O Lord, open our lips
Alland our mouth shall
proclaim your praise.
The Acclamation of Christ at the Dawning of the Day (page 108) may replace the Preparation as the start of Morning Prayer on any occasion.
One or more of the following is said or sung:
One of these prayers of thanksgiving (page 109),
Blessed are you, Sovereign God, creator of all,
to you be glory and praise for ever.
You founded the earth in the beginning
and the heavens are the work of your hands.
In the fullness of time you made us in your image,
and in these last days you have spoken to us
in your Son Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh.
As we rejoice in the gift of your presence among us
let the light of your love always shine in our hearts,
your Spirit ever renew our lives
and your praises ever be on our lips.
Blessed be God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
AllBlessed be God for ever.
(or)
Blessed are you, creator of all,
to you be praise and glory for ever.
As your dawn renews the face of the earth
bringing light and life to all creation,
may we rejoice in this day you have made;
as we wake refreshed from the depths of sleep,
open our eyes to behold your presence
and strengthen our hands to do your will,
that the world may rejoice and give you praise.
Blessed be God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
AllBlessed be God for ever.
after Lancelot Andrewes (1626)
or a suitable hymn,
or the Benedicite – a Song of Creation (shorter version)
1Bless the Lord all you
works of the Lord: ♦
sing his praise and exalt him for ever.
2Bless the Lord you heavens:
♦
sing his praise and exalt him for ever.
3Bless the Lord you angels
of the Lord: ♦
sing his praise and exalt him for ever.
4Bless the Lord all people
on earth: ♦
sing his praise and exalt him for ever.
5O people of God bless
the Lord: ♦
sing his praise and exalt him for ever.
6Bless the Lord you priests
of the Lord: ♦
sing his praise and exalt him for ever.
7Bless the Lord you servants
of the Lord: ♦
sing his praise and exalt him for ever.
8Bless the Lord all you
of upright spirit: ♦
bless the Lord you that are holy and humble in heart.
The Song of the Three 35-37, 60-65
AllBless the Father, the Son
and the Holy Spirit: ♦
sing his praise and exalt him for ever.
This opening prayer may be said
The night has passed, and the day lies open before us;
let us pray with one heart and mind.
Silence is kept.
As we rejoice in the gift of this new day,
so may the light of your presence, O God,
set our hearts on fire with love for you;
now and for ever.
AllAmen.
The appointed psalmody is said.
Refrain: You, O Lord, shall be exalted for evermore.
1 It is a good thing to give thanks to the Lord ♦
and to sing praises to your name, O Most High;
2 To tell of your love early in the morning ♦
and of your faithfulness in the night-time,
3 Upon the ten-stringed instrument, upon the harp, ♦
and to the melody of the lyre.
4 For you, Lord, have made me glad by your acts, ♦
and I sing aloud at the works of your hands.
5 O Lord, how glorious are your works! ♦
Your thoughts are very deep. R
6 The senseless do not know, ♦
nor do fools understand,
7 That though the wicked sprout like grass ♦
and all the workers of iniquity flourish,
8 It is only to be destroyed for ever; ♦
but you, O Lord, shall be exalted for evermore.
9 For lo, your enemies, O Lord,
lo, your enemies shall perish, ♦
and all the workers of iniquity shall be scattered.
10 But my horn you have exalted
like the horns of wild oxen; ♦
I am anointed with fresh oil.
11 My eyes will look down on my foes; ♦
my ears shall hear the ruin of the evildoers
who rise up against me. R
12 The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree, ♦
and shall spread abroad like a cedar of Lebanon.
13 Such as are planted in the house of the Lord ♦
shall flourish in the courts of our God.
14 They shall still bear fruit in old age; ♦
they shall be vigorous and in full leaf;
15 That they may show that the Lord is true; ♦
he is my rock,
and there is no unrighteousness in him.
Refrain: You, O Lord, shall be exalted for evermore.
Give us the music of your praise, Lord,
morning, noon and night,
that our lives may be fruitful
and our lips confess you as the true and only God.
Each psalm or group of psalms may end with
AllGlory to the Father and
to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning is now
and shall be for ever. Amen.
If there are two Scripture readings, the first may be read here, or both may be read after the canticle.
Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah son of Amittai, saying, ‘Go at once to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up before me.’ But Jonah set out to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish; so he paid his fare and went on board, to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of the Lord.
But the Lord hurled a great wind upon the sea, and such a mighty storm came upon the sea that the ship threatened to break up. Then the mariners were afraid, and each cried to his god. They threw the cargo that was in the ship into the sea, to lighten it for them. Jonah, meanwhile, had gone down into the hold of the ship and had lain down, and was fast asleep. The captain came and said to him, ‘What are you doing sound asleep? Get up, call on your god! Perhaps the god will spare us a thought so that we do not perish.’
The sailors said to one another, ‘Come, let us cast lots, so that we may know on whose account this calamity has come upon us.’ So they cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah. Then they said to him, ‘Tell us why this calamity has come upon us. What is your occupation? Where do you come from? What is your country? And of what people are you?’ ‘I am a Hebrew,’ he replied. ‘I worship the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.’ Then the men were even more afraid, and said to him, ‘What is this that you have done!’ For the men knew that he was fleeing from the presence of the Lord, because he had told them so.
