Holy Week Compline with the NORTHSTOWE CHURCH NETWORK
On Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday of Holy Week, we will gather at Stephen's at 8pm to share in Compline and retell the events of Holy Week. email contact@northstowe.church for the address... or pray along from home with the words on this page
Please arrive from 8pm if you want a cuppa and a chat before we start, or slip in just before the silence at 8,15.
We follow the ancient monastic pattern of concluding and leaving in silence. Both to keep the last words spoken as those addressed to God, and to leave space for anyone who wants to spend a little longer in silent prayer with God. It feels strange at first… but we find it wonderfully liberating to be able to loose ourselves completely in the shared prayers.
Jump to the Order for Compline during Holy Week
Read more about our Easter events
Please arrive from 8pm if you want a cuppa and a chat before we start, or slip in just before the silence at 8,15.
We follow the ancient monastic pattern of concluding and leaving in silence. Both to keep the last words spoken as those addressed to God, and to leave space for anyone who wants to spend a little longer in silent prayer with God. It feels strange at first… but we find it wonderfully liberating to be able to loose ourselves completely in the shared prayers.
Jump to the Order for Compline during Holy Week
Read more about our Easter events
Introduction
“Compline” is the ancient monastic service of “Completion”.
In the 8th century, Benedictine monks began a pattern of praying 8 eight times a day: Matins (before dawn), Lauds (at sunrise), then Prime, Terce, Sext, None, and Vespers throughout the day (each about three hours apart). Finally, at bedtime, Compline. Today, Anglican prayer books offer four such ‘offices’ – morning, midday, evening, and night. Like most prayer offices, Compline includes a confession, a reading from the Psalms and other Scriptures, written and responsive prayers, and a time for silence or extemporaneous prayer.
This final service of the day is an opportunity to reflect on the day that has passed, to peak through a small window of Scripture into the Big Story of God’s ongoing encounter with his people, and to draw on words hallowed by tradition as “a way to wade into the ongoing stream of the church’s communion with [God],”* as Tish Harrison Warren expresses it. She goes on to explain “Scripted prayers—the prayers of Compline, the Psalms, or any other received prayers—are not static. As we pray them, we read our own lives back into the words we pray. Our own biographies shape our understanding of these prayers as much as these prayers shape us and our own stories.”
Want to find out more? A good place to start is Tish Harrison Warren’s excellent book “Prayer in the Night; for those who work or watch or weep”. An American Anglican priest, she combines her own personal experiences of prayer in a time of suffering [trigger warning: miscarriage and bereavement] with a rooted and thoughtful unpacking of the wonderful ancient tradition of Prayer in the Night.
*Warren, Tish Harrison. Prayer in the Night (pp. 7, 125). InterVarsity Press. Kindle Edition.
In the 8th century, Benedictine monks began a pattern of praying 8 eight times a day: Matins (before dawn), Lauds (at sunrise), then Prime, Terce, Sext, None, and Vespers throughout the day (each about three hours apart). Finally, at bedtime, Compline. Today, Anglican prayer books offer four such ‘offices’ – morning, midday, evening, and night. Like most prayer offices, Compline includes a confession, a reading from the Psalms and other Scriptures, written and responsive prayers, and a time for silence or extemporaneous prayer.
This final service of the day is an opportunity to reflect on the day that has passed, to peak through a small window of Scripture into the Big Story of God’s ongoing encounter with his people, and to draw on words hallowed by tradition as “a way to wade into the ongoing stream of the church’s communion with [God],”* as Tish Harrison Warren expresses it. She goes on to explain “Scripted prayers—the prayers of Compline, the Psalms, or any other received prayers—are not static. As we pray them, we read our own lives back into the words we pray. Our own biographies shape our understanding of these prayers as much as these prayers shape us and our own stories.”
Want to find out more? A good place to start is Tish Harrison Warren’s excellent book “Prayer in the Night; for those who work or watch or weep”. An American Anglican priest, she combines her own personal experiences of prayer in a time of suffering [trigger warning: miscarriage and bereavement] with a rooted and thoughtful unpacking of the wonderful ancient tradition of Prayer in the Night.
