Evening Prayer (Evensong) in Contemporary Language

¶ Evening Prayer on Sunday
Sunday, 24 August 2025
The Tenth Sunday after Trinity

Preparation

O God, make speed to save us.
AllO Lord, make haste to help us.

The Blessing of Light (page 110) may replace the Preparation at Evening Prayer on any occasion.

One or more of the following is said or sung:

A prayer of thanksgiving (page 110),

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:
AllBlessed be God for ever.

or a suitable hymn,

or A Song of Worship

1Come, bless the Lord, all you servants of the Lord, ♦
you that by night stand in the house of the Lord.

2Lift up your hands towards the sanctuary ♦
and bless the Lord.

3The Lord who made heaven and earth ♦
give you blessing out of Zion.

Psalm 134

AllGlory 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.
AllAmen.

The Word of God

Psalmody

The appointed psalmody is said.

Psalm 119.49-56 [57-72]

Refrain: My delight shall be in your commandments.

49 Remember your word to your servant, ♦
on which you have built my hope.

50 This is my comfort in my trouble, ♦
that your promise gives me life.

51 The proud have derided me cruelly, ♦
but I have not turned aside from your law.

52 I have remembered your everlasting judgements, O Lord, ♦
and have been comforted. R

53 I am seized with indignation at the wicked, ♦
for they have forsaken your law.

54 Your statutes have been like songs to me ♦
in the house of my pilgrimage.

55 I have thought on your name in the night, O Lord, ♦
and so have I kept your law.

56 These blessings have been mine, ♦
for I have kept your commandments.

[

57 You only are my portion, O Lord; ♦
I have promised to keep your words.

58 I entreat you with all my heart, ♦
be merciful to me according to your promise.

59 I have considered my ways ♦
and turned my feet back to your testimonies.

60 I made haste and did not delay ♦
to keep your commandments. R

61 Though the cords of the wicked entangle me, ♦
I do not forget your law.

62 At midnight I will rise to give you thanks, ♦
because of your righteous judgements.

63 I am a companion of all those who fear you, ♦
those who keep your commandments.

64 The earth, O Lord, is full of your faithful love; ♦
instruct me in your statutes. R

65 You have dealt graciously with your servant, ♦
according to your word, O Lord.

66 O teach me true understanding and knowledge, ♦
for I have trusted in your commandments.

67 Before I was afflicted I went astray, ♦
but now I keep your word.

68 You are gracious and do good; ♦
O Lord, teach me your statutes. R

69 The proud have smeared me with lies, ♦
but I will keep your commandments with my whole heart.

70 Their heart has become gross with fat, ♦
but my delight is in your law.

71 It is good for me that I have been afflicted, ♦
that I may learn your statutes.

72 The law of your mouth is dearer to me ♦
than a hoard of gold and silver. R

]

Refrain: My delight shall be in your commandments.

Faithful God,
let your word be the treasure of our hearts,
that we may delight in your truth
and walk in the glorious liberty of your Son Jesus Christ.

Each psalm or group of psalms may end with

AllGlory 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.

If there are two Scripture readings, the first may be read here, or both may be read after the canticle.

Isaiah 30.8-21

Go now, write it before them on a tablet,
   and inscribe it in a book,
so that it may be for the time to come
   as a witness for ever.
For they are a rebellious people,
   faithless children,
children who will not hear
   the instruction of the Lord;
who say to the seers, ‘Do not see’;
   and to the prophets, ‘Do not prophesy to us what is right;
speak to us smooth things,
   prophesy illusions,
leave the way, turn aside from the path,
   let us hear no more about the Holy One of Israel.’
Therefore thus says the Holy One of Israel:
Because you reject this word,
   and put your trust in oppression and deceit,
   and rely on them;
therefore this iniquity shall become for you
   like a break in a high wall, bulging out, and about to collapse,
   whose crash comes suddenly, in an instant;
its breaking is like that of a potter’s vessel
   that is smashed so ruthlessly
that among its fragments not a sherd is found
   for taking fire from the hearth,
   or dipping water out of the cistern.

For thus said the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel:
In returning and rest you shall be saved;
   in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.
But you refused and said,
‘No! We will flee upon horses’—
   therefore you shall flee!
and, ‘We will ride upon swift steeds’—
   therefore your pursuers shall be swift!
A thousand shall flee at the threat of one,
   at the threat of five you shall flee,
until you are left
   like a flagstaff on the top of a mountain,
   like a signal on a hill.

Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you;
   therefore he will rise up to show mercy to you.
For the Lord is a God of justice;
   blessed are all those who wait for him.

Truly, O people in Zion, inhabitants of Jerusalem, you shall weep no more. He will surely be gracious to you at the sound of your cry; when he hears it, he will answer you. Though the Lord may give you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet your Teacher will not hide himself any more, but your eyes shall see your Teacher. And when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left, your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it.’

