Evening Prayer on Thursday — Thursday, 22 October 2026

Preparation

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

The Blessing of Light (page 110) may replace the Preparation at Evening Prayer on any occasion.

One or more of the following is said or sung:

A prayer of thanksgiving (page 110),

Blessed are you, Lord God, creator of day and night: to you be praise and glory for ever. As darkness falls you renew your promise to reveal among us the light of your presence. By the light of Christ, your living Word, dispel the darkness of our hearts that we may walk as children of light and sing your praise throughout the world. Blessed be God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit: Blessed be God for ever.

or a suitable hymn,

or A Song of God’s Chosen One

1 There shall come forth a shoot from the stock of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots.

2 And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding,

3 The spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.

4 He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide by what his ears hear,

5 But with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth.

6 The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid.

7 The calf, the lion and the fatling together, with a little child to lead them.

8 They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain, for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.

Isaiah 11.1,2,3b-4a,6,9

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

This opening prayer may be said

That this evening may be holy, good and peaceful, let us pray with one heart and mind.

Silence is kept.

As our evening prayer rises before you, O God, so may your mercy come down upon us to cleanse our hearts and set us free to sing your praise now and for ever. Amen.

The Word of God

Psalmody

The appointed psalmody is said.

Psalm 138

Your loving-kindness, O Lord, endures for ever.

1 I will give thanks to you, O Lord, with my whole heart; before the gods will I sing praise to you.

2 I will bow down towards your holy temple and praise your name, because of your love and faithfulness; for you have glorified your name and your word above all things.

3 In the day that I called to you, you answered me; you put new strength in my soul.

4 All the kings of the earth shall praise you, O Lord, for they have heard the words of your mouth.

5 They shall sing of the ways of the Lord, that great is the glory of the Lord.

6 Though the Lord be high, he watches over the lowly; as for the proud, he regards them from afar.

7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you will preserve me; you will stretch forth your hand against the fury of my enemies; your right hand will save me.

8 The Lord shall make good his purpose for me; your loving-kindness, O Lord, endures for ever; forsake not the work of your hands.

Your loving-kindness, O Lord, endures for ever.

Lord our God, supreme over all things, look upon the humble and lowly and put new strength into our souls to complete your purpose for us in Jesus Christ our Lord.

Psalm 140

Keep me, O Lord, from the hands of the wicked.

1 Deliver me, O Lord, from evildoers and protect me from the violent,

2 Who devise evil in their hearts and stir up strife all the day long.

3 They have sharpened their tongues like a serpent; adder’s poison is under their lips.

4 Keep me, O Lord, from the hands of the wicked; protect me from the violent who seek to make me stumble.

5 The proud have laid a snare for me and spread out a net of cords; they have set traps along my path.

6 I have said to the Lord, ‘You are my God; listen, O Lord, to the voice of my supplication.

7 ‘O Lord God, the strength of my salvation, you have covered my head in the day of battle.

8 ‘Do not grant the desires of the wicked, O Lord, do not prosper their wicked plans.

9 ‘Let not those who surround me lift up their heads; let the evil of their own lips fall upon them.

10 ‘Let hot burning coals rain upon them; let them be cast into the depths, that they rise not again.’

11 No slanderer shall prosper on the earth, and evil shall hunt down the violent to overthrow them.

12 I know that the Lord will bring justice for the oppressed and maintain the cause of the needy.

13 Surely, the righteous will give thanks to your name, and the upright shall dwell in your presence.

Keep me, O Lord, from the hands of the wicked.

Glorious Saviour, rescue us from the subtle evils that are too strong for us, from poisonous words and the spirit of war; by your judgement overthrow the forces of violence, that all the world may join to worship you in thanksgiving and peace, now and for ever.

Psalm 141

Set a watch before my mouth, O Lord.

1 O Lord, I call to you; come to me quickly; hear my voice when I cry to you.

2 Let my prayer rise before you as incense, the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.

3 Set a watch before my mouth, O Lord, and guard the door of my lips;

4 Let not my heart incline to any evil thing; let me not be occupied in wickedness with evildoers, nor taste the pleasures of their table.

5 Let the righteous smite me in friendly rebuke; but let not the oil of the unrighteous anoint my head; for my prayer is continually against their wicked deeds.

6 Let their rulers be overthrown in stony places; then they may know that my words are sweet.

7 As when a plough turns over the earth in furrows, let their bones be scattered at the mouth of the Pit.

8 But my eyes are turned to you, Lord God; in you I take refuge; do not leave me defenceless.

9 Protect me from the snare which they have laid for me and from the traps of the evildoers.

10 Let the wicked fall into their own nets, while I pass by in safety.

Set a watch before my mouth, O Lord.

Lord God, our protector and guide, who made us knowing both good and evil, help us to desire all that is good, that the offering of our lives may be acceptable to you; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Each psalm or group of psalms may end with

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

If there are two Scripture readings, the first may be read here, or both may be read after the canticle.

