A Midweek Sabbath Rest- Nothing fancy just the basics.

Good Evening Dear Family of God and Love!

Happy Wednesday! I hope and pray all of you are taking time to rest and renew by taking a midweek Sabbath rest. We all need these because our lives are being tossed and turned in many directions and our hearts are feeling troubled as well. This morning at our Morning Prayer service I was going to lead our midweek congregation in a full Morning Prayer Rite II service when I realized we needed more prayer and a time for loving support and conversation. This is what we are going to do tonight but without the conversation because we haven't begun our use of modern technology with Zoom or Go To Meeting. We will use the lessons from today's daily office  but we will be keeping it basic and gentle. I invite you to enter into holy silence and make vigil and pray and meditate. 



Let us open with the Psalms of the day for evening prayer. We will pause in between these lessons and canticles and breathe and be still and then continue on and make vigil and pray.

Light of the World Phos hilaron

Light of the world, in grace and beauty,
Mirror of God’s eternal face,
Transparent flame of love’s free duty,
You bring salvation to our race.
Now, as we see the lights of evening,
We raise our voice in hymns of praise;
Worthy are you of endless blessing,
Sun of our night, lamp of our days.

49 Audite hæc, omnes

1 Hear this, all you peoples;
hearken, all you who dwell in the world, *
you of high degree and low, rich and poor together.

2 My mouth shall speak of wisdom, *
and my heart shall meditate on understanding.

3 I will incline my ear to a proverb *
and set forth my riddle upon the harp.

4 Why should I be afraid in evil days, *
when the wickedness of those at my heels surrounds me,

5 The wickedness of those who put their trust in their goods, *
and boast of their great riches?

6 We can never ransom ourselves, *
or deliver to God the price of our life;

7 For the ransom of our life is so great, *
that we should never have enough to pay it,

8 In order to live for ever and ever, *
and never see the grave.

9 For we see that the wise die also;
like the dull and stupid they perish *
and leave their wealth to those who come after them.

10 Their graves shall be their homes for ever,
their dwelling places from generation to generation, *
though they call the lands after their own names.

11 Even though honored, they cannot live for ever; *
they are like the beasts that perish.

12 Such is the way of those who foolishly trust in themselves, *
and the end of those who delight in their own words.

13 Like a flock of sheep they are destined to die;
Death is their shepherd; *
they go down straightway to the grave.

14 Their form shall waste away, *
and the land of the dead shall be their home.

15 But God will ransom my life; *
he will snatch me from the grasp of death.

16 Do not be envious when some become rich, *
or when the grandeur of their house increases;

17 For they will carry nothing away at their death, *
nor will their grandeur follow them.

18 Though they thought highly of themselves while they lived, *
and were praised for their success,

19 They shall join the company of their forebears, *
who will never see the light again.

20 Those who are honored, but have no understanding, *
are like the beasts that perish.

53 Dixit insipiens

(1 The fool has said in his heart, "There is no God." *
All are corrupt and commit abominable acts;
there is none who does any good.

2 God looks down from heaven upon us all, *
to see if there is any who is wise,
if there is one who seeks after God.

3 Every one has proved faithless;
all alike have turned bad; *
there is none who does good; no, not one.

4 Have they no knowledge, those evildoers *
who eat up my people like bread and do not call upon God?

5 See how greatly they tremble,
such trembling as never was; *
for God has scattered the bones of the enemy;
they are put to shame, because God has rejected them.

6 Oh, that Israel's deliverance would come out of Zion! *
when God restores the fortunes of his people
Jacob will rejoice and Israel be glad.)

Wisdom 4:16-5:8


16 The righteous who have died will condemn the ungodly who are living,
and youth that is quickly perfected* will condemn the prolonged old age of the unrighteous. 
17 For they will see the end of the wise,
and will not understand what the Lord purposed for them,
and for what he kept them safe. 
18 The unrighteous* will see, and will have contempt for them,
but the Lord will laugh them to scorn.
After this they will become dishonoured corpses,
and an outrage among the dead for ever; 
19 because he will dash them speechless to the ground,
and shake them from the foundations;
they will be left utterly dry and barren,
and they will suffer anguish,
and the memory of them will perish.
20 They will come with dread when their sins are reckoned up,
and their lawless deeds will convict them to their face.

