O Lord, open our lips
Alland our mouth shall
proclaim your praise.
Let your ways be known upon earth,
Allyour saving power among
the nations.
One or more of the following is said or sung:
this or another prayer of thanksgiving
Blessed are you, Lord God of our salvation,
to you be praise and glory for ever.
As a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief
your only Son was lifted up
that he might draw the whole world to himself.
May we walk this day in the way of the cross
and always be ready to share its weight,
declaring your love for all the world.
Blessed be God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
AllBlessed be God for ever.
a suitable hymn, or A Song of Lamentation
1Is it nothing to you,
all you who pass by? ♦
Look and see if there is any sorrow like my sorrow,
2Which was brought upon
me, ♦
which the Lord inflicted
on the day of his fierce anger.
3For these things I weep;
my eyes flow with tears; ♦
for a comforter is far from me,
one to revive my courage.
4Remember my affliction
and my bitterness, ♦
the wormwood and the gall!
5But this I call to mind,
♦
and therefore I have hope:
6The steadfast love of
the Lord never ceases, ♦
his mercies never come to an end;
7They are new every morning;
♦
great is your faithfulness.
8‘The Lord is my
portion,’ says my soul, ♦
‘therefore I will hope in him.’
9The Lord is good to
those who wait for him, ♦
to the soul that seeks him.
10It is good that we
should wait quietly ♦
for the salvation of the Lord.
11For the Lord will not
reject for ever; ♦
though he causes grief, he will have compassion,
12According to the abundance
of his steadfast love; ♦
for he does not willingly afflict or grieve anyone.
Lamentations 1.12, 16a,b; 3.19, 21-26, 31-33
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.
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: Remember, Lord, your compassion and love.
1 To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul;
O my God, in you I trust; ♦
let me not be put to shame;
let not my enemies triumph over me.
2 Let none who look to you be put to shame, ♦
but let the treacherous be shamed and frustrated.
3 Make me to know your ways, O Lord, ♦
and teach me your paths.
4 Lead me in your truth and teach me, ♦
for you are the God of my salvation;
for you have I hoped all the day long.
5 Remember, Lord, your compassion and love, ♦
for they are from everlasting. R
6 Remember not the sins of my youth
or my transgressions, ♦
but think on me in your goodness, O Lord,
according to your steadfast love.
7 Gracious and upright is the Lord; ♦
therefore shall he teach sinners in the way.
8 He will guide the humble in doing right ♦
and teach his way to the lowly.
9 All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth ♦
to those who keep his covenant and his testimonies. R
10 For your names sake, O Lord, ♦
be merciful to my sin, for it is great.
11 Who are those who fear the Lord? ♦
Them will he teach in the way that they should choose.
12 Their soul shall dwell at ease ♦
and their offspring shall inherit the land.
13 The hidden purpose of the Lord is for those who fear him ♦
and he will show them his covenant.
14 My eyes are ever looking to the Lord, ♦
for he shall pluck my feet out of the net. R
15 Turn to me and be gracious to me, ♦
for I am alone and brought very low.
16 The sorrows of my heart have increased; ♦
O bring me out of my distress.
17 Look upon my adversity and misery ♦
and forgive me all my sin.
18 Look upon my enemies, for they are many ♦
and they bear a violent hatred against me.
19 O keep my soul and deliver me; ♦
let me not be put to shame, for I have put my trust in you.
20 Let integrity and uprightness preserve me, ♦
for my hope has been in you.
21 Deliver Israel, O God, ♦
out of all his troubles.
Refrain: Remember, Lord, your compassion and love.
Free us, God of mercy,
from all that keeps us from you;
relieve the misery of the anxious and the ashamed
and fill us with the hope of peace;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Refrain: Great is our Lord and mighty in power.
1 [Alleluia.]
How good it is to make music for our God, ♦
how joyful to honour him with praise.
2 The Lord builds up Jerusalem ♦
and gathers together the outcasts of Israel.
3 He heals the brokenhearted ♦
and binds up all their wounds. R
4 He counts the number of the stars ♦
and calls them all by their names.
5 Great is our Lord and mighty in power; ♦
his wisdom is beyond all telling.
6 The Lord lifts up the poor, ♦
but casts down the wicked to the ground. R
7 Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving; ♦
make music to our God upon the lyre;
8 Who covers the heavens with clouds ♦
and prepares rain for the earth;
9 Who makes grass to grow upon the mountains ♦
and green plants to serve our needs. R
10 He gives the beasts their food ♦
and the young ravens when they cry.