Exodus 12.1-20

The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt: This month shall mark for you the beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year for you. Tell the whole congregation of Israel that on the tenth of this month they are to take a lamb for each family, a lamb for each household. If a household is too small for a whole lamb, it shall join its closest neighbour in obtaining one; the lamb shall be divided in proportion to the number of people who eat of it. Your lamb shall be without blemish, a year-old male; you may take it from the sheep or from the goats. You shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month; then the whole assembled congregation of Israel shall slaughter it at twilight. They shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which they eat it. They shall eat the lamb that same night; they shall eat it roasted over the fire with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. Do not eat any of it raw or boiled in water, but roasted over the fire, with its head, legs, and inner organs. You shall let none of it remain until the morning; anything that remains until the morning you shall burn. This is how you shall eat it: your loins girded, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and you shall eat it hurriedly. It is the passover of the Lord. For I will pass through the land of Egypt that night, and I will strike down every firstborn in the land of Egypt, both human beings and animals; on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgements: I am the Lord. The blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you live: when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague shall destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.

This day shall be a day of remembrance for you. You shall celebrate it as a festival to the Lord; throughout your generations you shall observe it as a perpetual ordinance. Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread; on the first day you shall remove leaven from your houses, for whoever eats leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day shall be cut off from Israel. On the first day you shall hold a solemn assembly, and on the seventh day a solemn assembly; no work shall be done on those days; only what everyone must eat, that alone may be prepared by you. You shall observe the festival of unleavened bread, for on this very day I brought your companies out of the land of Egypt: you shall observe this day throughout your generations as a perpetual ordinance. In the first month, from the evening of the fourteenth day until the evening of the twenty-first day, you shall eat unleavened bread. For seven days no leaven shall be found in your houses; for whoever eats what is leavened shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether an alien or a native of the land. You shall eat nothing leavened; in all your settlements you shall eat unleavened bread.

Canticle

Great and Wonderful, or another suitable canticle, for example, number 63 (page 621), may be said

All nations shall come and worship you, O Christ, and share in the feast of your kingdom. Alleluia.

1 Great and wonderful are your deeds, Lord God the Almighty.

2 Just and true are your ways, O ruler of the nations.

3 Who shall not revere and praise your name, O Lord? for you alone are holy.

4 All nations shall come and worship in your presence: for your just dealings have been revealed.

Revelation 15.3, 4

To the One who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honour and glory and might, for ever and ever. Amen.

All nations shall come and worship you, O Christ, and share in the feast of your kingdom. Alleluia.

Scripture Reading

One or more readings appointed for the day are read.

The reading(s) may be followed by a time of silence.

1 Thessalonians 4.1-12

Finally, brothers and sisters, we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus that, as you learned from us how you ought to live and to please God (as, in fact, you are doing), you should do so more and more. For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus. For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from fornication; that each one of you knows how to control your own body in holiness and honour, not with lustful passion, like the Gentiles who do not know God; that no one wrongs or exploits a brother or sister in this matter, because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, just as we have already told you beforehand and solemnly warned you. For God did not call us to impurity but in holiness. Therefore whoever rejects this rejects not human authority but God, who also gives his Holy Spirit to you.

Now concerning love of the brothers and sisters, you do not need to have anyone write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another; and indeed you do love all the brothers and sisters throughout Macedonia. But we urge you, beloved, to do so more and more, to aspire to live quietly, to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we directed you, so that you may behave properly towards outsiders and be dependent on no one.

A suitable song or chant, or a responsory in this or another form, may follow

Fear not, for I have redeemed you. I have called you by name; you are mine. Fear not, for I have redeemed you. I have called you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you. When you walk through fire, you shall not be burned. I have called you by name; you are mine. Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. Fear not, for I have redeemed you. I have called you by name; you are mine.

from Isaiah 43

Gospel Canticle

The Magnificat (The Song of Mary) is normally said, or A Song of Christ’s Appearing (page 621) may be said

You have filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty.

1 My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour; he has looked with favour on his lowly servant.

2 From this day all generations will call me blessed; the Almighty has done great things for me and holy is his name.

3 He has mercy on those who fear him, from generation to generation.

4 He has shown strength with his arm and has scattered the proud in their conceit,

5 Casting down the mighty from their thrones and lifting up the lowly.

6 He has filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich away empty.

7 He has come to the aid of his servant Israel, to remember his promise of mercy,

8 The promise made to our ancestors, to Abraham and his children for ever.

Luke 1.46-55

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

You have filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty.

Prayers

Thanksgiving may be made for the day.

Intercessions are offered for peace for individuals and their needs

Prayers may include the following concerns from the cycle on pages 362–363

Local government, community leaders All who provide local services Those who work with young or elderly people Schools, colleges and universities Emergency and rescue organizations

One of the forms of prayer found on pages 362–371 may be used.

These responses may be used

Lord, in your mercy hear our prayer

(or)

Lord, hear us. Lord, graciously hear us.

Silence may be kept.

The Collect of the day is said

God, the giver of life, whose Holy Spirit wells up within your Church: by the Spirit's gifts equip us to live the gospel of Christ and make us eager to do your will, that we may share with the whole creation the joys of eternal life; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

The Lord’s Prayer is said

As our Saviour taught us, so we pray

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 for ever. Amen.

(or)

Let us pray with confidence as our Saviour has taught us

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, the power and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.

The Conclusion

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us all evermore. Amen.

Let us bless the Lord. Alleluia, alleluia. Thanks be to God. Alleluia, alleluia.

© The Archbishops’ Council of the Church of England, 2000–2005 Official Common Worship apps, books and eBooks are available from Church House Publishing.

The Bible readings (other than the psalms) are from The New Revised Standard Version Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995 Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Implemented by Simon Kershaw at Crucix. Implementation copyright © Simon Kershaw, 2002–2021.