Evening Prayers – Page 8 – A Collection of Prayers

Lead Us to the True Light

Almighty and everlasting God,
at evening, and morning, and noonday,
we humbly ask,
to drive from our hearts the darkness of sin,
and lead us to the true Light,
which is Christ;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Source: Gelasian Sacramentary

Source of this version: Freely modified from Ancient Collects, and Other Prayers, ed. William Bright, 1902, p. 10 #3

Graphic, Gelasian Sacramentary, from Wikipedia.com

Hearts and Minds Unshadowed

O God,
you divide the day from the night.
Give us hearts and minds
unshadowed by the gloom of evil,
that we may think continually upon things
that are good and wholesome,
and be always pleasing in your sight;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Original Source: Gelasian Sacramentary

Source of this version: Modified from http://newscriptorium.com/assets/docs/collects-and-prayers/prmanual.htm

Also found here: Ancient Collects, and Other Prayers, ed. William Bright, 1902, p. 6 #2

Graphic, Gelasian Sacramentary, from Wikipedia.com

Shepherd, Watch While We Sleep

wilhelm_loehe Beloved Shepherd of our souls and bodies,
you never slumber nor sleep.
Spread your holy protection over us
and cover us with your mighty wings,
that no terrors of the night may disturb us,
and let your divine majesty
watch over our minds while we sleep;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

Source: Wilhelm Löhe. Freely adapted from Seed Grains of Prayer, A Manual for Evangelical Christians, Wartburg Press, Chicago, 1914, #54

Also found here: A Minister’s Prayer Book © 1986 Fortress Press, Philadelphia

Evening Thanks

We give you thanks, O Lord,
for you have preserved us through the day.
We give you thanks
for you will preserve us through the night.
Bring us in safety, O Lord,
to the morning hours,
That you may receive our praise at all times;
through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

Original Source: Gelasian Sacramentary

Source of this version: Freely modified from Ancient Collects, and Other Prayers, ed. William Bright, 1902, p. 10 #5

Graphic, Gelasian Sacramentary, from Wikipedia.com

The Evening Suffrages

INVOCATION

In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.

LORD, HAVE MERCY

Lord, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.

LORD’S PRAYER

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. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours, now and forever. Amen.

APOSTLES’ CREED

I believe in God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell. The third day he rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty. From there he will come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

LESSONS AND PSALM

PRECES (Responsive Verses)

Blessed are you, O Lord, God of our ancestors,
and to be praised and highly exalted forever; (Song of the Three Holy Children, 29)

Let us praise the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,
We praise and magnify him forever.

Blessed are you in the firmament of heaven
and worthy of great praise, to be sung and glorified forever. (Psalm 145:3 and Song of the Three Holy Children, 34)

The almighty and merciful Lord bless and preserve us.
Amen.

O Lord, preserve us this night,
and keep us from all sin.

Have mercy on us, Lord,
have mercy on us.

May your mercy, O Lord, be on us,
even as we wait confidently for you. (Psalm 33:22)

O Lord, hear my prayer,
and let my cry for help come to you. (Psalm 102:1)

PRAYER FOR PEACE

O God, all holy desires, all good counsels, and all just works come from you. Give your servants that peace which the world cannot give, that our hearts may be set to obey your commandments. Defend us from the fear of our enemies, that we may pass our time in rest and quietness; through the merits of Jesus Christ our Savior, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, ever one God, world without end.
Amen.

Additional prayers may be prayed here.

EVENING PRAYER

I thank you, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, your dear Son, that you have graciously kept me this day. Forgive me all my sins, and graciously keep me this night. Into your hands I commend my body and soul and all things. Let your holy angel be with me, that the wicked foe may have no power over me. Amen.

Let us praise the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

BLESSING

The grace of our Lord + Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
Amen.

This version of the suffrages combines elements from Common Service Book (1919) and The Lutheran Hymnal (1941)

Scriptures are from the Evangelical Heritage Version (www.wartburgproject.org)

Quotes from The Song of the Three Holy Children are from The Apocrypha, The Lutheran Edition with Notes.

The Collect for Peace

O GOD, from whom all holy desires,
all good counsels, and all just works do proceed;
Give unto thy servants that peace
which the world cannot give;
that our hearts may be set to obey thy commandments,
and also that by thee, we,
being defended from the fear of our enemies,
may pass our time in rest and quietness;
through the merits of Jesus Christ our Saviour. Amen.

Source: attributed to the Gelasian Sacramentary

Source of this version: Book of Common Prayer

Lord God, all holy desires, all good counsels, and all just works come from you. Give to us, your servants, that peace which the world cannot give, that our hearts may be set to obey your commandments. Defend us also from the fear of our enemies that we may live in peace and quietness, through the merits of Jesus Christ our Savior, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

Variant:

Almighty and everlasting God, you are the fountain of all peace, spiritual and temporal. We humbly pray, in your great goodness grant us that peace which the world cannot give, that we may ever live in your fear, obedient to your commandments, to the end that you may deliver us from all our enemies; through your dear Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Source of this variant: Modified from Altar Book of the Norwegian Church, Augsburg Publishing House, 1915

A devotion on this prayer can be found on Pastor Stratman’s Blog.

Graphic, Gelasian Sacramentary, from Wikipedia.com

The Lord’s Prayer

Matthew 6 (ESV)
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
¹⁰Your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
¹¹Give us this day our daily bread,
¹²and forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
¹³And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.

Luke 11 (ESV)
Father, hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come.
³Give us each day our daily bread,
⁴and forgive us our sins,
for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us.
And lead us not into temptation.

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;
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom
and the power and the glory
forever and ever. Amen.

Source: U. S. Book of Common Prayer, 1789

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.
Lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power,
and the glory are yours
now and forever. Amen.

Source: Alternative Service Book 1980

Here is the Alternative Service Book 1980 text of the Lord’s Prayer with a melody modified from Braunschweig-Wolfenbuetteler Kirchenordnung, 1543. In some sources this melody is attributed to Johannes Bugenhagen. This is the melody used on the album Praetorius: Mass for Christmas Morning. Here it is without the doxology…

Lord's Prayer (Text, ASB 1980, no dox)

…and with the doxology:

Lord's Prayer (Text, ASB 1980)

Here is the Book of Common Prayer text of the Lord’s Prayer with a melody modified from Braunschweig-Wolfenbuetteler Kirchenordnung, 1543. This is the melody used on the album Praetorius: Mass for Christmas Morning. Here it is without the doxology…

Lord's Prayer (Text, BCP, no dox).png

…and with the doxology:

Lord's Prayer (Text, BCP)

Source of musical setting: Modified from Schatz des liturgischen Chor- und Gemeindegesangs… Goettingen, Bandenhoeck & Ruprecht’s Verlag, 1865.

Protection under Christ’s Cross

May the cross of the + Son of God,
which is mightier than all the hosts of Satan
and more glorious than all the hosts of heaven,
abide with you in your going out and in your coming in.

By day and by night, at morning and at evening,
at all times and in all places may it protect and defend you.
From the wrath of evildoers, from the assaults of evil spirits,
from foes visible and invisible, from the snares of the devil,
from all passions that beguile the soul and body:
may it guard, protect and deliver you.
Amen.

Source: Christaraksha, India

Source of this version: https://www.churchofengland.org/prayer-worship/worship/texts/pastoral/healing/protectionpeace.aspx

Also found here: http://tonusperegrinus.blogspot.com/2014/09/christaraksha-powerful-prayer-of-cross.html

*We can rightly pray this prayer if we connect “the cross of the Son of God” with his blood and death, which indeed are mightier than the hosts of Satan.