The Daily Office
In keeping with the teaching of Jesus and, indeed, the whole of the Bible, the 1979 Book of Common Prayer encourages us to pray daily and offers us a rich program of daily prayer arranged for use in the morning, at noon, in the evening, and before retiring.
​
Saint Luke's encourages the development of a habit of daily prayer and we find that the forms of prayer in the Book of Common Prayer, with their appointed readings of psalms and scripture lessons, provide us with an excellent program for regular daily prayer.
Morning and Evening Prayer
Morning Prayer, sometimes called Matins, and Evening Prayer, the rough equivalent of Vespers (and also known as Evensong), are the two main Daily Offices in the churches of the Anglican Communion, prescribed in the various editions of the Book of Common Prayer and other Anglican liturgical texts. Both may be led by a layperson and are recited by many Anglicans including many members of The Episcopal Church.
​
In the Episcopal Church, like the Eucharist, the Burial of the Dead, and A Penitential Order, Morning and Evening Prayer are given in the 1979 US Book of Common Prayer in two forms: "Rite One" and "Rite Two". Rite II is in the contemporary idiom, while Rite I maintains the Elizabethan English of the 1662 Book of Common Prayer. For ease of use, the contemporary form from Rite II is presented here. To view the daily Morning and Evening Prayer, click here.
​
Morning and Evening Prayer services will be offered weekly at St. Luke's in the Prayer Chapel. Join us for Morning Prayer on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday at 8:30am or Evening Prayer on Wednesdays at 5:30pm.
Noonday Prayer
By the 100s, writers speak of setting aside times for prayers at 9 am, noonday, and at 3 pm. As monasticism developed, these became the hours of the "little offices" of Terce, Sext, and None. The 1979 Book of Common Prayer restores an abbreviated Noonday office.
​
The form of the Noonday office provided here includes a fuller version of the Prayers than is included in the Prayerbook office. Noonday Prayer is simple and reflective, and a great way to steep one's day in prayer.
Click the PDF button to download a text version of the service.
Late Night Prayer
(Compline)
Compline emerged in the life of the church in the 300s as bedtime prayers of monks in their dormitories. In the late middle ages, Compline was said daily in churches. Following similar moves by other provinces of the Anglican Communion in the early twentieth century, including the Church of Ireland, the Church of England, and the Anglican Church of Canada, Compline was restored to the Book of Common Prayer of the Episcopal Church in 1979, It is a service filled with tranquility and peace.
​
Although the recordings below are of spoken services, at Saint Luke's, we sing the service of Compline on Mondays during the season of Advent using ancient melodies. It is a wonderful way to refocus during those frenetic days in the lead-up to Christmas.
​
Click the PDF button to download a text version of the service.