Thursday, February 10, 2005
Compline Tonight
I was overwhelmed tonight by the positive responses I got from the Breviary Compline service we did. There were more people in attendance than I expected, and more people said they really liked it than I would have guessed. This is wonderful! One even tried to sneak off with an ordo! Many even stuck around after the surface to discuss the service and what they liked or maybe didn't like about it. The discussion branched into wondering about the Oxford Movement and then to some of their feelings that it would be nice if we experienced more Anglo-Catholic liturgy at Seabury. Needless to say, I am excited and the praise be to God. One person said they found the service to be a bit too Roman for them, and that is absolutely a fair critique. Frankly, I expected more of that kind of comment than the positive ones I did receive. Some comments about the officiating for me to keep in mind next week included a need for me to slow down. Nervousness about how the service was going to go probably induced me to speed up, but next week that shouldn't be a problem. Then, after that week, anyone can officiate it that would like to get the experience. Needless to say, I am excited about what God is doing here.
-R
[Later: I should add, I realized, that parts of the service seem "too Roman" for me as well. I struggle with the Ave Maria, the Marian Antiphons, and part of the Sacrsanctae. But, I'm exploring this particular devotional material, so I should do it all. We'll see where it leads, as I've said.]
2 Comments:
Compline is the new hotness: Click here to learn more. <--Micah.
By 
, at
8:08 AM
Micah -
Yes, there does seem to be a broad growing interest in Compline. I talk to a lot of people and they say, "It's my favorite service in the Prayer Book!" The cathedral in Seattle, St. Mark's, mentioned in the article has an amazing Compline service; my plunge mates and I got to attend while we were there. I'd say there were about 200 people in attendance that Saturday night, the majority of whom were between 18 and 25. It was totally sung by their choir and had no congregant participation, but it was beautifully done. DawgDays can probably attest to this as well. If you're ever in Seattle, stop by St. Mark's on Saturday nights for Compline.
-R
