Introduction
The purpose
of the Midnight Prayers is to fill those who watch at midnight with a depth and
love of God’s Law, especially as expressed in Psalm 119. If nothing else may be accomplished, as a
minimum this Psalm may be prayed every weeknight, discarding all the rest. For those with greater strength and more
time, more may be accomplished. Those
who undertake such watchfulness should begin to see and understand the Gospel
expressed in the Law, as well as the Law expressed in the Gospel. To help with such a growing vision, we have
added the Decalogue to these prayers, before Psalm 119.
With
the love of God’s Law firmly in mind we would also hope that these prayers draw
eastern and western Christians closer together.
We are indebted to numerous Orthodox resources, too numerous to mention,
for both the structure and content of these prayers.
[1] Those who delve into the background
materials, so readily available on the internet, will discover that much
material has been removed.
Westerners
are not usually accustomed to such prayers, so we did not wish to be tedious to
anyone, and thus discourage anyone from finding a simple starting place.
The
only thing that is not optional is Psalm 119 itself. For those whose time is strictly limited the
Psalm may be divided into three portions (verses 1-72, 73-131, 132-176), into the
twenty-two letters of the Hebrew alphabet that are frequently marked in English
Bibles, or into some other convenient division.
Those who are able to pray the whole of Psalm 119 every weeknight will
find a glorious reward.
One
should not overlook the wonderful tangencies between Psalm 119 and the New Testament:
especially, Hebrews 5:8; John 14:6 (v 30); Luke 15:7, 10, 32 (v 74); and
Matthew 18:12, Luke 15:4 (v 176) which also connects with Isaiah 53:6.
We
are indebted to Professor Meredith Kline
[2]
for his work on ancient covenants, as well.
We are unaware that he ever formed the conclusions presented here, but
we would never have seen these relationships, except by standing on Dr. Kline’s
shoulders.
[3]
The observation
that the first three verbs of The Lord’s Prayer are all past tense, passive
voice belongs to a seminary classmate.
Unfortunately, his name has been forgotten. If this observation is taken at face value,
it means that The Lord’s Prayer is prophetic of the Cross-work of Christ; the first
three petitions are not requests, but rather paeans of praise sung by Christ to
the Father. As such, we enter into these
praises in full assurance that each new day is built on the Immovable Foundation,
Christ.
Finally,
dear reader, we are indebted to you.
There is nothing as important as the bringing together of the Body of
Christ into one joyous whole. This
cannot be accomplished without the work of Christ within you. Please pray with us whenever you are able. You should never bear any sense of guilt in
this: if you are unable, we trust that the Lord has had you occupied with His kingdom
work elsewhere. Peace.
Yours in Christ
Herb aka Augie
Midnight Prayers for Western
Christians
Salutation
...
in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.
Amen.
Through the prayers of our holy Fathers, Lord Jesus Christ our God, have
mercy on us and save us.
Amen.
Glory to You, our God, glory to You.
O
Heavenly King: Prayer to the Holy Ghost
O Heavenly King, the
Comforter, the Spirit of truth, You are everywhere and fill all things,
Treasury of blessings, and Giver of life: come and abide in us, and cleanse us
from every impurity, and save our souls, O Good One.
Holy God, Holy, Mighty,
Holy Immortal, have mercy on us.[4]
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost, as
it is now, was in the beginning, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
All-Holy Trinity
All-holy Trinity, have
mercy on us. Lord, cleanse us from our
sins. Master, pardon our
iniquities. Holy One, visit us and heal
our infirmities for Your Name’s sake.
Lord have mercy.[5]
Gloria
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost, as it is now, was in the beginning, and
ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer
Our Father in the heavens,
Your name was hallowed. Your kingdom was
brought. Your will was done. As in heaven, so also on earth. Give us this day our heavenly bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our
debtors. And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil. Amen.[6] [7] Lord
have mercy.[8]
Gloria
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost, as it is now, was in the beginning, and
ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
O come, let us worship and fall down before our King and our
God. O come, let us worship and fall
down before Christ, our King and our God.
O come, let us worship and fall down before the very Christ Himself, our
Immortal King and our God.
