Evening Prayer:Duane W.H. Arnold, PhD

Evening Prayer

Over the last few years posts on this blog have made reference to “praying the offices” or “morning and evening prayer”.  For Anglicans, phrases such as these are shorthand descriptions for the saying of the Offices of Morning and Evening Prayer, that is, the set orders that are delineated in the Book of Common Prayer.  Now, while these offices may be familiar to Anglicans, it has occurred to me that while others may have a vague idea concerning these set forms of prayer, it is entirely possible that readers of these posts may never have actually  encountered these forms of prayer for themselves. 

So, first of all, an apology on my part for not explaining and sharing the structure of these forms of prayer before now.  Secondly, let me provide you with a little bit of background and introduce you today to the Office of Evening Prayer.

From the time of the Apostles, Christians have observed regular times of prayer.  Pentecost comes on the “third hour” a regular time of prayer.  Peter and John make their way to the Temple “at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour”.  Cornelius and Peter have their visions when, respectively, praying at the ninth and sixth hours.  Here we see a pattern emerging of three customary hours of prayer – morning, afternoon and evening.  Three times of prayer are mentioned in the Didache and the Apostolic Fathers.  By the time of Clement of Alexandria (c. AD 200) and Tertullian, it was a recognized custom in the North African Church as well as in the churches of Syria.  As monastic life grew within the Church, other services were added until, by the sixth century, there were a full eight offices of prayer said seven times in the day (the late night and early morning office being said together).  For almost a thousand years this regular rhythm of prayer was the heartbeat of the Church, from the isolation of a tiny community on an island in the Irish Sea, to the choir stalls of the most magnificent cathedrals in Rome, Paris or London. 

The English Reformation, as with the Continental Reformation, resulted in the breaking up of the monastic communities which had preserved this daily rhythm of prayer.  Yet, these prayer offices were not wholly abandoned, but rather were incorporated into many of the new orders of service which emerged, chief among these being the English Book of Common Prayer.  Essentially, the editor of the Book of Common Prayer, Thomas Cranmer, took the best of what had become the very complex eight monastic prayer offices, and distilled them into the two offices of Morning and Evening Prayer (also known as Mattins and Evensong).  Moreover, now edited and translated into English, the laity could participate as fully as the clergy in these set times of prayer.  The new offices also provided for the reading of Scripture and the Psalms in a complete and orderly manner.  Many of the set prayers and collects were translated or adapted  from the unique Sarum (Salisbury) English usage, while certain others were written by Cranmer himself.  Whether translated or written, the beauty and use of language is unsurpassed.  In traditional language, the metrical nature of many of the prayers and collects emerges.

Yet, even recognizing the beauty of the language and its deep history, why would one take fifteen to twenty minutes from their day to read aloud prayers, Scripture and Psalms?

To answer a question like this, I can only speak for myself.  For over thirty years, in good times and bad, in the company of others and alone, Morning Prayer and Evening Prayer have provided a point of connection.  The Psalms connect me to the Jewish roots of the Church, the Scriptures connect me to the prophets and Apostles, and the prayers and responses connect me to the Church Fathers and the medieval Church.  I am connected to Cranmer and all those who followed him in the Anglican tradition.  Indeed, I am connected to my brother priests and lay people who are saying the same prayers morning and evening.  The connection is with the whole communion of saints, the Church triumphant and the Church militant.  Moreover, at least for me, it is a point of connection with God.  Much of the time, left to my own devices, it is difficult to pray.  What words do I use?  How do I focus or “collect” my thoughts?  What do I read from Scripture that might instruct me?  Twice a day, I don’t have to ask myself those questions.  All I have to do is to sit with a Prayer Book and a Bible.  In the evening office, I light a candle on my desk, take a deep breath… and begin to read aloud.  In a few short minutes I will give God praise, confess my sin, be reminded of forgiveness, say a Psalm once sung in the Temple, read of lesson from Scripture, sing the song of Mary and the prayer of Simeon, confess my faith and pray.  In praying, I find that my prayers go far beyond what is written on the page.  They suddenly come from my heart and my mind as I remember those in need of peace, those who need protection, those who are fearful… as I remember those who are praying with me.

Now, as a friend likes to say, “Your mileage may vary”.  If, however, you’re willing to risk it, I’ve included a stripped down Order of Evening Prayer below.  I’ll be saying this Office tonight at 7:00 pm (EST) and Michael will be saying the Office at 7:00 pm (PST).  We would love to have you join us and we would love to know your thoughts in the comments.

