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 appointed psalmody is said.
Refrain: The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.
1 The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God.’ •
Corrupt are they, and abominable in their wickedness;
there is no one that does good.
2 God has looked down from heaven upon the children of earth, •
to see if there is anyone who is wise and seeks after God.
3 They are all gone out of the way;
all alike have become corrupt; •
there is no one that does good, no not one. R
4 Have they no knowledge, those evildoers, •
who eat up my people as if they ate bread,
and do not call upon God?
5 There shall they be in great fear,
such fear as never was; •
for God will scatter the bones of the ungodly.
6 They will be put to shame, •
because God has rejected them.
7 O that Israel’s salvation would come out of Zion! •
When God restores the fortunes of his people
then will Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad.
Refrain: The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.
Without you, O God, nothing is real,
all things are open to corruption
and we are deadened by deceit;
do not abandon us to our folly,
but give us hearts that seek you
and, at the last, joy in your heavenly city;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Refrain: Behold, God is my helper.
1 Save me, O God, by your name •
and vindicate me by your power.
2 Hear my prayer, O God; •
give heed to the words of my mouth.
3 For strangers have risen up against me,
and the ruthless seek after my life; •
they have not set God before them.
4 Behold, God is my helper; •
it is the Lord who upholds my life. R
5 May evil rebound on those who lie in wait for me; •
destroy them in your faithfulness.
6 An offering of a free heart will I give you •
and praise your name, O Lord, for it is gracious.
7 For he has delivered me out of all my trouble, •
and my eye has seen the downfall of my enemies.
Refrain: Behold, God is my helper.
O living God,
reach through the violence of the proud
and the despair of the weak
to create in Jesus Christ
a people free to praise your holy name,
now and for ever.
Refrain: Restore us again, O God our Saviour.
1 O God, you have cast us off and broken us; •
you have been angry; restore us to yourself again.
2 You have shaken the earth and torn it apart; •
heal its wounds, for it trembles.
3 You have made your people drink bitter things; •
we reel from the deadly wine you have given us.
4 You have made those who fear you to flee, •
to escape from the range of the bow.
5 That your beloved may be delivered, •
save us by your right hand and answer us. R
6 God has spoken in his holiness: •
‘I will triumph and divide Shechem,
and share out the valley of Succoth.
7 ‘Gilead is mine and Manasseh is mine; •
Ephraim is my helmet and Judah my sceptre.
8 ‘Moab shall be my washpot;
over Edom will I cast my sandal; •
across Philistia will I shout in triumph.’ R
9 Who will lead me into the strong city? •
Who will bring me into Edom?
10 Have you not cast us off, O God? •
Will you no longer go forth with our troops?
11 Grant us your help against the enemy, •
for earthly help is in vain.
12 Through God will we do great acts, •
for it is he that shall tread down our enemies.
Refrain: Restore us again, O God our Saviour.
Risen Christ,
you claim your own among the nations;
mend what is broken in us, loving Saviour;
do not forsake us when we fail,
but in your service grant us daring and love;
for your name’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.
See, a king will reign in righteousness,
and princes will rule with justice.
Each will be like a hiding-place from the wind,
a covert from the tempest,
like streams of water in a dry place,
like the shade of a great rock in a weary land.
Then the eyes of those who have sight will not be closed,
and the ears of those who have hearing will listen.
The minds of the rash will have good judgement,
and the tongues of stammerers will speak readily and distinctly.
A fool will no longer be called noble,
nor a villain be said to be honourable.
For fools speak folly,
and their minds plot iniquity:
to practise ungodliness,
to utter error concerning the Lord,
to leave the craving of the hungry unsatisfied,
and to deprive the thirsty of drink.
The villainies of villains are evil;
they devise wicked devices
to ruin the poor with lying words,
even when the plea of the needy is right.
But those who are noble plan noble things,
and by noble things they stand.
Rise up, you women who are at ease, hear my voice;
you complacent daughters, listen to my speech.
In little more than a year
you will shudder, you complacent ones;
for the vintage will fail,
the fruit harvest will not come.
Tremble, you women who are at ease,
shudder, you complacent ones;
strip, and make yourselves bare,
and put sackcloth on your loins.
Beat your breasts for the pleasant fields,
for the fruitful vine,
for the soil of my people
growing up in thorns and briers;
yes, for all the joyous houses
in the jubilant city.
For the palace will be forsaken,
the populous city deserted;
the hill and the watch-tower
will become dens for ever,
the joy of wild asses,
a pasture for flocks;
until a spirit from on high is poured out on us,
and the wilderness becomes a fruitful field,
and the fruitful field is deemed a forest.
Then justice will dwell in the wilderness,
and righteousness abide in the fruitful field.
The effect of righteousness will be peace,
and the result of righteousness, quietness and trust for ever.
My people will abide in a peaceful habitation,
in secure dwellings, and in quiet resting-places.
The forest will disappear completely,
and the city will be utterly laid low.
Happy will you be who sow beside every stream,
who let the ox and the donkey range freely.
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.
One or more readings appointed for the day are read.
The reading(s) may be followed by a time of silence.
Jesus left that place and went away to the district of Tyre and Sidon. Just then a Canaanite woman from that region came out and started shouting, ‘Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is tormented by a demon.’ But he did not answer her at all. And his disciples came and urged him, saying, ‘Send her away, for she keeps shouting after us.’ He answered, ‘I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.’ But she came and knelt before him, saying, ‘Lord, help me.’ He answered, ‘It is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.’ She said, ‘Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.’ Then Jesus answered her, ‘Woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.’ And her daughter was healed instantly.
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
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.
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
O Lord, raise up, we pray, your power
and come among us,
and with great might succour us;
that whereas, through our sins and wickedness
we are grievously hindered
in running the race that is set before us,
your bountiful grace and mercy
may speedily help and deliver us;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
to whom with you and the Holy Spirit,
be honour and glory, 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.
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.
Implemented by Simon Kershaw at
Crucix.
Implementation copyright © Simon Kershaw, 2002-2011.