Evening Prayer 15.3.23, Vincent de Paul, Priest, & Louise de Marillac, Monastic, 1660

Fr. Michael Hartney will lead a Holy Land Pilgrimage in July & August 2024, and will hold an informational meeting on Zoom here on Thursday evening at 9pm U.S. Eastern Time. Can’t attend but want info? Leave a comment below.

“I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.”

Supporters of reparations for African-Americans in San Francisco rallied outside City Hall Monday as a citizens’ committee appointed by the Board of Supervisors released a list of possible recommendations to compensate the Black community for losses due to racism. The Supervisors asked the committee for options, none of which they have to accept. The committee issued a preliminary report saying its final list of options is likely to include a $5 million lump-sum payment for those who qualify; a guaranteed annual income of $97,000 for 250 years; eliminating personal debts and tax obligations; and homes in the city for $1. Supervisors were united in supporting the idea of reparations, but divided in how to achieve them. Conservatives said the payments would bankrupt the city, and liberals also worried about the cost, especially amid an economic downturn in the tech sector. The committee will finalize its recommendations in June, and then the real politicking will begin. Only one city in America has a reparations plan in place, Evanston, Illinois, an affluent college town bordering Chicago; Boston recently voted to set up a study commission. California has a statewide study commission, which is only in the talking stage, so the rest of the state will be watching San Francisco. The right-wing Hoover Institution at Stanford University says the preliminary numbers being bandied about would cost every non-Black family in the city $600,000 in taxes, while supporters said it would benefit the entire city. “Those of my constituents who lost their minds about this proposal, it’s not something we’re doing or we would do for other people. It’s something we would do for our future, for everybody’s collective future,” said Supervisor Rafael Mandelman, who represents the Castro neighborhood. (Jeff Chiu/AP)

Rend your hearts, and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God, who is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and repents of evil. Joel 2:13

CONFESSION OF SIN

Most merciful God, we confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done, and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We are truly sorry and we humbly repent. For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and forgive us; that we may delight in your will, and walk in your ways, to the glory of your Name. Amen.

Almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us all our sins through our Lord Jesus Christ, strengthen us in all goodness, and by the power of the Holy Spirit keep us in eternal life. Amen.

INVITATORY AND PSALTER

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

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

Hymn: O Gracious Light

O gracious Light,
pure brightness of the everliving Father in heaven,
O Jesus Christ, holy and blessed!
Now as we come to the setting of the sun,
and our eyes behold the vesper light,
we sing your praises, O God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
You are worthy at all times to be praised by happy voices,
O Son of God, O Giver of life,
and to be glorified through all the worlds.

Psalm 81

1 Sing with joy to God our strength *
and raise a loud shout to the God of Jacob.
2 Raise a song and sound the timbrel, *
the merry harp, and the lyre.
3 Blow the ram’s-horn at the new moon, *
and at the full moon, the day of our feast.
4 For this is a statute for Israel, *
a law of the God of Jacob.
5 God laid it as a solemn charge upon Joseph, *
when the people came out of the land of Egypt.
6 I heard an unfamiliar voice saying, *
“I eased their shoulder from the burden;
their hands were set free from bearing the load.”
7 You called on me in trouble, and I saved you; *
I answered you from the secret place of thunder
and tested you at the waters of Meribah.
8 Hear, O my people, and I will admonish you: *
O Israel, if you would but listen to me!
9 There shall be no strange god among you; *
you shall not worship a foreign god.
10 I am the LORD your God,
who brought you out of the land of Egypt and said, *
“Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.”
11 And yet my people did not hear my voice, *
and Israel would not obey me.
12 So I gave them over to the stubbornness of their hearts, *
to follow their own devices.
13 Oh, that my people would listen to me! *
that Israel would walk in my ways!
14 I should soon subdue their enemies *
and turn my hand against their foes.
15 Those who hate the LORD would cringe before me, *
and their punishment would last for ever.
16 But Israel would I feed with the finest wheat *
and satisfy them with honey from the rock.

Psalm 82

1 God arises in the council of heaven; *
and gives judgment in the midst of the gods:
2 ”How long will you judge unjustly, *
and show favor to the wicked?
3 Save the weak and the orphan; *
defend the humble and needy;
4 Rescue the weak and the poor; *
deliver them from the power of the wicked.
5 They do not know, neither do they understand;
they go about in darkness; *
all the foundations of the earth are shaken.
6 Now I say to you, ‘You are gods, *
and all of you children of the Most High;
7 Nevertheless, you shall die like mortals, *
and fall like any leader.’”
8 Arise, O God, and rule the earth, *
for you shall take all nations for your own.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: *
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

Kelly Latimore, 2020: Christ the Light. This may not be the world’s favorite depiction of the theme, but in view of the homophobic and anti-trans mania currently possessing right-wing legislators in several states, we thought we’d run it anyway. “Light of the world” had better include the whole world, or it isn’t nearly so bright as advertised.

