Wednesday, November 12th Luke 21:5-19
“By endurance you will gain your souls."
Wednesday, November 19th Matthew 17:22-27
Commemoration of Saint Elizabeth of Hungary
Wednesday, December 3rd Matthew 21:23-32
The outcasts inherit the kingdom
Wednesday, December 10th Matthew 23:1-12
The Greatest Commandment
Dating back to at least the 300s, the Church in Jerusalem and other churches, especially throughout the East, designated the “tenth hour” as the time when the lamps were light and incense was offered. Along with the lamplighting, various hymns were sung, including “Phos Hilaron,” Greek for “O Gracious Light,” which is considered the oldest hymn in the Christian tradition, and is a hymn which survives in our own hymnal today. Some scholars believe this hymn and the earliest roots of the tradition date back to around the year 150.
Every Wednesday evening at Grace, we continue this ancient Christian tradition of Lamplighting (called “Lucernarium” as an opening to the service called “Vespers,” which comes from the Greek word “hespera,” or “evening.” Vespers consists of singing psalms, hearing lessons from Scripture, singing the Magnficat, or “Song of Mary,” and concludes with various prayers appropriate for evening. The pattern for Vespers comes to us from the Benedictine tradition, in which monks, nuns, the clergy, and lay folk within the vicinity of the church would gather eight times daily at appointed times for prayer, to chant psalms, to hear the Scriptures, and to sing hymns.
If you have not experienced this beautiful liturgy and time for prayer and meditation, Lent offers you the opportunity to join others in prayer, as the office of Vespers takes us out of the fast-paced world around us and into sacred space with our Lord as we offer our prayers and hear the Word of God spoken fresh into our lives.
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