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The night
descends from God’s own hand
All failures from this day are gone
Let peace
like evening curtains fall
Restore your soul in heaven’s hall.
Text: Renée Miller
Music: "Jesu dulcis memoria,
plainsong, Mode 2"
Hymnal 1982
Preparation for
Prayer
As you prepare for the close of this day, let all the worries and
anxieties you have carried today slip away. Bring your attention to this moment
and the presence of the Holy One around you as you listen to the ringing of the
bell.
Opening
Sentence
“Darkness is a time to enter into silence deeper than the mere
absence of words and sit quietly and still in that silence until a word forms in
the soul.”
—Renee Miller, Fertile
Soil in a Barren Land
“Be still and know
that I am God.”
—Psalm 46:10a
A Psalm
“Your steadfast love, O Lord, extends to the heavens, your faithfulness
to the clouds. Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains, your judgments
are like the great deep; you save humans and animals alike, O Lord. How precious
is your steadfast love, O God! All people may take refuge in the shadow of your
wings. They feast on the abundance of your house, and you give them drink from
the river of your delights. For with you is the fountain of life; in your light
we see light.”—Psalm 36:5-9
A Reading from
the Bible
“No one after lighting a lamp hides it under a jar, or puts it
under a bed, but puts it on a lampstand, so that those who enter may see the
light. For nothing is hidden that will not be disclosed, nor is anything secret
that will not become known and come to light. Then pay attention to how you
listen.” —Luke 8:16-18a
Reflection
followed by Silence
Everything that we know, cherish, and delight in was
born out of the primal darkness. From the trees, to our children, to the choice
of our particular career, to the memories that are scratched on the surface of
our souls, to the experience of God in the silent part of our being —all of it
was conceived and grew in the darkness before ever it was birthed in the
light.
It’s as if darkness is the endless ocean through which light must sail. Without the darkness, there would be no possibility of sailing; in fact, there’d be no movement whatsoever. Whenever we can detect the periphery—the edges—of light, we see that just beyond those edges is the great deep darkness that stretches into eternity.
There is no escape
from that darkness. Nor should there be.” Ask yourself, “When has the darkness
in my life led me to the light?”
Prayer
Take some moments now to offer the concerns of
your heart to heaven. Remember those who are in pain, those who are afraid,
those who are alone, those whom you love, those who are dying, and those who are
already in heaven, and pray for the needs of your own life.
(Silence)
Prayer for
Restoration from Fatigue
Gracious God, at times my life seems to be too
much. Too full. Too demanding. Too consuming. Everything feels necessary, even
important, but weariness creeps across my body and soul like storm clouds
gathering in an open sky. As my body is depleted of energy, my mind loses
interest in what normally enthuses me. My tired soul sags as if it were a
balloon losing its air. Sometimes I feel so spent that even restorative sleep
seems to elude me. Help me sort the truly important from what only seems
important. Give me courage to say no to what drains rather than feeds me. Help
me find brief moments to sit in perfect stillness while you massage my soul.
And, when I go to my nightly sleeping place, wrap your darkness around me like
the softest cloak, so that I may sleep peacefully in your embrace. I ask this
for the sake of your love. Amen.
—from Prayers for Living
Blessing
The night has come and another day of life has passed. Heaven has
watched over you this day and will hold you this night. May you feel the brush
of God’s blessing as the shadows deepen and your eyes close in the little death
of sleep.
Closing
Thought with Chant
As you sleep this night,
know that you are loved by God— boundlessly, unconditionally, and
eternally.
“Guilt has no power, shame cannot hide
All the beauty that
lives inside.
Open your eyes, to realize
The wonder of your
soul.”
Text: Renée Miller
Music: Thomas
Pavlechko
Wellspring, Selah Publishing