Let my prayer be set forth in your sight as incense, the The Lessons

lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice. Psalm 141:2 After each Lesson the Reader may say
The Word of the Lord.
Answer Thanks be to God.
If I say, "Surely the darkness will cover me, and the light
around me turn to night," darkness is not dark to you, O
Silence may be kept after each Reading. One of the following Canticles,
Lord; the night is as bright as the day; darkness and light or one of those on pages 47-52, or 85-95, is sung or said after each
to you are both alike. Psalm 139:10,11 Reading. If three lessons are used, the Lesson from the Gospel is read
after the second Canticle.
Benedictus es (2. or 13.)
The Invitatory and Psalter Nunc Dimittis
All stand
Officiant: O God, make speed to save us. Creed
People: O Lord, make haste to help us
Officiant and People
Officiant and People The Prayers
The People stand or kneel
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: as it
Officiant: The Lord be with you.
was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.
People: And also with you.
(Except in Lent, add) Alleluia. Officiant: Let us pray.

O Gracious Light (O Gladsome Light) Setting Officiant and People

Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy Name,
The Psalm or Psalms Appointed thy kingdom come,
At the end of the Psalms is sung or said thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Give us this day our daily bread.
Spirit: * And forgive us our tresspasses,
as we forgive those
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever.
who trespass against us.
Amen. And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, We entreat you, O Lord.
and the power, and the glory,
for ever and ever. Amen.
The Officiant then says one or more of the following Collects

B A Collect for Aid against Perils

That this evening may be holy, good, and peaceful,
We entreat you, O Lord. Be our light in the darkness, O Lord, and in your great
mercy
That your holy angels may lead us in paths of peace and defend us from all perils and dangers of this night; for
goodwill, the love
We entreat you, O Lord. of your only Son, our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
Then, unless the Eucharist or a form of general intercession is to follow,
one of these prayer for mission is added
That we may be pardoned and forgiven for our sins Keep watch, dear Lord, with those who work, or watch,
and offenses, or
We entreat you, O Lord. weep this night, and give your angels charge over those
who
That there may be peace to your Church and to the sleep. Tend the sick, Lord Christ; give rest to the weary,
whole bless
world, the dying, soothe the suffering, pity the afflicted, shield
We entreat you, O Lord. the
joyous; and all for your love's sake. Amen.
That we may depart this life in your faith and fear, Here may be sung a hymn or anthem.
and not be condemned before the great judgment seat
Authorized intercessions and thanksgivings may follow.
of Christ, Before the close of the Office one or both of the following may be used
We entreat you, O Lord. The General Thanksgiving
Officiant and People
That we may be bound together by your Holy Spirit in
the communion of [________ and] all your saints, Almighty God, Father of all mercies,
entrusting one another and all our life to Christ, we your unworthy servants give you humble thanks
for all your goodness and loving-kindness
to us and to all whom you have made.
We bless you for our creation, preservation,
and all the blessings of this life;
but above all for your immeasurable love
in the redemption of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ;
for the means of grace, and for the hope of glory.
And, we pray, give us such an awareness of your mercies,
that with truly thankful hearts we may show forth your
praise,
not only with our lips, but in our lives,
by giving up our selves to your service,
and by walking before you
in holiness and righteousness all our days;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit,
be honor and glory throughout all ages. Amen.
Then may be said

Let us bless the Lord.

Thanks be to God.
From Easter Day through the Day of Pentecost "Alleluia, alleluia" may
be added to the preceding versicle and response.
Glory to God whose power, working in us, can do
infinitely
more than we can ask or imagine: Glory to him from
generation to generation in the Church, and in Christ
Jesus
for ever and ever. Amen. Ephesians 3:20,21 Additional Information

(From Choralevensong.org)
An English history
As an English language service, Evensong dates back to the time of the
Reformation, using elements of the old monastic Offices of Vespers
and Compline. The liturgy (a fixed set of words and ceremonial
features) that the Church uses to this day was was laid out in
Archbishop Cranmer’s Book of Common Prayer, the first version of
which appeared in 1549. The music took shape a few decades later, in
the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, with great composers like William
Byrd and Thomas Tallis developing exquisite polyphonic choral music
specifically for this new service, and in each subsequent generation
new composers have continued to add great music to the repertoire of
Evensong. This has inspired a unique 500-year-old unbroken
tradition of choir school foundations across Britain and Ireland that
has been responsible for the very high standard of choral
singing maintained to this day.
Cranmer created the liturgy of Evensong with the general public in
mind, motivated by the fact that it would condense more services than
people could be expected to attend into one short service; the people
of his day were not well-versed in Scripture; the public services were in
Latin; and they were too elaborate for simple people to follow.
The music
Cranmer’s Evensong starts with the chanting of the Old Testament
Psalms. Their mantra-like repetition often helps create a peaceful
atmosphere, but one that is soon interrupted by the exuberant burst
of the ‘Magnificat’ - the song of a young woman, Mary, rejoicing at the
prospect of the birth of her child, Jesus - and then made solemn by the
New Testament's ‘Nunc Dimittis’ - the song of an old man, Simeon,
gently facing his death, eye-to-eye, now his life has been fulfilled by
meeting Jesus. A major aspect of the genius of the service is the
balance between female and male, young and old, and Old and New
Testament in these 'Canticles'. An anthem follows that fits the mood
of the day, and the service finishes after a second hymn. Afterwards
the church resonates with the playing of the organ, often one of the
great organ works of Bach.
The interspersing of these varied musical forms amongst passages of
beautiful spoken liturgy and moments of contemplative silence lends a
balance, completeness, and complex psychology to the form of the
service.
The high proportion of music in the Evensong service is arguably what
distinguishes it from other church services. As mentioned above, it is
free to come to hear its choral music, performed live and often to a
high standard. And music is very good at carrying us beyond the
limitations of human words towards those things we cannot articulate.
The Magnificat is a joyful song, the Nunc Dimittis a sung plea, the
Psalms pure praise. Music's communication of these feelings is
immediate.
A community-binding ritual
The fact that Evensong has had such a long evolution means that one
has a powerful sense of connecting present with past, of tapping into
something much greater than ourselves. As we come together in a
church at the end of the day we join a vast community enduring
both through time and in the same place, by acting in the same way as
countless people have done before us for over a thousand years.
Enchanting our land

Evensong may also literally "en-chant" our land through chant. The
concept of perpetual choirs has been around for millennia, and some
choirs in Britain come close to this ideal by singing Evensong each day
of the week, throughout the year, every year. Thinking another
way, the global choral evensong tradition may function as one large
perpetual choir, "enchanting" the world.

(Information from st. james music press)

A General Order for Choral Evensong

Organ Voluntary
Introit (optional)
The Preces, sung by the Officiant and the choir.
Phos Hilaron - a setting of "O Gracious Light" sung by the choir or as
a congregational hymn. (optional)
A Psalm appointed for the day, sung by the choir.
The First Lesson appointed for the day, read by a priest or
layreader.
A hymn sung by the choir and congregation. (optional)
A setting of the Magnificat sung by the choir.
The Second Lesson appointed for the day, read by a priest or
layreader.
A setting of the Nunc dimittis sung by the choir.
The Apostle's Creed, chanted on a monotone by the choir and
congregation.
The Suffrages, sung by the Officiant and the choir.
The Evening Collects, chanted by the Officiant.
An Anthem, appropriate for the day or season, sung by the choir.
Closing Prayer(s) said by a priest. (optional)
A Hymn sung by the choir and congregation.
Organ Voluntary