Monday Evening Prayer 4th December 2023

Monday Evening Prayer 4th December 2023; Readings: Psalm 81; Isaiah 1. 18-31; Mark 4.1-20.

Led by Felicity Scott, Liturgical Assistant at St John the Baptist Anglican Church Bulimba, QLD, Australia.

The full prayer transcript is available by going to this episode on the Podcast website.

https://dailyprayeranglicanprayerbookforaustralia.podbean.com

Welcome to Evening prayer from the Anglican ‘A prayer book for Australia’.

We proclaim the Good News of our Lord Jesus Christ:

GOD in his infinite mercy, forgives all sins, and through our baptism in the name of our Saviour, Jesus Christ, we are given a rebirth into new life, free from the burden of all sin. ALLELUIA

Blessed be God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, Blessed be God forever.

Let us Pray.

 

 

1

May the God of hope fill us with all joy and peace in believing,

so that by the power of the Holy Spirit we may abound in hope. 

Romans 15.13

  

 

Glory to God; Father, Son and Holy Spirit: 

as in the beginning, so now, and for ever. Amen. 

  

 

2 The Opening Canticle, A Song of Hope

The spirit of the Lord God is upon me: 
because the Lord has anointed me 
to bring good tidings to the afflicted. 
The Lord has sent me to bind up the broken-hearted: 
to proclaim liberty for the captives, 
and release for those in prison, 
To comfort all who mourn: 
to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, 
The oil of gladness instead of mourning: 
a garment of splendour for the heavy heart. 
They shall be called trees of righteousness: 
planted for the glory of the Lord. 

Isaiah 61.1–3

  

 

3 The Opening Prayer

The day is now past and the night is at hand. 

Let us pray with one heart and mind. 

 

Silence may be kept.

 

Father of lights, receive the prayer and praise we offer you as our evening sacrifice; make us a light for all the world, delivered by your goodness from all the works of darkness; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord. 

  

 

4 The Psalms as appointed. A pause is observed after each.

Psalm 81

1 O sing joyfully to God our strength:

shout in triumph to the God of Jacob.

2 Make music and beat upon the drum:

sound the lute and the melodious harp.

3 Blow the ram’s horn at the new moon:

and at the full moon of our day of festival.

4 For this was a statute for Israel:

a commandment of the God of Jacob,

5 Which he laid on Joseph as a solemn charge:

when he came out of the land of Egypt.

6 I heard a voice that I had not known, saying:

‘I eased your shoulders of the burden,

and your hands were freed from the load.

7 ‘You called to me in trouble, and I rescued you:

I answered you from the secret place of my thunder,

I put you to the test at the waters of Meribah.

8 ‘Listen, my people, and I will admonish you:

O Israel, if only you would hear me.

9 ‘There shall be no strange god among you:

nor shall you bow down to an alien god.

10 ‘I am the Lord your God,

who brought you up from the land of Egypt:

open wide your mouth, and I will fill it.

11 ‘But my people would not listen to my voice:

and Israel would have none of me.

12 ‘So I left them to the stubbornness of their hearts:

to walk according to their own designs.

13 ‘If only my people would listen:

if Israel would but walk in my ways,

14 ‘I would soon put down their enemies:

and turn my hand against their adversaries.

15 ‘Those that hate the Lord would cringe before him:

and their punishment would last for ever.

16 ‘But Israel I would feed with the finest wheat:

and satisfy you with honey from the rocks.’

 

5 At the end of the (last) pause there may follow

God who wonderfully created us and even more wonderfully restored our humanity: strengthen us by your Holy Spirit to triumph over suffering and death, and grant us eternal joy; through Jesus Christ our Lord. 

Amen.

  

 

6 One or two Readings from the Bible as appointed.

 

1st Reading

Isaiah 1. 18-31

18 Come now, let us argue it out,
     says the Lord:
though your sins are like scarlet,
     they shall be like snow;
though they are red like crimson,
     they shall become like wool. 
19 If you are willing and obedient,
     you shall eat the good of the land; 
20 but if you refuse and rebel,
     you shall be devoured by the sword;
     for the mouth of the Lord has spoken. 
21 How the faithful city
     has become a whore!
     She that was full of justice,
righteousness lodged in her—
     but now murderers! 
22 Your silver has become dross,
     your wine is mixed with water. 
23 Your princes are rebels
     and companions of thieves.
Everyone loves a bribe
     and runs after gifts.
They do not defend the orphan,
     and the widow’s cause does not come before them. 
24 Therefore says the Sovereign, the Lord of hosts, the Mighty One of Israel:
Ah, I will pour out my wrath on my enemies,
     and avenge myself on my foes! 
25 I will turn my hand against you;
     I will smelt away your dross as with lye
     and remove all your alloy. 
26 And I will restore your judges as at the first,
     and your counsellors as at the beginning.
Afterwards you shall be called the city of righteousness,
     the faithful city. 
27 Zion shall be redeemed by justice,
     and those in her who repent, by righteousness. 
28 But rebels and sinners shall be destroyed together,
     and those who forsake the Lord shall be consumed. 
29 For you shall be ashamed of the oaks
     in which you delighted;
and you shall blush for the gardens
     that you have chosen. 
30 For you shall be like an oak
     whose leaf withers,
     and like a garden without water. 
31 The strong shall become like tinder,
     and their work like a spark;
they and their work shall burn together,
     with no one to quench them. 

