¶ Morning Prayer
Advent
Tuesday, 16 December 2025

Preparation

O Lord, open our lips
Alland our mouth shall proclaim your praise.

Reveal among us the light of your presence
Allthat we may behold your power and glory.

One or more of the following is said or sung:

this or another prayer of thanksgiving

Blessed are you, Sovereign God of all,
to you be praise and glory for ever.
In your tender compassion
the dawn from on high is breaking upon us
to dispel the lingering shadows of night.
As we look for your coming among us this day,
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.

a suitable hymn, or A Song of the King’s Glory

1The earth is the Lord’s and all that fills it, ♦
the compass of the world and all who dwell therein.

2For he has founded it upon the seas ♦
and set it firm upon the rivers of the deep.

3‘Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord, ♦
or who can rise up in his holy place?’

4‘Those who have clean hands and a pure heart, ♦
who have not lifted up their soul to an idol,
nor sworn an oath to a lie;

5‘They shall receive a blessing from the Lord, ♦
a just reward from the God of their salvation.’

6Such is the company of those who seek him, ♦
of those who seek your face, O God of Jacob.

7Lift up your heads, O gates;
be lifted up, you everlasting doors; ♦
and the King of glory shall come in.

8‘Who is the King of glory?’ ♦
‘The Lord, strong and mighty,
the Lord who is mighty in battle.’

9Lift up your heads, O gates;
be lifted up, you everlasting doors; ♦
and the King of glory shall come in.

10‘Who is this King of glory?’ ♦
‘The Lord of hosts,
he is the King of glory.’

Psalm 24

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 Word of God

Psalmody

The appointed psalmody is said.

Psalm 70

Refrain: Come to me quickly, O God.

1 O God, make speed to save me; ♦
O Lord, make haste to help me.

2 Let those who seek my life
be put to shame and confusion; ♦
let them be turned back and disgraced
who wish me evil.

3 Let those who mock and deride me ♦
turn back because of their shame. R

4 But let all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you; ♦
let those who love your salvation say always, ‘Great is the Lord!’

5 As for me, I am poor and needy; ♦
come to me quickly, O God.

6 You are my help and my deliverer; ♦
O Lord, do not delay.

Refrain: Come to me quickly, O God.

O God, our helper and defender,
deliver us in our weakness,
answer our longings
and vindicate our faith,
that we may see your glory
in Jesus Christ our Lord.

Psalm 74

Refrain: Arise, O God, maintain your own cause.

1 O God, why have you utterly disowned us? ♦
Why does your anger burn
against the sheep of your pasture?

2 Remember your congregation that you purchased of old, ♦
the tribe you redeemed for your own possession,
and Mount Zion where you dwelt.

3 Hasten your steps towards the endless ruins, ♦
where the enemy has laid waste all your sanctuary.

4 Your adversaries roared in the place of your worship; ♦
they set up their banners as tokens of victory.

5 Like men brandishing axes on high in a thicket of trees, ♦
all her carved work they smashed down with hatchet and hammer.

6 They set fire to your holy place; ♦
they defiled the dwelling place of your name
and razed it to the ground.

7 They said in their heart, ‘Let us make havoc of them altogether,’ ♦
and they burned down all the sanctuaries of God in the land.

8 There are no signs to see, not one prophet left, ♦
not one among us who knows how long.

9 How long, O God, will the adversary scoff? ♦
Shall the enemy blaspheme your name for ever?

10 Why have you withheld your hand ♦
and hidden your right hand in your bosom? R

11 Yet God is my king from of old, ♦
who did deeds of salvation in the midst of the earth.

12 It was you that divided the sea by your might ♦
and shattered the heads of the dragons on the waters;

13 You alone crushed the heads of Leviathan ♦
and gave him to the beasts of the desert for food.

14 You cleft the rock for fountain and flood; ♦
you dried up ever-flowing rivers.

15 Yours is the day, yours also the night; ♦
you established the moon and the sun.

16 You set all the bounds of the earth; ♦
you fashioned both summer and winter. R

17 Remember now, Lord, how the enemy scoffed, ♦
how a foolish people despised your name.

18 Do not give to wild beasts the soul of your turtle dove; ♦
forget not the lives of your poor for ever.

19 Look upon your creation,
for the earth is full of darkness, ♦
full of the haunts of violence.

20 Let not the oppressed turn away ashamed, ♦
but let the poor and needy praise your name.

21 Arise, O God, maintain your own cause; ♦
remember how fools revile you all the day long.

22 Forget not the clamour of your adversaries, ♦
the tumult of your enemies that ascends continually.

Refrain: Arise, O God, maintain your own cause.

Redeeming God,
renew your broken people
with your Holy Spirit,
that they may walk your narrow way,
and greet your coming dawn
in 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.

