Daily Prayer for Our Times

St. Gabriel's Episcopal Church, Beaverton, OR

Healing the World one Heart at a Time

Compline

Tuesday in the Second Week after the Epiphany

Theme for Tuesday: Wisdom

With gratitude for God's wisdom and our capacity to learn and grow we offer praises to God and pray for teachers and people engaged in ensuring that all children have the resources to access an education that will empower them to live a wise and fulfilling future.

The Evening Bidding

The angels of God guard us through the night

and quieten the powers of darkness.

The Spirit of God be our guide

to lead us to peace and to glory.

Confession of Sin Optional: Show confession...

The Invocation

Eternal Spirit, flow through our being and open our lips.
that our mouths may proclaim your praise.

All Glory to the Loving One, Source of our being, Eternal Word, and Life-Giving Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen. Alleluia.

The Psalm

Psalm 4 Cum invocarem

Answer me when I call, O God, defender of my cause;*

you set me free when I am hard-pressed; have mercy on me and hear my prayer.

"You mortals, how long will you dishonor my glory;*

how long will you worship dumb idols and run after false gods?"

Know that God does wonders for the faithful;*

when I call, God will hear me.

Tremble, then, and do not sin;*

speak to your heart in silence upon your bed.

Offer the appointed sacrifices,*

and put your trust in the Most High.

Many are saying, "Oh, that we might see better times!"*

Lift up the light of your countenance upon us, O God.

You have put gladness in my heart,*

more than when grain and wine and oil increase.

I lie down in peace; at once I fall asleep;*

for only you, God, make me dwell in safety.

All Glory to the Loving One, Source of our being, Eternal Word, and Life-Giving Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

Scripture for Wisdom

It pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked for an understanding mind to be able to discern between good and evil and govern God's people. 1 Kings 9-10

Hear what the Spirit is saying to God's people.
Amen. All that the Lord has said we will do.

Canticle

The Spirit of the Lord Isaiah 61:*1-3,10,11

The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me:*

because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the afflicted.

The Lord has sent me to bind up the broken-hearted:*

to proclaim liberty for the captives, and release for those in prison,

To comfort all who mourn:*

to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes,

The oil of gladness instead of mourning:*

a garment of splendour for the heavy heart.

They shall be called trees of righteousness:*

planted for the glory of the Lord.

Therefore I will greatly rejoice in the Lord:*

my soul shall exult in my God,

For God has robed me with salvation as a garment:*

and clothed me with integrity as a cloak.

For as the earth brings forth its shoots:*

and as a garden causes the seeds to spring up,

So the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise:*

to spring forth before all the nations.

All Glory to the Loving One, Source of our being, Eternal Word, and Life-Giving Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

The Prayers

V. Into your hands, O God, I commend my spirit;

R. For you have redeemed me, O God of truth and integrity.

V. Keep us, O Lord, as the apple of your eye;

R. Hide us under the shadow of your wings.

Lord, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.

Eternal Spirit, Earth-maker, Pain-bearer, Life-giver,

Source of all that is and that shall be,

Father and Mother of us all,

Loving God, in whom is heaven:

The hallowing of your name echo through the universe!

The way of your justice be followed by the peoples of the world!

Your heavenly will be done by all created beings!

Your commonwealth of peace and freedom sustain our hope and come on earth.

With the bread we need for today, feed us.

In the hurts we absorb from one another, forgive us.

In times of temptation and test, strengthen us.

From trials too great to endure, spare us.

From the grip of all that is evil, free us.

For you reign in the glory of the power that is love, now and forever. Amen.

Lord, hear our prayer;
And let our cry come to you.
Let us pray.

Collect for Wisdom

Almighty God, you are the loving heart of the universe in whom we live and move and have our being. You are the source of all that was, and is and will be; you are the fount of all wisdom and knowledge. Give us eyes to see, ears to hear, minds to understand and hearts to behold your wisdom in Jesus Christ that transcends all human understanding. Amen.

Collect for Tuesday Evening

Look down, O Lord, from your heavenly throne, and illumine this night with your celestial brightness; that by night as by day your people may glorify your holy Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

And we pray for our own needs and the needs of others...

