Photo of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., being detained for “loitering” on September 3, 1958, in Montgomery, Alabama. Coretta Scott King (second from right) looks on.
Photo by Charles Moore (public domain—not registered for copyright)
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.
Adapted from prayers by Dr. King (details)
Most Gracious and all-wise God,
before whose face the generations rise and fall,
Thou in whom we live, and move, and have our being:
We thank thee for all of thy good and gracious gifts,
for life and for health;
for food and for raiment;
for the beauties of nature and the love of human nature.
Our loving Father, from Thy hand have come all the days of the past. To Thee we look for whatever good the future holds. We are not satisfied with the world as we have found it. It is too little the kingdom of God as yet. Grant us the privilege of a part in its regeneration. We are looking for a new earth in which dwells righteousness. It is our prayer that we may be children of light, the kind of people for whose coming and ministry the world is waiting.
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:
We come before thee painfully aware of our inadequacies and shortcomings.
Officiant:
We realize that we stand
surrounded with the mountains of love
All:
and we deliberately dwell in the valley of hate.
Officiant:
We stand amid the forces of truth
All:
and we deliberately lie.
Officiant:
We are forever offered the high road
All:
and yet we choose to travel the low road.
Officiant:
And, often, when we have done no evil,
All:
we have undertaken nothing of good,
and so have been guilty of uselessness and neglect.
Officiant:
For these sins, O God, forgive us. Break the spell of that which blinds our minds. Purify our hearts, that we may see thee. O God, in these turbulent days, when fear and doubt are mounting high, give us broad visions, penetrating eyes, and power of endurance. Help us to work with rewed vigor for a warless world, for a better distribution of wealth, and for a beloved community that transcends race or color.
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. In the name and spirit of Jesus, we pray.
All:
Amen
Officiant:
And now unto Him who is able to keep us from falling.
And now unto Him who is able to lift us from the fatigue of despair
to the buoyancy of hope.
And now unto Him who is able to free us all from white supremacy
if we will cooperate with Him.
And now unto Him who is able to transform this cosmic energy
into constructive force.
Now unto Him who is able to transform this midnight of injustice
into a glowing daybreak of freedom and justice.
To Him be power and authority, majesty and dominion,
now, henceforth, and forever more.
All:
Amen
Those designated sing a hymn:
Amazing Grace
Words: John Newton (1725–1807), alt.
Music: New Britain (Virginia Harmony,1831; Southern Harmony,1835), adapt. after Edwin Othello Excell (1851–1921)
The verses will be sung by:
- Stacy
- Philip
- Luke
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, Luke 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 100 (NRSV)
Luke will serve as leader and Philip will serve as responder.
Leader:
Make a joyful noise to the Lord,
all the ◊ earth.
Worship the Lord with glad-ness; *
Responder:
come into his pres-ence with sing-ing.
Leader:
Know that the Lord is ◊ God.
It is he that made us, and we are his; *
Responder:
we are his people, and the sheep of his pas-ture.
Leader:
Enter his gates with thanks-giv-ing, *
Responder:
and his courts with praise.
Leader:
Give thanks to him, *
Responder:
bless his name.
Leader:
For the Lord is ◊ good;
his steadfast love endures for-ev-er, *
Responder:
and his faithfulness to all gen-er-a-tions.
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.
Psalm 122 (Coverdale)
Stacy will serve as leader and Luke 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.
Luke 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:
The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
“When Peace Becomes Obnoxious”
Sermon preached on March 18, 1956, at Dexter Avenue Baptist Church, Montgomery, AL (details)
Yes, there was peace … but it was peace at a great price: it was peace that had been purchased at the exorbitant price of … succumbing to the whims and caprices of a vicious mob. It was peace that had been purchased at the price of allowing mobocracy to reign supreme over democracy. It was peace that had been purchased at the price of capitulating to the force of darkness. This is the type of peace that all men of goodwill hate. It is the type of peace that is obnoxious. It is the type of peace that stinks in the nostrils of the Almighty God.
In a very profound passage which has been often misunderstood, Jesus utters this: He says, “Think not that I am come to bring peace. I come not to bring peace but a sword.” … What He is saying is: “I come not to bring this peace of escapism, this peace that fails to confront the real issues of life, the peace that makes for stagnant complacency.” Then He says, “I come to bring a sword”—not a physical sword. “Whenever I come, a conflict is precipitated between the old and the new, between justice and injustice, between the forces of light and the forces of darkness. I come to declare war over injustice. I come to declare war on evil.”
Peace is not merely the absence of some negative force—war, tension, confusion—but it is the presence of some positive force—justice, goodwill, the power of the kingdom of God. … Jesus says in substance, “I will not be content until justice, goodwill, brotherhood, love, yes, the Kingdom of God are established upon the earth.” This is real peace—a peace embodied with the presence of positive good.
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
Philip 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.
Stacy will serve as leader and Luke will serve as “all.”
The leader begins the collects:
Philip will serve as leader and Luke will serve as “all.”
Leader:
Leader:
Almighty God, by the hand of Moses your servant
you led your people out of slavery,
and made them free at last:
Grant that your church,
following the example of your prophet Martin Luther King,
may resist oppression in the name of your love,
and may strive to secure for all your children
the blessed liberty of the Gospel of Jesus Christ;
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.
All:
by Fr. Leo O’Donovan, SJ (details)
Leader:
Be with us, Holy Mystery of Love,
as we dream together.
Help us under our new President
to reconcile the people of our land,
restore our dream,
and invest it with peace and justice
and the joy that is the overflow of love.
To the glory of your Name 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:
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 an antiphon:
Libera Nos
Sarum Rite Plainchant
Philip will sing part A and Luke will sing part B.
Free us,
Save us,
Justify us,
O blessed Trinity.
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:
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.