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 Blessing

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 37*

Refrain: The salvation of the righteous comes from the Lord.

1 Fret not because of evildoers; ♦
be not jealous of those who do wrong.

2 For they shall soon wither like grass ♦
and like the green herb fade away.

3 Trust in the Lord and be doing good; ♦
dwell in the land and be nourished with truth.

4 Let your delight be in the Lord ♦
and he will give you your heart’s desire.

5 Commit your way to the Lord and put your trust in him, ♦
and he will bring it to pass.

6 He will make your righteousness as clear as the light ♦
and your just dealing as the noonday. R

7 Be still before the Lord and wait for him; ♦
do not fret over those that prosper
as they follow their evil schemes.

8 Refrain from anger and abandon wrath; ♦
do not fret, lest you be moved to do evil.

9 For evildoers shall be cut off, ♦
but those who wait upon the Lord shall possess the land.

10 Yet a little while and the wicked shall be no more; ♦
you will search for their place and find them gone.

11 But the lowly shall possess the land ♦
and shall delight in abundance of peace. R

12 The wicked plot against the righteous ♦
and gnash at them with their teeth.

13 The Lord shall laugh at the wicked, ♦
for he sees that their day is coming.

14 The wicked draw their sword and bend their bow
to strike down the poor and needy, ♦
to slaughter those who walk in truth.

15 Their sword shall go through their own heart ♦
and their bows shall be broken.

16 The little that the righteous have ♦
is better than great riches of the wicked.

17 For the arms of the wicked shall be broken, ♦
but the Lord upholds the righteous. R

18 The Lord knows the days of the godly, ♦
and their inheritance shall stand for ever.

19 They shall not be put to shame in the perilous time, ♦
and in days of famine they shall have enough.

20 But the wicked shall perish;
like the glory of the meadows
the enemies of the Lord shall vanish; ♦
they shall vanish like smoke.

21 The wicked borrow and do not repay, ♦
but the righteous are generous in giving.

22 For those who are blest by God shall possess the land, ♦
but those who are cursed by him shall be rooted out. R

23 When your steps are guided by the Lord ♦
and you delight in his way,

24 Though you stumble, you shall not fall headlong, ♦
for the Lord holds you fast by the hand.

25 I have been young and now am old, ♦
yet never have I seen the righteous forsaken,
or their children begging their bread.

26 All the day long they are generous in lending, ♦
and their children also shall be blest. R

27 Depart from evil and do good ♦
and you shall abide for ever.

28 For the Lord loves the thing that is right ♦
and will not forsake his faithful ones.

29 The unjust shall be destroyed for ever, ♦
and the offspring of the wicked shall be rooted out.

30 The righteous shall possess the land ♦
and dwell in it for ever. R

31 The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom, ♦
and their tongue speaks the thing that is right.

32 The law of their God is in their heart ♦
and their footsteps shall not slide.

33 The wicked spy on the righteous ♦
and seek occasion to slay them.

34 The Lord will not leave them in their hand, ♦
nor let them be condemned when they are judged. R

35 Wait upon the Lord and keep his way; ♦
he will raise you up to possess the land,
and when the wicked are uprooted, you shall see it.

36 I myself have seen the wicked in great power ♦
and flourishing like a tree in full leaf.

37 I went by and lo, they were gone; ♦
I sought them, but they could nowhere be found.

38 Keep innocence and heed the thing that is right, ♦
for that will bring you peace at the last. R

39 But the sinners shall perish together, ♦
and the posterity of the wicked shall be rooted out.

40 The salvation of the righteous comes from the Lord; ♦
he is their stronghold in the time of trouble.

41 The Lord shall stand by them and deliver them; ♦
he shall deliver them from the wicked and shall save them,
because they have put their trust in him.

Refrain: The salvation of the righteous comes from the Lord.

Blessed and holy God,
ever merciful and forgiving,
may we turn from what is evil
and do what is good in your sight,
for you have saved us by the cross of your Son,
our Saviour Jesus Christ.

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.

