O Lord, open our lips
Alland our mouth shall
proclaim your praise.
The Acclamation of Christ at the Dawning of the Day (page 108) may replace the Preparation as the start of Morning Prayer on any occasion.
One or more of the following is said or sung:
One of these prayers of thanksgiving (page 109),
Blessed are you, Sovereign God, creator of all,
to you be glory and praise for ever.
You founded the earth in the beginning
and the heavens are the work of your hands.
In the fullness of time you made us in your image,
and in these last days you have spoken to us
in your Son Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh.
As we rejoice in the gift of your presence among us
let the light of your love always shine in our hearts,
your Spirit ever renew our lives
and your praises ever be on our lips.
Blessed be God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
AllBlessed be God for ever.
(or)
Blessed are you, creator of all,
to you be praise and glory for ever.
As your dawn renews the face of the earth
bringing light and life to all creation,
may we rejoice in this day you have made;
as we wake refreshed from the depths of sleep,
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.
after Lancelot Andrewes (1626)
or a suitable hymn,
or A Song of God’s Compassion
1The Lord is full of
compassion and mercy, ♦
slow to anger and of great kindness.
2He will not always accuse
us, ♦
neither will he keep his anger for ever.
3He has not dealt with
us according to our sins, ♦
nor rewarded us according to our wickedness.
4For as the heavens are
high above the earth, ♦
so great is his mercy upon those who fear him.
5As far as the east is
from the west, ♦
so far has he set our sins from us.
6As a father has compassion
on his children, ♦
so is the Lord merciful towards those who fear him.
7For he knows of what
we are made; ♦
he remembers that we are but dust.
8Our days are but as
grass; ♦
we flourish as a flower of the field;
9For as soon as the wind
goes over it, it is gone, ♦
and its place shall know it no more.
10But the merciful goodness
of the Lord is from of old
and endures for ever on those who fear him, ♦
and his righteousness on children’s children;
11On those who keep his
covenant ♦
and remember his commandments to do them.
Psalm 103.8-18
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: O God, be not far from me.
1 In you, O Lord, do I seek refuge; ♦
let me never be put to shame.
2 In your righteousness, deliver me and set me free; ♦
incline your ear to me and save me.
3 Be for me a stronghold to which I may ever resort; ♦
send out to save me, for you are my rock and my fortress.
4 Deliver me, my God, from the hand of the wicked, ♦
from the grasp of the evildoer and the oppressor.
5 For you are my hope, O Lord God, ♦
my confidence, even from my youth.
6 Upon you have I leaned from my birth,
when you drew me from my mother’s womb; ♦
my praise shall be always of you. R
7 I have become a portent to many, ♦
but you are my refuge and my strength.
8 Let my mouth be full of your praise ♦
and your glory all the day long.
9 Do not cast me away in the time of old age; ♦
forsake me not when my strength fails.
10 For my enemies are talking against me, ♦
and those who lie in wait for my life take counsel together.
11 They say, ‘God has forsaken him;
pursue him and take him, ♦
because there is none to deliver him.’
12 O God, be not far from me; ♦
come quickly to help me, O my God.
13 Let those who are against me
be put to shame and disgrace; ♦
let those who seek to do me evil
be covered with scorn and reproach. R
14 But as for me I will hope continually ♦
and will praise you more and more.
15 My mouth shall tell of your righteousness
and salvation all the day long, ♦
for I know no end of the telling.
16 I will begin with the mighty works of the Lord God; ♦
I will recall your righteousness, yours alone. R
17 O God, you have taught me since I was young, ♦
and to this day I tell of your wonderful works.
18 Forsake me not, O God,
when I am old and grey-headed, ♦
till I make known your deeds to the next generation
and your power to all that are to come.
19 Your righteousness, O God, reaches to the heavens; ♦
in the great things you have done, who is like you, O God?
20 What troubles and adversities you have shown me, ♦
and yet you will turn and refresh me
and bring me from the deep of the earth again.
21 Increase my honour; ♦
turn again and comfort me. R
22 Therefore will I praise you upon the harp
for your faithfulness, O my God; ♦
I will sing to you with the lyre, O Holy One of Israel.
23 My lips will sing out as I play to you, ♦
and so will my soul, which you have redeemed.
24 My tongue also will tell of your righteousness all the day long, ♦
for they shall be shamed and disgraced
who sought to do me evil.
Refrain: O God, be not far from me.
Faithful Lord, living Saviour,
in youth and old age,
from the womb to the grave,
may we know your protection
and proclaim your great salvation
to the glory of God the Father.
Refrain: From
the rising of the sun to its setting
let the name of the Lord be praised.
1 Alleluia.
Give praise, you servants of the Lord, ♦
O praise the name of the Lord.
2 Blessed be the name of the Lord, ♦
from this time forth and for evermore.
3 From the rising of the sun to its setting ♦
let the name of the Lord be praised.
4 The Lord is high above all nations ♦
and his glory above the heavens. R
5 Who is like the Lord our God,
that has his throne so high, ♦
yet humbles himself to behold
the things of heaven and earth?