Isaiah 38.9-20

A writing of King Hezekiah of Judah, after he had been sick and had recovered from his sickness:
I said: In the noontide of my days
   I must depart;
I am consigned to the gates of Sheol
   for the rest of my years.
I said, I shall not see the Lord
   in the land of the living;
I shall look upon mortals no more
   among the inhabitants of the world.
My dwelling is plucked up and removed from me
   like a shepherd’s tent;
like a weaver I have rolled up my life;
   he cuts me off from the loom;
from day to night you bring me to an end;
   I cry for help until morning;
like a lion he breaks all my bones;
   from day to night you bring me to an end.

Like a swallow or a crane I clamour,
   I moan like a dove.
My eyes are weary with looking upwards.
   O Lord, I am oppressed; be my security!
But what can I say? For he has spoken to me,
   and he himself has done it.
All my sleep has fled
   because of the bitterness of my soul.

O Lord, by these things people live,
   and in all these is the life of my spirit.
   O restore me to health and make me live!
Surely it was for my welfare
   that I had great bitterness;
but you have held back my life
   from the pit of destruction,
for you have cast all my sins
   behind your back.
For Sheol cannot thank you,
   death cannot praise you;
those who go down to the Pit cannot hope
   for your faithfulness.
The living, the living, they thank you,
   as I do this day;
fathers make known to children
   your faithfulness.

The Lord will save me,
   and we will sing to stringed instruments
all the days of our lives,
   at the house of the Lord.

Canticle

A Song of the Wilderness, or another suitable canticle, for example, number 30 (page 581) or number 49 (page 601), may be said

Refrain:

AllLift up your voice with strength,
O herald of good tidings. Alleluia.

1The wilderness and the dry land shall rejoice, ♦
the desert shall blossom and burst into song.

2They shall see the glory of the Lord, ♦
the majesty of our God.

3Strengthen the weary hands, ♦
and make firm the feeble knees.

4Say to the anxious, ‘Be strong, fear not,
your God is coming with judgement, ♦
coming with judgement to save you.’

5Then shall the eyes of the blind be opened, ♦
and the ears of the deaf unstopped;

6Then shall the lame leap like a hart, ♦
and the tongue of the dumb sing for joy.

7For waters shall break forth in the wilderness, ♦
and streams in the desert;

8The ransomed of the Lord shall return with singing, ♦
with everlasting joy upon their heads.

9Joy and gladness shall be theirs, ♦
and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.

Isaiah 35.1, 2b-4a, 4c-6, 10

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.

AllLift up your voice with strength,
O herald of good tidings. Alleluia.

Scripture Reading

One or more readings appointed for the day are read.

The reading(s) may be followed by a time of silence.

Matthew 17.1-13

Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and his brother John and led them up a high mountain, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became dazzling white. Suddenly there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. Then Peter said to Jesus, ‘Lord, it is good for us to be here; if you wish, I will make three dwellings here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.’ While he was still speaking, suddenly a bright cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud a voice said, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!’ When the disciples heard this, they fell to the ground and were overcome by fear. But Jesus came and touched them, saying, ‘Get up and do not be afraid.’ And when they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus himself alone.

As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus ordered them, ‘Tell no one about the vision until after the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.’ And the disciples asked him, ‘Why, then, do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?’ He replied, ‘Elijah is indeed coming and will restore all things; but I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but they did to him whatever they pleased. So also the Son of Man is about to suffer at their hands.’ Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them about John the Baptist.

A suitable song or chant, or a responsory in this or another form, may follow

Now it is time to awake out of sleep,
Allfor the night is far spent and the day is at hand.
Now is our salvation nearer than when we first believed,
Allfor the night is far spent.
Let us therefore cast off the works of darkness
and put on the armour of light,
Allfor the day is at hand.
Put on the Lord Jesus Christ
and make no provision for the flesh,
Allfor the night is far spent and the day is at hand.

from Romans 13

Gospel Canticle

The Benedictus (The Song of Zechariah) is normally said, or A Song of Redemption (page 620) may be said

Refrain:

All Look towards the east, O Jerusalem,
and see the glory that is coming from God.

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 Look towards the east, O Jerusalem,
and see the glory that is coming from God.

Prayers

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 Church, that she may be ready for the coming of Christ
¶ The leaders of the Church
¶ The nations, that they may be subject to the rule of God
¶ Those who are working for justice in the world
¶ The broken, that they may find God’s healing

A form of prayer found 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

O Lord Jesus Christ,
who at your first coming sent your messenger
to prepare your way before you:
grant that the ministers and stewards of your mysteries
may likewise so prepare and make ready your way
by turning the hearts of the disobedient to the wisdom of the just,
that at your second coming to judge the world
we may be found an acceptable people in your sight;
for you are alive and reign with the Father
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.
AllAmen.

The Lord’s Prayer is said

Awaiting his coming in glory,
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)

Awaiting his coming in glory,
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 Conclusion

May the Lord, when he comes,
find us watching and waiting.
AllAmen.

Let us bless the Lord. Alleluia, alleluia.
AllThanks be to God. Alleluia, alleluia.