Compline or Night Prayer

I stumbled on this reflection while on vacation, and thought I'd share it here:

Stretching at least as far back as the 6th Century, it has been the custom for Christians to say prayers at the close of day. In the monastic tradition, this "office" is known as Compline, derived from the Latin root for completion, as in completing the day of work by framing it in reference to God by whom the gift of the day was given.

There are a variety of traditions and forms for these Night Prayers, but the common theme is one of spiritual peace as one approaches the "death" of the day as it turns to the darkness of night. My favorite form rests on the pages of the New Zealand Book of Common Prayer, which integrates traditional English with Maori sensibilities of harmony with creation and the Creator. Two prayers from that rite are especially poignant in my estimation, and they hold a special place in my heart attached to particular memories of groups in which I have uttered these words. Those prayers:

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. Amen.

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 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.

The full service, for those who might want to use it in your own bedtime devotions, can be found athttp://www.towergrovechurch.org/downloads/NightPrayerCompline.pdf

Blessings and peace,

Steve