Matins at Spring Valley & Our Savior's

Matins: Part of The Divine Office and is a service of prayer. Matins initially was intended to sanctify the morning with prayer and praise to God. Matins was performed using the Book of Psalms, readings or "lessons" from the Bible, and collections of hymns and prayers. By the 13th century Matins was incorporated into one volume of various prayer services, called the Breviary, for the private use of monks and clergy. 

In the Reformation churches, Luther's Deutsche Messe (German Mass), established in 1526, retained the services of Matins and Vespers. These offices were read or sung in Luther's City Church. Matins has been used for Sunday morning worship in many Lutheran churches over the centuries. However, many other Lutheran churches use an edited form of the Holy Communion Service every Sunday even when the Lord's Supper is not celebrated. Many other churches use Matins as a weekday service of prayer and praise.

At Spring Valley and Our Savior's Matins is used when a feast day happens to fall on a week day. The service is held at 8:00 a.m. at Our Savior's.