Thursday, November 20
The Vespers Office To Be Observed on the Hour or Half Hour Between 5 and 8 p.m


The Call to Prayer
Behold now, bless the LORD, all you servants of the LORD,* you that stand by night in the house of our LORD.
Psalm 134:1

The Request for Presence
For God alone my soul in silence waits;* from him comes my salvation.
Psalm 62:1


The Greeting

Yours is the day, yours also the night;* you established the moon and the sun. You fixed all the boundaries of the earth;* you made both summer and winter.
Psalm 74:15-16

The Hymn

Open My Eyes, That I May See

Open my eyes, that I may see Glimpses of the truth you have for me; Place in my hands the wonderful key That will unclasp and set me free. Silently now I wait for thee, Ready, my God, your will to see. Open my eyes, illumine me, Spirit divine! Open my ears, that I may hear Voices of truth you send me clear; And while the wave notes fall on my ear, Everything false will disappear. Silently now I wait for thee, Ready, my God, your will to see. Open my ears, illumine me, Spirit divine! Open my mouth and let me bear Gladly the warm truth everywhere; Open my heart and let me prepare Love with your children thus to share. Silently now I wait for thee, Ready, my God, your will to see. Open my heart, illumine me, Spirit divine!
Clara Scott

The Refrain for the Vespers Lessons

. . . Surely, there is a reward for the righteous; surely, there is a God who rules in the earth.
Psalm 58:11b

The Vespers Psalm

The LORD’s Will Stands Forever

By the word of the LORD were the heavens made,* by the breath of his mouth all the heavenly hosts. He gathers up the waters of the ocean as in a water-skin* and stores up the depths of the sea. Let all the earth fear the LORD;* let all who dwell in the world stand in awe of him. For he spoke, and it came to pass;* he commanded, and it stood fast. The LORD brings the will of the nations to naught;* he thwarts the designs of the peoples. But the LORD’s will stands fast for ever,* and the designs of his heart from age to age.
Psalm 33:6-11

The Refrain

. . . Surely, there is a reward for the righteous; surely, there is a God who rules in the earth.

The Gloria

Glory be to God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, so it is now and so it shall ever be, world without end. Alleluia. Amen.

The Lord’s Prayer

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be your Name. May your kingdom come, and 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 yours are the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen.

The Prayer Appointed for the Week

Blessed Lord, who caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning: Grant me so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them, that I may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life, which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.†

The Concluding Prayer of the Church

May Almighty God grant me a peaceful night and a perfect end. Amen.