Penitential Rite
Tim 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.
Officiant:
Oh God, you made us in your own image
and redeemed us through Jesus your son.
Look now with compassion on the entire human family;
and particularly this part of the family,
in the United States, and those in our nation’s capital;
take away the arrogance and hatred which infect our hearts;
break down the walls that separate us;
unite us in bonds of love;
and work through our struggle and confusion
to accomplish your purposes on earth;
that, in your good time, all nations and races
may serve you in harmony around your heavenly throne;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
All:
Amen
Officiant:
Rise up and come to our help,
merciful God, for we are in need.
Our spirits are weighed down with fear;
our bodies feel as fragile as the dust from which we came.
All that we have trusted seems hidden from sight.
Although this moment has come upon our nation, you have not forgotten us.
We do not trust in our own power or strength,
but in your steadfast love in every generation.
Show us your face in this time of trial,
remind us of your faithfulness,
and save us for the sake of Jesus Christ our Lord.
All:
Amen
A moment of silence is kept.
Officiant:
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)
Philip will sing verse 1, Hannah K. will sing verse 2, and Luke 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).
Stacy will sing the opening antiphon.
Antiphon: Have mercy on me, Lord, and hear my prayer.
Psalm 72 (Alter, adapted)
Stacy will serve as leader and Hannah K. will serve as responder.
Leader:
God, grant Your judgements to the queen *
Responder:
and Your righteousness to the queen’s daugh-ter.
Leader:
May she judge Your people right-eously *
Responder:
and Your lowly ones in jus-tice.
Leader:
May the mountains bear peace to the peo-ple, *
Responder:
and the hills right-eousness.
Leader:
May she bring justice to the lowly of the pe-◊-ople, may she rescue the children of the need-y *
Responder:
and crush the op-pres-sor.
Leader:
May she live as long as the sun *
Responder:
and as long as the moon, gener-a-tions un-told.
Leader:
May she come down like rain on new-mown grass, *
Responder:
like showers that mois-ten the earth.
Leader:
May the just flourish in her days: *
Responder:
and abundant peace till the moon is no more.
Leader:
And may she hold sway from sea to sea, *
Responder:
from the River to the ends of the earth.
Leader:
Before her may the desert-folk kneel, *
Responder:
and her enemies lick the dust.
Leader:
May kings of Tarshish and the islands bring trib-ute, *
Responder:
may kings of Sheba and Siba of-fer vas-sal-gifts.
Leader:
And may all kings bow to her, *
Responder:
all na-tions serve her.
Leader:
For she saves the needy one plead-ing, *
Responder:
and the lowly who have none to help them.
Leader:
She pities the poor and the need-y. *
Responder:
and the lives of the need-y she res-cues,
Leader:
from scheming and outrage re-deems them, *
Responder:
and their blood is dear in her sight.
Leader:
Long may she live, *
Responder:
and the gold of Sheba be giv-en to her.
Leader:
May she be prayed for al-ways, *
Responder:
all day long be bless-èd.
Leader:
May there be abundance of grain in the land, *
Responder:
on the moun -tain-tops.
Leader:
May her fruit rustle like Leb-anon, *
Responder:
and may they sprout from the town like grass of the land.
Leader:
May her name be for-ev-er. *
Responder:
As long as the sun may her name bear fruit.
Leader:
And may all nations be blessed through her, *
Responder:
and may all nations call her hap-py.
Leader:
Blessed is the Lord God, Israel’s God, *
Responder:
performing won-ders a-lone,
Leader:
and blessed is God’s glory for-ev-er, *
Responder:
and may God’s glory fill all the earth. A-men and a-men.
Psalm 61 (Coverdale)
Philip will serve as leader and Tim will serve as responder.
Leader:
Hear my crying, O God, *
Responder:
give ear un-to my prayer.
Leader:
From the ends of the earth will I call up-on thee *
Responder:
when my heart is in heav-iness.
Leader:
O set me up upon the rock that is higher than I *
Responder:
for thou hast been my hope, and a strong tower for me a-gainst the en-emy.
Leader:
I will dwell in thy tabernacle for ev-er *
Responder:
and my trust shall be under the cov-er-ing of thy wings.
Leader:
For thou, O Lord, hast heard my desires *
Responder:
and hast given an heritage unto those that fear thy Name.
Leader:
Thou shalt grant the King a long life *
Responder:
that his years may endure throughout all gen-er-a-tions.
Leader:
He shall dwell before God for ev-er *
Responder:
O prepare thy loving mercy and faithfulness, that they may pre-serve him.
Leader:
So will I alway sing praise unto thy Name *
Responder:
that I may dai-ly per-form my vows.