Lord, it is night after a long day. What has been done has been done; what has not been done has not been done; help us let it be. Amen.

Lord, you are the God of growth and discovery, yours is the inspiration that has altered and changed our lives yours is the power that has brought us to new challenges and opportunities. As we take our rest this night, prepare us, your new creation, to journey in this new world, watching and learning, loving and trusting, blessing and forgiving until your kingdom comes. Amen.

Final Canticle

Guide us waking, O Lord, and guard us sleeping;
that awake we may watch with Christ, and asleep we may rest in peace.

The Song of Simeon Nunc dimittis, Luke 2:29 32

O God, you now have set your servant free*

to go in peace as you have promised;

For these eyes of mine have seen the Savior,*

whom you have prepared for all the world to see:

A Light to enlighten the nations,*

and the glory of your people Israel.

Guide us waking, O Lord, and guard us sleeping;
that awake we may watch with Christ, and asleep we may rest in peace.

Let us bless the Lord.
Thanks be to God

Almighty God the source of all love, grant you an abiding joy and a restful night, that comes from knowing that you have a place in God's heart, with love to share and a life to live. Amen.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Acknowledgements: With Gratitude

Pray for Peace, Work for Justice.

This Daily Office App was created in 2020 at St. Peter's Episcopal Church in Ladue, MO, as a partial response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the murder of George Floyd. Because of the pandemic we and many congregations began offering online variations of the Daily Office from the Book of Common Prayer. George Floyd's murder brought into sharp relief the racism and many other injustices in our world. We believe it is pointless to pray for peace unless we are actively working for justice in all spheres of our daily lives.

Within our congregation we have many people such as, medical personnel and teachers, who are putting their lives at risk to help create a better world. We also have numerous parishioners employed or engaged in not-for-profit agencies, research, and outreach all of which are striving to right the wrongs of our society and in the words of the Lord's Prayer, "helping God's Kingdom come on earth". To focus our need to engage in social action we have created this Daily Office with a two week cycle of social justice themes to help us:

Pray and reflect on our part in the systemic evils that corupt our world.
Pray intentionally for parishioners and the programs they work in to "Heal the World."
Pray for courage and wisdom to discover and empower us to be the change we wish to see in the world.

The Episcopal Book of Common Prayer and its many companion books through out the Anglican Communion are wonderful treasure troves of prayers and resources for deepening our spiritual lives and inspiring action in the world. Such books are however are a frozen meal, they need thawing out, warming up, and seasoning with local spices. This is what this app seeks to do. It added the necessary flavors of St. Peter's, Ladue, so whether at home, in church, or travelling the world, we can continue to remember and pray for one another as we walk the way of love and make this a better world in which our children's children can love and grow into the image of God that God creates them to be.

If you would like to adapt this app for your own congregation or community setting and add your own spices and flavors please email us and we can create a specific parish option for you.

Specific Acknowledgements and Copyrights.

The service structure and the traditional psalms canticles and prayers are taken from the Episcopal Book of Common Prayer, 1979, available from The Church Hymnal Corporation, New York. Inclusive canticles and prayers have been adapted from a variety of sources including Enriching our Worship, 1998 also available from The Church Hymnal Corporation, New York.

Specific prayers such as the Inclusive Lord’s Prayer has been taken from A New Zealand Prayerbook, ©Copyright 1989 the Church of the Province of New Zealand. This prayerbook has also provided inspiration for the inclusive Compline service and partial content to many of the collects.

In general, Biblical passages are taken from The New Revised Standard Version, ©Copyright 1989 by the 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.

We are also indebted to The Rev. Br. Richard Edward Helmer, BSG. the developer of the The Daily Office App who provided technical advice and resources as we developed this app.

We are also indebted to Sandie Willey and her gift of words and discerning eye as together we crafted many of the prayers as we worked to create this Daily Office for Our Times.

In the course of preparing this app we have visited many websites, read and prayed many prayers, and been inspired by many writers. To all the people who share their creativity with the world we say thank you for the beauty of your words and the times when a word becomes a sparkle of truth and a moment of transcendence.

With Gratitude
Rob Voyle,
Interim Rector, St. Peter's, 2020
Director of the Appreciative Way