All Saints’ Church Renhold Bedfordshire, England
Evening Prayer on Thursday
Thursday, 19 October 2023
Henry Martyn, Translator of the Scriptures, Missionary in India and Persia, 1812 [Lesser Festival]
Preparation
O God, make speed to save us.
O Lord, make haste to help us.
A prayer of thanksgiving
Blessed are you, Lord God, creator of day and night:
to you be praise and glory for ever.
As darkness falls you renew your promise
to reveal among us the light of your presence.
By the light of Christ, your living Word,
dispel the darkness of our hearts
that we may walk as children of light
and sing your praise throughout the world.
Blessed be God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit:
Blessed be God for ever.
A Song of God’s Chosen One
There shall come forth a shoot from the stock of Jesse,
and a branch shall grow out of his roots.
And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him,
the spirit of wisdom and understanding,
The spirit of counsel and might,
the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.
He shall not judge by what his eyes see,
or decide by what his ears hear,
But with righteousness he shall judge the poor,
and decide with equity for the meek of the earth.
The wolf shall dwell with the lamb,
and the leopard shall lie down with the kid.
The calf, the lion and the fatling together,
with a little child to lead them.
They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain,
for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord
as the waters cover the sea.
Isaiah 11.1,2,3b-4a,6,9
Glory to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning is now
and shall be for ever. Amen.
This opening prayer may be said
That this evening may be holy, good and peaceful,
let us pray with one heart and mind.
Silence is kept.
As our evening prayer rises before you, O God,
so may your mercy come down upon us
to cleanse our hearts
and set us free to sing your praise
now and for ever.Amen.
The Word of God
Psalmody
Psalm 114
Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord.
When Israel came out of Egypt,
the house of Jacob from a people of a strange tongue,
Judah became his sanctuary,
Israel his dominion.
The sea saw that, and fled;
Jordan was driven back.
The mountains skipped like rams,
the little hills like young sheep. R
What ailed you, O sea, that you fled?
O Jordan, that you were driven back?
You mountains, that you skipped like rams,
you little hills like young sheep?
Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord,
at the presence of the God of Jacob,
Who turns the hard rock into a pool of water,
the flint-stone into a springing well.
Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord.
Strike the rock of our hard hearts, O God,
and let our tears of joy and sorrow
mould us to bear the imprint of your love,
given in Christ our risen Lord.
Psalm 116
Gracious is the Lord and righteous.
I love the Lord,
for he has heard the voice of my supplication;
because he inclined his ear to me
on the day I called to him.
The snares of death encompassed me;
the pains of hell took hold of me;
by grief and sorrow was I held.
Then I called upon the name of the Lord:
‘O Lord, I beg you, deliver my soul.’
Gracious is the Lord and righteous;
our God is full of compassion. R
The Lord watches over the simple;
I was brought very low and he saved me.
Turn again to your rest, O my soul,
for the Lord has been gracious to you.
For you have delivered my soul from death,
my eyes from tears and my feet from falling.
I will walk before the Lord
in the land of the living. R
I believed that I should perish
for I was sorely troubled;
and I said in my alarm,
‘Everyone is a liar.’
How shall I repay the Lord
for all the benefits he has given to me?
I will lift up the cup of salvation
and call upon the name of the Lord.
I will fulfil my vows to the Lord
in the presence of all his people. R
Precious in the sight of the Lord
is the death of his faithful servants.
O Lord, I am your servant,
your servant, the child of your handmaid;
you have freed me from my bonds.
I will offer to you a sacrifice of thanksgiving
and call upon the name of the Lord.
I will fulfil my vows to the Lord
in the presence of all his people,
In the courts of the house of the Lord,
in the midst of you, O Jerusalem.
Alleluia.
Gracious is the Lord and righteous.
As we walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
may we call upon your name,
raise the cup of salvation,
and so proclaim your death, O Lord,
until you come in glory.
Psalm 117
Alleluia.
O praise the Lord, all you nations; praise him, all you peoples.
For great is his steadfast love towards us,
and the faithfulness of the Lord endures for ever.
Alleluia.
Alleluia.
Gracious God,we praise you for your faithfulness
and pray that every nation may find your blessing
in the face of Jesus Christ our Lord.
Glory to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning is now
and shall be for ever. Amen.
The first reading.
