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: The Lord is the strength of his people, a safe refuge for his anointed.
1 Why are the nations in tumult, ♦
and why do the peoples devise a vain plot?
2 The kings of the earth rise up,
and the rulers take counsel together, ♦
against the Lord and against his anointed:
3 ‘Let us break their bonds asunder ♦
and cast away their cords from us.’ R
4 He who dwells in heaven shall laugh them to scorn; ♦
the Lord shall have them in derision.
5 Then shall he speak to them in his wrath ♦
and terrify them in his fury:
6 ‘Yet have I set my king ♦
upon my holy hill of Zion.’ R
7 I will proclaim the decree of the Lord; ♦
he said to me: ‘You are my Son; this day have I begotten you.
8 ‘Ask of me and I will give you the nations for your inheritance ♦
and the ends of the earth for your possession.
9 ‘You shall break them with a rod of iron ♦
and dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.’ R
10 Now therefore be wise, O kings; ♦
be prudent, you judges of the earth.
11 Serve the Lord with fear, and with trembling kiss his feet, ♦
lest he be angry and you perish from the way,
for his wrath is quickly kindled.
12 Happy are all they ♦
who take refuge in him.
Refrain: The Lord is the strength of his people, a safe refuge for his anointed.
Most high and holy God,
lift our eyes to your Son
enthroned on Calvary;
and as we behold his meekness,
shatter our earthly pride;
for he is Lord for ever and ever.
Refrain: The Lord is king and has put on glorious apparel.
1 The Lord said to my lord, ‘Sit at my right hand, ♦
until I make your enemies your footstool.’
2 May the Lord stretch forth the sceptre of your power; ♦
rule from Zion in the midst of your enemies.
3 ‘Noble are you on this day of your birth; ♦
on the holy mountain, from the womb of the dawn
the dew of your new birth is upon you.’ R
4 The Lord has sworn and will not retract: ♦
‘You are a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.’
5 The king at your right hand, O Lord, ♦
shall smite down kings in the day of his wrath. R
6 In all his majesty, he shall judge among the nations, ♦
smiting heads over all the wide earth.
7 He shall drink from the brook beside the way; ♦
therefore shall he lift high his head.
Refrain: The Lord is king and has put on glorious apparel.
Lord Jesus, divine Son and eternal priest,
inspire us with the confidence of your final conquest of evil,
and grant that daily on our way
we may drink of the brook of your eternal life
and so find courage against all adversities;
for your mercy’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.
The words of Amos, who was among the shepherds of Tekoa, which he saw concerning Israel in the days of King Uzziah of Judah and in the days of King Jeroboam son of Joash of Israel, two years before the earthquake.
And he said:
The Lord roars from Zion,
and utters his voice from Jerusalem;
the pastures of the shepherds wither,
and the top of Carmel dries up.
Thus says the Lord:
For three transgressions of Damascus,
and for four, I will not revoke the punishment;
because they have threshed Gilead
with threshing-sledges of iron.
So I will send a fire on the house of Hazael,
and it shall devour the strongholds of Ben-hadad.
I will break the gate-bars of Damascus,
and cut off the inhabitants from the Valley of Aven,
and the one who holds the sceptre from Beth-eden;
and the people of Aram shall go into exile to Kir,
says the Lord.
Thus says the Lord:
For three transgressions of Gaza,
and for four, I will not revoke the punishment;
because they carried into exile entire communities,
to hand them over to Edom.
So I will send a fire on the wall of Gaza,
fire that shall devour its strongholds.
I will cut off the inhabitants from Ashdod,
and the one who holds the sceptre from Ashkelon;
I will turn my hand against Ekron,
and the remnant of the Philistines shall perish,
says the Lord God.
Thus says the Lord:
For three transgressions of Tyre,
and for four, I will not revoke the punishment;
because they delivered entire communities over to Edom,
and did not remember the covenant of kinship.
So I will send a fire on the wall of Tyre,
fire that shall devour its strongholds.
Thus says the Lord:
For three transgressions of Edom,
and for four, I will not revoke the punishment;
because he pursued his brother with the sword
and cast off all pity;
he maintained his anger perpetually,
and kept his wrath for ever.
So I will send a fire on Teman,
and it shall devour the strongholds of Bozrah.
Thus says the Lord:
For three transgressions of the Ammonites,
and for four, I will not revoke the punishment;
because they have ripped open pregnant women in Gilead
in order to enlarge their territory.
So I will kindle a fire against the wall of Rabbah,
fire that shall devour its strongholds,
with shouting on the day of battle,
with a storm on the day of the whirlwind;
then their king shall go into exile,
he and his officials together,
says the Lord.
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.
Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and our brother Sosthenes,
To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, together with all those who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours:
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that has been given you in Christ Jesus, for in every way you have been enriched in him, in speech and knowledge of every kind—just as the testimony of Christ has been strengthened among you—so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ. He will also strengthen you to the end, so that you may be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful; by him you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Now I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you should be in agreement and that there should be no divisions among you, but that you should be united in the same mind and the same purpose. For it has been reported to me by Chloe’s people that there are quarrels among you, my brothers and sisters. What I mean is that each of you says, ‘I belong to Paul’, or ‘I belong to Apollos’, or ‘I belong to Cephas’, or ‘I belong to Christ.’ Has Christ been divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, so that no one can say that you were baptized in my name. (I did baptize also the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized anyone else.) For Christ did not send me to baptize but to proclaim the gospel, and not with eloquent wisdom, so that the cross of Christ might not be emptied of its power.
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:
All
Those who are wise will shine as brightly as the heavens,
and those who have instructed many in virtue will shine like stars
for all eternity. 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:
All
Those who are wise will shine as brightly as the heavens,
and those who have instructed many in virtue will shine like stars
for all eternity. 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 364–365
¶ The unity of the Church
¶ The peace of the world
¶ The healing of the sick
¶ The revelation of Christ to those from whom
his glory is hidden
¶ All who travel
A form of prayer found on page 379 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
Everlasting God,
whose servant Hilary
steadfastly confessed your Son Jesus Christ
to be both human and divine:
grant us his gentle courtesy
to bring to all the message of redemption
in the incarnate Christ,
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.
©
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.