Canticle

A Song of the Lamb, or another suitable canticle, for example, number 62 (page 620) or number 74 (page 632), may be said

Refrain:

AllLet us rejoice and exult
and give glory and homage to our God. Alleluia.

1Salvation and glory and power belong to our God, ♦
whose judgements are true and just.

2Praise our God, all you his servants, ♦
all who fear him, both small and great.

3The Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns: ♦
let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory.

4For the marriage of the Lamb has come ♦
and his bride has made herself ready.

5Blessed are those who are invited ♦
to the wedding banquet of the Lamb.

Revelation 19.1b, 2a, 5b, 6b, 7, 9b

AllTo the One who sits on the throne and to the Lamb ♦
be blessing and honour and glory and might,
for ever and ever. Amen.

AllLet us rejoice and exult
and give glory and homage to our God. Alleluia.

Scripture Reading

One or more readings appointed for the day are read.

The reading(s) may be followed by a time of silence.

2 Corinthians 9

Now it is not necessary for me to write to you about the ministry to the saints, for I know your eagerness, which is the subject of my boasting about you to the people of Macedonia, saying that Achaia has been ready since last year; and your zeal has stirred up most of them. But I am sending the brothers in order that our boasting about you may not prove to have been empty in this case, so that you may be ready, as I said you would be; otherwise, if some Macedonians come with me and find that you are not ready, we would be humiliated—to say nothing of you—in this undertaking. So I thought it necessary to urge the brothers to go on ahead to you, and arrange in advance for this bountiful gift that you have promised, so that it may be ready as a voluntary gift and not as an extortion.

The point is this: the one who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the one who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each of you must give as you have made up your mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that by always having enough of everything, you may share abundantly in every good work. As it is written,
‘He scatters abroad, he gives to the poor;
   his righteousness endures for ever.’
He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way for your great generosity, which will produce thanksgiving to God through us; for the rendering of this ministry not only supplies the needs of the saints but also overflows with many thanksgivings to God. Through the testing of this ministry you glorify God by your obedience to the confession of the gospel of Christ and by the generosity of your sharing with them and with all others, while they long for you and pray for you because of the surpassing grace of God that he has given you. Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!

A suitable song or chant, or a responsory in this or another form, may follow

The Lord is my light and my salvation;
the Lord is the strength of my life.
AllThe Lord is my light and my salvation;
the Lord is the strength of my life.
The light shines in the darkness
and the darkness has not overcome it.
AllThe Lord is the strength of my life.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit.
AllThe Lord is my light and my salvation;
the Lord is the strength of my life.

from Psalm 27 and John 1

Gospel Canticle

The Magnificat (The Song of Mary) is normally said,
or the Nunc dimittis (The Song of Simeon) (page 613) may be said

Refrain:

AllYou have done great things, O God,
and holy is your name.

1My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour; ♦
he has looked with favour on his lowly servant.

2From this day all generations will call me blessed; ♦
the Almighty has done great things for me
and holy is his name.

3He has mercy on those who fear him, ♦
from generation to generation.

4He has shown strength with his arm ♦
and has scattered the proud in their conceit,

5Casting down the mighty from their thrones ♦
and lifting up the lowly.

6He has filled the hungry with good things ♦
and sent the rich away empty.

7He has come to the aid of his servant Israel, ♦
to remember his promise of mercy,

8The promise made to our ancestors, ♦
to Abraham and his children for ever.

Luke 1.46-55

AllGlory 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:

AllYou have done great things, O God,
and holy is your name.

Prayers

Thanksgiving may be made for the day.

Intercessions are offered
¶ for peace
¶ for individuals and their needs

Prayers may include the following concerns from the cycle on pages 362–363

¶ The universal Church
¶ Bishops, synods and all who lead the Church
¶ The leaders of the nations
¶ The natural world and the resources of the earth
¶ All who are in any kind of need

One of the forms of prayer found on pages 362–371 may be used.

These responses may be used

Lord, in your mercy
hear our prayer

(or)

Lord, hear us.
Lord, graciously hear us.

Silence may be kept.

The Collect of the day is said

Almighty and everlasting God,
who gave to your apostle Bartholomew grace
      truly to believe and to preach your word:
grant that your Church
may love that word which he believed
and may faithfully preach and receive the same;
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.
AllAmen.

The Lord’s Prayer is said

As our Saviour taught us, so we pray

AllOur 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.
Lead us not into temptation
but deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power,
and the glory are yours
now and for ever.
Amen.

(or)

Let us pray with confidence as our Saviour has taught us

AllOur 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

All 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. Alleluia, alleluia.
AllThanks be to God. Alleluia, alleluia.