Good Evening, Lord!
Words of Comfort
The almighty and merciful God bless us and keep us this
night and evermore. Amen.
Prayer of Confession
Lord, I pray to you: make haste to help; listen to my voice,
when I cry to you. Let my prayer rise before you like incense; and the lifting
up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.
O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth shall show forth you
praise.
Bless the Lord, O my soul, and do not forget all his
benefits:
·
He forgives all
your iniquities.
·
He heals all
your diseases.
·
He redeems your
life from destruction.
·
He crowns you
with grace and mercy.
·
He satisfies
you with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
Have mercy upon me, O God, according to your lovingkindness
and grace: according to your rich mercy, blot out my transgressions. Wash me
thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my
transgression, my sin is ever before me, and Christ has died for me.
I will both lay down in peace, and sleep; for thou, O Lord,
make me dwell securely. Amen.[1]
Catechism Reflections
The Sacrament
of Holy Baptism: Fourth
What does such
baptizing with water indicate?
It indicates that the Old Adam in us should by daily
contrition and repentance be drowned and die with all sins and evil desires,
and that a new man should daily emerge and arise to live before God in
righteousness and purity forever.
Where is this
written?
St. Paul writes in Romans chapter six: “We were therefore
buried with Him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was
raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new
life.”
Questions for Meditation
What does this reading teach you?
What does this reading lead you to be thankful for?
What behavior, thought, or attitude does this reading
challenge? What sin does it lead you to confess?
How might you pray for God to have a richer impact on your
life through this reading?
Petitions of the Lord’s Prayer
The Second
Petition: “Thy kingdom come”
O God, everlasting Father, Your kingdom comes even without
our prayer, but, please, let it come to us, too! Please give us Your Holy
Spirit, so that by His grace we may believe Your Word, and live godly lives
here in time and there in eternity. Amen.
Verse of Benediction
May the blessing of the eternal God be upon us, and upon our
work and worship; His light to guide us, His presence to strengthen us, His
love to unite us; Now and always. Amen.[2]
[1] This prayer is adapted
from John Baillie, A Diary of Private Prayer, 1949 – an evening prayer for the
20th day of the month. Baillie wrote wonderful prayers for the
morning and evening of each day of the month. Notice that in this prayer,
Baillie has strung together a series of Scripture verses, effectively using
God’s Word to speak back to God. They have inspired, educated, and
assisted many in their prayer lives. It was updated in 2014 by Susanna Wright.
That edition is available from Amazon here.
I personally prefer the 1949 edition with the older style of language. That
earlier edition can still be found if you search for it.
[2] Doberstein, John W., The Minister’s Prayer Book, Fortress
Press, Philadelphia, 1959, p. 18
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