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A Quiet Night
April 27, 2008 - Dale
Last week I spent two and a half days working with four or five other Anglican
clergy completing the last of the translations of all the Anglican services into
Bahasa Indonesia. The one we finished this week was a service called “Prayer at
the end of the Day”, otherwise known as Compline.
It is not in the Book of Common Prayer, being amongst the large number of
medieval services that were omitted or merged in the new services of Cranmer’s
Prayer Book. However it has gained new life in recent revisions of Anglican
liturgy (you can see a typical modern version in our green Prayer Book). It is a
simple service that allows people to conclude the day with readings from the
scriptures, prayers of confession and prayers for protection.
In the modern service there is still a sense of the dangers of the night. We
pray for protection from the snares of the enemy and for a quiet night. As we
discussed the way these prayers could be expressed in Indonesian, it became
clear that some of the old aspects of the prayers were relevant. Modern western
revision has eliminated some of the language of fear and danger from our
prayers.
But to pray for a quiet night might mean a night free of noise, or free of
disturbance by people robbing your house or banging on your door (or calling
your telephone). From the threats of one’s enemies. It might also include
quietness of mind from bad dreams and restless thoughts, and making speeches in
our head on our bed against whatever troubles are worrying us.
The service prays that the Lord will grant us a quiet night and a perfect end.
Death was never far from the thoughts of the medieval world. And indeed from the
early modern world. The discovery of penicillin and the improvement of sewerage
in the early twentieth century made a great difference to mortality rates.
Perhaps it has affected our prayers.
Or perhaps those things were answers to prayers. We should always be conscious
of our mortality and say “if the Lord wills, I will do this or that”. We should
not go to bed with our anger since we or those we are angry at may not wake the
next day.
But the prayers for a quiet night and a perfect end can also be prayed on behalf
of brothers and sisters who are in danger – danger from enemies, danger from
disease, danger from early death due to the conditions in which they live. More
answers are needed.
Dale
Comments
My father-in-law, if asked, would
describe himself as being a “Clerk in Holy Orders”. He maintained that it was a
requirement in those days, maybe still is, that all Church of England clergy
should say the Order for Evening Prayer every day. As he approached his death
from Multiple Sclerosis he would call out from his bed or wheel chair, “I am
going to say Evensong now, who wants to join me?” Whoever was in the house sat
with him and participated. The custom stuck with me and I still use the Evensong
liturgy as the format for my bedtime prayers every day, using one of my maternal
Grandmother’s Books of Common Prayer, actually the Souvenir Edition published
for the coronation of King Edward VII, July 1902!
As a peripatetic international business traveler, frequently alone in various
foreign countries over the weekend, I would seek out services of Evensong in
Baghdad, Bangkok, Zambia or wherever, partly for the pleasure of kneeling
amongst a few like-minded people waiting for an ordained Anglican Priest to
process down the aisle behind me, turn on the chancel steps and utter those
magical words of invitation, “Dearly beloved, the Scripture moveth us in sundry
places . . .” Where has the General Confession gone, the Nunc Dimittis and the
beautiful prayer of St. Chrysostom (which I knew from the Litany learned for my
Confirmation).
While living alone for a couple of winters in Edmonton, Alberta I found that a
member of the Cathedral clergy would say Evensong in the Chancel every night. I
knelt with whoever was on duty most evenings, on the way back to my room – often
just the two of us taking turns to read the prayers, collects and lessons set
for the day. A perfect way to escape the pressures of the office and prepare for
the dangers of the night ahead.
About ten years ago Franklin Kline, Leslie and I led a service of Evensong,
direct from the Book of Common Prayer, in All Saints Menteng, alternate
Thursdays. It went well for quite a while but eventually fell away. Of course I
am aware that Compline is the very beautiful and effective service which closes
the monastical day but, thanks to the Rev. Thomas Bradbury, Evensong has now
been with me about fifty years and I am sure it will see me out. I only hope
someone will say “Lord, now lettest Thou Thy servant depart in peace . .” at my
funeral and avoid such horrible modern forms as “God, let me die peacefully.”
Why is it that modern liturgists somehow just cannot recreate the splendor,
reverence and above all the cadence at which the writers of the King James’
Bible and the Book of Common Prayer were such masters?
Posted by Geoff Woollatt on Saturday, May 31, 2008 at 10:02:47
Is there a version of Compline with
prayers and readings we could use ourselves before going to bed or is it always
in a church service format?
Posted by Robert on Thursday, April 24, 2008 at 04:01:27
You can see a choice of services here,
which you can also subscribe to as a feed.
http://www.cofe.anglican.org/worship/dailyprayer/night/
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