Our Advent Compline comes from Exning and North Newmarket and it is has been slightly adapted for our purposes. Give yourselves a few moments to quieten, relax and prepare yourselves for this ancient and beautiful liturgy.
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 short period of silence for reflection on the past day
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.
Hymn, Read or Sung
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
1 In you, O LORD, I seek refuge; do not let me ever be put to shame; in your righteousness deliver me. 2 Incline your ear to me; rescue me speedily. Be a rock of refuge for me, a strong fortress to save me. 3 You are indeed my rock and my fortress; for your name’s sake lead me and guide me, 4 take me out of the net that is hidden for me, for you are my refuge. 5 Into your hand I commit my spirit; you have redeemed me, O LORD, faithful God.
Psalm 31.1-5
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
See, I am sending my messenger to prepare the way before me, and the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple. The messenger of the covenant in whom you delight—indeed, he is coming, says the LORD of hosts. 2 But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap; 3 he will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the descendants of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, until they present offerings to the LORD in righteousness.[a] 4 Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the LORD as in the days of old and as in former years. 5 Then I will draw near to you for judgment; I will be swift to bear witness against the sorcerers, against the adulterers, against those who swear falsely, against those who oppress the hired workers in their wages, the widow and the orphan, against those who thrust aside the alien, and do not fear me, says the LORD of hosts. 6 For I the LORD do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, have not perished. 7 Ever since the days of your ancestors you have turned aside from my statutes and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you, says the LORD of hosts. But you say, “How shall we return?” 8 Will anyone rob God? Yet you are robbing me! But you say, “How are we robbing you?” In your tithes and offerings! 9 You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing me—the whole nation of you! 10 Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in my house, and thus put me to the test, says the LORD of hosts; see if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you an overflowing blessing. 11 I will rebuke the locust[b] for you, so that it will not destroy the produce of your soil; and your vine in the field shall not be barren, says the LORD of hosts. 12 Then all nations will count you happy, for you will be a land of delight, says the LORD of hosts.
Malachi 2.17-3.12
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.
Gospel Canticle The Nunc dimittis is
Come, O Lord, and visit us in peace; that we may rejoice before you with a perfect heart.
1 Now, Lord, you let your servant go in peace:
your word has been fulfilled. 2 My own eyes have seen the salvation
which you have prepared in the sight of every people;
3 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.
Come, O Lord, and visit us in peace; that we may rejoice before you with a perfect heart.
We remember in our prayers:-
*to be thankful for all we have
*To pray for our communities suffering in these Covid days
*To pray for our own local church and all who worship there
*To pray for our local doctors, nurses, carers, pharmacists, shop keepers and others
*To pray for those who are ill and name them before God
* To remember those who are dying or who have died.
* pray for ourselves
Merciful Father, accept these prayers for the sake of your Son, our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen
As our Saviour has taught us, so we pray:
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 Collects
Stir up your power, O God, and come among us. Heal our wounds, calm our fears and give us peace; through Jesus our Redeemer.
Almighty God, give us grace to cast away the works of darkness and to put on the armour of light, now in the time of this mortal life, in which your Son Jesus Christ came to us in great humility; that on the last day, when he shall come again in his glorious majesty to judge the living and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal; through him who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for 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, All 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.
The Lord bless us and watch over us; the Lord make his face shine upon us and be gracious to us; the Lord look kindly on us and give us peace. Amen.
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