2 Kings 19.1-19
When King Hezekiah heard the words of the Rabshakeh, he tore his clothes, covered himself with sackcloth, and went into the house of the Lord. And he sent Eliakim, who was in charge of the palace, and Shebna the secretary, and the senior priests, covered with sackcloth, to the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz.They said to him, ‘Thus says Hezekiah, This day is a day of distress, of rebuke, and of disgrace; children have come to birth, and there is no strength to bring them forth. It may be that the Lord your God heard all the words of the Rabshakeh, whom his master the king of Assyria has sent to mock the living God, and will rebuke the words that the Lord your God has heard; therefore lift up your prayer for the remnant that is left.’ When the servants of King Hezekiah came to Isaiah, Isaiah said to them, ‘Say to your master, “Thus says the Lord: Do not be afraid because of the words that you have heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have reviled me. I myself will put a spirit in him, so that he shall hear a rumour and return to his own land; I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land.” ’
The Rabshakeh returned, and found the king of Assyria fighting against Libnah; for he had heard that the king had left Lachish. When the king heard concerning King Tirhakah of Ethiopia, ‘See, he has set out to fight against you’, he sent messengers again to Hezekiah, saying, ‘Thus shall you speak to King Hezekiah of Judah: Do not let your God on whom you rely deceive you by promising that Jerusalem will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria. See, you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all lands, destroying them utterly. Shall you be delivered? Have the gods of the nations delivered them, the nations that my predecessors destroyed, Gozan, Haran, Rezeph, and the people of Eden who were in Telassar?Where is the king of Hamath, the king of Arpad, the king of the city of Sepharvaim, the king of Hena, or the king of Ivvah?’
Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers and read it; then Hezekiah went up to the house of the Lord and spread it before the Lord. And Hezekiah prayed before the Lord, and said: ‘O Lordthe God of Israel, who are enthroned above the cherubim, you are God, you alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; you have made heaven and earth. Incline your ear, O Lord, and hear; open your eyes, O Lord, and see; hear the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to mock the living God. Truly, O Lord, the kings of Assyria have laid waste the nations and their lands,and have hurled their gods into the fire, though they were no gods but the work of human hands—wood and stone—and so they were destroyed. So now, O Lord our God, save us, I pray you, from his hand, so that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you, O Lord, are God alone.’
Canticle
Refrain:
All nations shall come and worship you, O Christ,
and share in the feast of your kingdom.
Great and wonderful are your deeds,
Lord God the Almighty.
Just and true are your ways,
O ruler of the nations.
Who shall not revere and praise your name, O Lord?
for you alone are holy.
All nations shall come and worship in your presence:
for your just dealings have been revealed. Revelation 15.3, 4
To the One who sits on the throne and to the Lamb
be blessing and honour and glory and might,
for ever and ever. Amen.
All nations shall come and worship you, O Christ,
and share in the feast of your kingdom.
The reading may be followed by a time of silence.
Philippians 2.14-end
Do all things without murmuring and arguing, so that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, in which you shine like stars in the world. It is by your holding fast to the word of life that I can boast on the day of Christ that I did not run in vain or labour in vain. But even if I am being poured out as a libation over the sacrifice and the offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you—and in the same way you also must be glad and rejoice with me.
I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, so that I may be cheered by news of you. I have no one like him who will be genuinely concerned for your welfare. All of them are seeking their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ. But Timothy’s worth you know, how like a son with a father he has served with me in the work of the gospel. I hope therefore to send him as soon as I see how things go with me; and I trust in the Lord that I will also come soon.
Still, I think it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus—my brother and co-worker and fellow-soldier, your messenger and minister to my need; for he has been longing for all of you, and has been distressed because you heard that he was ill. He was indeed so ill that he nearly died. But God had mercy on him, and not only on him but on me also, so that I would not have one sorrow after another. I am the more eager to send him, therefore, in order that you may rejoice at seeing him again, and that I may be less anxious. Welcome him then in the Lord with all joy, and honour such people, because he came close to death for the work of Christ, risking his life to make up for those services that you could not give me.
Fear not, for I have redeemed you.
I have called you by name; you are mine.
Fear not, for I have redeemed you.
I have called you by name; you are mine.
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you.
When you walk through fire, you shall not be burned.
I have called you by name; you are mine.
Glory to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit.
Fear not, for I have redeemed you.
I have called you by name; you are mine.
from Isaiah 43
Gospel Canticle
The Magnificat (The Song of Mary)
Refrain:
How beautiful on the mountains
are the feet of those who bring good news and proclaim
the gospel of peace.
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour;
he has looked with favour 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,
from generation to generation.
He has shown strength with his arm
and has scattered the proud in their conceit,
Casting down the mighty from their thrones
and lifting up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things
and sent the rich away empty.
He has come to the aid of his servant Israel,
to remember his promise of mercy,
The promise made to our ancestors,
to Abraham and his children for ever. Luke 1.46-55
Glory to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning is now
and shall be for ever. Amen.
Refrain:
How beautiful on the mountains
are the feet of those who bring good news and proclaim
the gospel of peace.
Prayers
Intercessions are offered
¶ for peace
¶ for individuals and their needs
¶ Local government, community leaders
¶ All who provide local services
¶ Those who work with young or elderly people
¶ Schools, colleges and universities
¶ Emergency and rescue organizations
Lord, in your mercy
hear our prayer
The Collect of the day is said
Almighty God,who by your Holy Spirit gave Henry Martyna longing to tell the good news of Christand skill to translate the Scriptures:by the same Spirit give us grace to offer you our gifts,wherever you may lead, at whatever the cost;through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,who is alive and reigns with you,in the unity of the Holy Spirit,one God, now and for ever.Amen.
Let us pray with confidence as our Saviour has taught 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 those who 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.
The Conclusion
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.
Let us bless the Lord. Thanks be to God.