Introduction

Holy Week

Evensong

Vespers

Ritual Gestures

Lay Ministers

Choir

Evensong

The Anglican Rhythm of Daily Prayer

There are a number of rhythms or cycles in life: the one from January to December, the cycle of life from birth to death, and the month-to-month process of paying bills or receiving income.  For many in our culture today, the cycle most commonly spoken of is the workweek - with its various demands on our time and energy.

For the Christian, too, there are various cycles in time.  The Christian Year begins with Advent and the promise of Christ's once and future coming, and makes its way through Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Easter, Pentecost, and the long season afterwards through to another Advent.  We celebrate births, baptisms, confirmations, and marriages.  We anoint those who are ill, and we journey with those who are dying, entering into the mystery of Christ's resurrection and our own share in that New Life at the burial of the dead.  Each month, we celebrate a new array of Holy Days, remembering with gratitude the lives of those holy people that have gone before us.  Some of us say the Psalms on a monthly basis, as Anglican Prayer Books have made provision for since the 16th century.  For us, time is alive with meaning, pointing to the eternal even as we make our way through each stage of the earthly journey.

The cycle of time that all of us experience the most often, though, is the cycle of day and night.  We are in fact so familiar with this rhythm that we are tempted to take it for granted and not to see its spiritual import.  The Church, following on ancient Hebrew tradition, has always observed a daily pattern of worship.  In the Anglican tradition (of which the Episcopal Church is part), this kind of worship is known as "the Daily Office."  The Book of Common Prayer makes provision for four special times of prayer during the passage of each day: morning, noon, evening, and before sleep.  Many Episcopalians have learned to say these prayers on their own at home or at work as part of their spiritual practice; indeed, the Daily Office is one of the treasures of Anglicanism, and its practice yields manifold benefits.  Each day becomes a miniature version of life's journey from morning until evening - offered to the glory, and in the presence, of God.

At St. Bede's, the service of Evensong (an old English name for Evening Prayer, indicating that this service has a musical element) has been offered on Sundays at 5 o'clock in the afternoon, throughout the year except during summer.  This is a way of helping members of this church learn to use and benefit from the Daily Office.  The service includes hymns, chants, readings from the Psalms and other portions of Scripture, prayers appropriate to the season, time for silent prayer, intercessions, and thanksgivings.  In an era dominated by worship forms derived from entertainment, Evensong is a refreshing opportunity to be in the presence of God in peace and contemplation.  Evensong has been called the most distinctively "Anglican" form of worship; it speaks in a way both ancient and modern - saying something new each time.

Anyone - Christian or not - may participate in this service; it can be learned very quickly.  Once learned, it teaches not only the pattern of the Daily Office for daily use away from church; it teaches a way to approach every cycle of time by linking each action and each moment with the Divine Presence, the plan of salvation made known to us in Christ Jesus.  Thus, Evensong offers a timeless gift even as it teaches us the deepest meanings of Time itself.

Evensong:  An Outline of the Service

• Organ Prelude
• Opening passage of Scripture (appropriate to the season of the year)
• Confession and absolution of sin
• Evening Hymn
• Appointed Psalm(s)
• First Reading (usually from the Old Testament or the Letters in the New Testament)
• Song of Mary (commonly called the "Magnificat") from the Gospel according to Luke
• Second Lesson (from the Gospel)
• Silent Prayer
• Song of Simeon (commonly called the "Nunc Dimittis")  from the Luke
• Apostles' Creed
• The Lord's Prayer
• The Collects (prayers appropriate to the day and the evening)
• Office Hymn (appropriate to the day or season)
• Prayers for Government, the Church, as well as free time for intercessions and thanksgivings
• A General Thanksgiving (said by all) and concluding prayer
• Dismissal
• Organ Postlude
  
  

Facsimilie of "Nunc Dimittis" from Merbecke