Morning Prayer
Passiontide
Wednesday, 27 March 2024
Wednesday of Holy Week

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 102*

Refrain: My help comes from the Lord.

1 O Lord, hear my prayer 
and let my crying come before you.

2 Hide not your face from me 
in the day of my distress.

3 Incline your ear to me; 
when I call, make haste to answer me, R

4 For my days are consumed in smoke 
and my bones burn away as in a furnace.

5 My heart is smitten down and withered like grass, 
so that I forget to eat my bread.

6 From the sound of my groaning 
my bones cleave fast to my skin.

7 I am become like a vulture in the wilderness, 
like an owl that haunts the ruins.

8 I keep watch and am become like a sparrow 
solitary upon the housetop.

9 My enemies revile me all the day long, 
and those who rage at me have sworn together against me.

10 I have eaten ashes for bread 
and mingled my drink with weeping,

11 Because of your indignation and wrath, 
for you have taken me up and cast me down.

12 My days fade away like a shadow, 
and I am withered like grass. R

13 But you, O Lord, shall endure for ever 
and your name through all generations.

14 You will arise and have pity on Zion; 
it is time to have mercy upon her;
surely the time has come.

15 For your servants love her very stones 
and feel compassion for her dust.

16 Then shall the nations fear your name, O Lord, 
and all the kings of the earth your glory,

17 When the Lord has built up Zion 
and shown himself in glory;

18 When he has turned to the prayer of the destitute 
and has not despised their plea. R

19 This shall be written for those that come after, 
and a people yet unborn shall praise the Lord.

20 For he has looked down from his holy height; 
from the heavens he beheld the earth,

21 That he might hear the sighings of the prisoner 
and set free those condemned to die;

22 That the name of the Lord may be proclaimed in Zion 
and his praises in Jerusalem,

23 When peoples are gathered together 
and kingdoms also, to serve the Lord. R

24 He has brought down my strength in my journey 
and has shortened my days.

25 I pray, ‘O my God, do not take me in the midst of my days; 
your years endure throughout all generations.

26 ‘In the beginning you laid the foundations of the earth, 
and the heavens are the work of your hands;

27 ‘They shall perish, but you will endure; 
they all shall wear out like a garment.

28 ‘You change them like clothing, and they shall be changed; 
but you are the same, and your years will not fail.

29 ‘The children of your servants shall continue, 
and their descendants shall be established in your sight.’

Refrain: My help comes from the Lord.

Have pity on our frailty, O God,
and in the hour of our death
cast us not away as clothing that is worn,
for you are our eternal refuge;
through 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.

Wisdom 1.16 - 2.1; 2.12-22


But the ungodly by their words and deeds summoned death;
considering him a friend, they pined away
and made a covenant with him,
because they are fit to belong to his company.

For they reasoned unsoundly, saying to themselves,
‘Short and sorrowful is our life,
and there is no remedy when a life comes to its end,
and no one has been known to return from Hades.
‘Let us lie in wait for the righteous man,
because he is inconvenient to us and opposes our actions;
he reproaches us for sins against the law,
and accuses us of sins against our training.
He professes to have knowledge of God,
and calls himself a child of the Lord.
He became to us a reproof of our thoughts;
the very sight of him is a burden to us,
because his manner of life is unlike that of others,
and his ways are strange.
We are considered by him as something base,
and he avoids our ways as unclean;
he calls the last end of the righteous happy,
and boasts that God is his father.
Let us see if his words are true,
and let us test what will happen at the end of his life;
for if the righteous man is God’s child, he will help him,
and will deliver him from the hand of his adversaries.
Let us test him with insult and torture,
so that we may find out how gentle he is,
and make trial of his forbearance.
Let us condemn him to a shameful death,
for, according to what he says, he will be protected.’


Thus they reasoned, but they were led astray,
for their wickedness blinded them,
and they did not know the secret purposes of God,
nor hoped for the wages of holiness,
nor discerned the prize for blameless souls;

or Jeremiah 11.18-20

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.

Luke 22.54-end

Then they seized him and led him away, bringing him into the high priest’s house. But Peter was following at a distance. When they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat down together, Peter sat among them. Then a servant-girl, seeing him in the firelight, stared at him and said, ‘This man also was with him.’ But he denied it, saying, ‘Woman, I do not know him.’ A little later someone else, on seeing him, said, ‘You also are one of them.’ But Peter said, ‘Man, I am not!’ Then about an hour later yet another kept insisting, ‘Surely this man also was with him; for he is a Galilean.’ But Peter said, ‘Man, I do not know what you are talking about!’ At that moment, while he was still speaking, the cock crowed. The Lord turned and looked at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said to him, ‘Before the cock crows today, you will deny me three times.’ And he went out and wept bitterly.

Now the men who were holding Jesus began to mock him and beat him; they also blindfolded him and kept asking him, ‘Prophesy! Who is it that struck you?’ They kept heaping many other insults on him.

When day came, the assembly of the elders of the people, both chief priests and scribes, gathered together, and they brought him to their council. They said, ‘If you are the Messiah, tell us.’ He replied, ‘If I tell you, you will not believe; and if I question you, you will not answer. But from now on the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the power of God.’ All of them asked, ‘Are you, then, the Son of God?’ He said to them, ‘You say that I am.’ Then they said, ‘What further testimony do we need? We have heard it ourselves from his own lips!’

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:

AllThe word of the cross is folly
to those who are perishing,
but to those who are being saved
it is the power of 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:

AllThe word of the cross is folly
to those who are perishing,
but to those who are being saved
it is the power of God.

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 and everlasting God,
who in your tender love towards the human race
      sent your Son our Saviour Jesus Christ
to take upon him our flesh
and to suffer death upon the cross:
grant that we may follow the example of his patience and humility,
and also be made partakers of his resurrection;
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.