Psalm 51 (50
LXX)
Pray through Psalm 51 (50 LXX) in your favorite version. Then pray through the Law as follows or in
your favorite version.
The
Decalogue: The Law (Exodus 20:1-17)[10]
And God spake all
these words, saying, I am the Lord your God, Who brought you out of the land of
Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
1
You
shall not have other gods before Me.
2
You
shall not make for yourself any graven image: any likeness of anything that is in heaven
above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.
3
You
shall not bow down yourself to them, nor serve them (for I the Lord your God am a jealous God,
visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children unto the third and fourth
generation of those who hate Me; and showing mercy to thousands of those who
love Me and keep My commandments).
4
You
shall not take the name of the Lord Your God in vain (for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who
takes His name in vain).
5
Remember
the Sabbath day to keep it holy. You
shall labor six days, and do all your work; but the seventh day is the Sabbath
of the Lord your God: You shall not do any work in it: not
you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant,
nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates (for in six days
the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested
the seventh day: therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it).
The
First Commandment with promise
Honor your father and your mother: that your days may be long on the land
which the Lord your God gives you.
6
You
shall not murder.
7
You
shall not commit adultery.
8
You
shall not steal.
9
You
shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
10
You
shall not covet your
neighbor’s house; You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant,
nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor anything that is your
neighbor’s.
Pray through Psalm 119 (118 LXX) in your favorite version.
The Stasis may be prayed between verses 72
and 73, as well as between verses 131 and 132.
The Final Stasis may be prayed at the end of Psalm 119.
Stasis
Glory be to the
Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost, as it is now, was in the
beginning, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia: Glory to You, O God (three times). Lord, have mercy (three times). Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and
to the Holy Ghost, as it is now, was in the beginning, and ever shall be, world
without end. Amen.
Final Stasis
Glory be to the
Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost, as it is now, was in the beginning,
and ever shall be, world without end.
Amen.
The Creed
We believe in One God:
Father, Almighty, Maker; of heaven and earth; and of all things visible and
invisible.
And we believe in One
Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before
all ages, Light of Light, True God of True God, begotten, not made, being of
one essence with the Father; through Whom all things were made. Who for us men, and for our salvation, came
down from heaven, and was incarnate of the Holy Ghost and the Virgin Mary, and
was made man. He was crucified for us
under Pontius Pilate, and suffered, and was buried, and the third day He raised
again, according to the Scriptures, and ascended into heaven, and sits at the
right hand of the Father; and He shall come again, with glory, to judge the
living and the dead; Whose kingdom shall have no end.
And we believe in the
Holy Ghost, the Lord, the Giver of Life, Who proceeds from the Father, Who with
the Father and the Son together is worshiped and glorified, Who spake by the
prophets.
We believe In One
Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church; we acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness
of sins; we look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the age to
come. Amen.
Optional
Repetition of the Opening Prayers
The Trisagion,
Gloria,
All-holy
Trinity, Gloria, and The Lord’s Prayer may be repeated here as at the opening
of Midnight Prayers.
Behold
the Bridegroom
Behold, the Bridegroom comes in the middle of the night, and
blessed is that servant whom He shall find watching. And again, unworthy is that servant whom He
shall find heedless. Beware, therefore,
O my soul, lest you be borne down with sleep, lest you be given up to death,
and be shut out from the Kingdom. But
rather rouse yourself and cry: Holy, Holy, Holy are You, O our God, through the
Theotokos, have mercy on us.
As
You Bring to Mind
As you bring to mind the most fearful day, rouse yourself, O
my soul, and be vigilant. Kindle your
darkened lamp and make it radiant with oil, for you do not know when you will
suddenly hear that voice cry out, “Behold, your Bridegroom comes to you.” Mark, then, O my soul, lest like those five
foolish virgins, who sleep and remain outside vainly knocking at the door; but
endure in all watchfulness, so that you might meet Christ our God with rich
oil, and that He might grant the fair Divine bridal-chamber of His glory to you
forevermore.
Prayer of the
Hours
You are worshipped and
glorified at all times and at every hour, in Heaven and on earth, O Christ
God. You are long-suffering, plenteous
in mercy, most compassionate. You love
the righteous and have mercy on sinners.
