Giotto, "Ascension," from "Scenes from the Life of Christ," c. 1305, fresco, 200 × 185 cm, Cappella Scrovegni, Padua, Italy
At the Beginning of the Hour
Those designated sing an invitatory antiphon:
Alleluia, Christum Ascendentem
Sarum Rite Plainchant
Stacy will sing part A; Philip will sing part B.
Alleluia, Christ has ascended into heaven.
Come, let us adore, alleluia.
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)
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).
Stacy will sing the opening antiphon.
Psalm 122 (Coverdale)
Stacy will serve as leader and Philip will serve as responder.
Leader:
I was glad when they said unto me *
Responder:
“We will go in-to 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.
Psalm 46 (Coverdale/BCP)
Stacy will serve as leader and Luke will serve as responder.
Leader:
God is our hope and strength *
Responder:
a very present help in trou-ble.
Leader:
Therefore will we not fear, though the earth be moved *
Responder:
and though the hills be carried into the midst of the sea.
Leader:
Though the waters thereof rage and swell *
Responder:
and though the mountains tremble at its tu-mult.
Leader:
The Lord of hosts is with us *
Responder:
the God of Jacob is our ref-uge.
Leader:
There is a river, the streams whereof make glad the ci-ty of God *
Responder:
the holy place of the tabernacle of the most High-est.
Leader:
God is in the midst of ◊ her, therefore shall she not be removed *
Responder:
God shall help her at the break of day.
Leader:
The nations make much ado, and the kingdoms are moved *
Responder:
but God hath shewed his voice, and the earth shall melt away.
Leader:
The Lord of hosts is with us *
Responder:
the God of Jacob is our ref-uge.
Leader:
O come hither, and behold the works of the Lord *
Responder:
what destruction he hath brought up-on the earth.
Leader:
He maketh wars to cease in all the world *
Responder:
he breaketh the bow, and snappeth the spear in sunder, and burneth the char-iots in the fire.
Leader:
“Be still then, and know that I am God *
Responder:
I will be exalted among the nations, and I will be ex-alt-ed in the earth.”
Leader:
The Lord of hosts is with us *
Responder:
the God of Jacob is our ref-uge.
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 47: 1–2, 4–10 (NZPB)
Luke will serve as leader and Philip will serve as responder.
Leader:
Clap your hands all you peo-ples: *
Responder:
cry out to God with shouts of joy.
Leader:
For the Lord most high is to be feared: *
Responder:
and is the great sovereign o-ver all the earth.
Leader:
The Lord chose a land to be our her-itage: *
Responder:
it is the pride of Ja-cob whom God loves.
Leader:
God has gone up with shouts of tri-umph: *
Responder:
the Lord has gone up with a fan-fare of trum-pets.
Leader:
Sing praises, sing praises to God: *
Responder:
sing praises, sing prais-es to our king.
Leader:
For God is the king of all the earth: *
Responder:
sing praises with your ut-most skill.
Leader:
God reigns over the na-tions: *
Responder:
God is seated on a ho-ly throne.
Leader:
The princes of the nations as-sem-ble: *
Responder:
with the people of the God of A-braham.
Leader:
For the mighty ones of the earth have become the servants of God: *
Responder:
the Lord is ex-alt-ed o-ver all.
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.
Short Reading
Stacy will serve as leader and Philip will serve as “all.”
The leader chants the reading:
Acts 1:1–11 (NRSV)
In the first book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus did and taught from the beginning until the day when he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. After his suffering he presented himself alive to them by many convincing proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God. While staying with them, he ordered them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait there for the promise of the Father. “This,” he said, “is what you have heard from me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”
So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?” He replied, “It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” When he had said this, as they were watching, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. While he was going and they were gazing up toward heaven, suddenly two men in white robes stood by them. They said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up toward heaven? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”
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.”
- 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
Luke will serve as leader and Philip 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:
The heavens are open wide
since Jesus our brother, our Redeemer,
has entered through the veil.
We thank you for his new and living way,
by which we join the unnumbered millions
who are with you forever.
Praise to you our God; you answer prayer.
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
under the banner of the Prince of Peace,
as children of one Father;
to whom be dominion and glory, now and for ever.
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 a sequence:
Rex Omnipotens
Sarum Rite Plainchant
Luke will sing part A; Philip will sing part B.
The almighty king, today, having ransomed the world by his triumphant power, ascended victorious into heaven, whence he had come.
After he had risen, for forty holy days, he strengthened the hearts of the apostles, leaving his dear kiss of peace. He gave them the power to forgive sins and sent them into the world to baptize all souls in the mercy of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Eating with them, he commanded them not to go out from Jerusalem, but to await the gifts he had promised: “In a few days, I will send the Spirit, the Paraclete, to you on Earth, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria.”
When he had said this, as they watched, he was lifted up, and a bright cloud took him away from them as their eyes gazed into the ether.
Behold! Two men clothed in white robes stood among them, saying, “Why are you looking up toward heaven? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you to the right hand of the Father, as he ascended, so he will come, seeking the interest on the talents he has entrusted to you.”
O God of the sky, of the sea, of the field, you created humankind. By cunning fraud, the enemy drove us out of paradise and dragged us, captive, with him into Tartarus. You ransomed us, God, with your own blood. Bear us, also, to the place whence we once fell—to the joys of paradise. Judge, when you come to judge all ages, give us, we pray, eternal joy in the homeland of the saints, where we all will sing to you, “Alleluia.”
Canticle
The canticle is sung antiphonally. You are invited to join either the “leader” or the “responder” part (with your microphone muted).
Philip 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:
Regina Caeli, Laetare
(Gregorian Chant, Simple Tone)
Luke will sing part A; Philip will sing part B.
Queen of heaven, rejoice, alleluia,
for the one whom you were worthy to bear, alleluia,
has risen, just as he said. Alleluia.
Pray for us to God. Alleluia.
It is traditional to end Compline with a few moments for silent reflection.