The Order for Daily Evening Prayer Opening Rite

The Order for Daily

Evening Prayer

¶ The Angelus Domine may be said here.

¶ The Minister shall begin the Evening Prayer by reading one or more of the following Sentences of Scripture; and. then he shall say that which is written after them. But he may, at his discretion, pass at once from the Sentences to the Lord’s Prayer.

¶ And Note, that when the Confession and Absolution are omitted, the Minister may, after the Sentences, pass to the Versicles, O Lord open thou our lips, etc., in which case the Lord's Prayer shall be said with the other prayers, immediately after The Lord be with you, etc., and before the Versicles and Responses which follow, or, in the Litany, as there appointed.

THE LORD is in his holy temple: let all the earth keep silence before him. Hab. ii. 20.
LORD, I have loved the habitation of thy house, and the place where thine honour dwelleth. Psalm xxvi. 8.
Let my prayer be set forth in thy sight as the incense; and let the lifting up of my hands be an evening sacrifice. Psalm cxli. 2.
O worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness; let the whole earth stand in awe of him. Psalm xcvi. 9.
Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be alway acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength and my redeemer. Psalm xix. 14, 15.
Watch ye, for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cock-crowing, or in the morning: lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping. St. Mark xiii, 35, 36.
Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. Rev. xxi. 3.
And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising. Isaiah lx. 3.
I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me. Psalm li. 3.
To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgivenesses, though we have rebelled against him; neither have we obeyed the voice of the LORD our God, to walk in his laws which he set before us. Dan. ix. 9, 10.
If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us; but if we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 St. John i. 8, 9.
All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. Isaiah liii. 6.
Thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Cor. xv. 57.
If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Col. iii. 1.
Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us. Heb. ix. 24.

There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the Most High. Psalm xlvi. 4.
The Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely. Rev. xxii. 17.

Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory. Isaiah vi. 3.

¶ Then the Minister shall say,

DEARLY beloved brethren, the Scripture moveth us, in sundry places, to acknowledge and confess our manifold sins and wickedness; and that we should not dissemble nor cloak them before the face of Almighty God our heavenly Father; but confess them with an humble, lowly, penitent, and obedient heart; to the end that we may obtain forgiveness of the same, by his infinite goodness and mercy. And although we ought, at all times, humbly to acknowledge our sins before God; yet ought we chiefly so to do, when we assemble and meet together to render thanks for the great benefits that we have received at his hands, to set forth his most worthy praise, to hear his most holy Word, and to ask those things which are requisite and necessary, as well for the body as the soul. Wherefore I pray and beseech you, as many as are here present, to accompany me with a pure heart, and humble voice, unto the throne of the heavenly grace, saying—

¶ Or he shall say,

LET us humbly confess our sins unto Almighty God.

A General Confession.

¶ To be said by the whole Congregation. after the Minister, all kneeling.

ALMIGHTY and most merciful Father; We have erred, and strayed from thy ways like lost sheep. We have followed too much the devices and desires of our own hearts. We have offended against thy holy laws. We have left undone those things which we ought to have done; And we have done those things which we ought not to have done; And there is no health in us. But thou, O Lord, have mercy upon us, miserable offenders. Spare thou those, O God, who confess their faults. Restore thou those who are penitent; According to thy promises declared unto mankind in Christ Jesus our Lord. And grant, O most merciful Father, for his sake; That we may hereafter live a godly, righteous, and sober life, To the glory of thy holy Name. Amen.

The Declaration of Absolution, or Remission of Sins.

¶ To be made by the Priest alone, standing; the People still kneeling.

¶ But NOTE, That the Priest, at his discretion, may use, instead of what follows, the Absolution from the Order for the Holy Communion.

ALMIGHTY God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who desireth not the death of a sinner, but rather that he may turn from his wickedness and live, hath given power, and commandment, to his Ministers, to declare and pronounce to his people, being penitent, the Absolution and Remission of their sins. He pardoneth and absolveth all those who truly repent, and unfeignedly believe his holy Gospel.
Wherefore let us beseech him to grant us true repentance, and his Holy Spirit, that those things may please him which we do at this present; and that the rest of our life hereafter may be pure and holy; so that at the last we may come to his eternal joy; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

¶ Then the Minister shall kneel, and say the Lord’s Prayer; the People still kneeling, and repeating it with him, both here, and wheresoever else it is used in Divine Service.

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, for ever and ever. Amen.