THE LESSON
John 8:12-20 (NRSV)

Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.” Then the Pharisees said to him, “You are testifying on your own behalf; your testimony is not valid.” Jesus answered, “Even if I testify on my own behalf, my testimony is valid because I know where I have come from and where I am going, but you do not know where I come from or where I am going. You judge by human standards; I judge no one. Yet even if I do judge, my judgment is valid; for it is not I alone who judge, but I and the Father who sent me. In your law it is written that the testimony of two witnesses is valid. I testify on my own behalf, and the Father who sent me testifies on my behalf.” Then they said to him, “Where is your Father?” Jesus answered, “You know neither me nor my Father. If you knew me, you would know my Father also.” He spoke these words while he was teaching in the treasury of the temple, but no one arrested him, because his hour had not yet come.

Canticle: The Song of Simeon
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.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: *
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

THE APOSTLES’ CREED

I believe in God,
the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ,
God’s only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died and was buried;
he descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose again;
he ascended into heaven,
he is seated at the right hand of the Father,
and he will come again to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.

THE PRAYERS

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.

V. That this evening may be holy, good, and peaceful,
R. We entreat you, O Lord.
V. That your holy angels may lead us in paths of peace and goodwill,
R. We entreat you, O Lord.
V. That we may be pardoned and forgiven for our sins and offenses,
R. We entreat you, O Lord.
V. That there may be peace to your Church and to the whole world,
R. We entreat you, O Lord.
V. That we may depart this life in your faith and fear,
and not be condemned before the great judgment seat of Christ,
R. We entreat you, O Lord.
V. That we may be bound together by your Holy Spirit
in the communion of all your saints,
entrusting one another and all our life to Christ,
R. We entreat you, O Lord.

Simon Francois de Tours, 17th C.: St. Vincent de Paul. He was a Catholic priest from the south of France who dedicated himself to the poor, and founded the Congregation of the Mission (“Vincentians”), as well as the Daughters of Charity with St. Louise de Marillac. Today the Society of St. Vincent de Paul ministers in 153 countries. (Wikipedia)

Collect of the Day: Vincent de Paul, Priest, and Louise de Marillac, Monastic, 1660

Most Gracious God, who has bidden us to do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly before you; Teach us, like your servants Vincent and Louise, to see and to serve Christ by feeding the hungry, welcoming the stranger, clothing the naked, and caring for the sick; that we may know him to be the giver of all good things, through the same Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

A Collect for Protection

O God, the life of all who live, the light of the faithful, the strength of those who labor, and the repose of the dead: We thank you for the blessings of the day that is past, and humbly ask for your protection through the coming night. Bring us in safety to the morning hours; through him who died and rose again for us, your Son our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

Japanese cherry blossoms frame the Thomas Jefferson Memorial in Washington, D.C. in 2019. This year’s Cherry Blossom Festival, originally planned for next week, had to be moved up to this coming Saturday because the flowers are about to pop. The media-fueled quest for the exact day and hour of the “peak” is a fool’s errand; enjoy them while you’ve got them, because they won’t last long. (Thrillist)

For the Beauty of the Earth

We give you thanks, most gracious God, for the beauty of earth and sky and sea; for the richness of mountains, plains, and rivers; for the songs of birds and the loveliness of flowers. We praise you for these good gifts, and pray that we may safeguard them for our posterity. Grant that we may continue to grow in our grateful enjoyment of your abundant creation, to the honor and glory of your Name, now and for ever. Amen.

Anglican Cycle of Prayer: Diocese of Riverina, Australia

Wednesday Evening Prayer List

For Disaster & Terror Victims
Massacre of Tigrays in Ethiopia
62 migrants dead off southern Italy
Increasing violence between Israel & Palestine
latest earthquakes in Syria & Turkey; 46,000 dead
Public executions of dissenters in Iran, poisoning of schoolgirls
Russia’s brutal war in Ukraine; Pintense fighting for Bakhmut
Famine in East Africa & Burkina Faso
Violence & economic collapse in Sri Lanka & Haiti
Mass arrests in Myanmar, crowds bombed by military junta
Chinese violence against Uighurs
Hundreds of thousands in squalid refugee camps, including those on Lesbos and Rohingyas in Bangladesh; recent fire victims

For Prisoners
Alexei Navalny
Political prisoners around the world
David, back in jail
Cleave Thomas, last years of a 20-year sentence
Matthew
Children and families of prisoners
Prison chaplains and ministries, especially Kairos
Sr. Helen Prejean and all prison reformers
All who are condemned to die

Please offer your own prayers here.

Prayer for Mission

O God and Father of all, whom the whole heavens adore: Let the whole earth also worship you, all nations obey you, all tongues confess and bless you, and men and women everywhere love you and serve you in peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Let us bless the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Glory to God whose power, working in us, can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine: Glory to God from generation to generation in the Church, and in Christ Jesus for ever and ever. Amen.++

VIDEO: Deep Peace (A Gaelic Blessing) – (John Rutter, William Sharp) – Libera, live at St. John’s, Smith Square, London, 2020