2nd Reading

Mark 4.1–20

1 Again he began to teach beside the lake. Such a very large crowd gathered around him that he got into a boat on the lake and sat there, while the whole crowd was beside the lake on the land. 
2 He began to teach them many things in parables, and in his teaching, he said to them: 
3 ‘Listen! A sower went out to sow. 
4 And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 
5 Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and it sprang up quickly, since it had no depth of soil. 
6 And when the sun rose, it was scorched; and since it had no root, it withered away. 
7 Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain. 
8 Other seed fell into good soil and brought forth grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirty and sixty and a hundredfold.’
9 And he said, ‘Let anyone with ears to hear listen!’ 
10 When he was alone, those who were around him along with the twelve asked him about the parables. 
11 And he said to them, ‘To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside, everything comes in parables; 
12 in order that
“they may indeed look, but not perceive,
     and may indeed listen, but not understand;
so that they may not turn again and be forgiven.” ’ 
13 And he said to them, ‘Do you not understand this parable? Then how will you understand all the parables? 
14 The sower sows the word. 
15 These are the ones on the path where the word is sown: when they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word that is sown in them. 
16 And these are the ones sown on rocky ground: when they hear the word, they immediately receive it with joy. 
17 But they have no root, and endure only for a while; then, when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away. 
18 And others are those sown among the thorns: these are the ones who hear the word, 
19 but the cares of the world, and the lure of wealth, and the desire for other things come in and choke the word, and it yields nothing. 
20 And these are the ones sown on the good soil: they hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirty and sixty and a hundredfold.’

 

The readings may be followed by a period of silence for reflection, a hymn or

May your word live in us 

and bear much fruit to your glory.

 

7 The Canticle, A Song of God’s Children

In Christ Jesus, the life-giving law of the Spirit: 
has set us free from the law of sin and death. 
All who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God: 
 it is the Spirit that enables us to cry, ‘Abba!’ Father. 
The Spirit bears witness 
that we are God’s children: 
and if God’s children, then heirs of God. 
We are heirs of God and fellow-heirs with Christ: 
If we share his sufferings now 
we shall be glorified with him hereafter. 
These sufferings that we now endure: 
are not worth comparing 
with the glory that shall be revealed. 
For the creation waits with eager longing: 
for the revealing of the children of God. 

Romans 8.2, 14, 15b–19

8 The Prayers

Lord have mercy. 

Christ have mercy. 

Lord have mercy. 

  

 

9 The Lord’s Prayer and the Collect of the Day

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. 

 

 

 

 

Prayer of the week

Nicholas Ferrar, deacon and man of prayer

Faithful God,
You have surrounded us with a great clous of witnesses:

Grant that we,

Encouraged by the example of your servant, Nicholas Ferrar, deacon and man of prayer, may persevere in running the race that is set before us,

Until at last with him we may attain to your eternal joy;

Through Jesus Christ, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith,

Who lives and reigns with you and the holy spirit,

One God, for ever and ever.  Amen. 

 

Prayer of the Week

Almighty God,

Give us grace that we may cast away the works of darkness.

And put on armour of light,

now in the time of this mortal life,

In which your son Jesus Christ came among us,

In great humility,

That on the last day

When he shall come again in his glorious majesty

To judge the living and the dead,

We may rise to the life immortal.

Through him who lives and reigns with you,

And the Holy spirit,

one God, now and for ever. Amen.

 

 

10 Intercessions and Thanksgivings may be made according to local custom and need.

Let us Pray.

 

We honour your greatness and thank you, God of all loveliness,

For the beauty of earth and sky and sea.

For the richness of mountains, deserts, and rivers.

For the songs of birds and the beauty of flowers.

We praise you for these good gifts,

and pray that we may guard our heritage to the honour and glory of your name. Amen

 

Merciful Lord, we ask for your mercy to be given to the country of Ukraine. We ask for your intervention, to impart peace as an initiative in the minds of all those at war across the world. We ask this in Jesus Christ’s name. Amen

 

God, we ask your blessing for those listed on the Anglican cycle of prayer:

• The Diocese of Barbados – The Church in the Province of the West Indies
• The Diocese of Bathurst: †Mark Calder; Clergy and People
• The Parish of Noosa: Chris Johnson, Lynda Johnson, Chris Ivey, Brad Henley, Ralph Bowles
• Prince Charles & St Vincent’s Northside: Fiona Bennett & volunteers
• Canterbury College, Waterford: Principal – Daniel Walker; Chaplain – Dan Talbot; Chair of College Council – Jonathan Waterworth; members of College Council; staff & students
• All Parishes seeking new incumbents.
• All Anglican schools seeking new chaplains.
• All Prison ministry chaplaincy teams

God of Grace; Hear our prayer

 

 

11 The Evening Collect

Lighten our darkness, Lord, we pray: 

and in 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.

  

 

12

The Lord be with you.

And also with you. 

Let us praise the Lord. 

Thanks be to God. 

  

 

Since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. 

Amen.

Hebrews 12.1