Anonymous, illumination of St. Hilarion (detail) from the Menologion of Basil II (Ms. Vat. gr. 1613), c. 1000, Bibliotheca Apostolica Vaticana, Vatican City
Penitential Rite
Luke will serve as “all.”
Officiant:
Friends, it is in vain that we rise up so early, and go so late to rest, and eat the bread of anxiety: for God gives sleep to his beloved.
Dear God,
thank you for all that is good,
for our creation and for our humanity,
for the stewardship you have given us of this planet Earth,
for the gifts of life and of one another,
for your love, which is unbounded and eternal.
Let us come to God as one from whom no secrets are hidden, to ask for forgiveness and peace.
A moment of silence is kept.
May the God of Love have mercy on us, pardon us, and set us free. Know that you are forgiven and be at peace. May God strengthen us in all goodness and keep us in life eternal.
All:
Amen
Opening Sentences
Philip will serve as “all.”
Those designated sing the Compline hymn:
Te Lucis ante Terminum
(Sarum Rite Plainchant, Festal Tone)
Luke will sing verse 1, Philip will sing verse 2, and Stacy will sing verse 3.
Before the end of the light,
we beg you, creator of all,
that you, with familiar mercy,
might be the leader of our care.
Let troubled dreams withdraw to the distance.
Silence our enemy
and all deceptions of the night,
that our bodies may rest secure.
Be present, omnipotent father,
through the Lord, Jesus Christ,
who with you forever
reigns with the Holy Spirit.
Psalmody
The psalms are sung antiphonally. You are invited to join either the “leader” or the “responder” part (with your microphone muted).
Luke will sing the opening antiphon.
Antiphon: Have mercy on me, Lord, and hear my prayer.
Psalm 4 (Coverdale)
Luke will serve as leader and Stacy will serve as responder.
Leader:
Hear me when I call, O God of my right-eousness *
Responder:
thou hast set me at liberty when I was in trouble; have mercy upon me, and hearken un-to my prayer.
Leader:
O ye sons of men, how long will ye blaspheme mine hon-our *
Responder:
and have such pleasure in vanity, and seek af-ter leas-ing?
Leader:
Know this also, that the Lord hath chosen to himself the man that is god-ly *
Responder:
when I call upon the Lord, he will hear me.
Leader:
Stand in awe, and sin ◊ not: commune with your own heart, and in your chamber, and be still *
Responder:
Offer the sacrifice of righteousness and put your trust in the Lord.
Leader:
There be many that say, *
Responder:
“Who will shew us an-y good?”
Leader:
Lord, lift thou up *
Responder:
the light of thy counte-nance up-on us.
Leader:
Thou hast put gladness in my heart *
Responder:
since the time that their corn, and wine, and oil increased.
Leader:
I will lay me down in ◊ peace, and take my rest *
Responder:
for it is thou, Lord, only, that makest me dwell in safe-ty.
Leader:
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, *
Responder:
and to the Ho-ly Ghost,
Leader:
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, *
Responder:
world with-out end. A-men.
Psalm 122 (Coverdale)
Luke will serve as leader and Philip will serve as responder.
Leader:
I was glad when they said unto me *
Responder:
“We will go into the house of the Lord.”
Leader:
Our feet shall stand in thy gates *
Responder:
O Je -ru-salem.
Leader:
Jerusalem is built as a ci-ty *
Responder:
that is at uni-ty in it-self.
Leader:
For thither the tribes go up, even the tribes of the Lord *
Responder:
to testify unto Israel, to give thanks un-to the Name of the Lord.
Leader:
For there is the seat of judge-ment *
Responder:
even the seat of the house of Da-vid.
Leader:
O pray for the peace of Je-ru-salem *
Responder:
they shall pros-per that love thee.
Leader:
Peace be within thy walls *
Responder:
and plenteousness with-in thy pa-laces.
Leader:
For my brethren and companions’ sakes *
Responder:
I will wish thee pros-per-ity.
Leader:
Yea, because of the house of the Lord our God *
Responder:
I will seek to do thee good.
Leader:
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, *
Responder:
and to the Ho-ly Ghost,
Leader:
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, *
Responder:
world with-out end. A-men.
Philip will sing the ending antiphon.