Job 16.1 - 17.2

Then Job answered:
‘I have heard many such things;
   miserable comforters are you all.
Have windy words no limit?
   Or what provokes you that you keep on talking?
I also could talk as you do,
   if you were in my place;
I could join words together against you,
   and shake my head at you.
I could encourage you with my mouth,
   and the solace of my lips would assuage your pain.

‘If I speak, my pain is not assuaged,
   and if I forbear, how much of it leaves me?
Surely now God has worn me out;
   he has made desolate all my company.
And he has shrivelled me up,
   which is a witness against me;
my leanness has risen up against me,
   and it testifies to my face.
He has torn me in his wrath, and hated me;
   he has gnashed his teeth at me;
   my adversary sharpens his eyes against me.
They have gaped at me with their mouths;
   they have struck me insolently on the cheek;
   they mass themselves together against me.
God gives me up to the ungodly,
   and casts me into the hands of the wicked.
I was at ease, and he broke me in two;
   he seized me by the neck and dashed me to pieces;
he set me up as his target;
   his archers surround me.
He slashes open my kidneys, and shows no mercy;
   he pours out my gall on the ground.
He bursts upon me again and again;
   he rushes at me like a warrior.
I have sewed sackcloth upon my skin,
   and have laid my strength in the dust.
My face is red with weeping,
   and deep darkness is on my eyelids,
though there is no violence in my hands,
   and my prayer is pure.

‘O earth, do not cover my blood;
   let my outcry find no resting-place.
Even now, in fact, my witness is in heaven,
   and he that vouches for me is on high.
My friends scorn me;
   my eye pours out tears to God,
that he would maintain the right of a mortal with God,
   as one does for a neighbour.
For when a few years have come,
   I shall go the way from which I shall not return.

My spirit is broken, my days are extinct,
   the grave is ready for me.
Surely there are mockers around me,
   and my eye dwells on their provocation.

Canticle

A Song of the Covenant, or another suitable canticle, for example, number 44 (page 596), may be said

Refrain:

AllI have given you as a light to the nations,
and I have called you in righteousness. Alleluia.

1Thus says God, who created the heavens, ♦
who fashioned the earth and all that dwells in it;

2Who gives breath to the people upon it ♦
and spirit to those who walk in it,

3 ‘I am the Lord and I have called you in righteousness, ♦
I have taken you by the hand and kept you;

4 ‘I have given you as a covenant to the people, ♦
a light to the nations, to open the eyes that are blind,

5‘To bring out the captives from the dungeon, ♦
from the prison, those who sit in darkness.

6‘I am the Lord, that is my name; ♦
my glory I give to no other.’

Isaiah 42.5-8a

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 have given you as a light to the nations,
and I have called you in righteousness. Alleluia.

Scripture Reading

One or more readings appointed for the day are read.

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

Romans 8.12-17

So then, brothers and sisters, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh—for if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received a spirit of adoption. When we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’ it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ—if, in fact, we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.

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

Fear not, for I have redeemed you.
I have called you by name; you are mine.
AllFear not, for I have redeemed you.
I have called you by name; you are mine.
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you.
When you walk through fire, you shall not be burned.
AllI have called you by name; you are mine.
Glory to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit.
AllFear not, for I have redeemed you.
I have called you by name; you are mine.

from Isaiah 43

Gospel Canticle

The Benedictus (The Song of Zechariah) is normally said,
or Gloria in Excelsis (A Song of God's Glory) (page 635) may be said

Refrain

AllYou promised, O God, to save us from our enemies,
from the hands of all that hate us.

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 promised, O God, to save us from our enemies,
from the hands of all that hate us.

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 362–363

¶ Local government, community leaders
¶ All who provide local services
¶ Those who work with young or elderly people
¶ Schools, colleges and universities
¶ Emergency and rescue organizations

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

O God,
the strength of all those who put their trust in you,
mercifully accept our prayers
and, because through the weakness of our mortal nature
we can do no good thing without you,
grant us the help of your grace,
that in the keeping of your commandments
we may please you both in will and deed;
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

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 Conclusion

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.