O Lord, open our lips
Alland our mouth shall
proclaim your praise.
Your faithful servants bless you.
AllThey make known the
glory of your kingdom. Alleluia.
One or more of the following is said or sung:
this or another prayer of thanksgiving
Blessed are you, Sovereign God,
ruler and judge of all,
to you be praise and glory for ever.
In the darkness of this age that is passing away
may the light of your presence which the saints enjoy
surround our steps as we journey on.
May we reflect your glory this day
and so be made ready to see your face
in the heavenly city where night shall be no more.
Blessed be God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
AllBlessed be God for ever.
a suitable hymn, or A Song of Trust in God
1As the deer longs for
the water brooks, ♦
so longs my soul for you, O God.
2My soul is athirst for
God, even for the living God; ♦
when shall I come before the presence of God?
3My tears have been my
bread day and night, ♦
while all day long they say to me, ‘Where is now your God?’
4Now when I think on
these things, I pour out my soul: ♦
how I went with the multitude
and led the procession to the house of God,
5With the voice of praise
and thanksgiving, ♦
among those who kept holy day.
6Why are you so full
of heaviness, O my soul, ♦
and why are you so disquieted within me?
7O put your trust in
God; ♦
for I will yet give him thanks,
who is the help of my countenance, and my God.
Psalm 42.1-7
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.
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: 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: The Lord is king and has put on glorious apparel.
1 The Lord said to my lord, ‘Sit at my right hand, ♦
until I make your enemies your footstool.’
2 May the Lord stretch forth the sceptre of your power; ♦
rule from Zion in the midst of your enemies.
3 ‘Noble are you on this day of your birth; ♦
on the holy mountain, from the womb of the dawn
the dew of your new birth is upon you.’ R
4 The Lord has sworn and will not retract: ♦
‘You are a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.’
5 The king at your right hand, O Lord, ♦
shall smite down kings in the day of his wrath. R
6 In all his majesty, he shall judge among the nations, ♦
smiting heads over all the wide earth.
7 He shall drink from the brook beside the way; ♦
therefore shall he lift high his head.
Refrain: The Lord is king and has put on glorious apparel.
Lord Jesus, divine Son and eternal priest,
inspire us with the confidence of your final conquest of evil,
and grant that daily on our way
we may drink of the brook of your eternal life
and so find courage against all adversities;
for your mercy’s sake.
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 word of the Lord came to me: Collect silver and gold from the exiles—from Heldai, Tobijah, and Jedaiah—who have arrived from Babylon; and go the same day to the house of Josiah son of Zephaniah. Take the silver and gold and make a crown, and set it on the head of the high priest Joshua son of Jehozadak; say to him: Thus says the Lord of hosts: Here is a man whose name is Branch: for he shall branch out in his place, and he shall build the temple of the Lord. It is he that shall build the temple of the Lord; he shall bear royal honour, and shall sit and rule on his throne. There shall be a priest by his throne, with peaceful understanding between the two of them. And the crown shall be in the care of Heldai, Tobijah, Jedaiah, and Josiah son of Zephaniah, as a memorial in the temple of the Lord.
Those who are far off shall come and help to build the temple of the Lord; and you shall know that the Lord of hosts has sent me to you. This will happen if you diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God.
The following, or another suitable canticle, may be said or sung
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.
Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying,
‘The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord
and of his Messiah,
and he will reign for ever and ever.’
Then the twenty-four elders who sit on their thrones before God fell on their faces and worshipped God,
singing,
‘We give you thanks, Lord God Almighty,
who are and who were,
for you have taken your great power
and begun to reign.
The nations raged,
but your wrath has come,
and the time for judging the dead,
for rewarding your servants, the prophets
and saints and all who fear your name,
both small and great,
and for destroying those who destroy the earth.’
A suitable song or chant, or a responsory in this or another form, may follow
I will sing for ever of your love, O Lord,
Allmy lips shall proclaim
your faithfulness.
The heavens bear witness to your wonders;
AllI will sing for ever
of your love, O Lord.
The assembly of your saints proclaims your truth;
Allmy lips shall proclaim
your faithfulness.
Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne;
steadfast love and faithfulness go before you.
AllI will sing for ever
of your love, O Lord,
my lips shall proclaim your faithfulness.
from Psalm 89
The Benedictus (The Song of Zechariah) is normally said,
or the Te Deum Laudamus (A Song
of the Church) (page 636) may be said
Refrain:
AllGod raised Christ from the dead,
and enthroned him at his right hand in heaven.
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:
AllGod raised Christ from the dead,
and enthroned him at his right hand in heaven.
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 saints on earth, that they may live as
citizens of heaven
¶ All people, that they may hear and believe
the word of God
¶ All who fear the winter months
¶ All sovereigns and political leaders, that
they may imitate the righteous rule of Christ
¶ All who grieve or wait with the dying
A form of prayer found on page 384 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
Eternal Father,
whose Son Jesus Christ ascended to the throne of heaven
that he might rule over all things as
Lord and King:
keep the Church in the unity of the Spirit
and in the bond of peace,
and bring the whole created order to worship at his feet;
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
Uniting our prayers with the whole company of heaven,
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)
Uniting our prayers with the whole company of heaven,
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 has opened the kingdom of heaven,
bring us to reign with him in glory.
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.