5
 Then the righteous will stand with great confidence
in the presence of those who have oppressed them
and those who make light of their labours. 
2 When the unrighteous* see them, they will be shaken with dreadful fear,
and they will be amazed at the unexpected salvation of the righteous. 
3 They will speak to one another in repentance,
and in anguish of spirit they will groan, and say, 
4 ‘These are persons whom we once held in derision
and made a byword of reproach—fools that we were!
We thought that their lives were madness
and that their end was without honour. 
5 Why have they been numbered among the children of God?
And why is their lot among the saints? 
6 So it was we who strayed from the way of truth,
and the light of righteousness did not shine on us,
and the sun did not rise upon us. 
7 We took our fill of the paths of lawlessness and destruction,
and we journeyed through trackless deserts,
but the way of the Lord we have not known. 
8 What has our arrogance profited us?
And what good has our boasted wealth brought us? 

The Song of Hannah
1 Samuel 2:1-8
My heart exults in you, O God; *
my triumph song is lifted in you.
My mouth derides my enemies, *
for I rejoice in your salvation.
There is none holy like you, *
nor any rock to be compared to you, our God.
Do not heap up prideful words or speak in arrogance; *
Only God is knowing and weighs all actions.
The bows of the mighty are broken, *
but the weak are clothed in strength.
Those once full now labor for bread, *
those who hungered now are well fed.
The childless woman has borne sevenfold, *
while the mother of many is forlorn.
God destroys and brings to life, casts down and raises up; *
gives wealth or takes it away, humbles and dignifies.
God raises the poor from the dust; *
and lifts the needy from the ash heap
To make them sit with the rulers *
and inherit a place of honor.
For the pillars of the earth are God’s *
on which the whole earth is founded


Colossians 1:24-2:7

24 I am now rejoicing in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am completing what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church. 25 I became its servant according to God’s commission that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, 26 the mystery that has been hidden throughout the ages and generations but has now been revealed to his saints. 27 To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. 28 It is he whom we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone in all wisdom, so that we may present everyone mature in Christ. 29 For this I toil and struggle with all the energy that he powerfully inspires within me.

2 For I want you to know how much I am struggling for you, and for those in Laodicea, and for all who have not seen me face to face. 2 I want their hearts to be encouraged and united in love, so that they may have all the riches of assured understanding and have the knowledge of God’s mystery, that is, Christ himself,* 3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. 4 I am saying this so that no one may deceive you with plausible arguments. 5 For though I am absent in body, yet I am with you in spirit, and I rejoice to see your morale and the firmness of your faith in Christ.
6 As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, continue to live your lives* in him, 7 rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving. 

Canticle L

A Song of Christ’s Humility
Philippians 2:6-11

Though in the form of God, *
Christ Jesus did not cling to equality with God,
But emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, *
and was born in human likeness.
Being found in human form, he humbled himself *
and became obedient to death, even death on a cross.
Therefore, God has highly exalted him *
and given him the name above every name,
That at the name of Jesus, every knee shall bow, *
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
And every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, *
to the glory of God the Father.

Luke 6:27-38

27 ‘But I say to you that listen, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. 29 If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also; and from anyone who takes away your coat do not withhold even your shirt. 30 Give to everyone who begs from you; and if anyone takes away your goods, do not ask for them again. 31 Do to others as you would have them do to you.

32 ‘If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. 33 If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. 34 If you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to receive as much again. 35 But love your enemies, do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return.* Your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High; for he is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. 36 Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.
37 ‘Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven; 38 give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap; for the measure you give will be the measure you get back.’

The Song of Mary Magnificat
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
my spirit rejoices in you, O God my Savior, *
for you have looked with favor on your lowly servant.
From this day all generations will call me blessed: *
you, the Almighty, have done great things for me,
and holy is your name.
You have mercy on those who fear you *
from generation to generation.
You have shown strength with your arm *
and scattered the proud in their conceit,
Casting down the mighty from their thrones *
and lifting up the lowly.
You have filled the hungry with good things *
and sent the rich away empty.
You have come to the help of your servant Israel, *
for you have remembered your promise of mercy,
The promise made to our forebears, *
to Abraham and his children for ever.

Now let us pause and take time in silence and engage in the "Be Stills" and Breathing exercises and light our candles and make vigil and pray.

Let us inhale deeply and exhale slowly.

Let us pause.

Let us say the following.

Be Still and Know that I am God.
Be Still and Know that I am.
Be Still and Know.
Be Still.
Be.

