In theLutheran Church,Matins is a morning-timeliturgical order combining features that were found in the Medieval orders ofMatins,Lauds, andPrime. Lutherans generally retained the Order of Matins for use in schools and in larger city parishes throughout the 16th and 17th centuries. In some places, Matins continued to be sung in Latin still longer. For example, at the close of the eighteenth century inLeipzig, one historian records that "every Sunday and festival day the canonical hours taken over from the Roman Catholic Church are still being chanted before [the chief service] at 6:30 am."[1] The orders experienced a revival in the Confessional Renewal that took place in the 19th century, and now have a stable place in modern Lutheranliturgical books.
A few examples of Matins in the Lutheran Church can be found below. The first column contains the Offices of Matins, Lauds, and Prime as found in the pre-Reformation breviary from theArchdiocese of Magdeburg. The second column provides the Office of Matins from theLutheran Cathedral of Havelberg, asuffragan of Magdeburg, as found in the 1589Vesperale of Matthäus Ludecus, dean of the Havelberg Cathedral. The third column provides Matins as it was sung in theLutheran Cathedral of Magdeburg in 1613, precisely one century after the pre-Reformation breviary in the first column. The final column contains the Order of Matins as found in the 1941Lutheran Hymnal of theLutheran Church–Missouri Synod. Along with the outline of the office itself, the various propers for Matins of the First Sunday in Advent are also included.
| Magdeburg Breviary (1513) | Vesperale (Havelberg, 1589) | Cantica Sacra (Magdeburg, 1613) | The Lutheran Hymnal (LCMS, 1941) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Matins | Matins | Matins | Matins |
| Domine labia mea aperies | Domine labia mea aperies | Domine labia mea aperies | "O Lord, open Thou my lips" |
| Deus in adiutorium meum intende | Deus in adiutorium meum intende | Deus in adiutorium meum intende | "Make haste, O God, to deliver me" |
| Gloria Patri | Gloria Patri | Gloria Patri | Glory be to the Father... |
| Alleluia | Alleluia | Alleluia | Alleluia |
| Invitatory Advent I:
| Invitatory | Invitatory Advent I:
| Invitatory Advent I:
|
| Venite | Venite | Venite | Venite |
| First Nocturne | |||
| Hymn | |||
Psalmody
| Psalmody
| Psalmody
| Psalmody - "One or more psalms shall be said or chanted" Advent I:Unspecified |
| Versicle Advent I:
| |||
| FirstLection Advent I:
| Lections | ThreeLections on Feasts and Sundays, one on Ferias Advent I:
| Lections - one or more |
| Responsory (common, seasonal, or proper to a certain Sunday or feast) Advent I:
| Responsory (common, seasonal, or proper to a certain Sunday or feast) Advent I:
| ThreeResponsories on Sundays and Feasts, one on Ferias (common, seasonal, or proper to a certain Sunday or feast) Advent I:
| Responsory (common, seasonal, or proper to a certain Sunday or feast) Advent I:
|
| SecondLection Advent I:
| SecondLection Advent I:
| ||
| Responsory Advent I:
| Responsory Advent I:
| ||
| ThirdLection Advent I:
| ThirdLection Advent I:
| ||
| Responsory Advent I:
| Responsory Advent I:
| ||
| Second Nocturne | |||
Psalmody
| Psalmody
| ||
| Versicle Advent I:
| |||
| FourthLection Advent I:
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| Responsory Advent I:
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| FifthLection Advent I:
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| Responsory Advent I:
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| SixthLection Advent I:
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| Responsory Advent I:
| |||
| Third Nocturne | |||
Psalmody
| Psalmody
| ||
| Versicle Advent I:
| |||
| SeventhLection Advent I:
| See Third Lection | ||
| Homily Advent I:
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| Responsory Advent I:
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| EighthLection Advent I:
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| Responsory Advent I:
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| NinthLection Advent I:
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| Responsory Advent I:
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| Sermon (optional) | |||
Te Deum
| Te Deum | Te Deum | Te Deum orBenedictus |
| Dominus vobiscum andOremus Advent I:
| |||
| Lauds | Lauds | Lauds | |
Psalmody
| Psalmody
| Psalmody
| |
| Hymn (seasonal, common, or proper) Advent I: | Hymn (seasonal, common, or proper) Advent I: | Hymn | |
| Chapter Advent I:
| Chapter (German version of what was read in Matins) Advent I:
| ||
| Versicle and response (seasonal, common, or proper) Advent I:
| |||
Benedictus with antiphon (usually proper, frequently taken from Gospel at Mass)
| Benedictus with antiphon | Benedictus with antiphon (usually proper, frequently taken from Gospel at Mass)
| |
| Versicle Advent I:
| |||
| Collect Advent I:
| Collect Advent I:
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| Prime | Prime | Prime | |
| Hymn -Nocte surgentes | Hymn -Jam lucis orto sydere | ||
Psalmody
| Psalmody
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Chapter
| |||
Responsory
| Responsory
| ||
| NinefoldKyrie | ThreefoldKyrie | ||
| Pater noster | "Our Father..." | ||
| Preces | Optional suffrages | ||
| Confiteor | |||
| Preces | |||
| Dominus vobiscum andOremus | Dominus vobiscum andOremus | "The Lord be with you" | |
| Collect -Domine sancte Pater omnipotens... | Collects Collect for Grace: "O Lord, our heavenly Father..." | ||
| Versicles | |||
| Collect -Actiones nostras... | |||
| Oremus | |||
| Collect -Sancta Maria mater Domini... | |||
| Deus in adiutorium meum intende (x3) | |||
| Gloria Patri | |||
| ThreefoldKyrie | |||
| Pater noster | |||
| Versicles (Psalm 90:16-17) | |||
| Oremus | |||
| Dirigere et sanctificare... | |||
| Dominus vobiscum | Dominus vobiscum | ||
| Benedicamus Domino | Benedicamus Domino | Benedicamus Domino | "Bless we the Lord." |
| Benediction |
| Luther's Small Catechism |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Chief articles of faith in theAugsburg Confession |
| |
| Practices | ||
| Movements | ||
