Evening Hymns - Pastor's Column Feb. 2022

In the Small Catechism, Martin Luther’s instructions for Evening Prayer for use when one is ready to go to bed for the night is very much the same format as his instructions for Morning Prayer when getting up in the morning.  However, a noticeable difference in his morning and evening prayer instructions is that he does not recommend the singing of a hymn at bedtime as he does for the morning. I actually find that surprising given Luther’s affinity for music, hymns, and singing.  At the conclusion of the evening prayers, Luther simply suggests lying down at once and going to sleep.  Perhaps he was afraid singing a hymn would get the Spirit too excited and energized and, therefore, keep us from quickly falling asleep.  Who knows?

I sometimes wish we had more evening services at St. Paul’s. In the past we have offered Wednesday night Compline (prayer at the close of the day) services during Lent and Advent. We have also marked other non-Sunday morning festivals such as Ash Wednesday or The Ascension of Our Lord with night services. The reason I like evening-night services is that we get the opportunity to sing some of the hymns in our books specifically written for evening and nightfall.  A number of them are likely unfamiliar for a lot of us as we don’t often get the chance to use them, and when we do, it’s easier to stick the ones we know well.

When the uncertainty of Covid began back in 2020, and pastors began adding video ministry to our regular duties, I immediately knew that I wanted to do a series of Compline videos for use at the close of the day. I chose Compline because it is one of our most beautiful liturgies in both text and music.  As an added bonus, it provides the opportunity to use those evening hymns. The evening hymns are needed in our lives.  Many of them function as prayers as well as hymns. They give comfort and peace in their text and music. They speak the promise of God to be with us and protect us even as the daylight fades and gives way to the darkness of night. The texts speak with a hope for the daylight that will return at the sun’s rising. Another aspect of the evening hymns is that they can also serve as metaphors for dying and the hope we have of the resurrection to eternal life.

One of my favorites is “Abide with Me.”  What more could we say when falling asleep, whether for the night, or finally in death, than what is sung in the final verse:

If you have a copy of the Lutheran Book of Worship at home, the evening hymns are found from 272-282. I commend them to your use. If you can’t sing them without the music, just read the texts.  If you don’t have an LBW or any other hymnals at home that might have an evening section, you could also Google the words.  Some other excellent evening hymns are as follows:

- The Day You Gave Us, Lord, Has Ended

- O Trinity, O Blessed Light

- To You, before the Close of Day

- All Praise to Thee, My God, This Night

- Now the Day Is Over

- God, Who Made the Earth and Heaven

- Now Rest Beneath Night’s Shadow