11 He takes no pleasure in the power of a horse, ♦
no delight in human strength;
12 But the Lord delights in those who fear him, ♦
who put their trust in his steadfast love. R
Refrain: Great is our Lord and mighty in power.
Compassionate God,
as you know each star you have created,
so you know the secrets of every heart;
in your loving mercy bring to your table
all who are fearful and broken,
all who are wounded and needy,
that our hungers may be satisfied
in the city of your peace;
through Christ who is our peace.
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.
A shoot shall come out from the stock of Jesse,
and a branch shall grow out of his roots.
The spirit of the Lord shall rest on him,
the spirit of wisdom and understanding,
the spirit of counsel and might,
the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.
His delight shall be in the fear of the Lord.
He shall not judge by what his eyes see,
or decide by what his ears hear;
but with righteousness he shall judge the poor,
and decide with equity for the meek of the earth;
he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth,
and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.
Righteousness shall be the belt around his waist,
and faithfulness the belt around his loins.
The wolf shall live with the lamb,
the leopard shall lie down with the kid,
the calf and the lion and the fatling together,
and a little child shall lead them.
The cow and the bear shall graze,
their young shall lie down together;
and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
The nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp,
and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adders den.
They will not hurt or destroy
on all my holy mountain;
for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord
as the waters cover the sea.
On that day the root of Jesse shall stand as a signal to the peoples; the nations shall inquire of him, and his dwelling shall be glorious.
The following, or another suitable canticle, may be said or sung
Refrain:
AllTo us a child is born,
to us a son is given. Alleluia.
1The people who walked
in darkness have seen a great light; ♦
those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness,
upon them the light has dawned.
2You have increased their
joy and given them great gladness; ♦
they rejoiced before you as with joy at the harvest.
3For you have shattered
the yoke that burdened them; ♦
the collar that lay heavy on their shoulders.
4For to us a child is
born and to us a son is given, ♦
and the government will be upon his shoulder.
5And his name will be
called: Wonderful Counsellor;
the Mighty God; ♦
the Everlasting Father; the Prince of Peace.
6Of the increase of his
government and of peace ♦
there will be no end,
7Upon the throne of David
and over his kingdom, ♦
to establish and uphold it with justice and righteousness.
8From this time forth
and for evermore; ♦
the zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.
Isaiah 9.2, 3b, 4a, 6, 7
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.
AllTo us a child is born,
to us a son is given. Alleluia.
One or more readings appointed for the day are read.
The reading(s) may be followed by a time of silence.
He came to his home town and began to teach the people in their synagogue, so that they were astounded and said, Where did this man get this wisdom and these deeds of power? Is not this the carpenters son? Is not his mother called Mary? And are not his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? And are not all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all this? And they took offence at him. But Jesus said to them, Prophets are not without honour except in their own country and in their own house. And he did not do many deeds of power there, because of their unbelief.
A suitable song or chant, or a responsory in this or another form, may follow
We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you;
Allby your holy cross,
you have redeemed the world.
God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong.
AllWe adore you, O Christ,
and we bless you.
We preach Christ crucified,
the power of God and the wisdom of God.
AllBy your holy cross,
you have redeemed the world.
God forbid that I should glory,
save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.
AllWe adore you, O Christ,
and we bless you;
by your holy cross, you have redeemed the world.
cf 1 Corinthians 1 and Galatians 6
The Benedictus (The Song of Zechariah) is normally said,
or Saviour of the World (page
644) may be said
Refrain:
All
Behold the faithful and wise servant
whom the Master placed over his household. Alleluia.
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:
All
Behold the faithful and wise servant
whom the Master placed over his household. Alleluia.
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 364–365
¶ The persecuted Church
¶ The oppressed peoples of the world
¶ All who are lonely
¶ All who are near to death
¶ All who are facing loss
A form of prayer found on page 381 may be used.
The Litany on pages 400-403 may be said instead of the Prayers.
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
God our Father,
who from the family of your servant David
raised up Joseph the carpenter
to be the guardian of your incarnate Son
and husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary:
give us grace to follow him
in faithful obedience to your commands;
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
Standing at the foot of the cross,
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)
Standing at the foot of the cross,
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.
May Christ, who bore our sins on the cross,
set us free to serve him with joy.
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.