*Warren, Tish Harrison. Prayer in the Night (pp. 7, 125). InterVarsity Press. Kindle Edition.
Compline in Northstowe
Here in Northstowe, the Compline Community regularly gather to pray Night Prayer as part of their fortnightly Thursday Evening pattern. We interweave the traditional words of compline ( praying with the set psalms and prayers of the day.) with extended periods of silences.
Some of us regularly pray “Night Prayer” from home too, either using the Lectio 365 app, or the Church of England “Time to Pray” app or website or the Northumbria Community website
This Holy Week, we are journeying with the Holy Week Story as told in Luke's account, replacing the set Bible Reading with the next instalment of the Easter Story, and using sand timers to help us hold silence at the pauses.
Preparation
The Lord almighty grant us a quiet night and a perfect end.
All Amen.
Our help is in the name of the Lord
All who made heaven and earth.
A 3 minute period of silence for reflection on the past day follows.
The following words of penitence are shared.
All 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.
All O Lord, make haste to help us.
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.
We say together this traditional “bedtime hymn”
All 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.
All Amen.
Our help is in the name of the Lord
All who made heaven and earth.
A 3 minute period of silence for reflection on the past day follows.
The following words of penitence are shared.
All 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.
All O Lord, make haste to help us.
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.
We say together this traditional “bedtime hymn”
All 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.
The Word of God
We pray with the ancient prayers of God’s people. As we pray, these words may resonate with your own situation, or help you to pray for others, as we “wade into the ongoing stream of the church’s communion with [God],”*
Psalm 139
ALL: Search me out, O God, and know my heart.
1O Lord, you have searched me out and known me; ♦
you know my sitting down and my rising up; you discern my thoughts from afar.
2You mark out my journeys and my resting place ♦
and are acquainted with all my ways.
3For there is not a word on my tongue, ♦
but you, O Lord, know it altogether.
4You encompass me behind and before ♦
and lay your hand upon me.
5Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, ♦
so high that I cannot attain it.
6Where can I go then from your spirit? ♦
Or where can I flee from your presence?
7If I climb up to heaven, you are there; ♦
if I make the grave my bed, you are there also.
8If I take the wings of the morning ♦
and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
9Even there your hand shall lead me, ♦
your right hand hold me fast.
10If I say, ‘Surely the darkness will cover me ♦
and the light around me turn to night,’
11Even darkness is no darkness with you;
the night is as clear as the day; ♦
darkness and light to you are both alike.
12For you yourself created my inmost parts; ♦
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
13I thank you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; ♦
marvellous are your works, my soul knows well.
14My frame was not hidden from you, ♦
when I was made in secret and woven in the depths of the earth.
15Your eyes beheld my form, as yet unfinished; ♦
already in your book were all my members written,
16As day by day they were fashioned ♦
when as yet there was none of them.
17How deep are your counsels to me, O God! ♦
How great is the sum of them!
18If I count them, they are more in number than the sand, ♦
and at the end, I am still in your presence.
All: 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.
At the end of the psalmody the following is said
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.
1O Lord, you have searched me out and known me; ♦
you know my sitting down and my rising up; you discern my thoughts from afar.
2You mark out my journeys and my resting place ♦
and are acquainted with all my ways.
3For there is not a word on my tongue, ♦
but you, O Lord, know it altogether.
4You encompass me behind and before ♦
and lay your hand upon me.
5Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, ♦
so high that I cannot attain it.
6Where can I go then from your spirit? ♦
Or where can I flee from your presence?
7If I climb up to heaven, you are there; ♦
if I make the grave my bed, you are there also.
8If I take the wings of the morning ♦
and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
9Even there your hand shall lead me, ♦
your right hand hold me fast.
10If I say, ‘Surely the darkness will cover me ♦
and the light around me turn to night,’
11Even darkness is no darkness with you;
the night is as clear as the day; ♦
darkness and light to you are both alike.