Antiphon: Have mercy on me, Lord, and hear my prayer.
Short Reading
Stacy will serve as leader and Luke will serve as “all.”
The leader chants the reading:
Matthew 6:25, 27, 28b–29 (NRSV)
“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life?
“Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these.”
Responsories
Philip will serve as leader and Luke will serve as “all.”
All sing an aleatoric responsory:
Epitaph
Text by Sarah Williams; music by F.J. Haydn (details)
- Philip sings the melody once, ending on “oo.”
- All join in the unison “oo” while Luke repeats the melody, ending on “oo.”
- Everyone sings the melody, starting at different times and moving at different speeds, ending by returning to “oo.”
- Once everyone is singing “oo,” gradually fade into silence.
Prayers
Stacy will serve as leader and Luke will serve as “all.”
The leader begins the Lord’s Prayer:
All continue silently until “and lead us not …”:
… who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy Name,
thy kingdom come,
thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those
who trespass against us …
and then conclude:
A moment of silence is kept.
Luke will serve as leader and Philip will serve as “all.”
The leader begins the collects:
Philip will serve as leader and Stacy will serve as “all.”
Leader:
Leader:
O most mighty and merciful God,
in this time of grievous sickness,
we flee unto thee for succour.
Deliver us, we beseech thee, from our peril;
give strength and skill to all those who minister to the sick;
prosper the means made use of for their cure;
and grant that, perceiving how frail and uncertain our life is,
we may apply our hearts unto that heavenly wisdom
which leadeth to eternal life;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
All:
Leader:
Keep watch, dear Lord,
with those who work, or watch, or weep this night,
and give your angels charge over those who sleep.
Tend the sick, Lord Christ; give rest to the weary,
bless the dying, soothe the suffering,
pity the afflicted, shield the joyous;
and all for your love’s sake.
All:
Leader:
Be present, Spirit of God,
within us, your dwelling place and home,
that this house may be one where
all darkness is penetrated by your light,
all troubles calmed by your peace,
all evil redeemed by your love,
all pain transformed in your suffering,
and all dying glorified in your risen life.
All:
Leader:
Lighten our darkness, we beseech thee, O Lord,
and by thy great mercy defend us
from all perils and dangers of this night;
through Jesus Christ our savior,
who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit
for ever and ever.
All:
After the collects, we will keep a moment of silence to call to mind our concerns, reflections, intentions, and reasons for thankfulness. Those who wish to share them aloud will be invited to do so.
❦
Those designated sing:
The Kontakion of our Venerable
and God-bearing Father
Hilarion the Great
Prostopinije, Tone 3
Text: The Orthodox Church in America
The verses will be sung by:
- Philip
- Luke
- Philip
- Luke
- Stacy
Canticle
The canticle is sung antiphonally. You are invited to join either the “leader” or the “responder” part (with your microphone muted).
Stacy will serve as leader and Luke will serve as responder.
Nunc Dimittis: Luke 2:29–32
Leader:
Lord, you now have set your ser-vant free *
Responder:
to go in peace as you have pro-mised,
Leader:
For with my eyes I have seen *
Responder:
your sal-va-tion,
Leader:
→ which you have pre-pared *
Responder:
before the sight of all peo-ple:
Leader:
A light to shine through all na -tions *
Responder:
and the glory of your peo-ple,Isra-el.
Leader:
Glo -ry be to the Fa-ther, and to the Son, *
Responder:
and to the Ho-ly Spi-rit,
Leader:
As it was in the be-gin-ning, is now, *
Responder:
and will be fore-ver. A-men.
Benediction
Luke will serve as “all.”
Those designated sing the Marian antiphon:
Salve, Regina
(Gregorian Chant, Simple Tone)
Philip will sing part A; Luke will sing part B.
Hail, Queen, mother of mercy;
Our light, our sweetness, and our hope, hail!
We cry out to you, we exiles, children of Eve.
We sigh for you, groaning and weeping, in this valley of tears.
Ah! Therefore, our advocate,
those merciful eyes of yours—turn them to us.
And Jesus, the blessed fruit of your womb—after this exile,
point him out to us.
O gentle, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary.
It is traditional to end Compline with a few moments for silent reflection.