Vigil prayer:

God of light, love, and peace we light our candles this night for all who find themselves in dark places and uncertain times. We pray for our families who find themselves estranged from their blood families who don't know how to reach out in love when a diagnosis of a life threatening disease has been made. We pray for peace in this world that light and love may shine into the war torn areas and areas where terror, fear, bullying, bigotry and abuse are a daily occurrence. We pray that we may learn how to be family to our enemies, haters, and those who differ from us. We pray that we may always seek to acknowledge the best in ourselves when it is most difficult. Help us we pray that we may show great faith when all we feel is doubt and despair around us. May we seek to be your children and loving families each and every day. Take away from us all bitterness and diversity when ever we feel frustrated, discouraged, and upset due to other people's actions that seek to trigger the worst in us. We light our candles O God and shine your light and love into the world.  Let us light 4 virtual candles that will remind us of our calling to be CALM. 
We light our first candle, the candle of Compassion.
We light our second candle, the candle of Acceptance.
We light our third candle, the candle of Love.
We light our fourth candle, the candle of Mercy.

As we light these our candles we pray for calm and remember "The light of Christ in me, recognizes the light of Christ in you!" May we rest this night with our prayers and souls uplifted in to your loving arms O gracious and loving God. Amen.

Collects of the Day:
Beloved God, as we approach your Presence, guide and stir us
with your Holy Spirit, that we may become one body, one spirit in

Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.

God of new life in Christ: We remember the bold witness of your servant Nicolaus von Zinzendorf, through whom your Spirit moved to draw many to faith and conversion of life. We pray that we, like him, may rejoice to sing your praise; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

God we thank you for all that you created and made. May we be good stewards of your creation and practice conservation in honor and to your glory.

We pray for an end to animal cruelty everywhere and for humane treatment of all animals.

We pray for water conservation in all drought parched areas of our country and all places in your world. We pray for much needed rain that will help prevent wildfires.

We pray that we may be loving to all of our family members especially those with whom we disagree. May we learn to be accepting of all of our family members and encourage them to live as the authentically beautiful children you have made in you image and likeness.

 We pray that we may we learn to practice peace making in every moment that we live, move, and be and may we show your love and light to those who are in the dark places of life.

We pray for all those who live with mental illness and addiction and those who care for them. 

We pray for all who mourn losses of any kind. We remember especially those who have lost dear and precious animal family members.

We pray for all workers who are facing Monday  morning. May they have courage to know that their work matters and that they matter.

We pray for an end to all acts of violence and that all those who are  led to commit violent act may have their hearts softened and that they may be reconsider their acts before they engage in violence and terror.

We pray this night for all of our family members who are ill and are in hospitalized. We pray especially for_____________  We pray for parents and loved ones who sit at bedside with their loved ones. May they find the ability to rest while they vigil.

We pray for all places in your world where there is political unrest and terror. We pray that all of these places peace may prevail and that refugees and families may be reunited and protected.

We pray and give thanks for all of our family members who are celebrating birthdays, anniversaries, and all special occasions this week. May they feel our love and devotion across the miles.

We pray for all of our family members who are the least of these. May we remember to serve the least of these and honor and serve you.

We lift up these our prayers to you and in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord . Amen.

The Song of Simeon Nunc dimittis

Luke 2:29-32

Lord, you now have set your servant free *

to go in peace as you have promised;

For these eyes of mine have seen the Savior, *

whom you have prepared for all the world to see:

A Light to enlighten the nations, *

and the glory of your people Israel.

A Prayer attributed to St. Francis

Lord, make us instruments of your peace. Where there is

hatred, let us sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where

there is discord, union; where there is doubt, faith; where

there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where

there is sadness, joy. Grant that we may not so much seek to

be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand;

to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive; it is

in pardoning that we are pardoned; and it is in dying that we

are born to eternal life. Amen

A Prayer of St. Chrysostom

Almighty God, who hast given us grace at this time with one

accord to make our common supplication unto thee, and

hast promised through thy well-beloved Son that when two

or three are gathered together in his Name thou wilt be in the

midst of them: Fulfill now, O Lord, the desires and petitions

of thy servants as may be best for us; granting us in this

world knowledge of thy truth, and in the world to come life

everlasting. Amen.

Good Night Dear Ones! I love you! May you gently rest in God's comforting arms and know that you are beloved children of God. I give thanks to God for you this day and always. 

With love and prayers,

Sara

Resources:

Book of Common Prayer

Enriching our Worship 1997

Satucket Lectionary Page