Dear Friends in Christ,
Jesus said to them again,
“Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you”
(John 20:21).
When Evangelical Lutheran Worship (ELW) was published back in 2006, I was serving as a parish pastor at St. John’s, Stony Ridge. We soon started to use portions of the Evening Prayer (Vespers) Service (pages 309-319) for our summer mid-week worship. We enjoyed singing evening hymns like, #561 Joyous Light of Heavenly Glory, #565 All Praise to Thee, My God, This Night, the beautiful Psalmody (pages 312-313), and the chanted Lord’s Prayer (page 318). But our favorite part of the Evening Service was the beautiful prayer on page 317. We would pray it in unison, and as we prayed, I was always reminded that we are fellow pilgrims on this sacred journey, being led “on the way” by the hand of a gracious God.
My morning prayers are a bit more formal than my evening prayers. As soon as I awake, I begin the new day by listening to the Daily Prayer on the Pray As You Go App. It is also during the morning that I engage in Centering Prayer and pray through my list of intercessions. My prayer in the evening is simpler. A quiet check-in, three things from the day that I am grateful for, and a simple request for a peaceful night’s rest.
During the evenings of this week, I am going to add this printed prayer from the Evening Service in Evangelical Lutheran Worship (page 317). Might you consider joining me?
O God, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown. Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go, but only that your hand is leading us and your love supporting us, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
(Evangelical Lutheran Worship pg. 317)