A friend just introduced me to a short service in the Book of Common Prayer, An Order of Worship for the Evening which contains the hymn: “O Gracious Light “ or Phos hilaron. The hymn was the appointed hymn at Evening Prayer last night at The Society of Saint John the Evangelist, an Episcopal Monastery in Cambridge, MA.

It was first recorded in the late 3rd or early 4th century and is the oldest hymn still in common use today. It is often sung at the lighting of the lamps in the evening and is also known also as the “lamp-lighting” hymn. In the early centuries in Jerusalem, a lamp was kept perpetually burning in the empty tomb of Christ, its glow a symbol of the living light of Jesus. 

A recent power outage in Nashville reminded me of the importance of light, and how we are all called to be a light to the world!

Here’s the spoken hymn. I particularly like the thought of “happy voices” in today’s turbulent world. 

O gracious Light,
pure brightness of the everliving Father in heaven,
O Jesus Christ, holy and blessed!

Now as we come to the setting of the sun,
and our eyes behold the vesper light,
we sing your praises, O God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

You are worthy at all times to be praised by happy voices,
O Son of God, O Giver of life,
and to be glorified through all the worlds.

 

Blessings, my friend,
Agatha