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EVENING PRAYERS FOR HOLY WEEK 202

Please take a seat in the circle at the front of the Lady Chapel.

Our worship this evening will be livestreamed via Facebook Live to

enable others to join us in worship from home. The camera will not

be focussed on members of the congregation.

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The Gathering A CANDLE IS LIT AS OUR WORSHIP BEGINS

May the Lord be with you this evening. Pause

Let us pray:

Jesus, Saviour of the world, come to us in your mercy: we look to you to save and help us. By your cross and your life laid down, you set your people free: we look to you to save and help us. When they were ready to perish, you saved your disciples: we look to you to come to our help. In the greatness of your mercy, loose us from our chains, forgive the sins of all your people. Make yourself known as our Saviour and mighty deliverer; save and help us that we may praise you. Come now and dwell with us, Lord Christ Jesus: hear our prayers and be with us always. And when you come in your glory: make us to be one with you and to share the life of your kingdom. Amen. 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 like incense 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.

Responsorial Psalm (Monday)

To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul. O my God, in you I trust; To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul. O my God, in you I trust; do not let me be put to shame; do not let my enemies exult over me.

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Do not let those who wait for you be put to shame; let them be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous. To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul. O my God, in you I trust; Make me to know your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths. Lead me in your truth, and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all day long. To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul. O my God, in you I trust; Be mindful of your mercy, O Lord, and of your steadfast love, for they have been from of old. Do not remember the sins of my youth or my transgressions; according to your steadfast love remember me, for your goodness’ sake, O Lord! To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul. O my God, in you I trust; Good and upright is the Lord; therefore he instructs sinners in the way. He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble his way. All the paths of the Lord are steadfast love and faithfulness, for those who keep his covenant and his decrees. To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul. O my God, in you I trust; For your name’s sake, O Lord, pardon my guilt, for it is great. Who are they that fear the Lord? He will teach them the way that they should choose. To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul. O my God, in you I trust; They will abide in prosperity, and their children shall possess the land. The friendship of the Lord is for those who fear him, and he makes his covenant known to them. My eyes are ever towards the Lord, for he will pluck my feet out of the net. To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul. O my God, in you I trust; Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted. Relieve the troubles of my heart, and bring me out of my distress. Consider my affliction and my trouble, and forgive all my sins. To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul. O my God, in you I trust; Consider how many are my foes, and with what violent hatred they hate me. O guard my life, and deliver me;

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do not let me be put to shame, for I take refuge in you. May integrity and uprightness preserve me, for I wait for you. To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul. O my God, in you I trust.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and shall be forever. Amen.

Responsorial Psalm (Tuesday) I call upon God, and the Lord will save me. I call upon God, and the Lord will save me. But it is you, my equal, my companion, my familiar friend, with whom I kept pleasant company; we walked in the house of God with the throng. Let death come upon them; let them go down alive to Sheol; for evil is in their homes and in their hearts. I call upon God, and the Lord will save me. But I call upon God, and the Lord will save me. Evening and morning and at noon, I utter my complaint and moan, and he will hear my voice. He will redeem me unharmed from the battle that I wage, for many are arrayed against me. God, who is enthroned from of old, will hear, and will humble them—because they do not change, and do not fear God. I call upon God, and the Lord will save me. My companion laid hands on a friend and violated a covenant with me - with speech smoother than butter, but with a heart set on war; with words that were softer than oil, but in fact were drawn swords. I call upon God, and the Lord will save me. Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved. I call upon God, and the Lord will save me. But you, O God, will cast them down into the lowest pit; the bloodthirsty and treacherous shall not live out half their days. But I will trust in you. I call upon God, and the Lord will save me.

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Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and shall be forever. Amen.