12For you yourself created my inmost parts; ♦
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
13I thank you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; ♦
marvellous are your works, my soul knows well.
14My frame was not hidden from you, ♦
when I was made in secret and woven in the depths of the earth.
15Your eyes beheld my form, as yet unfinished; ♦
already in your book were all my members written,
16As day by day they were fashioned ♦
when as yet there was none of them.
17How deep are your counsels to me, O God! ♦
How great is the sum of them!
18If I count them, they are more in number than the sand, ♦
and at the end, I am still in your presence.
All: 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.
At the end of the psalmody the following is said
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 Readings
The Old Testament prophet Zechariah prophesied these words in Zechariah (520–518 BC).
I will pour out a spirit of compassion and supplication on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that, when they look on the one whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn. (Zechariah 12.10)
This Holy Week, we read from Luke's account of Jesus’ last week before his crucifixion:
After the reading, we hold 5 minutes of silence to reflect.
I will pour out a spirit of compassion and supplication on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that, when they look on the one whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn. (Zechariah 12.10)
This Holy Week, we read from Luke's account of Jesus’ last week before his crucifixion:
After the reading, we hold 5 minutes of silence to reflect.
Monday: Luke 19:41-48
41 As he came near and saw the city, he wept over it, 42 saying, “If you, even you, had only recognized on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. 43 Indeed, the days will come upon you when your enemies will set up ramparts around you and surround you and hem you in on every side. 44 They will crush you to the ground, you and your children within you, and they will not leave within you one stone upon another, because you did not recognize the time of your visitation from God.”
45 Then he entered the temple and began to drive out those who were selling things there, 46 and he said, “It is written,
‘My house shall be a house of prayer,’
but you have made it a den of robbers.”
47 Every day he was teaching in the temple. The chief priests, the scribes, and the leaders of the people kept looking for a way to kill him,48 but they did not find anything they could do, for all the people were spellbound by what they heard.
45 Then he entered the temple and began to drive out those who were selling things there, 46 and he said, “It is written,
‘My house shall be a house of prayer,’
but you have made it a den of robbers.”
47 Every day he was teaching in the temple. The chief priests, the scribes, and the leaders of the people kept looking for a way to kill him,48 but they did not find anything they could do, for all the people were spellbound by what they heard.
Tuesday: Luke 20:9-19
9 He began to tell the people this parable: “A man planted a vineyard and leased it to tenants and went away for a long time. 10 When the season came, he sent a slave to the tenants in order that they might give him his share of the produce of the vineyard, but the tenants beat him and sent him away empty-handed. 11 Next he sent another slave; that one also they beat and insulted and sent away empty-handed. 12 And he sent still a third; this one also they wounded and threw out. 13 Then the owner of the vineyard said, ‘What shall I do? I will send my beloved son; perhaps they will respect him.’ 14 But when the tenants saw him, they discussed it among themselves and said, ‘This is the heir; let us kill him so that the inheritance may be ours.’ 15 So they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them? 16 He will come and destroy those tenants and give the vineyard to others.” When they heard this, they said, “Heaven forbid!” 17 But he looked at them and said, “What then does this text mean:
‘The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone’?
18 “Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces, and it will crush anyone on whom it falls.” 19 When the scribes and chief priests realized that he had told this parable against them, they wanted to lay hands on him at that very hour, but they feared the people.
‘The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone’?
18 “Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces, and it will crush anyone on whom it falls.” 19 When the scribes and chief priests realized that he had told this parable against them, they wanted to lay hands on him at that very hour, but they feared the people.
Wednesday: Luke 21:25-38
25 “There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars and on the earth distress among nations confused by the roaring of the sea and the waves. 26 People will faint from fear and foreboding of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 27 Then they will see ‘the Son of Man coming in a cloud’ with power and great glory. 28 Now when these things begin to take place, stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”
29 Then he told them a parable: “Look at the fig tree and all the trees; 30 as soon as they sprout leaves you can see for yourselves and know that summer is already near. 31 So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near. 32 Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all things have taken place. 33 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.
