All Saints’ Church Renhold Bedfordshire, England
An Order for Night Prayer (Compline) in Lent
Preparation
The Lord almighty grant us a quiet night and a perfect end.
Amen.
Our help is in the name of the Lord
who made heaven and earth.
A period of silence for reflection on the past day may follow.
Most merciful God,
we confess to you,
before the whole company of heaven and one another,
that we have sinned in thought, word and deed
and in what we have failed to do.
Forgive us our sins,
heal us by your Spirit
and raise us to new life in Christ. 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 shall be for ever. Amen.
The following hymn is said in the form of a prayer.
Before the ending of the day,
Creator of the world, we pray
That you, with steadfast love, would keep
Your watch around us while we sleep.
From evil dreams defend our sight,
From fears and terrors of the night;
Tread underfoot our deadly foe
That we no sinful thought may know.
O Father, that we ask be done
Through Jesus Christ, your only Son;
And Holy Spirit, by whose breath
Our souls are raised to life from death.
One or more of the following Psalms may be said.
Psalm 139
Refrain: Search me out, O God, and know my heart.
1 O Lord, you have searched me out and known me;
you know my sitting down and my rising up;
you discern my thoughts from afar.
2 You mark out my journeys and my resting place
and are acquainted with all my ways.
3 For there is not a word on my tongue,
but you, O Lord, know it altogether.
4 You encompass me behind and before
and lay your hand upon me.
5 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
so high that I cannot attain it. R
6 Where can I go then from your spirit?
Or where can I flee from your presence?
7 If I climb up to heaven, you are there;
if I make the grave my bed, you are there also.
8 If I take the wings of the morning
and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
9 Even there your hand shall lead me,
your right hand hold me fast.
10 If I say, ‘Surely the darkness will cover me
and the light around me turn to night,’
11 Even darkness is no darkness with you;
the night is as clear as the day;
darkness and light to you are both alike. R
12 For you yourself created my inmost parts;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
13 I thank you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
marvellous are your works, my soul knows well.
14 My frame was not hidden from you,
when I was made in secret
and woven in the depths of the earth.
15 Your eyes beheld my form, as yet unfinished;
already in your book were all my members written,
16 As day by day they were fashioned
when as yet there was none of them.
17 How deep are your counsels to me, O God!
How great is the sum of them!
18 If I count them, they are more in number than the sand,
and at the end, I am still in your presence. R
Search me out, O God, and know my heart.
Creator God, may every breath we take be for your glory, may every footstep show you as our way, that, trusting in your presence in this world, we may, beyond this life, still be with you where you are alive and reign for ever and ever.
All Glory to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit; as it was in the beginning is now
and shall be for ever. Amen.
Scripture Reading
Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of injustice, to undo the thongs of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover them, and not to hide yourself from your own kin?
Isaiah 58. 6,7
The following responsory may be said
Into your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit.
Into your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit.
For you have redeemed me, Lord God of truth.
I commend my spirit.
Glory to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit.
Into your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit.
Keep me as the apple of your eye.
Hide me under the shadow of your wings.
The Nunc Dimittis (Song of Simeon) is said or sung.
Christ died for us,
so that, whether we wake or sleep,
we might live with him.
Now, Lord, you let your servant go in peace:
your word has been fulfilled.
My own eyes have seen the salvation
which you have prepared in the sight of every people;
A light to reveal you to the nations
and the glory of your people Israel. Luke 2.29-32
Glory to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning is now
and shall be for ever. Amen.
Christ died for us,
so that, whether we wake or sleep,
we might live with him.
Prayers
Intercessions and thanksgivings may be offered here.
The Collect
Almighty God,
may we, by the prayer and discipline of Lent,
enter into the mystery of Christ’s sufferings;
that by following in the Way,
we may come to share in the glory;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Visit this place, O Lord, we pray,
and drive far from it the snares of the enemy;
may your holy angels dwell with us and guard us in peace,
and may your blessing be always upon us;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer.
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, the power and the glory,
for ever and ever. Amen.
The Conclusion
In peace we will lie down and sleep;
for you alone, Lord, make us dwell in safety.
Abide with us, Lord Jesus,
for the night is at hand and the day is now past.
As the night watch looks for the morning,
so do we look for you, O Christ.
[Come with the dawning of the day
and make yourself known in the breaking of the bread.]
May God bless us, that in us may be found love and humility,
obedience and thanksgiving, discipline, gentleness and peace. Amen.
© The Archbishops' Council of the Church of England, 2000-2005
Official Common Worship apps, books and eBooks are available from Church House Publishing.
The Bible readings (other than the psalms) are from The New Revised Standard Version Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995 Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
CCLI number 804157