that in the Liturgical Year there is only one day for which three separate Divine Services are provided. That day, of course, is Christmas. There is a Divine Service for Midnight which focuses upon Luke 2:1-14. There is a Divine Service for Christmas Dawn, which focuses upon Luke 2:15-20. The Christmas Day Divine Service soars with John 1:1-14. I have never had the joy of the Christmas Dawn liturgy (which is the latest of the three to arrive on the scene), but the midnight liturgy is one of my favorites. It's a day we confess that night-time is not just for sleep, but to be awake and praying, singing and listening to the Word, receiving Christ's body and blood and looking for the Lord's appearing. And yes, my favorite part is immediately after we have received the Holy Sacrament, lighting the candles and singing by candlelight together the Nunc Dimittis through the closing hymn (and yes, you know what that is). But it is the Nunc Dimittis in the candlelight that I love the most. "For mine eyes have seen Thy salvation which Thou hast prepared before the face of all people; a Light to lighten the Gentiles and 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." It's on my mind today because I've been working on that bulletin.
01 December 2009
Rather remarkable
that in the Liturgical Year there is only one day for which three separate Divine Services are provided. That day, of course, is Christmas. There is a Divine Service for Midnight which focuses upon Luke 2:1-14. There is a Divine Service for Christmas Dawn, which focuses upon Luke 2:15-20. The Christmas Day Divine Service soars with John 1:1-14. I have never had the joy of the Christmas Dawn liturgy (which is the latest of the three to arrive on the scene), but the midnight liturgy is one of my favorites. It's a day we confess that night-time is not just for sleep, but to be awake and praying, singing and listening to the Word, receiving Christ's body and blood and looking for the Lord's appearing. And yes, my favorite part is immediately after we have received the Holy Sacrament, lighting the candles and singing by candlelight together the Nunc Dimittis through the closing hymn (and yes, you know what that is). But it is the Nunc Dimittis in the candlelight that I love the most. "For mine eyes have seen Thy salvation which Thou hast prepared before the face of all people; a Light to lighten the Gentiles and 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." It's on my mind today because I've been working on that bulletin.
What of Easter with Easter Vigil, Easter Dawn, and Easter Day?
ReplyDeleteAre you aware of propers for an Easter Dawn Divine Service? I've not seen those.
ReplyDeletePr. W:
ReplyDeleteThe LSB (at least the electronic version) gives propers for Easter Vigil, as well as 3 Divine Services for Easter Day: (a) Resurrection of Our Lord [Dawn]; (b) Resurrection of Our Lord; and (c) Easter Evening.
The Gospel Readings are the Johannine Resurrection account for Dawn; a Synoptic account for Day (Matthew for the One-Year); the Road to Emmaus account for Evening. There are variances concerning the Graduals and Verses.
Someone much more educated than I will have to weigh in on the historicity of such propers, but that is what LSB gives.
Never have done three services on one day for Easter, but it would be something!
LTZ
Goodness, you're quite right, Pr. Zimmerman. My apologies, Pr. Brown. However, I do believe that this is rather an innovation in LSB. I note that it is called "sunrise" rather than dawn, and I take it that is a reference to the common practice among us of a sunrise service (here, it is always Matins).
ReplyDeleteI think on my vicarage we did a different set of texts for the Sunrise service (that would have been 2003, pre-LSB), but I'm not sure where the texts for that came from.
ReplyDeleteAnyway. . . since the LSB arrived on golden printing plates, don't we just understand that it is the ultimate source of truth for all things liturgical? (Of course, if that's the case, why wasn't it in German. . . eh, but who am I to question such things) >=o)
I have often seen, for Pascha, the Vigil, Day, and then in the Afternoon or Evening (the Emmaus narrative) - but this is a more modern practice.
ReplyDelete