Evening Prayer

Hushed was the evening hymn,
The temple courts were dark;
The lamp was burning dim
Before the sacred ark;
When suddenly a voice divine
Rang through the silence of the shrine.

The old man, meek and mild,
The priest of Israel, slept;
His watch the temple child,
The little Levite, kept;
And what from Eli's sense was sealed
The Lord to Hannah's child revealed.

O give me Samuel's ear,
The open ear, O God,
Alive and quick to hear
Each whisper of your Word,
Like him to answer at your call,
And to obey you first of all.

O give me Samuel's heart,
A lowly heart, that waits
Where in your house you are,
Or watches at your gates;
By day and night, a heart that still
Moves at the breathing of your will.

O give me Samuel's mind,
A sweet unmurm'ring faith,
Obedient and resigned
To you in life and death,
That I may read with child-like eyes
Truths that are hidden from the wise.
-- James Drummond Burns

Most merciful God, we confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done, and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We are truly sorry and we humbly repent. For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and forgive us; that we may delight in your will, and walk in your ways, to the glory of your Name. Almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us all our sins through our Lord Jesus Christ, strengthen us in all goodness, and by the power of the Holy Spirit keep us in eternal life.

Gracious and Everlasting God,
You made this universe
You created order out of chaos, and gave it marvelous order,
Its atoms, worlds, and galaxies, and the infinite complexity of all living creatures:
As we explore the mysteries of your creation,
May we know You better and
May we come to know how best to serve you to Your eternal will.

In the stillness, let us hear You.
In our newness, let us hear You.
In the quietness of the night, let us hear You.
In our sleeping and in our waking, let us hear You.

Dearest and Gracious God,
Your loving hand has given us all that we possess:
Pour on me your grace so that I may honor you with all that I am and all that I have.
Make me a faithful steward of your bounty.
I give to you but Thine own.
Amen.