One of my favorite prayers in the Book of Common Prayer, is the Phos Hilaron or O Gracious Light. It is the earliest known Christian hymn recorded outside of the Bible that is still being used today. Those early Christians understood Jesus as an extension of the eternal brightness of God. Just thinking about God as a gracious light is very helpful to me. The song is really a love prayer to the Trinity:
O Gracious Light, pure brightness of the ever-living Father in heaven, O Jesus Christ, holy and blessed.
We say it during Evening Prayers. It is a reminder to us of God's graciousness at the end of the day. God is the light to our darkness; the One who illumines the beauty of forgiveness and mercy; the One who is set apart to be praised at all times.
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.
I find it is also helpful in putting the day back into perspective. The focus is taken off of my world, my thoughts, my problems and transferred back to God, the One who gave us all life.
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.
(For those of you who like things in their original form:
Original Ancient Text
- Φῶς ἱλαρὸν ἁγίας δόξης ἀθανάτου Πατρός,
- οὐρανίου, ἁγίου, μάκαρος, Ἰησοῦ Χριστέ,
- ἐλθόντες ἐπὶ τὴν ἡλίου δύσιν, ἰδόντες φῶς ἑσπερινόν,
- ὑμνοῦμεν Πατέρα, Υἱόν, καὶ ἅγιον Πνεῦμα, Θεόν.
- Ἄξιόν σε ἐν πᾶσι καιροῖς ὑμνεῖσθαι φωναῖς αἰσίαις,
- Υἱὲ Θεοῦ, ζωὴν ὁ διδούς· διὸ ὁ κόσμος σὲ δοξάζει.)
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