O Lord, open our lips
Alland our mouth shall
proclaim your praise.
Your light springs up for the righteous
Alland all the peoples
have seen your glory.
One or more of the following is said or sung:
this or another prayer of thanksgiving
Blessed are you, Sovereign God,
king of the nations,
to you be praise and glory for ever.
From the rising of the sun to its setting
your name is proclaimed in all the world.
As the Sun of Righteousness dawns in our hearts
anoint our lips with the seal of your Spirit
that we may witness to your gospel
and sing your praise in all the earth.
Blessed be God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
AllBlessed be God for ever.
a suitable hymn, or Jubilate – A Song of Joy
1O be joyful in the Lord,
all the earth; •
serve the Lord with gladness
and come before his presence with a song.
2Know that the Lord is
God; •
it is he that has made us and we are his;
we are his people and the sheep of his pasture.
3Enter his gates with
thanksgiving
and his courts with praise; •
give thanks to him and bless his name.
4For the Lord is gracious;
his steadfast love is everlasting, •
and his faithfulness endures from generation to generation.
Psalm 100
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: Sing to God, sing praises to his name.
1 Let God arise and let his enemies be scattered; •
let those that hate him flee before him.
2 As the smoke vanishes, so may they vanish away; •
as wax melts at the fire,
so let the wicked perish at the presence of God.
3 But let the righteous be glad and rejoice before God; •
let them make merry with gladness.
4 Sing to God, sing praises to his name;
exalt him who rides on the clouds. •
The Lord is his name; rejoice before him.
5 Father of the fatherless, defender of widows, •
God in his holy habitation!
6 God gives the solitary a home
and brings forth prisoners to songs of welcome, •
but the rebellious inhabit a burning desert. R
7 O God, when you went forth before your people, •
when you marched through the wilderness,
8 The earth shook and the heavens dropped down rain,
at the presence of God, the Lord of Sinai, •
at the presence of God, the God of Israel.
9 You sent down a gracious rain, O God; •
you refreshed your inheritance when it was weary.
10 Your people came to dwell there; •
in your goodness, O God, you provide for the poor. R
11 The Lord gave the word;
great was the company of women who bore the tidings: •
‘Kings and their armies they flee, they flee!’
and women at home are dividing the spoil.
12 Though you stayed among the sheepfolds, •
see now a dove’s wings covered with silver
and its feathers with green gold.
13 When the Almighty scattered the kings, •
it was like snowflakes falling on Zalmon. R
14 You mighty mountain, great mountain of Bashan! •
You towering mountain, great mountain of Bashan!
15 Why look with envy, you towering mountains,
at the mount which God has desired for his dwelling, •
the place where the Lord will dwell for ever?
16 The chariots of God are twice ten thousand,
even thousands upon thousands; •
the Lord is among them, the Lord of Sinai in holy power.
17 You have gone up on high and led captivity captive; •
you have received tribute,
even from those who rebelled,
that you may reign as Lord and God. R
18 Blessed be the Lord who bears our burdens day by day, •
for God is our salvation.
19 God is for us the God of our salvation; •
God is the Lord who can deliver from death.
20 God will smite the head of his enemies, •
the hairy scalp of those who walk in wickedness.
21 The Lord has said, ‘From the heights of Bashan, •
from the depths of the sea will I bring them back,
22 ‘Till you dip your foot in blood •
and the tongue of your dogs has a taste of your enemies.’ R
23 We see your solemn processions, O God, •
your processions into the sanctuary, my God and my King.
24 The singers go before, the musicians follow after, •
in the midst of maidens playing on timbrels.
25 In your companies, bless your God; •
bless the Lord, you that are of the fount of Israel.
26 At the head there is Benjamin, least of the tribes,
the princes of Judah in joyful company, •
the princes of Zebulun and Naphtali. R
27 Send forth your strength, O God; •
establish, O God, what you have wrought in us.
28 For your temple’s sake in Jerusalem •
kings shall bring their gifts to you.
29 Drive back with your word the wild beast of the reeds, •
the herd of the bull-like, the brutish hordes.
30 Trample down those who lust after silver; •
scatter the peoples that delight in war.
31 Vessels of bronze shall be brought from Egypt; •
Ethiopia will stretch out her hands to God. R
32 Sing to God, you kingdoms of the earth; •
make music in praise of the Lord;
33 He rides on the ancient heaven of heavens •
and sends forth his voice, a mighty voice.