You call all to salvation through the promise of good things to
come. Receive, O Lord, our prayers at
this hour, and guide our life toward Your commandments. Sanctify our souls, make chaste our bodies,
correct our thoughts, purify our intentions, and deliver us from every sorrow,
evil, and pain. Surround us with Your
holy Angels, that guided and guarded by their array, we may attain to the unity
of the faith and the knowledge of Your unapproachable glory, for You are
blessed now, from the beginning, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
Prostration
O come, let us worship
and fall down before our King and our God.
O come, let us worship and fall down before Christ, our King and our
God. O come, let us worship and fall
down before the very Christ Himself, our Immortal King and our God.
Psalms
Pray through Psalms 121, 134 (120, 133 LXX).
Optional
Repetition of the Opening Prayers
The Gloria, Trisagion,
Gloria,
All-holy
Trinity, Gloria, and The Lord’s Prayer may be repeated here as at the opening
of Midnight Prayers.
Keep
Your Servants
Keep Your servants in remembrance, O Lord, since You are
good, and forgive their every sin in this life: for no mortal person is without
sin, except for You Who are able to grant rest even to those who have departed.
O
You Who by the Depth
O You Who by the depth of Your wisdom provides all things
out of love for mortals, and grants to all whatever is profitable. O only Creator: grant rest, O Lord, to the
souls of Your servants; for in You have they placed their hope, O our Creator
and Fashioner and God. Glory be to the
Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
With
the Saints Grant Rest
With all the Saints grant rest, O Christ, to the souls of Your
servants, where there is neither pain, nor sorrow, nor sighing, but life
unending.
Both now and ever and unto
ages of ages.
Amen.
Lord have mercy.
[12]
Remember,
O Lord
Remember, O Lord, our fathers and mothers, brothers and
sisters who have fallen asleep in hope of the resurrection of eternal life, and
all that have ended their days in piety and faith; and forgive their every
transgression in which they have willingly or unwillingly transgressed in word
or deed or thought. And make them to
dwell in places of light, in places of verdure, in places of refreshment, where
every pain, sorrow, and sighing is fled away, where the visitation of Your
countenance makes glad all Your Saints from ages past. Grant unto them and us Your Kingdom, and
participation in Your ineffable and eternal good things, and the enjoyment of Your
endless and blessed life. For You are
the Life, the Resurrection, and the Repose of Your servants that have fallen
asleep, O Christ our God, and unto You do we send up glory with Your Father Who
is without beginning, and Your All-holy and good and life-creating Spirit, now
and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.
Our Hope
Our hope is the
Father, our refuge is the Son, our shelter is the Holy Ghost. O Holy Trinity, glory to You.
Blessing
Lord, bless. Through the prayers of our holy Fathers, Lord
Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us and save us. Amen.
[1] For example: especially http://orthodox.seasidehosting.st/seaside/home
[2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meredith_Kline
[3] See Meredith G. Kline, “The Two
Tables of the Covenant”: Westminster
Theological Journal 22 (1960) 133-46, and many other places.
[4] Optional: three times with deep bows or prostrations — If
bowing and prostration seem strange, it may help to remember that Christ is the
King of Kings. Because America has no
earthly king, all memory of the practice has faded away.
[5] Optional: Lord have mercy three times with deep bows or prostrations
[6] At Your Son’s cross, burial, victory
over hell, resurrection, ascension, and future coming in glory. Join us mortals here on earth to your Son’s
work, so that we may participate in it with joy immortal.
[7] O Christ, God-man, You have
done all these things for us by your mighty works in life and in death. Enable us to enter into the majesty of your
prayer, by receiving Your most-pure Body and like precious Blood. Empower us to be obedient to its beauty and
goodness, that we might become a truly forgiving people. Inspire us to behold its glory, that we might
be evermore like You in all that we think, say and do, both now and ever and
unto the ages of ages. Amen.
[8] Optional: twelve times with deep bows or prostrations
[9] The name of the prayer
suggests an optional practice.
[10] Omit on Saturday and
Sunday.
[11] The Midnight Prayer is
intended for weekday evenings.
Saturday
and Sunday (Kyriake) are frequently given to other things.
[12] Optional: Lord have mercy twelve
times with deep bows or prostrations
