HomeOUR SAVIOR LUTHERAN CHURCH
SEPTEMBER 2024
Pastor Phil’s Ramblings
There are a number of practices which are very important to our Christian faith. Weekly worship, Communion, Bible Study, and fellowship are some of the practices that come to mind. One of the more important practices is the practice of daily prayer. The North American Lutheran Church emphasizes daily prayer, and I, as your pastor, encourage you to practice daily prayer. I can tell you from my direct observation that the strongest men and women of faith in our congregation at Our Savior Lutheran Church all engage in regular daily prayer and Bible study.
On the North American Lutheran Church website, www.thenalc.org, one can find a number of good resources to aid one in the practice of daily prayer. First of all, one can find brief prayer forms which are known as the ‘Daily Office.’ They are: Morning Prayer, historically known as Matins, Evening Prayer, known as Vespers, and Prayer at the Close of the Day, called Compline. These three prayers can also be found in our Lutheran Book of Worship, commonly known as the LBW or even the green book. Some of us find the information provided on the NALC website more convenient to use, while others of us prefer to use the LBW. Both forms are identical. However, the NALC website has some additional features, including a sung version as well as a spoken version. It also includes the daily scripture readings and both the morning Psalms and evening Psalms.
Each prayer form is complete in itself, but all three taken together encourage a full and total practice of prayer. Matins, the prayer form which has been historically used by Christians to start their day, is primarily a time of praise and thanksgiving. The morning Psalms are mostly Psalms of praise and thanksgiving for God’s love, grace and mercy. Psalm 95 is recited every day, followed by two additional Psalms, an Old Testament reading, a New Testament reading, and a Gospel reading. These are followed by the Gospel Canticle from Luke 1:68-79, which begins with “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; he has come to his people and set them free…” It continues with prayers, including Luther’s Morning Prayer and the Lord’s Prayer, and concludes with a blessing.
Evening Prayer, or Vespers, is more of a time of reflection upon the fact that even as the sun goes down the light of God’s glory remains among us and that because of that, we can approach the night unafraid. “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light. The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it.” Vespers also includes the Magnificat, Mary’s song of praise, “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, my soul rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.…” There are Psalms, as well as prayers of the people, and of course Luther’s Evening Prayer and the Lord’s Prayer conclude the worship.
Prayer at the Close of the Day, or Compline, is the prayer that is prayed just before bedtime. It is much more contemplative and confessional in nature. The confession can be done in unison, or the leader hears a confession of the congregation and then the congregation hears the confession of the leader. This is a very moving service of prayer. There are brief Scripture readings, several readings of one or two verses, and then a time for prayer. This service is much shorter than the other two, but it is quite moving. When I have had the privilege of joining with other pastors in the Compline, I have always found it to be moving and beautiful.
May God richly bless you. Pastor Phil