34 Ascribe power to God, whose splendour is over Israel, •
whose power is above the clouds.
35 How terrible is God in his holy sanctuary, •
the God of Israel, who gives power and strength to his people!
Blessed be God.
Refrain: Sing to God, sing praises to his name.
Blessed are you, gracious God;
you make your home among the weak,
you deliver us from death,
you bring us joy beyond our imagining
to the praise 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.
Set the trumpet to your lips!
One like a vulture is over the house of the Lord,
because they have broken my covenant,
and transgressed my law.
Israel cries to me,
‘My God, we—Israel—know you!’
Israel has spurned the good;
the enemy shall pursue him.
They made kings, but not through me;
they set up princes, but without my knowledge.
With their silver and gold they made idols
for their own destruction.
Your calf is rejected, O Samaria.
My anger burns against them.
How long will they be incapable of innocence?
For it is from Israel,
an artisan made it;
it is not God.
The calf of Samaria
shall be broken to pieces.
For they sow the wind,
and they shall reap the whirlwind.
The standing grain has no heads,
it shall yield no meal;
if it were to yield,
foreigners would devour it.
Israel is swallowed up;
now they are among the nations
as a useless vessel.
For they have gone up to Assyria,
a wild ass wandering alone;
Ephraim has bargained for lovers.
Though they bargain with the nations,
I will now gather them up.
They shall soon writhe
under the burden of kings and princes.
When Ephraim multiplied altars to expiate sin,
they became to him altars for sinning.
Though I write for him the multitude of my instructions,
they are regarded as a strange thing.
Though they offer choice sacrifices,
though they eat flesh,
the Lord does not accept them.
Now he will remember their iniquity,
and punish their sins;
they shall return to Egypt.
Israel has forgotten his Maker,
and built palaces;
and Judah has multiplied fortified cities;
but I will send a fire upon his cities,
and it shall devour his strongholds.
A Song of the New Jerusalem, or another suitable canticle, for example, number 31 (page 582) or number 36 (page 587), may be said
Refrain:
AllAbove you the Holy One arises,
and above you God’s glory appears. Alleluia.
1Arise, shine out, for
your light has come, •
the glory of the Lord is rising upon you.
2Though night still covers
the earth, •
and darkness the peoples;
3Above you the Holy One
arises, •
and above you God’s glory appears.
4The nations will come
to your light, •
and kings to your dawning brightness.
5Your gates will lie
open continually, •
shut neither by day nor by night.
6The sound of violence
shall be heard no longer in your land, •
or ruin and devastation within your borders.
7You will call your walls,
Salvation, •
and your gates, Praise.
8No more will the sun
give you daylight, •
nor moonlight shine upon you;
9But the Lord will be
your everlasting light, •
your God will be your splendour.
10For you shall be called
the city of God, •
the dwelling of the Holy One of Israel.
Isaiah 60.1-3, 11a, 18, 19, 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.
AllAbove you the Holy One arises,
and above you God’s glory appears. Alleluia.
One or more readings appointed for the day are read.
The reading(s) may be followed by a time of silence.
Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed. You know that when you were pagans, you were enticed and led astray to idols that could not speak. Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking by the Spirit of God ever says ‘Let Jesus be cursed!’ and no one can say ‘Jesus is Lord’ except by the Holy Spirit.
Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the discernment of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. All these are activated by one and the same Spirit, who allots to each one individually just as the Spirit chooses.
A suitable song or chant, or a responsory in this or another form, may follow
O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness;
Alllet the whole earth
tremble before him.
Tell it out among the nations that the Lord is King.
AllO worship the Lord in
the beauty of holiness.
Tell out his salvation from day to day.
AllLet the whole earth
tremble before him.
Declare his glory among the nations
and his wonders among all peoples.
AllO worship the Lord in
the beauty of holiness;
let the whole earth tremble before him.
from Psalm 96
The Benedictus (The Song of Zechariah) is normally said, or A Song of the Blessed (page 606) may be said
Refrain:
AllThis is the Christ, the
Chosen of God,
the one who will bring healing to the nations.
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:
AllThis is the Christ, the
Chosen of God,
the one who will bring healing to the nations.
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
Almighty God,
whose Son revealed in signs and miracles
the wonder of your saving presence:
renew your people with your heavenly grace,
and in all our weakness
sustain us by your mighty power;
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
Believing the promises of God,
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)
Believing the promises of God,
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 sends us to the nations,
give us the power of his Spirit.
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.