Daily Vespers and Veggie Supper

Join us for daily vespers and a veggie supper and spiritual conversation.

VESPERS- AN EXPLANATION

Vespers is served on weekdays and on the eve of major Feast Days and Sundays, Great Vespers (or Vigil) is also served.

Sunset marks the beginning of the next day in the Church calendar (following Jewish Tradition). Hence Saturday evening is the start of Sunday (just as the Jewish Sabbath begins on Friday evening). It has its origins in the Service of Evening Prayer from the which welcomes the advent of the Holy Sabbath. Just as it’s precursor was the first Prayer Service of the Sabbath, so also is Great Vespers the 1st service of the Lord’s Day. The 2d Service of Sunday is Matins (Utrenya). Divine Liturgy is actually the 3d service of Sunday.

The Norm of the Church is that all the Faithful should be present, not just at Sunday morning Liturgy, but at all the Divine Services of the Resurrection. At the very least, in addition to Divine Liturgy, one should attend either Vespers or Matins.

In the Slavic tradition, it is common to combine Great Vespers and Matins into the “Vigil” Service of Saturday evening (the “Vsenochnya”). In the Greek and Melkite tradition, it common to combine Matins and Divine Liturgy.

According to Fr. Alexander Schmemann, there are 4 themes to Great Vespers:

1. Creation (Psalm 103: “in Wisdom you have Created all”)

2. The Fall (Psalm 141: “There is nowhere to run, no one to care for my soul”)

3. Salvation (Phos ‘Ilarion: O Son of God, You are the Giver of Life…”)

4. Parousia (Nunc Dimittis: Master, you kept your Promise, I have seen the salvation”)

Adapted from: Vespers Explained — saint elias