Vespers is the evening prayer service in the liturgies of the canonical hours. The word comes from the Greek εσπερινός and its Latin equivalent vesper, meaning "evening." In Lutheranism the traditional form has varied widely with time and place. Martin Luther, in his German Mass and Order of Divine Service (1526') recommended reading the gospel in Latin in schools: "Then let another boy read the same chapter in German for practice, and in case any layman were there to hear...In the same way at Vespers, let them sing the Vesper Psalms as sung hitherto, in Latin, with an antiphon; then a hymn, as there is opportunity." While Latin vespers continued to be said in large churches, many experiments with simplified liturgies were made, including combining the hours of vespers and compline, later taken up in Thomas Cranmer's Anglican evensong. Under the influence of the 20th century Liturgical movement the Alpirsbach circle reintroduced Gregorian chant and spawned the Evangelisch-Lutherische Gebetsbruderschaft, established in 1954, which publishes the Breviarium Lipsiensae or Leipzig Breviary.
Many of Bach's cantatas were first heard in the context of vespers, which are still celebrated Friday evenings in Leipzig's Thomaskirche.
A few examples of Vespers in the Lutheran Church can be found below. The first column is the Office of Vespers as found in the pre-Reformation breviary from the Archdiocese of Magdeburg. The second column provides the Office of Vespers from the Lutheran Cathedral of Havelberg, a suffragan of Magdeburg, as found in the 1589 Vesperale of Matthäus Ludecus, dean of the Havelberg Cathedral. The third column provides Vespers as it was sung in the Lutheran Cathedral of Magdeburg in 1613, precisely one century after the pre-Reformation breviary in the first column. The final column contains the Order of Vespers as found in the 1941 Lutheran Hymnal of the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod. Along with the outline of the office itself, the various propers for First Vespers of the First Sunday in Advent are also included.
| Magdeburg Breviary (1513)[1] | Vesperale (Havelberg, 1589)[2] | Cantica Sacra (Magdeburg, 1613)[3] | The Lutheran Hymnal (LCMS, 1941) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vespers | Vespers | Vespers | Vespers | |
| "O Lord, open Thou my lips" | ||||
| Latin: [[Deus in adiutorium]] | Latin: [[Deus in adiutorium]] | Latin: [[Deus in adiutorium]] | "Make haste, O God, to deliver me" | |
| Latin: [[Gloria Patri]] | Latin: [[Gloria Patri]] | Latin: [[Gloria Patri]] | Glory be to the Father... | |
| Latin: [[Alleluia]] | Latin: [[Alleluia]] | Latin: [[Alleluia]] | Latin: [[Alleluia]] | |
Psalmody - Generally five psalms with antiphonsFirst Vespers of Advent I:
| Psalmody - Generally five Latin psalms with antiphonsFirst Vespers of Advent I:
| Psalmody - Generally five Latin psalms with antiphonsFirst Vespers of Advent I:
| Psalmody - "One or more psalms may be said or chanted"First Vespers of Advent I:Unspecified | |
Chapter (seasonal, common, or proper) with the response Latin: [[Deo gratias]]First Vespers of Advent I:
| Lection with the response Latin: [[Deo gratias]] | (see after Hymn) | Lection with the response: "Thanks be to God." | |
Responsory (common, seasonal, or proper to a certain Sunday or feast)First Vespers of Advent I:
| Responsory (common, seasonal, or proper to a certain Sunday or feast)First Vespers of Advent I:
| Responsory (common, seasonal, or proper to a certain Sunday or feast)First Vespers of Advent I:
| ||
| Sermon (optional) | ||||
Hymn (seasonal, common, or proper)First Vespers of Advent I:
| Hymn (seasonal, common, or proper)First Vespers of Advent I:
| Hymn (seasonal, common, or proper)First Vespers of Advent I:
| Hymn | |
Chapter (Latin, proper to the day)First Vespers of Advent I:
| ||||
Versicle and response (seasonal, common, or proper)First Vespers of Advent I:
| (See before Collect) | Versicle and response (seasonal, common, or proper)First Vespers of Advent I:
| ||
Latin: [[Magnificat]] with antiphon (usually proper, frequently taken from Gospel at Mass)First Vespers of Advent I:
| Latin: [[Magnificat]] with antiphon (usually proper, frequently taken from Gospel at Mass)First Vespers of Advent I:
| Latin: [[Magnificat]] with antiphon (usually proper, frequently taken from Gospel at Mass)First Vespers of Advent I:
| "My soul doth magnify the Lord..." or "Lord, now lettest Thou Thy servant..."First Vespers of Advent I:
| |
On ferias, the Office of Compline may be subjoined here as follows:
| ||||
| Latin: [[Kyrie]] | "Lord, have mercy upon us..." | |||
| Latin: [[Pater noster]] | "Our Father..." | |||
| Preces on specified ferias and vigils; sequence often as at Lauds | Optional suffrages | |||
| Latin: [[Oremus]] and Latin: [[Dominus vobiscum]] | Latin: [[Oremus]] and Latin: [[Dominus vobiscum]] | "The Lord be with you" | ||
Versicle before the CollectFirst Vespers of Advent I:
| Versicle before the CollectFirst Vespers of Advent I:
| "Each Collect may be preceded by a Versicle" | ||
Collect of the day or weekFirst Vespers of Advent I:
| Collect of the day or weekFirst Vespers of Advent I:
| Collect of the day or weekFirst Vespers of Advent I:
| Collect of the day or weekFirst Vespers of Advent I:
| |
| Collect for Peace: "O God, from whom all holy desires..." | ||||
| Latin: [[Dominus vobiscum]] | ||||
| Latin: [[Benedicamus Domino]] | Latin: [[Benedicamus Domino]] | Latin: [[Benedicamus Domino]] | "Bless we the Lord." | |
| Sermon, followed by a vernacular hymn. |
In the latter half of the twentieth century, in response to the liturgical innovations in the wake of the Second Vatican Council, some Lutheran hymnals, such as the 1978 Lutheran Book of Worship provide a modified form of Vespers in addition to or in place of the traditional form. Generally called Evening Prayer, it begins with a Service of Light in which a lighted candle is carried in procession to the altar while the Phos Hilaron is sung, and the Office Hymn is moved to a new place between the Psalmody and Reading, among other changes.