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.
Micah 5:1–5 (Alter)
Stacy will serve as leader and Luke will serve as responder.
Leader:
And you, Bethlehem of Eph-rath, *
Responder:
the least of Ju-dah’s clans
Leader:
from you shall one come forth for Me *
Responder:
to be ru-ler of Is-rael
Leader:
whose origins are from an-cient times, *
Responder:
from days of yore.
Leader:
Therefore shall He give them o-ver *
Responder:
till the time the woman in la-bor bears her child,
Leader:
and the rest of his brothers shall come back *
Responder:
with the Is-ra-el-ites.
Leader:
And he shall stand and shepherd them by the might of the Lord, *
Responder:
by the pride of the name of the Lord his God.
Leader:
And they shall dwell se-cure, *
Responder:
for then shall he be great to the ends of the earth.
Leader:
And thus shall be the ◊ peace: Assyria shall not enter our land *
Responder:
nor tread in our cit-adels.
Leader:
And we shall set up against him seven shep-herds *
Responder:
and eight princes of the peo-ples,
Leader:
and they shall smash the land of Assyria with the sword *
Responder:
and the land of Nimrod in its gate-ways.
Leader:
And they shall save us from Assyr-◊-ia should he enter our land *
Responder:
and should he tread with-in our bor-ders.
Leader:
Glory to the holy, consub-stan-tial, *
Responder:
lifegiving and undi-vi-ded Tri-nity:
Leader:
always, now and ev-er, *
Responder:
and to ages of ag-es. A-men.
Isaiah 60:1–6, 7b (Alter)
Hannah K. will serve as leader and Philip will serve as responder.
Leader:
Rise, O shine for your light has come *
Responder:
and the glory of the Lord has dawned o-ver you.
Leader:
For, look, darkness covers the earth, *
Responder:
and thick mist, the peo-ples,
Leader:
but nations shall walk by your light, *
Responder:
and kings by your dawn-ing ra-diance.
Leader:
Raise your eyes all round and see: *
Responder:
they all have ga-thered, come to you.
Leader:
Your sons shall come from a-far *
Responder:
and your daughters dan-dled on the hip.
Leader:
Then shall you see and gleam, *
Responder:
and your heart shall throb and swell,
Leader:
for the sea’s bounty shall be yours, *
Responder:
the wealth of na-tions shall come to you.
Leader:
A tide of camels shall co-◊-ver you, dromedaries from Midian and Eph-ah, *
Responder:
they all shall come fron She-ba.
Leader:
Gold and frankincese they shall bear, *
Responder:
and the Lord’s praise they shall proclaim.
Leader:
They shall be welcome offerings on My al-tar, *
Responder:
and the house of My splendor I will make splen-did.
Leader:
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, *
Responder:
and to the Ho-ly Spir-it,
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 Tim will serve as “all.”
The leader chants the reading:
Matthew 2:1–2, 9–11 (NRSV)
In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage.”
They set out for Bethlehem, and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
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 Tim 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 Hannah K. will serve as “all.”
The leader begins the collects:
Philip will serve as leader and Luke will serve as “all.”
Leader:
Leader:
Jesus, light of the world,
let your bright star stand over the place
where the poor have to live;
lead our sages to wisdom
and our rulers to reverence.
Hear this prayer for your love’s sake.
All:
Leader:
Eternal God, in whose perfect kingdom
no sword is drawn but the sword of righteousness,
no strength known but the strength of love:
So mightily spread abroad your Spirit,
that all peoples may be gathered together
under the banner of the Prince of Peace,
as children of one God and Creator of us all;
to whom be dominion and glory, now and forever.
All:
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:
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 a hymn:
We Three Kings
by John Henry Hopkins, Jr. (1820–1891)
Philip will sing the “gold” parts (verse 2), Tim will sing the “frankincense” parts (verse 3), and Hannah K. will sing the “myrrh” parts (verse 4).
Canticle
The canticle is sung antiphonally. You are invited to join either the “leader” or the “responder” part (with your microphone muted).
Luke will serve as leader and Hannah K. 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
Tim will serve as “all.”
Those designated sing the Marian antiphon:
Alma Redemptoris Mater
Simple Tone
Philip will sing part A; Luke will sing part B.
Nourishing mother of our redeemer,
gate of heaven,
star of the sea,
help your people who have fallen yet strive to rise again.
To the wonderment of nature, you bore your Creator,
yet remained a virgin after as before.
You who received Gabriel's joyful greeting,
have compassion for us sinners.
It is traditional to end Compline with a few moments for silent reflection.