Then they said to him, ‘What shall we do to you, that the sea may quieten down for us?’ For the sea was growing more and more tempestuous. He said to them, ‘Pick me up and throw me into the sea; then the sea will quieten down for you; for I know it is because of me that this great storm has come upon you.’ Nevertheless, the men rowed hard to bring the ship back to land, but they could not, for the sea grew more and more stormy against them. Then they cried out to the Lord, ‘Please, O Lord, we pray, do not let us perish on account of this man’s life. Do not make us guilty of innocent blood; for you, O Lord, have done as it pleased you.’ So they picked Jonah up and threw him into the sea; and the sea ceased from its raging. Then the men feared the Lord even more, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows.
A Song of David, or another suitable canticle, for example, number 32 (page 583) or number 50 (page 602), may be said
Refrain:
AllSplendour and majesty are
yours, O God;
you are exalted as head over all. Alleluia.
1Blessed are you, God
of Israel, for ever and ever, ♦
for yours is the greatness, the power,
the glory, the splendour and the majesty.
2Everything in heaven
and on earth is yours; ♦
yours is the kingdom, O Lord,
and you are exalted as head over all.
3Riches and honour come
from you ♦
and you rule over all.
4In your hand are power
and might; ♦
yours it is to give power and strength to all.
5And now we give you
thanks, our God, ♦
and praise your glorious name.
6For all things come
from you, ♦
and of your own have we given you.
1 Chronicles 29.10b-13, 14b
AllGlory to the Father and
to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning is now
and shall be for ever. Amen.
AllSplendour and majesty are
yours, O God;
you are exalted as head over all. Alleluia.
One or more readings appointed for the day are read.
The reading(s) may be followed by a time of silence.
Therefore, beloved, while you are waiting for these things, strive to be found by him at peace, without spot or blemish; and regard the patience of our Lord as salvation. So also our beloved brother Paul wrote to you according to the wisdom given to him, speaking of this as he does in all his letters. There are some things in them hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other scriptures. You therefore, beloved, since you are forewarned, beware that you are not carried away with the error of the lawless and lose your own stability. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.
A suitable song or chant, or a responsory in this or another form, may follow
Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead
AllAnd Christ shall give
you light.
You have died and your life is hid with Christ in God.
AllAwake, O sleeper, and
arise from the dead.
Set your minds on things that are above,
not on things that are on the earth.
AllAnd Christ shall give
you light.
When Christ our life appears you will appear with him in glory.
AllAwake, O sleeper, and
arise from the dead,
and Christ shall give you light.
from Colossians 3
The Benedictus (The Song of Zechariah) is normally said, or the Easter Anthems (page 634) may be said
Refrain:
AllYou have raised up for us
a mighty Saviour,
born of the house of your servant David.
1Blessed be the Lord
the God of Israel, ♦
who has come to his people and set them free.
2He has raised up for
us a mighty Saviour, ♦
born of the house of his servant David.
3Through his holy prophets
God promised of old ♦
to save us from our enemies,
from the hands of all that hate us,
4To show mercy to our
ancestors, ♦
and to remember his holy covenant.
5This was the oath God
swore to our father Abraham: ♦
to set us free from the hands of our enemies,
6Free to worship him
without fear, ♦
holy and righteous in his sight
all the days of our life.
7And you, child, shall
be called the prophet of the Most High, ♦
for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way,
8To give his people knowledge
of salvation ♦
by the forgiveness of all their sins.
9In the tender compassion
of our God ♦
the dawn from on high shall break upon us,
10To shine on those who
dwell in darkness and the shadow of death, ♦
and to guide our feet into the way of peace.
Luke 1.68-79
AllGlory to the Father and
to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning is now
and shall be for ever. Amen.
Refrain:
AllYou have raised up for us
a mighty Saviour,
born of the house of your servant David.
Intercessions are offered
¶ for the day and its tasks
¶ for the world and its needs
¶ for the Church and her life
Prayers may include the following concerns from the cycle on pages 362–363
¶ The universal Church
¶ Bishops, synods and all who lead the Church
¶ The leaders of the nations
¶ The natural world and the resources of the
earth
¶ All who are in any kind of need
One of the forms of prayer found on pages 362–371 may be used.
These responses may be used
Lord, in your mercy
hear our prayer
(or)
Lord, hear us.
Lord, graciously hear us.
Silence may be kept.
The Collect of the day is said
O God, you declare your almighty power
most chiefly in showing mercy and pity:
mercifully grant to us such a measure of your grace,
that we, running the way of your commandments,
may receive your gracious promises,
and be made partakers of your heavenly treasure;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.
AllAmen.
The Lord’s Prayer is said
As our Saviour taught us, so we pray
AllOur Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins
as we forgive those who sin against us.
Lead us not into temptation
but deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power,
and the glory are yours
now and for ever.
Amen.
(or)
Let us pray with confidence as our Saviour has taught us
AllOur Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name;
thy kingdom come;
thy will be done;
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation;
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
the power and the glory,
for ever and ever.
Amen.
The Lord bless us, and preserve us from all evil,
and keep us in eternal life.
AllAmen.
Let us bless the Lord. Alleluia, alleluia.
AllThanks be to God. Alleluia, alleluia.
©
The Archbishops’ Council of the Church of England, 2000–2005
Official Common Worship apps, books and eBooks are available from
Church House Publishing.
The Bible readings (other than the psalms) are from The New Revised Standard Version Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995 Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Implemented by Simon Kershaw at
Crucix.
Implementation copyright © Simon Kershaw, 2002–2021.