O Lord, open our lips
Alland our mouth shall
proclaim your praise.
One or more of the following is said
or sung:
a prayer
of thanksgiving (page 109),
a suitable hymn,
or A Song of God’s Righteousness
1Bless the Lord, O my
soul, •
and all that is within me bless his holy name.
2Bless the Lord, O my
soul, •
and forget not all his benefits;
3Who forgives all your
sins •
and heals all your infirmities;
4Who redeems your life
from the Pit •
and crowns you with faithful love and compassion;
5Who satisfies you with
good things, •
so that your youth is renewed like an eagle’s.
6The Lord executes righteousness
•
and judgement for all who are oppressed.
7He made his ways known
to Moses •
and his works to the children of Israel.
8The Lord has established
his throne in heaven, •
and his kingdom has dominion over all.
9Bless the Lord, you
angels of his, •
you mighty ones who do his bidding
and hearken to the voice of his word.
10Bless the Lord, all
you his hosts, •
you ministers of his who do his will.
11Bless the Lord, all
you works of his,
in all places of his dominion; •
bless the Lord, O my soul.
Psalm 103.1-7, 19-22
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: Arise, O Lord, into your resting place.
1 Lord, remember for David •
all the hardships he endured;
2 How he swore an oath to the Lord •
and vowed a vow to the Mighty One of Jacob:
3 ‘I will not come within the shelter of my house, •
nor climb up into my bed;
4 ‘I will not allow my eyes to sleep, •
nor let my eyelids slumber,
5 ‘Until I find a place for the Lord, •
a dwelling for the Mighty One of Jacob.’ R
6 Now, we heard of the ark in Ephrathah •
and found it in the fields of Ja-ar.
7 Let us enter his dwelling place •
and fall low before his footstool.
8 Arise, O Lord, into your resting place, •
you and the ark of your strength.
9 Let your priests be clothed with righteousness •
and your faithful ones sing with joy.
10 For your servant David’s sake, •
turn not away the face of your anointed. R
11 The Lord has sworn an oath to David, •
a promise from which he will not shrink:
12 ‘Of the fruit of your body •
shall I set upon your throne.
13 ‘If your children keep my covenant
and my testimonies that I shall teach them, •
their children also shall sit upon your throne for evermore.’
14 For the Lord has chosen Zion for himself; •
he has desired her for his habitation: R
15 ‘This shall be my resting place for ever; •
here will I dwell, for I have longed for her.
16 ‘I will abundantly bless her provision; •
her poor will I satisfy with bread.
17 ‘I will clothe her priests with salvation, •
and her faithful ones shall rejoice and sing.
18 ‘There will I make a horn to spring up for David; •
I will keep a lantern burning for my anointed.
19 ‘As for his enemies, I will clothe them with shame; •
but on him shall his crown be bright.’
Refrain: Arise, O Lord, into your resting place.
Jesus, Son of David,
make us a priestly people;
clothe us in righteousness,
make us fruitful,
and give us hearts to shout for joy in your salvation;
we pray in the power of the Spirit.
Refrain: Mercy
and truth are met together,
righteousness and peace have kissed each other.
1 Behold how good and pleasant it is •
to dwell together in unity.
2 It is like the precious oil upon the head, •
running down upon the beard,
3 Even on Aaron’s beard, •
running down upon the collar of his clothing.
4 It is like the dew of Hermon •
running down upon the hills of Zion.
5 For there the Lord has promised his blessing: •
even life for evermore.
Refrain: Mercy
and truth are met together,
righteousness and peace have kissed each other.
Grant to your people, good Lord,
the spirit of unity,
that they may dwell together in your love,
and so bear to the world
the ointment of your healing and the
dew of your blessing;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
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.
The ark of the Lord was in the country of the Philistines for seven months. Then the Philistines called for the priests and the diviners and said, ‘What shall we do with the ark of the Lord? Tell us what we should send with it to its place.’ They said, ‘If you send away the ark of the God of Israel, do not send it empty, but by all means return him a guilt-offering. Then you will be healed and will be ransomed; will not his hand then turn from you?’ And they said, ‘What is the guilt-offering that we should return to him?’ They answered, ‘Five gold tumours and five gold mice, according to the number of the lords of the Philistines; for the same plague was upon all of you and upon your lords. So you must make images of your tumours and images of your mice that ravage the land, and give glory to the God of Israel; perhaps he will lighten his hand on you and your gods and your land. Why should you harden your hearts as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? After he had made fools of them, did they not let the people go, and they departed? Now then, get ready a new cart and two milch-cows that have never borne a yoke, and yoke the cows to the cart, but take their calves home, away from them. Take the ark of the Lord and place it on the cart, and put in a box at its side the figures of gold, which you are returning to him as a guilt-offering. Then send it off, and let it go on its way. And watch; if it goes up on the way to its own land, to Beth-shemesh, then it is he who has done us this great harm; but if not, then we shall know that it is not his hand that struck us; it happened to us by chance.’
The men did so; they took two milch-cows and yoked them to the cart, and shut up their calves at home. They put the ark of the Lord on the cart, and the box with the gold mice and the images of their tumours. The cows went straight in the direction of Beth-shemesh along one highway, lowing as they went; they turned neither to the right nor to the left, and the lords of the Philistines went after them as far as the border of Beth-shemesh.
Now the people of Beth-shemesh were reaping their wheat harvest in the valley. When they looked up and saw the ark, they went with rejoicing to meet it. The cart came into the field of Joshua of Beth-shemesh, and stopped there. A large stone was there; so they split up the wood of the cart and offered the cows as a burnt-offering to the Lord. The Levites took down the ark of the Lord and the box that was beside it, in which were the gold objects, and set them upon the large stone. Then the people of Beth-shemesh offered burnt-offerings and presented sacrifices on that day to the Lord. When the five lords of the Philistines saw it, they returned that day to Ekron.
A Song of Peace, or another suitable canticle, for example, number 26 (page 577), may be said
Refrain:
AllSpirit of God, teach us
your ways,
that we may walk in the paths of peace. Alleluia.
1Come, let us go up to
the mountain of God, •
to the house of the God of Jacob;
2That God may teach us
his ways, •
and that we may walk in his paths.
3For the law shall go
out from Zion, •
and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
4God shall judge between
the nations, •
and shall mediate for many peoples.
5They shall beat their
swords into ploughshares, •
and their spears into pruning hooks.
6Nation shall not lift
up sword against nation, •
neither shall they learn war any more.
7O people of Jacob, come:
•
let us walk in the light of the Lord.
Isaiah 2.3-5
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.
AllSpirit of God, teach us
your ways,
that we may walk in the paths of peace. Alleluia.
One or more readings appointed for the day are read.
The reading(s) may be followed by a time of silence.
When some were speaking about the temple, how it was adorned with beautiful stones and gifts dedicated to God, he said, ‘As for these things that you see, the days will come when not one stone will be left upon another; all will be thrown down.’
They asked him, ‘Teacher, when will this be, and what will be the sign that this is about to take place?’ And he said, ‘Beware that you are not led astray; for many will come in my name and say, “I am he!” and, “The time is near!” Do not go after them.
‘When you hear of wars and insurrections, do not be terrified; for these things must take place first, but the end will not follow immediately.’ Then he said to them, ‘Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and plagues; and there will be dreadful portents and great signs from heaven.
‘But before all this occurs, they will arrest you and persecute you; they will hand you over to synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors because of my name. This will give you an opportunity to testify. So make up your minds not to prepare your defence in advance; for I will give you words and a wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to withstand or contradict. You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, by relatives and friends; and they will put some of you to death. You will be hated by all because of my name. But not a hair of your head will perish. By your endurance you will gain your souls.
A suitable song or chant, or a responsory in this or another form, may follow
Open my eyes, O Lord
that I may see the wonders of your law.
AllOpen my eyes, O Lord
that I may see the wonders of your law.
Lead me in the path of your commandments
Allthat I may see the wonders
of your law.
Glory to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit.
AllOpen my eyes, O Lord
that I may see the wonders of your law.
from Psalm 119
The Benedictus (The Song of Zechariah)
is normally said,
or The Song of Christ's Glory (page
619) may be said
Refrain:
AllThey were faithful unto death
and God has given them the crown of life. 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:
AllThey were faithful unto death
and God has given them the crown of life. Alleluia.
Intercessions are offered
¶ for the day and its tasks
¶ for the world and its needs
¶ for the Church and her life
The cycle on pages 364–365 and the prayer on page 377 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
God our Father,
whose Son enjoyed the love of his friends,
Mary, Martha and Lazarus,
in learning, argument and hospitality:
may we so rejoice in your love
that the world may come to know
the depths of your wisdom, the wonder of your compassion,
and your power to bring life out of death;
through the merits of Jesus Christ,
our friend and brother,
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.
Implemented by Simon Kershaw at
Crucix.
Implementation copyright © Simon Kershaw, 2002-2011.