good evening and welcome to the garden of the dinners canterbury cathedral where we are about to hold the last short service of the day the service of compline to complete our worship the service changes little from week to week and is a service of settling down the day and of reflection before the hours of rest outside the wind has become strong and so we've taken shelter to say this quiet service the lord almighty grant us a quiet night and a perfect end amen be sober be vigilant because your adversary the devil as a roaring lion walketh about seeking whom he may devour whom resist steadfast in the faith but now o lord have mercy upon us thanks be to god our help is in the name of the lord who have made heaven and earth for a moment or two we reflect on the hours of this day and how we've spent them we say then prayers of sorrow for anything we would rather have done better and also ask god's forgiveness for any hurt that we have caused to anyone we confess to god almighty the father the son and the holy ghost before the whole company of heaven that we have sinned exceedingly in thought word and deed through our fault our own fault our own grievous fault therefore we pray god to have mercy upon us almighty god have mercy upon us forgive us all our sins and bring us to everlasting life amen turn us o god our savior and let thine anger cease from us oh god make speed to save us o lord make haste to help us glory be to the father and to the son and to the holy ghost as it was in the beginning is now and ever shall be world without end amen psalm 91 whoso dwelleth under the defense of the most high shall abide under the shadow of the almighty i will say unto the lord thou art my hope and my stronghold my god in him will i trust for he shall deliver thee from the snare of the hunter and from the noisome pestilence he shall defend thee under his wings and thou shalt be safe under his feathers his faithfulness and truth shall be thy shield and buckler thou shalt not be afraid for any terror by night nor for the arrow that flieth by day for the pestilence that walketh in darkness nor for the sickness that destroyeth in the noonday a thousand shall fall beside thee and ten thousand at thy right hand but it shall not come nigh thee yea with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the ungodly for thou lord heart my hope thou has set thine house of defense very high there shall no evil happen unto thee neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling for he shall give his angels charge over thee to keep thee in all thy ways they shall bear thee in their hands that thou hurt not thy foot against a stone thou shalt go upon the lion and adder the young lion and the dragon shall thou tread under thy feet because he had set his love upon me therefore will i deliver him i will set him up because he has known my name he shall call upon me and i will hear him ye i am with him in trouble i will deliver him and bring him to honor with long life will i satisfy him and show him my salvation glory be to the father and to the son and to the holy ghost as it was in the beginning is now and ever shall be world without end amen psalm 134 behold now praise the lord all ye servants of the lord ye that by night stand in the house of the lord even in the courts of the house of our god lift up your hands in the sanctuary and praise the lord the lord that made heaven and earth give the blessing out of zion glory be to the father and to the son and to the holy ghost as it was in the beginning is now and ever shall be world without end amen thou o lord art in the midst of us and we are called by thy name leave us not o lord our god thanks be to god into thy hands o lord i commend my spirit for thou hast redeemed me o lord thou god of truth glory be to the father and to the son and to the holy ghost into thy hands o lord i commend my spirit as our hymn we say some verses of a well-loved evening hymn abide with me first falls the even tide the darkness deepens lord with me abide when other helpers fail and comforts flee help of the helpless o abide with me i need thy presence every passing hour watch but thy grace can foil the tempter's power who like thyself my guide and stay can be through cloud and sunshine oh abide with me i fear no foe with thee at hand to bless ills have no weight and tears no bitterness where is death sting where grave thy victory i triumph still if thou abide with me keep me o lord as the apple of an eye hide me under the shadow of thy wings at this time in our service we light a candle in memory of all those who have recently died both from the covid19 virus and also for other reasons and remember also those whom we have known and loved who have been a light to our lives in days gone past we commend them to the mercy of almighty god and give thanks for their good influence on us rest eternal grant unto them lord and let perpetual light shine upon them save us o lord while waking and guard us while sleeping that awake we may watch with christ and asleep we may rest in peace lord now let us thou thy servant depart in peace according to thy word for mine eyes have seen thy salvation which thou has prepared before the face of all people to be a light to lighten the gentiles and to be the glory of thy people israel glory be to the father and to the son and to the holy ghost as it was in the beginning is now and ever shall be world without end amen save us o lord while waking and guard us while sleeping that awake we may watch with christ and asleep we may rest in peace lord have mercy upon us christ have mercy upon us lord have mercy upon us our father who art in heaven hallowed be thy name thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil for thine is the kingdom the power and the glory forever and ever amen vouch safe o lord to keep us this night without sin oh lord have mercy upon us have mercy upon us o lord let thy mercy lighten upon us as our trust is in thee oh lord hear our prayer and let our cry come unto thee let us pray visit we beseech the oh lord our homes and drive far from them all the snares of the enemy let thy holy angels dwell therein to preserve us in peace and may thy blessing be upon us ever more through jesus christ our lord amen a prayer for christ church throughout the world a god of unchangeable power and eternal light look favorably upon thy whole church that wonderful and sacred mystery and by the tranquil operation of thy perpetual providence carry out the work of our salvation and let the whole world feel and see that things which were cast down are being raised up and things which had grown old are being made new and that all things are returning to perfection through him from whom they took their origin even jesus christ our lord amen o lord who by triumphing over the power of darkness this prepare our place in the new jerusalem grant us who have this day given thanks for thy resurrection to praise thee in the eternal city whereof thou art the light where with the father and the holy ghost our livest and reignest one god world without end amen so we keep silence for a moment to say any prayers special to us and pray for any whom we love and would commend to god's care this night watch thou dear lord with those who wake or watch or weep tonight and give thine angels charge over those who sleep tend thy sick ones o lord christ rest thy weary ones bless thy dying ones soothe thy suffering ones pity thine afflicted ones and all for thy love's sake the peace of god which passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in the knowledge and love of god and if his son jesus christ our lord and the blessing of god almighty the father the son and the holy ghost be amongst you and remain with you this night and always amen foreign