6 He raises the poor from the dust ♦
and lifts the needy from the ashes,
7 To set them with princes, ♦
with the princes of his people.
8 He gives the barren woman a place in the house ♦
and makes her a joyful mother of children.
Alleluia.
Refrain: From
the rising of the sun to its setting
let the name of the Lord be praised.
From the rising of the sun to its setting
we praise your name, O Lord;
may your promise to raise the poor from the dust
and turn the fortunes of the needy upside down
be fulfilled in our time also,
as it was in your Son, 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.
Listen to me, O coastlands,
pay attention, you peoples from far away!
The Lord called me before I was born,
while I was in my mother’s womb he named me.
He made my mouth like a sharp sword,
in the shadow of his hand he hid me;
he made me a polished arrow,
in his quiver he hid me away.
And he said to me, ‘You are my servant,
Israel, in whom I will be glorified.’
But I said, ‘I have laboured in vain,
I have spent my strength for nothing and vanity;
yet surely my cause is with the Lord,
and my reward with my God.’
And now the Lord says,
who formed me in the womb to be his servant,
to bring Jacob back to him,
and that Israel might be gathered to him,
for I am honoured in the sight of the Lord,
and my God has become my strength—
he says,
‘It is too light a thing that you should be my servant
to raise up the tribes of Jacob
and to restore the survivors of Israel;
I will give you as a light to the nations,
that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.’
The following, or another suitable canticle, may be said or sung
Refrain:
AllThe Lord has anointed me
and sent me to bring good news to the oppressed. Alleluia.
1The Spirit of the Lord
is upon me ♦
because he has anointed me.
2He has sent me to bring
good news to the oppressed, ♦
to bind up the broken-hearted,
3To proclaim liberty
to the captives, ♦
and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
4To proclaim the year
of the Lord’s favour, ♦
to comfort all who mourn,
5To give them a garland
instead of ashes, ♦
the oil of gladness instead of mourning,
the mantle of praise instead of a faint spirit,
6That they may be called
oaks of righteousness, ♦
the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified.
7For as the earth puts
forth her blossom, ♦
and as seeds in the garden spring up,
8So shall the Lord God
make righteousness and praise ♦
blossom before all the nations.
9You shall be called
priests of the Lord; ♦
they shall speak of you as ministers of our God.
Isaiah 61.1-3, 11, 6a
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.
AllThe Lord has anointed me
and sent me to bring good news to the oppressed. Alleluia.
One or more readings appointed for the day are read.
The reading(s) may be followed by a time of silence.
Now the apostles and the believers who were in Judea heard that the Gentiles had also accepted the word of God.
So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised believers criticized him,
saying, ‘Why did you go to uncircumcised men and eat with them?’
Then Peter began to explain it to them, step by step, saying,
‘I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision. There was something like a large sheet coming down from heaven, being lowered by its four corners; and it came close to me.
As I looked at it closely I saw four-footed animals, beasts of prey, reptiles, and birds of the air.
I also heard a voice saying to me, “Get up, Peter; kill and eat.”
But I replied, “By no means, Lord; for nothing profane or unclean has ever entered my mouth.”
But a second time the voice answered from heaven, “What God has made clean, you must not call profane.”
This happened three times; then everything was pulled up again to heaven.
At that very moment three men, sent to me from Caesarea, arrived at the house where we were.
The Spirit told me to go with them and not to make a distinction between them and us. These six brothers also accompanied me, and we entered the man’s house.
He told us how he had seen the angel standing in his house and saying, “Send to Joppa and bring Simon, who is called Peter;
he will give you a message by which you and your entire household will be saved.”
And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them just as it had upon us at the beginning.
And I remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said, “John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”
If then God gave them the same gift that he gave us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could hinder God?’
When they heard this, they were silenced. And they praised God, saying, ‘Then God has given even to the Gentiles the repentance that leads to life.’
A suitable song or chant, or a responsory in this or another form, may follow
Trust in the Lord with all your heart;
and be not wise in your own sight.
AllTrust in the Lord with
all your heart;
and be not wise in your own sight.
In all your ways acknowledge him
and he will make straight your paths.
AllTrust in the Lord with
all your heart.
Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
AllTrust in the Lord with
all your heart;
and be not wise in your own sight.
from Proverbs 3
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:
AllYou did not choose me but I chose you
and I appointed you to go out and bear fruit, fruit that shall last. 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:
AllYou did not choose me but I chose you
and I appointed you to go out and bear fruit, fruit that shall last. Alleluia.
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 362–363
¶ The media and the arts
¶ Farming and fishing
¶ Commerce and industry
¶ Those whose work is unfulfilling, stressful
or fraught with danger
¶ All who are unemployed
One of the forms of prayer found on pages 362–371 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 blessed apostles Peter and Paul
glorified you in their death as in their life:
grant that your Church,
inspired by their teaching and example,
and made one by your Spirit,
may ever stand firm upon the one foundation,
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
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)
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 Lord bless us, and preserve us from all evil,
and keep us in eternal life.
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.