Compline Information

Compline Information

Prelude Music:

April 13: Shawn Ober, cello; Murray Foreman, organ accompaniment

April 20: Robert Carbaugh, organ; he is co-organist at St. John's Episcopal
Church, Marietta

April 27: Mary Choplosky, organ: she is assistant organist at Redeemer
Lutheran Church, Lancaster

(newspaper article from initial season)
Compline Service at Grace

Grace Lutheran offers new compline service

BY LORI VAN INGEN, Intelligencer Journal Staff
As darkness envelops the night, candlelight shines forth to welcome the weary each Sunday evening at Grace Lutheran Church's new compline service.

All is silent until a single bell rings and the leader begins chanting in ancient Gregorian tones, asking God for a quiet, peaceful night.

With prayers, hymns, psalms, chanted verses and responses -- most of which are a cappella -- Grace's 10-person-compline choir leads the congregation in giving thanks for the day and entrusting the world and its people into God's care through the night.

Compline -- derived from the Latin completorium-- is the completion of the liturgical day in Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Anglican, Lutheran and several other Christian denominations.

Traditionally, it is the last monastic evening prayer service before going to sleep.The heart of compline is light in the darkness, said the Rev. Stephen P. Verkouw, pastor of Grace Lutheran.

"Lying down to sleep is associated as a little death, a letting go when you are vulnerable," Verkouw said.

It's then easy to further associate sleep with darkness and light, he said. "It's a limitable experience. Life at the boundary where there's mystery, yet also hope and peace."

Although now in dispute, it is traditionally said that compline was first used to close the day in the 6th century by St. Benedict, who gave the prayer service its name.

From the monks in southern Europe and the Middle East, compline spread along with Christianity throughout Europe and the Mediterranean area, finding its way into local liturgical settings.

By the Reformation era, compline texts and music were available for recitation by all Christian congregants.

Today in the Post-Modern era, however, fewer churches are offering this last evening prayer service.

"It's not frequently (observed) outside of monasteries," Verkouw said, although there are a few notable exceptions, like St. Mark's Episcopal Church in Seattle or the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City.

"It's not unique, but it's not the average church approach," Verkouw said.

Grace, on the corner of North Queen and East James streets, began offering the compline services Jan. 7 and will continue holding them at 8:30 p.m. each Sunday through Easter. Depending on the response, Grace may again offer compline in the fall.

"We wanted to play to the strengths of Grace -- the beautiful building and the candlelight -- making it open and accessible to the community," Verkouw said.

The service is open to everyone -- whether or not you are a Christian, he said. Even dogs are invited. One person brought his Dalmatian for the last two weeks, Verkouw said.

Each person attending the service can dictate his own level of participation.

"Sing along with the choir or simply sit in peace, to pray or be prayed for," Verkouw said.

Lori Van Ingen's e-mail address is lvaningen@lnpnews.com.

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Grace Lutheran Church -- 517 North Queen Street, Lancaster, PA 17603 -- (717) 397 2748