adapted from A New Zealand Prayer Book
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I lie down in peace and take my rest, for it is in God alone that I dwell unafraid. Amen.
My brothers and sisters, our help is in the name of the eternal God,
who is making the heavens and the earth.
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. O thou, most holy and beloved, my Companion, my Guide upon the way, my bright evening star.
We repent the wrongs we have done:
We have wounded your love.
O God, heal us.
We stumble in the darkness.
Light of the world transfigure us.
We forget that we are your home.
Spirit of God, dwell in us.
Eternal Spirit, living God, in whom we live and move and have our being, all that we are, have been, and shall be is known to you, to the very secret of our hearts and all that rises to trouble us. Living flame burn into us, cleansing wind, blow through us, fountain of water, well up within us, that we may love and praise in deed and in truth.
Eternal Spirit, flow through our being and open our lips,
that our mouths may proclaim your praise.
Let us worship the God of love.
Alleluia, alleluia.
Psalm 121
I will lift up my eyes to the mountains,
but where shall I find help?
From you alone, O God, does my help come,
creator of the ever changing hills.
You will not let me stumble on the rough pathways,
you care for me and watch over me without ceasing.
I am sure that the Guardian of my people
neither slumbers nor sleeps.
The God of all nations keeps watch,
like a shadow spread over me.
So the sun will not strike me by day,
nor the moon by night.
You will defend me in the presence of evil,
you will guard my life.
You will defend my going out and my coming in,
this night and always.
2 Corinthians 4:6–10
It is the God who said, Let light shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, to show that the transcendent power belongs to God and not to us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our body.
V. Into your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit;
R. For you have redeemed me, O Lord, O God of truth.
V. Keep us, O Lord, as the apple of your eye;
R. Hide us under the shadow of your wings.
Silently or loud, we offer the prayers of our hearts and of the world.
Preserve us, O God, while waking, and guard us while sleeping, that awake we may watch with Christ, and asleep may rest in your peace.
Let us say together, the Song of Simeon (Nunc Dimittis)
Praise be to God, I have lived to see this day.
God’s promise is fulfilled, and my duty done.
At last you have given me peace,
for I have seen with my own eyes
the salvation you have prepared for all nations –
a light to the world in its darkness,
and the glory of your people Israel.
Glory be to God, sustaining, redeeming, sanctifying,
as in the beginning, so now, and for ever. Amen.
Preserve us, O God, while waking, and guard us while sleeping, that awake we may watch with Christ, and asleep may rest in your peace.
Lord have mercy.
Christ have mercy.
Lord have mercy.
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your Name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins,
as we forgive those
who sin against us.
Save us from the time of trial,
and deliver us from evil.
I will lie down in peace and take my rest,
for it is in God alone that I dwell unafraid.
Let us bless the Earth-maker, the Pain-bearer, the Life-giver,
let us praise and exalt God above all for ever.
May God’s name be praised beyond the furthest star,
glorified and exalted above all for ever.
Lord,
it is night.
The night is for stillness.
Let us be still in the presence of God.
It is night after a long day.
What has been done has been done;
what has not been done has not been done;
let it be.
The night is dark.
Let our fears of the darkness of the world and of our own lives
rest in you.
The night is quiet.
Let the quietness of your peace enfold us,
all dear to us,
and all who have no peace.
The night heralds the dawn.
Let us look expectantly to a new day,
new joys,
new possibilities.
In your name we pray.
Amen.
Christ be within us to keep us,
beside us to guard,
before us to lead,
behind us to protect,
beneath us to support,
above us to bless.
The divine Spirit dwells in us.
Thanks be to God.
Compline was prepared for the week of June 19-23, 2022 by Deb Lockhart, postulant to the Diaconate in the Diocese of Virginia.
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