Compline for the Feast of the Presentation

Compline

228^th Convention of the Diocese of Delaware

February 1, 2013 - Feast of the Presentation

Leader

The Spirit of God be our guide,

   granting us a peaceful night and a perfect end.  Amen.

Leader        Our help is in the name of the eternal God,

 People       who is making the heavens and the earth.

Leader        O Holy One, flow through our being and open our hearts;

People        so we may proclaim your praise.

Psalm 121            (Read responsively verse by verse)

I lift up my eyes to the hills;

  from where is my help to come?

My help comes from God,

  the maker of heaven and earth.

God will not let your foot be moved;

  the One who watches over you will not fall asleep.

Behold, the One who keeps watch over Israel

  shall neither slumber nor sleep;

The Holy One watches over you

  and is your shade at your right hand,

So that the sun shall not strike you by day,

  nor the moon by night.

God shall preserve you from all evil,

  and is the One who shall keep you safe.

God shall watch over your going out and your coming in,

  from this time for the for evermore.

All     Glory to the undivided Trinity, One God;

         as it was in the beginning is now and will be forever.

Scripture Reading – Matthew 11: 28-30

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

People        Thanks be to God.

Closing Prayers

Leader        Into your merciful hands we commend ourselves;

People        For you have redeemed us, O God of truth and love.

Leader        Keep us, loving God, as the apple of your eye,

People        Hide us under the shadow of your wings.

Leader        Let us pray

All

Beloved, Holy One,

Your name be hallowed;

Your reign spread among us;

Your will be done

At all times, in all places

In heaven and on earth.

Give us the bread we need for today.

Forgive us our sins

   as we forgive those who sin against us.

Let us not fail in our time of testing.

Spare us from trials too sharp to endure.

Free us from the grip of all evil powers.

For yours is the reign,

The power and the glory,

The victory of love,

Now and for eternity

World without end.

So be it.  Amen.

Leader        We give you thanks, O God, for revealing your Son Jesus Christ to us by the light of his resurrection:  As we praise your glory at the close of this day, grant that our joy may abound once more in the morning; through Jesus Christ, our Savior. Amen.

                  O God, your unfailing providence sustains the world we live in and the life we live; watch over those, both night and day, who work while others sleep, and grant that we may never forget that our common life depends upon each other’s toil; through Jesus, our Redeemer.  Amen.

Leader        Guide us waking, O Lord,

All              and guard us sleeping; that awake we may watch with Christ,

                  and asleep we may rest in peace.

(Read responsively)

I will lie down and take my rest,

for it is in God alone that I dwell unafraid.

Let us bless the Life-Giver, the Pain-Bearer, the Love-Maker;

let us praise and exalt God above all forever.

May God’s name be praised beyond the furthest star,

glorified and exalted above all forever.

All              Guide us waking, O Lord, and guard us sleeping;

                  that awake we may watch with Christ,

                  and asleep we may rest in peace.

Blessing  

Leader

Blessing, light and glory surround us and scatter the darkness of the long and lonely night.  May the divine Spirit dwell with us always.

All     Thanks be to God.

Sources used: 

Book of Common Prayer 1979

Prayer at Night’s Approaching by Jim Cotter – Harrisburg, PA: Morehouse Publishing, 1997

The Saint Helena Breviary – New York: Church Publishing, Inc., 2006