Responsorial Psalm (Wednesday) Let my prayer come before you; incline your ear to my cry. Let my prayer come before you; incline your ear to my cry. O Lord, God of my salvation, when, at night, I cry out in your pres-ence, let my prayer come before you; incline your ear to my cry. Let my prayer come before you; incline your ear to my cry. For my soul is full of troubles, and my life draws near to Sheol. I am counted among those who go down to the Pit; I am like those who have no help, like those forsaken among the dead, like the slain that lie in the grave, like those whom you remember no more, for they are cut off from your hand. Let my prayer come before you; incline your ear to my cry. You have put me in the depths of the Pit, in the regions dark and deep. Your wrath lies heavy upon me, and you overwhelm me with all your waves. Let my prayer come before you; incline your ear to my cry. You have caused my companions to shun me; you have made me a thing of horror to them. I am shut in so that I cannot escape; my eye grows dim through sorrow. Every day I call on you, O Lord; I spread out my hands to you. Do you work wonders for the dead? Do the shades rise up to praise you? Let my prayer come before you; incline your ear to my cry. Is your steadfast love declared in the grave, or your faithfulness in Abaddon? Are your wonders known in the darkness, or your saving help in the land of forgetfulness?

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Let my prayer come before you; incline your ear to my cry. But I, O Lord, cry out to you; in the morning my prayer comes before you. O Lord, why do you cast me off? Why do you hide your face from me? Wretched and close to death from my youth up, I suffer your terrors; I am desperate. Let my prayer come before you; incline your ear to my cry. Your wrath has swept over me; your dread assaults destroy me. They surround me like a flood all day long; from all sides they close in on me. You have caused friend and neighbour to shun me; my companions are in darkness. Let my prayer come before you; incline your ear to my cry.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and shall be forever. Amen. The leader introduces our evening reading and how we will use

silence and music to reflect together on scripture.

Monday: John 12.1-11

Tuesday: John 12.20-36

Wednesday: John 13.21-32

After the reading silence is kept.

We hear the reading a second time.

A reflection may be shared or music may be played.

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In the peace of this evening – of this time set aside for God - let us

pray for the needs of our troubled world.

As we pray this evening the response to ‘Let us pray to the Lord’ is

Lord, have mercy.

‘Let us pray to the Lord’ Lord, have mercy.

For forgiveness for the many times we have denied Jesus, let us pray to the Lord. Lord, have mercy.

For grace to seek out those habits of sin which mean spiritual death, and by prayer and self-discipline to overcome

them, let us pray to the Lord. Lord, have mercy.

For Christian people, that through the suffering of disunity there may grow a rich union in Christ, let us pray to the Lord. Lord, have mercy.

For those who make laws, interpret them, and administer them, that our common life may be ordered in justice and mercy, let us pray to the Lord. Lord, have mercy. For those who still make Jerusalem a battleground, let us pray to the Lord. Lord, have mercy.

For those who have the courage and honesty to work openly for jus-tice and peace, let us pray to the Lord. Lord, have mercy.

For those in the darkness and agony of isolation, that they may find support and encouragement, let us pray to the Lord. Lord, have mercy.

For those who, weighed down with hardship, failure, or sorrow, feel that God is far from them,

let us pray to the Lord. Lord, have mercy.

For those who are tempted to give up the way of the cross, let us pray to the Lord. Lord, have mercy.

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That we, with those who have died in faith, may find mercy in the day of Christ, let us pray to the Lord. Lord, have mercy. Holy God, holy and strong, holy and immortal, have mercy upon us.

Silence is kept

Almighty and everlasting God, who in your tender love towards the human race sent your Son our Saviour Jesus Christ to take upon him our flesh and to suffer death upon the cross: grant that we may follow the example of his patience and humility, and also be made partakers of his resurrection; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Standing at the foot of the cross, we join our voices and 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. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us form evil. For Thine is the Kingdom, the power and the glory, forever and ever. Amen.

May Christ, who bore our sins on the cross, set us free to serve him with joy. Amen. Let us bless the Lord. Thanks be to God.

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