Morning Prayer
Passiontide
Wednesday, 20 March 2024
Cuthbert, Bishop of Lindisfarne, Missionary, 687 [Lesser Festival]

Preparation

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 Word of God

Psalmody

The appointed psalmody is said.

Psalm 55

Refrain: Cast your burden upon the Lord and he will sustain you.

1 Hear my prayer, O God; 
hide not yourself from my petition.

2 Give heed to me and answer me; 
I am restless in my complaining.

3 I am alarmed at the voice of the enemy 
and at the clamour of the wicked;

4 For they would bring down evil upon me 
and are set against me in fury.

5 My heart is disquieted within me, 
and the terrors of death have fallen upon me.

6 Fearfulness and trembling are come upon me, 
and a horrible dread has overwhelmed me. R

7 And I said: ‘O that I had wings like a dove, 
for then would I fly away and be at rest.

8 ‘Then would I flee far away 
and make my lodging in the wilderness.

9 ‘I would make haste to escape 
from the stormy wind and tempest.’

10 Confuse their tongues, O Lord, and divide them, 
for I have seen violence and strife in the city.

11 Day and night they go about on her walls; 
mischief and trouble are in her midst.

12 Wickedness walks in her streets; 
oppression and guile never leave her squares. R

13 For it was not an open enemy that reviled me, 
for then I could have borne it;

14 Nor was it my adversary that puffed himself up against me, 
for then I would have hid myself from him.

15 But it was even you, one like myself, 
my companion and my own familiar friend.

16 We took sweet counsel together 
and walked with the multitude in the house of God.

17 Let death come suddenly upon them;
let them go down alive to the Pit; 
for wickedness inhabits their dwellings, their very hearts. R

18 As for me, I will call upon God 
and the Lord will deliver me.

19 In the evening and morning and at noonday
I will pray and make my supplication, 
and he shall hear my voice.

20 He shall redeem my soul in peace
from the battle waged against me, 
for many have come upon me.

21 God, who is enthroned of old,
will hear and bring them down; 
they will not repent, for they have no fear of God. R

22 My companion stretched out his hands against his friend 
and has broken his covenant;

23 His speech was softer than butter, though war was in his heart; 
his words were smoother than oil, yet are they naked swords.

24 Cast your burden upon the Lord and he will sustain you, 
and will not let the righteous fall for ever.

25 But those that are bloodthirsty and deceitful, O God, 
you will bring down to the pit of destruction.

26 They shall not live out half their days, 
but my trust shall be in you, O Lord.

Refrain: Cast your burden upon the Lord and he will sustain you.

Lord, in all times of fear and dread,
grant that we may so cast our burdens upon you,
that you may bear us on the holy wings of the Spirit
to the stronghold of your peace;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Psalm 124

Refrain: Our help is in the name of the Lord.

1 If the Lord himself had not been on our side, 
now may Israel say;

2 If the Lord had not been on our side, 
when enemies rose up against us;

3 Then would they have swallowed us alive 
when their anger burned against us;

4 Then would the waters have overwhelmed us
and the torrent gone over our soul; 
over our soul would have swept the raging waters. R

5 But blessed be the Lord 
who has not given us over to be a prey for their teeth.

6 Our soul has escaped
as a bird from the snare of the fowler; 
the snare is broken and we are delivered.

7 Our help is in the name of the Lord, 
who has made heaven and earth.

Refrain: Our help is in the name of the Lord.

O God, maker of heaven and earth,
you save us in the water of baptism
and by the suffering of your Son you set us free;
help us to put our trust in his victory
and to know the salvation won for us
by 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.

Exodus 9.1-12

Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Go to Pharaoh, and say to him, “Thus says the Lord, the God of the Hebrews: Let my people go, so that they may worship me. For if you refuse to let them go and still hold them, the hand of the Lord will strike with a deadly pestilence your livestock in the field: the horses, the donkeys, the camels, the herds, and the flocks. But the Lord will make a distinction between the livestock of Israel and the livestock of Egypt, so that nothing shall die of all that belongs to the Israelites.” The Lord set a time, saying, ‘Tomorrow the Lord will do this thing in the land.’ And on the next day the Lord did so; all the livestock of the Egyptians died, but of the livestock of the Israelites not one died. Pharaoh inquired and found that not one of the livestock of the Israelites was dead. But the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he would not let the people go.

Then the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, ‘Take handfuls of soot from the kiln, and let Moses throw it in the air in the sight of Pharaoh. It shall become fine dust all over the land of Egypt, and shall cause festering boils on humans and animals throughout the whole land of Egypt.’ So they took soot from the kiln, and stood before Pharaoh, and Moses threw it in the air, and it caused festering boils on humans and animals. The magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils, for the boils afflicted the magicians as well as all the Egyptians. But the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh, and he would not listen to them, just as the Lord had spoken to Moses.

Canticle

A Song of the Lord’s Gracious Deeds, or another suitable canticle, for example, number 23 (page 574), number 42 (page 593) or number 43 (page 594), may be said

Refrain:

AllI will recount the gracious deeds of the Lord,
the praises of the Most High. Alleluia.

1Who is this that comes from Edom,
coming from Bozrah, his garments stained crimson?

2Who is this in glorious apparel,
marching in the greatness of his strength?

3‘It is I, who announce that right has won the day,
it is I,’ says the Lord, ‘for I am mighty to save.’

4Why are your robes all red, O Lord,
and your garments like theirs who tread the winepress?

5‘I have trodden the winepress alone,
and from the peoples no one was with me.’

6I will recount the gracious deeds of the Lord,
the praises of the Most High;

7All that God has done for us in his mercy,
by his many acts of love.

8For God said, ‘Surely, they are my people,
my children who will not deal falsely,’
and he became their Saviour in all their distress.

9So God redeemed them by his love and pity;
he lifted them up and carried them
through all the days of old.

Isaiah 63.1-3a, 7-9

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.

AllI will recount the gracious deeds of the Lord,
the praises of the Most High. Alleluia.

Scripture Reading

One or more readings appointed for the day are read.

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

Hebrews 12.3-13

Consider him who endured such hostility against himself from sinners, so that you may not grow weary or lose heart. In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. And you have forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as children—
‘My child, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord,
   or lose heart when you are punished by him;
for the Lord disciplines those whom he loves,
   and chastises every child whom he accepts.’
Endure trials for the sake of discipline. God is treating you as children; for what child is there whom a parent does not discipline? If you do not have that discipline in which all children share, then you are illegitimate and not his children. Moreover, we had human parents to discipline us, and we respected them. Should we not be even more willing to be subject to the Father of spirits and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share his holiness. Now, discipline always seems painful rather than pleasant at the time, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint, but rather be healed.

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

Gospel Canticle

The Benedictus (The Song of Zechariah) is normally said,
or Saviour of the World (page 644) may be said

Refrain:

AllChrist gave them as a light to the nations
that his salvation might reach to the ends of the earth. 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:

AllChrist gave them as a light to the nations
that his salvation might reach to the ends of the earth. Alleluia.

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 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

Almighty God,
who called your servant Cuthbert from following the flock
to follow your Son and to be a shepherd of your people:
in your mercy, grant that we, following his example,
may bring those who are lost home to your fold;
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.

The Conclusion

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.