.

On the third day he rose again.

He ascended into heaven,

and is seated at the right hand of the Father.

He will come again to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,

the holy catholic Church,

the communion of saints,

the forgiveness of sins,

the resurrection of the body,

and the life everlasting. Amen.

ALL

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.

The Prayers

The People stand or kneel

OFFICIANT

The Lord be with you.

PEOPLE

And also with you.

OFFICIANT

Let us pray.

OFFICIANT

The Lord be with you.

PEOPLE

And with thy spirit.

OFFICIANT

Let us pray.

ALL

Our Father in heaven,

hallowed be your Name,

your kingdom come,

your will be done,

on earth as in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread.

Forgive us our sins

as we forgive those

who sin against us.

Save us from the time of trial,

and deliver us from evil.

For the kingdom, the power,

and the glory are yours,

now and for ever. Amen.

ALL

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,

for ever and ever. Amen.

OFFICIANT

That this evening may be holy, good, and peaceful,

PEOPLE

We entreat you, O Lord.

OFFICIANT

That your holy angels may lead us in paths of peace and goodwill,

PEOPLE

We entreat you, O Lord.

OFFICIANT

That we may be pardoned and forgiven for our sins and offenses,

PEOPLE

We entreat you, O Lord.

OFFICIANT

That there may be peace to your Church and to the whole world,

PEOPLE

We entreat you, O Lord.

OFFICIANT

That we may depart this life in your faith and fear, and not be condemned before the great judgment seat of Christ,

PEOPLE

We entreat you, O Lord.

OFFICIANT

That we may be bound together by your Holy Spirit in the communion of all your saints, entrusting one another and all our life to Christ,

PEOPLE

We entreat you, O Lord.

OFFICIANT

That this evening may be holy, good, and peaceful,

PEOPLE

We entreat thee, O Lord.

OFFICIANT

That thy holy angels may lead us in paths of peace and goodwill,

PEOPLE

We entreat thee, O Lord.

OFFICIANT

That we may be pardoned and forgiven for our sins and offenses,

PEOPLE

We entreat thee, O Lord.

OFFICIANT

That there may be peace to thy Church and to the whole world,

PEOPLE

We entreat thee, O Lord.

OFFICIANT

That we may depart this life in thy faith and fear, and not be condemned before the great judgment seat of Christ,

PEOPLE

We entreat thee, O Lord.

OFFICIANT

That we may be bound together by thy Holy Spirit in the communion of all thy saints, entrusting one another and all our life to Christ,

PEOPLE

We entreat thee, O Lord.

The Collect of the Day

Give us grace, O Lord, to answer readily the call of our Savior Jesus Christ and proclaim to all people the Good News of his salvation, that we and the whole world may perceive the glory of his marvelous works; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Give us grace, O Lord, to answer readily the call of our Savior Jesus Christ and proclaim to all people the Good News of his salvation, that we and all the whole world may perceive the glory of his marvelous works; who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

A Collect for the Presence of Christ

OFFICIANT

Lord Jesus, stay with us, for evening is at hand and the day is past; be our companion in the way, kindle our hearts, and awaken hope, that we may know you as you are revealed in Scripture and the breaking of bread. Grant this for the sake of your love. Amen.

OFFICIANT

Lord Jesus, stay with us, for evening is at hand and the day is past; be our companion in the way, kindle our hearts, and awaken hope, that we may know thee as thou art revealed in Scripture and the breaking of bread. Grant this for the sake of thy love. Amen.

A Prayer for Mission

OFFICIANT

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 and women everywhere love you and serve you in peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

OFFICIANT

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

Here may be sung a hymn or anthem.

Authorized intercessions and thanksgivings may follow.

The General Thanksgiving

ALL

Almighty God, Father of all mercies, we your unworthy servants give you humble thanks for all your goodness and loving-kindness to us and to all whom you have made. We bless you for our creation, preservation, and all the blessings of this life; but above all for your immeasurable love in the redemption of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ; for the means of grace, and for the hope of glory. And, we pray, give us such an awareness of your mercies, that with truly thankful hearts we may show forth your praise, not only with our lips, but in our lives, by giving up our selves to your service, and by walking before you in holiness and righteousness all our days; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory throughout all ages. Amen.

ALL

Almighty God, Father of all mercies, we thine unworthy servants do give thee most humble and hearty thanks for all thy goodness and loving-kindness to us and to all men. We bless thee for our creation, preservation, and all the blessings of this life; but above all for thine inestimable love in the redemption of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ; for the means of grace, and for the hope of glory. And, we beseech thee, give us that due sense of all thy mercies, that our hearts may be unfeignedly thankful; and that we show forth thy praise, not only with our lips, but in our lives, by giving up our selves to thy service, and by walking before thee in holiness and righteousness all our days; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with thee and the Holy Ghost, be all honor and glory, world without end. Amen.

Dismissal

OFFICIANT

Let us bless the Lord.

PEOPLE

Thanks be to God.

OFFICIANT

Let us bless the Lord.

PEOPLE

Thanks be to God.

OFFICIANT

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us all evermore. Amen.

OFFICIANT

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.

Text from the Book of Common Prayer (1979), The Episcopal Church.

The Psalter from the Book of Common Prayer (1979), The Episcopal Church.

Berean Standard Bible (BSB), public domain.

Why this Evening Prayer has these texts

The order is the same every day. Year One of the lectionary appoints the psalms and lessons; the season, the weekday, and the app’s defaults choose the rest.

This explains the Contemporary (Rite II) office. Traditional (Rite I) has the same psalms and lessons, with traditional-language canticles from those Rite I allows (pp. 47 and 65).

Today’s parts in order, each sized by its word count.
Words in the office by how often they change
The same every day28%761 words
Follows the season or feast6%168 words
Follows the weekday, or rotates17%478 words
Appointed for the day by the lectionary49%1,329 words
Opening sentence
Malachi 1:11 A sentence for Epiphany, taken in turn.
O God, make speed to save us
With “Alleluia,” as in every season but Lent.
The Psalms
Psalms [59, 60] Appointed for this day in Year One.
The First Lesson
Genesis 16:15–17:14 The Old Testament reading for this day in Year Two, so that both offices have two readings.
Canticle after the first lesson
The Third Song of Isaiah The table’s canticle for Thursdays.
The Second Lesson
Mark 6:30-46 The Gospel is read in the evening in Year One.
Canticle after the second lesson
The Song of Mary The table’s canticle for Thursdays.
The Collect of the Day
The Collect for Third Sunday after the Epiphany The collect of the Sunday before, said through the week.
A collect for the day
A Collect for the Presence of Christ The app’s collect for Thursdays.
A prayer for mission
O God and Father of all, whom the whole heavens adore: Let… One of the three, taken in turn.
Dismissal
Without Alleluias, which are added only in Easter Season.

Praying the Psalter by the month instead? Day 28 of the 30-day Psalter appoints Psalms 136, 137, 138.

Every part of Evening Prayer, and the choices it allows

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