Duane W.H. Arnold, PhD

The Project

EVENING PRAYER

Let my prayer be set forth in thy sight as the incense, and let

the lifting up of my hands be an evening sacrifice.

Psalm 141:2

Let us humbly confess our sins unto Almighty God.

Almighty and most merciful Father,

we have erred and strayed from thy ways like lost sheep,

we have followed too much the devices and desires of our

own hearts,  we have offended against thy holy laws,

we have left undone those things which we ought to

have done,

and we have done those things which we ought not to

have done.

But thou, O Lord, have mercy upon us,

spare thou those who confess their faults,

restore thou those who are penitent,

according to thy promises declared unto mankind

in Christ Jesus our Lord;

and grant, O most merciful Father, for his sake,

that we may hereafter live a godly, righteous, and sober life,

to the glory of thy holy Name. Amen.

The Almighty and merciful Lord grant us absolution and

remission of all our sins, true repentance, amendment of

life, and the grace and consolation of his Holy Spirit.   Amen.

O God, make speed to save us.

O Lord, make haste to help us.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: as

it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

The Psalm

Psalm 72

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:

as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

The Lesson

Mark 2:23-3:6

The Word of the Lord

Thanks be to God

Magnificat

Luke 1:46-55

My soul doth magnify the Lord,

    and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior.

For he hath regarded

    the lowliness of his handmaiden.

For behold from henceforth

    all generations shall call me blessed.

For he that is mighty hath magnified me,

    and holy is his Name.

And his mercy is on them that fear him

    throughout all generations.

He hath showed strength with his arm;

    he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.

He hath put down the mighty from their seat,

    and hath exalted the humble and meek.

He hath filled the hungry with good things,

    and the rich he hath sent empty away.

He remembering his mercy hath holpen his servant Israel,

    as he promised to our forefathers,

    Abraham and his seed for ever.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:

    as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

Nunc dimittis

Luke 2:29-32

Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace,

    according to thy word;

For mine eyes have seen thy salvation,

    which thou hast prepared before the face of all people,

To be a light to lighten the Gentiles,

    and to be the glory of thy people Israel.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:

    as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

The Apostles Creed

I believe in God, the Father almighty,

    maker of heaven and earth;

And in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord;

    who was conceived by the Holy Ghost,

    born of the Virgin Mary,

    suffered under Pontius Pilate,

    was crucified, dead, and buried.

    He descended into hell.

    The third day he rose again from the dead.

    He ascended into heaven,

    and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father almighty.

    From thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Ghost,

    the holy catholic Church,

    the communion of saints,

    the forgiveness of sins,

    the resurrection of the body,

    and the life everlasting. Amen.

The Prayers

Our Father, 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 lead us not into temptation,

    but deliver us from evil.

For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory,

    for ever and ever. Amen.

O Lord, show thy mercy upon us;

And grant us thy salvation.

Endue thy ministers with righteousness;

And make thy chosen people joyful.

Give peace, O Lord, in all the world;

For only in thee can we live in safety.

Lord, keep this nation under thy care;

And guide us in the way of justice and truth.

Let thy way be known upon earth;

Thy saving health among all nations.

Let not the needy, O Lord, be forgotten;

Nor the hope of the poor be taken away.

Create in us clean hearts, O God;

And sustain us with thy Holy Spirit.

A Collect for Peace

O God, from whom all holy desires, all good counsels, and

all just works do proceed: Give unto thy servants that peace

which the world cannot give, that our hearts may be set to

obey thy commandments, and also that by thee, we, being

defended from the fear of all enemies, may pass our time in

rest and quietness; through the merits of Jesus Christ our

Savior.     

Amen.

A Collect for Protection

O God, who art the life of all who live, the light of the faithful,

the strength of those who labor, and the repose of the dead:

We thank thee for the timely blessings of the day, and humbly

beseech thy merciful protection all the night. Bring us, we

pray thee, in safety to the morning hours; through him who

died for us and rose again, thy Son our Savior Jesus Christ.

Amen.

A Prayer of St. Chrysostom

Almighty God, who hast given us grace at this time with one

accord to make our common supplication unto thee; and

hast promised through thy well-beloved Son that when two

or three are gathered together in his Name thou wilt be in the

midst of them: Fulfill now, O Lord, the desires and petitions

of thy servants as may be best for us; granting us in this

world knowledge of thy truth, and in the world to come life

everlasting.     

Amen.

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and

the fellowship of the Holy Ghost, be with us all evermore.

Amen.    2 Corinthians 13:14