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I’ve been watching “Call the Midwife” on Netflix. I would recommend the series. The show involves medical procedures and midwifery so it can be gory at times.

The show revolves around nuns and nurses that work in England and they all live together in one house.

The nuns mention “compline” and it shows them participating in “compline”.

I had never heard of compline.

According to the Google dictionary it is “a service of evening prayers forming part of the Divine Office of the Western Christian Church, traditionally said (or chanted) before retiring for the night.“

I thought it might be similar to vespers, but according to Google dictionary, “a service of evening prayer in the Divine Office of the Western Christian Church (sometimes said earlier in the day).“

I like the thought of having structural prayers at the end of the day. My prayers tend to be scattered before I go to bed.

You can look them up for yourself online. There are several to choose from. Generally, they will consist of prayers, hymns, and scripture readings. The reading and prayers are based on the liturgical year. I don’t sing the hymns or the scripture (mainly because I don’t know the tunes).

The link below is Psalm 91 that would be chanted.

Now that the season has changed from Advent to Christmas the lines before the Lord’s Prayer have changed.

The lines are now “Rejoicing in the presence of God here among us, as our Saviour taught us, so we pray…” then the Lord’s Prayer is recited. Because it it English, “Savior” is spelled different.

Isn’t that a perfect way to end an evening? Rejoicing in the presence of God here among us?