EVENING PRAYER II
Greeting as in Morning Prayer
DOXOLOGY
PSALM 23
Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me and I in them.
The Lord is my shepherd,
I need nothing more.
You give me rest in green meadows,
setting me near calm waters,
where you revive my spirit.
You guide me along sure paths,
you are true to your name.
Though I should walk in death’s dark valley,
I fear no evil with you by my side,
your shepherd’s staff to comfort me.
You spread a table before me
as my foes look on.
You soothe my head with oil;
my cup is more than full.
Goodness and love will tend me
every day of my life.
I will dwell in the house of the Lord
as long as I shall live.
Ephesians 1:3–10
Extravagant love, astounding mystery. You give yourself to us to be our food and drink.
Bless God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who blessed us from heaven through Christ
with every blessing of the Spirit.
Before laying the world’s foundation,
God chose us in Christ
to live a pure and holy life.
God determined out of love
to adopt us through Jesus Christ
for the praise and glory of that grace
granted us in the Beloved.
By Christ’s blood we were redeemed,
our sins forgiven
through extravagant love.
With perfect wisdom and insight
God freely displayed the mystery
of what was always intended:
a plan for the fullness of time
to unite the entire universe through Christ.
READING
Exodus 16:4 – 7a
Then the Lord said to Moses, “I am going to rain bread from heaven for you, and each day the people shall go out and gather enough for that day. In that way I will test them, whether they will follow my instruction or not. On the sixth day, when they prepare what they bring in, it will be twice as much as they gather on other days.” So Moses and Aaron said to all the Israelites, “In the evening you shall know that it was the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt, and in the morning you shall see the glory of the Lord.”
CANTICLE OF MARY
The hand of the Lord feeds us. God answers all our needs.
I acclaim the greatness of the Lord,
I delight in God my savior,
who regarded my humble state.
Truly from this day on all ages
will call me blest.
For God, wonderful in power,
has used that strength for me.
Holy the name of the Lord!
Whose mercy embraces the faithful,
one generation to the next.
The mighty arm of God
scatters the proud in their conceit,
Pulls tyrants from their thrones,
and raises up the humble.
The Lord fills the starving
and lets the rich go hungry.
God rescues lowly Israel,
recalling the promise of mercy,
the promise made to our ancestors,
to Abraham’s heirs forever.
INTERCESSIONS
Provident God, you supplied manna for your people when they cried out. You let the land flow with water when they suffered thirst. You who answer those who trust in you, hear us as we pray.
You have given us the earth to sow with seed:
~ Help those who farm the land and those who enjoy the fruit of their harvests to reverence the sacredness of the earth.
You have given us water to slake our thirst and to make the dry land fertile:
~ Let us use our resources and technology to preserve clean waters for our descendants.
You have asked us to set aside a sabbath to praise and honor you:
~ Show us how to make our leisure holy.
You have provided our daily bread:
~ Give us hearts that recognize our abundance and share it with those who have less.
You have asked us to journey together, sharing our lives and resources with one another:
~ Make us of one mind and heart in following the way of Jesus.
THE LORD’S PRAYER
Prayer
God of life, you gave us Jesus to be our food and drink. May we who share in the one bread and drink of the one cup strive for unity of mind and heart in sharing whatever we have. May divisions cease, and may enemies seek reconciliation. May the stranger and the outcast be welcomed at our feast. This we ask in the name of Jesus, our living bread. Amen.
Blessing as in Morning Pra