The Lord almighty grant us a quiet night and a perfect end.
AllAmen.
Our help is in the name of the Lord
Allwho made heaven and
earth.
A period of silence for reflection on the past day may follow.
The following or other suitable words of penitence may be used.
AllMost 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.
AllO Lord, make haste to
help us.
AllGlory 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.
Alleluia.
The following or other suitable hymn may be 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.
Refrain: I will sing to the Lord as long as I live.
1Bless the Lord, O my
soul. ♦
O Lord my God, how excellent is your greatness!
21You appointed the moon
to mark the seasons, ♦
and the sun knows the time for its setting.
22You make darkness that
it may be night, ♦
in which all the beasts of the forest creep forth.
23The lions roar for their
prey ♦
and seek their food from God.
24The sun rises and they
are gone ♦
to lay themselves down in their dens.
25People go forth to their
work ♦
and to their labour until the evening. R
26O Lord, how manifold
are your works! ♦
In wisdom you have made them all;
the earth is full of your creatures.
27There is the sea, spread
far and wide, ♦
and there move creatures beyond number, both small and great.
28There go the ships,
and there is that Leviathan ♦
which you have made to play in the deep.
29All of these look to
you ♦
to give them their food in due season.
30When you give it them,
they gather it; ♦
you open your hand and they are filled with good.
31When you hide your face
they are troubled; ♦
when you take away their breath,
they die and return again to the dust.
32When you send forth
your spirit, they are created, ♦
and you renew the face of the earth.
33May the glory of the
Lord endure for ever; ♦
may the Lord rejoice in his works; R
Refrain: I will sing to the Lord as long as I live.
Creator God,
send your Holy Spirit to renew this living world,
that the whole creation,
in its groaning and striving,
may know your loving purpose
and come to reflect your glory;
in Jesus Christ our Lord.
At the end of the psalmody the following is said or sung
AllGlory 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.
The servants of the Lamb shall see the face of God, whose name will be on their foreheads. There will be no more night: they will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for God will be their light, and they will reign for ever and ever.
Revelation 22.4,5
The following responsory may be said
Into your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit.
Alleluia, alleluia.
AllInto your hands, O Lord,
I commend my spirit.
Alleluia, alleluia.
For you
have redeemed me, Lord God of truth.
AllAlleluia, alleluia.
Glory to the Father and to the
Son
and to the Holy Spirit.
AllInto your hands, O Lord,
I commend my spirit.
Alleluia, alleluia.
Keep me as the apple of your eye.
AllHide me under the shadow
of your wings.
The Nunc Dimittis (Song of Simeon) is said or sung.
AllAlleluia. The Lord is risen, alleluia,
as he promised to you. Alleluia, alleluia.
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
AllGlory 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.
AllAlleluia. The Lord is risen, alleluia,
as he promised to you. Alleluia, alleluia.
Intercessions and thanksgivings may be offered here.
Silence may be kept.
Almighty Father,
who in your great mercy gladdened the disciples
with the sight of the risen Lord:
give us such knowledge of his presence with us,
that we may be strengthened and sustained by his risen life
and serve you continually in righteousness and truth;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.
AllAmen.
or
Almighty God,
by triumphing over the powers of darkness
Christ has prepared a place for us in the new Jerusalem:
may we, who have this day given thanks for his resurrection,
praise him in the eternal city
of which he is the light;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
AllAmen.
or
Visit this place, O Lord, we pray,
and drive far from it the snares of the enemy;
may your holy angels dwell with us and guard us in peace,
and may your blessing be always upon us;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
AllAmen.
The Lord’s Prayer may be said.
In peace we will lie down and sleep;
Allfor you alone, Lord,
make us dwell in safety.
Abide with us, Lord Jesus,
Allfor the night is at
hand and the day is now past.
As the night watch looks for the morning,
Allso do we look for you,
O Christ.
[Come with the dawning of the day
Alland make yourself known
in the breaking of the bread.]
May the risen Lord Jesus bless us.
May he watch over us and
renew us
as he renews the whole of creation.
May our hearts and lives echo
his love.
AllAmen.
©
The Archbishops' Council of the Church of England, 2000-2005
Official Common Worship apps, books and eBooks are available from
Church House Publishing.
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. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Implemented by Simon Kershaw at
Crucix.
Implementation copyright © Simon Kershaw, 2002-2021.