Instead of the Benedicamus the following may be sung or read:

Jehovah hath established His throne in the heavens; and His kingdom ruleth over all. Bless Jehovah, ye His angels, that are mighty in strength, that fulfil His Word, hearkening unto the voice of His Word. hovah, all ye His hosts, ye ministers of His, that do His pleasure. Bless Jehovah, all ye His works, in all places of His dominion: Bless Jehovah, O my soul. (Psalm 103. 19-22.)

Then shall the Minister say:

Bow your hearts to God and receive the Benediction.

The Lord bless thee, and keep thee. The Lord make His face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee. The Lord lift up His countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

The Minister shall turn to the Altar, and the Congregation shall sing:

A - men,

A - men,

A

men.

The Service shall close with silent prayer, while the Congregation remains standing and the Minister kneels before the Altar.

Vespers

The Service shall begin with an appropriate Hymn. During the singing the Minister shall proceed to the Altar and kneel in prayer. After the singing he shall rise, turn to the Congregation, and say:

Grace be unto you and peace from God, our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

Come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord our Maker, for He is our God.

The Confession of Sins

The Minister, turning to the Altar, shall kneel and pray:

Merciful God, Heavenly Father, Whose grace endureth from generation to generation, Thou art patient and longsuffering and forgivest the sins and transgressions of all who truly repent. Look with compassion upon Thy people and hear their supplications. We have sinned against Thee. We are unworthy of Thy goodness and love. Remember not our transgressions; have mercy upon us; help us, O God, our Saviour. Grant us remission of all our sins and save us. Give us the grace of Thy Holy Spirit that we may amend our ways and with Thee obtain everlasting life; through Thy Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

The Minister, rising and turning to the Congregation, shall say:

If we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanseth us from all sin.

Gloria Patri

The Minister shall turn to the Altar, and the Congregation shall rise and sing:

After the singing the Minister shall turn to the Congregation and say:

Hear the Word of God as it is recorded in the.....

The Minister and Congregation shall then make their Confession of Faith in the words of the Apostles' Creed or of the Nicene Creed.

The Apostles' Creed

I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth;

And 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, dead, and buried; He descended into hell; The third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven, And sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; From thence He shall come to judge the quick 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.

The Nicene Creed

I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, And of all things visible and invisible;

And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Only-begotten Son of God, Begotten of His Father before all worlds, God of God, Light of Light, Very God of Very God, Begotten, not made, Being of one substance with the Father, By Whom all things were made; Who, for us men, and for our salvation, came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the Virgin Mary, and was made man; and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate. He suffered and was buried; And the third day He rose again, according to the Scriptures; And ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of the Father; And He shall come again with glory to judge both the quick and the dead; Whose kingdom shall have no end.

And I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and Giver of Life, Who proceedeth from the Father and the Son, Who with the Father and the Son together is worshiped and glorified, Who spake by the prophets.

And I believe one holy Christian and Apostolic Church.

I acknowledge one Baptism for the remission of sins; and I look for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. Amen.

An Anthem may here be sung. Then shall follow one or more verses of a Hymn as an introduction to the Sermon. In the meantime the Minister shall enter the Pulpit.

The Sermon

The Sermon shall conclude with the following prayer:

We praise Thee, O God, that Thou hast permitted Thy Word to dwell richly among us to the salvation and building up of our souls on our most holy faith. Heavenly Father, we thank Thee for the gift of Thy Son, Who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification. We thank Thee that Thou hast permitted the message of this great salvation to come to us through the Gospel. We pray Thee, grant us a living faith in Christ, a fervent love to Thee and to our fellow men, and a blessed hope through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord. Amen.

The Church Notices may then be given. The Pulpit Office shall conclude with the following:

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit, be with you all. Amen.

Then shall an Offertory be played, or an Anthem sung, during which the offering shall be made, The Minister, having received the offering, shall place it upon the Altar and pray

as follows:

O God, Thou Giver of all good gifts, graciously receive and bless this offering, which we Thy people place upon Thine Altar, for Jesus' sake. Amen.*

Then shall the Congregation sing a Hymn, during which the Minister shall proceed to the Altar.

Watch over us, O Lord, our heavenly Father, and protect us from all evil, and grant that we may this night rest secure under Thy care. Preserve and bless Thy Church and our Government. Graciously remember the sick and those who are in need or in peril. Have mercy upon all men. And when our last evening shall come, grant us to fall asleep in Thy peace and to awake in Thy glory, through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord.

*A short offertory sentence (see pp. 554, 555) may then be sung by the Choir.