34 “Be on guard so that your hearts are not weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of this life and that day does not catch you unexpectedly, 35 like a trap. For it will come upon all who live on the face of the whole earth. 36 Be alert at all times, praying that you may have the strength to escape all these things that will take place and to stand before the Son of Man.”
37 Every day he was teaching in the temple, and at night he would go out and spend the night on the Mount of Olives, as it was called. 38 And all the people would get up early in the morning to listen to him in the temple.
29 Then he told them a parable: “Look at the fig tree and all the trees; 30 as soon as they sprout leaves you can see for yourselves and know that summer is already near. 31 So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near. 32 Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all things have taken place. 33 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.
34 “Be on guard so that your hearts are not weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of this life and that day does not catch you unexpectedly, 35 like a trap. For it will come upon all who live on the face of the whole earth. 36 Be alert at all times, praying that you may have the strength to escape all these things that will take place and to stand before the Son of Man.”
37 Every day he was teaching in the temple, and at night he would go out and spend the night on the Mount of Olives, as it was called. 38 And all the people would get up early in the morning to listen to him in the temple.
Responding
After the 5 minute pause, the following responsory is said
Into your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit.
All Into your hands, O Lord,
I commend my spirit.
For you have redeemed me, Lord God of truth.
All I commend my spirit.
Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
All Into your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit.
Keep me as the apple of your eye.
All Hide me under the shadow of your wings.
Into your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit.
All Into your hands, O Lord,
I commend my spirit.
For you have redeemed me, Lord God of truth.
All I commend my spirit.
Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
All Into your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit.
Keep me as the apple of your eye.
All Hide me under the shadow of your wings.
Gospel Canticle
The Nunc Dimittis (Song of Simeon) is said
All Christ himself bore our sins in his body on the tree,
that we might die to sin and live to righteousness.
1Now, Lord, you let your servant go in peace: ♦
your word has been fulfilled.
2My own eyes have seen the salvation ♦
which you have prepared in the sight of every people;
3A light to reveal you to the nations ♦
and the glory of your people Israel.
Luke 2.29-32
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.
All Christ himself bore our sins in his body on the tree,
that we might die to sin and live to righteousness.
All Christ himself bore our sins in his body on the tree,
that we might die to sin and live to righteousness.
1Now, Lord, you let your servant go in peace: ♦
your word has been fulfilled.
2My own eyes have seen the salvation ♦
which you have prepared in the sight of every people;
3A light to reveal you to the nations ♦
and the glory of your people Israel.
Luke 2.29-32
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.
All Christ himself bore our sins in his body on the tree,
that we might die to sin and live to righteousness.
Prayers
We hold 5 minutes silence, during which intercessions and thanksgivings may be silently offered
The Collects – Sharing in the Prayers of the Church
Keep watch, dear Lord,
with those who wake, or watch, or weep this night,
and give your angels charge over those who sleep.
Tend the sick,
give rest to the weary,
sustain the dying,
calm the suffering,
and pity the distressed;
all for your love’s sake, O Christ our Redeemer.
All: Amen
Almighty God,
as we stand at the foot of the cross of your Son,
help us to see and know your love for us,
so that in humility, love and joy
we may place at his feet
all that we have and all that we are;
through Jesus Christ our Saviour.
All Amen.
The Conclusion
In peace we will lie down and sleep;
All for you alone, Lord, make us dwell in safety.
Abide with us, Lord Jesus,
All for the night is at hand and the day is now past.
As the night watch looks for the morning,
All so do we look for you, O Christ.
May God bless us, that in us may be found love and
Humility ,obedience and thanksgiving, discipline, gentleness and peace.
All Amen
©The Archbishops' Council of the Church of England, 2000-2005
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(link is external).
Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Want to stay up to date with what's happening in Northstowe? Sign up to our eNews here:
