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 the Venite – A Song of Triumph
1O come, let us sing
to the Lord; •
let us heartily rejoice in the rock of our salvation.
2Let us come into his
presence with thanksgiving •
and be glad in him with psalms.
3For the Lord is a great
God •
and a great king above all gods.
4In his hand are the
depths of the earth •
and the heights of the mountains are his also.
5The sea is his, for
he made it, •
and his hands have moulded the dry land.
6Come, let us worship
and bow down •
and kneel before the Lord our Maker.
7For he is our God; •
we are the people of his pasture and the sheep of his hand.
The canticle may end here.
8O that today you would
listen to his voice: •
‘Harden not your hearts as at Meribah,
on that day at Massah in the wilderness,
9‘When your forebears
tested me, and put me to the proof, •
though they had seen my works.
10‘Forty years
long I detested that generation and said, •
“This people are wayward in their hearts;
they do not know my ways.”
11‘So I swore in
my wrath, •
“They shall not enter into my rest.”’
Psalm 95
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: Give
judgement for me
according to my righteousness, O Lord.
1 O Lord my God, in you I take refuge; •
save me from all who pursue me, and deliver me,
2 Lest they rend me like a lion and tear me in pieces •
while there is no one to help me.
3 O Lord my God, if I have done these things: •
if there is any wickedness in my hands,
4 If I have repaid my friend with evil, •
or plundered my enemy without a cause,
5 Then let my enemy pursue me and overtake me, •
trample my life to the ground,
and lay my honour in the dust. R
6 Rise up, O Lord, in your wrath;
lift yourself up against the fury of my enemies. •
Awaken, my God, the judgement that you have commanded.
7 Let the assembly of the peoples gather round you; •
be seated high above them: O Lord, judge the nations.
8 Give judgement for me
according to my righteousness, O Lord, •
and according to the innocence that is in me.
9 Let the malice of the wicked come to an end,
but establish the righteous; •
for you test the mind and heart, O righteous God. R
10 God is my shield that is over me; •
he saves the true of heart.
11 God is a righteous judge; •
he is provoked all day long.
12 If they will not repent, God will whet his sword; •
he has bent his bow and made it ready.
13 He has prepared the weapons of death; •
he makes his arrows shafts of fire. R
14 Behold those who are in labour with wickedness, •
who conceive evil and give birth to lies.
15 They dig a pit and make it deep •
and fall into the hole that they have made for others.
16 Their mischief rebounds on their own head; •
their violence falls on their own scalp.
17 I will give thanks to the Lord for his righteousness, •
and I will make music to the name of the Lord Most High.
Refrain: Give
judgement for me
according to my righteousness, O Lord.
Lord, your justice turns evil on itself:
move us to examine our hearts
and repent of all duplicity;
for the sake of Jesus Christ,
our Judge and righteous Saviour.
Refrain: The Lord shall give his people the blessing of peace.
1 Ascribe to the Lord, you powers of heaven, •
ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
2 Ascribe to the Lord the honour due to his name; •
worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.
3 The voice of the Lord is upon the waters;
the God of glory thunders; •
the Lord is upon the mighty waters. R
4 The voice of the Lord is mighty in operation; •
the voice of the Lord is a glorious voice.
5 The voice of the Lord breaks the cedar trees; •
the Lord breaks the cedars of Lebanon;
6 He makes Lebanon skip like a calf •
and Sirion like a young wild ox. R
7 The voice of the Lord splits the flash of lightning;
the voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness; •
the Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.
8 The voice of the Lord makes the oak trees writhe
and strips the forests bare; •
in his temple all cry, ‘Glory!’
9 The Lord sits enthroned above the water flood; •
the Lord sits enthroned as king for evermore.
10 The Lord shall give strength to his people; •
the Lord shall give his people the blessing of peace.
Refrain: The Lord shall give his people the blessing of peace.
Open our ears, glorious Lord Christ,
to hear the music of your voice
above the chaos of this world;
open our eyes to see the vision of your glory,
for you are our King, now and for ever.
Refrain: Alleluia.
1 O praise the Lord, all you nations; •
praise him, all you peoples.
2 For great is his steadfast love towards us, •
and the faithfulness of the Lord endures for ever.
Alleluia.
Refrain: Alleluia.
Gracious God,
we praise you for your faithfulness
and pray that every nation may find your blessing
in the face of 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.
Then the king sent to him a captain of fifty with his fifty men. He went up to Elijah, who was sitting on the top of a hill, and said to him, ‘O man of God, the king says, “Come down.” ’ But Elijah answered the captain of fifty, ‘If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty.’ Then fire came down from heaven, and consumed him and his fifty.
Again the king sent to him another captain of fifty with his fifty. He went up and said to him, ‘O man of God, this is the king’s order: Come down quickly!’ But Elijah answered them, ‘If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty.’ Then the fire of God came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty.
Again the king sent the captain of a third fifty with his fifty. So the third captain of fifty went up, and came and fell on his knees before Elijah, and entreated him, ‘O man of God, please let my life, and the life of these fifty servants of yours, be precious in your sight. Look, fire came down from heaven and consumed the two former captains of fifty men with their fifties; but now let my life be precious in your sight.’ Then the angel of the Lord said to Elijah, ‘Go down with him; do not be afraid of him.’ So he set out and went down with him to the king,
The following, or another suitable canticle, may be said or sung
Refrain:
AllThe Lord has anointed me
and sent me to bring good news to the oppressed. Alleluia.
1The Spirit of the Lord
is upon me •
because he has anointed me.
2He has sent me to bring
good news to the oppressed, •
to bind up the broken-hearted,
3To proclaim liberty
to the captives, •
and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
4To proclaim the year
of the Lord’s favour, •
to comfort all who mourn,
5To give them a garland
instead of ashes, •
the oil of gladness instead of mourning,
the mantle of praise instead of a faint spirit,
6That they may be called
oaks of righteousness, •
the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified.
7For as the earth puts
forth her blossom, •
and as seeds in the garden spring up,
8So shall the Lord God
make righteousness and praise •
blossom before all the nations.
9You shall be called
priests of the Lord; •
they shall speak of you as ministers of our God.
Isaiah 61.1-3, 11, 6a
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.
AllThe Lord has anointed me
and sent me to bring good news to the oppressed. Alleluia.
One or more readings appointed for the day are read.
The reading(s) may be followed by a time of silence.
An argument arose among them as to which one of them was the greatest. But Jesus, aware of their inner thoughts, took a little child and put it by his side, and said to them, ‘Whoever welcomes this child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me; for the least among all of you is the greatest.’
John answered, ‘Master, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he does not follow with us.’
But Jesus said to him, ‘Do not stop him; for whoever is not against you is for you.’
When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem. And he sent messengers ahead of him. On their way they entered a village of the Samaritans to make ready for him; but they did not receive him, because his face was set towards Jerusalem. When his disciples James and John saw it, they said, ‘Lord, do you want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?’ But he turned and rebuked them. Then they went on to another village.
A suitable song or chant, or a responsory in this or another form, may follow
Forsake me not, O Lord;
be not far from me, O my God.
AllForsake me not, O Lord;
be not far from me, O my God.
Make haste to help me,
O Lord of my salvation.
AllBe not far from me,
O my God.
Glory to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit.
AllForsake me not, O Lord;
be not far from me, O my God.
from Psalm 38
The Benedictus (The Song of Zechariah)
is normally said,
or A Song of Praise (page 627)
may be said
Refrain:
AllYou did not choose me but I chose you
and I appointed you to go out and bear fruit, the fruit that shall last. 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:
AllYou did not choose me but I chose you
and I appointed you to go out and bear fruit, the fruit that shall last. 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
Merciful God,
whose holy apostle Saint James,
leaving his father and all that he had,
was obedient to the calling of your Son Jesus Christ
and followed him even to death:
help us, forsaking the false attractions of the world,
to be ready at all times to answer your call without delay;
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.
Implemented by Simon Kershaw at
Crucix.
Implementation copyright © Simon Kershaw, 2002-2011.