Morning Prayer (Mattins) in Contemporary Language
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Please note: Daily Prayer provided by the official Church of England web site, © The Archbishops' Council of the Church of England, 2002-2004.
¶
Morning Prayer on Thursday
Thursday, 4 July 2024
Preparation
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 Blessing
1God be gracious to us
and bless us ♦
and make his face to shine upon us,
2That your way may be
known upon earth, ♦
your saving power among all nations.
3Let the peoples praise
you, O God; ♦
let all the peoples praise you.
4O let the nations rejoice
and be glad, ♦
for you will judge the peoples righteously
and govern the nations upon earth.
5Let the peoples praise
you, O God; ♦
let all the peoples praise you.
6Then shall the earth
bring forth her increase, ♦
and God, our own God, will bless us.
7God will bless us, ♦
and all the ends of the earth shall fear him.
Psalm 67
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 113
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.
Psalm 115
Refrain: The Lord has been mindful of us and he will bless us.
1 Not to us, Lord, not to us,
but to your name give the glory, ♦
for the sake of your loving mercy and truth.
2 Why should the nations say, ♦
Where is now their God?
3 As for our God, he is in heaven; ♦
he does whatever he pleases.
4 Their idols are silver and gold, ♦
the work of human hands. R
5 They have mouths, but cannot speak; ♦
eyes have they, but cannot see;
6 They have ears, but cannot hear; ♦
noses have they, but cannot smell;
7 They have hands, but cannot feel;
feet have they, but cannot walk; ♦
not a whisper do they make from their throats.
8 Those who make them shall become like them ♦
and so will all who put their trust in them. R
9 But you, Israel, put your trust in the Lord; ♦
he is their help and their shield.
10 House of Aaron, trust in the Lord; ♦
he is their help and their shield.
11 You that fear the Lord, trust in the Lord; ♦
he is their help and their shield.
12 The Lord has been mindful of us and he will bless us; ♦
may he bless the house of Israel;
may he bless the house of Aaron;
13 May he bless those who fear the Lord, ♦
both small and great together. R
14 May the Lord increase you more and more, ♦
you and your children after you.
15 May you be blest by the Lord, ♦
the maker of heaven and earth.
16 The heavens are the heavens of the Lord, ♦
but the earth he has entrusted to his children.
17 The dead do not praise the Lord, ♦
nor those gone down into silence;
18 But we will bless the Lord, ♦
from this time forth for evermore.
Alleluia.
Refrain: The Lord has been mindful of us and he will bless us.
Living God,
defend us from the idols which our hearts enthrone,
that we may not go down into silence
but be raised to our heaven of heavens
in 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.
1 Samuel 2.27-end
A man of God came to Eli and said to him, Thus the Lord has said, I revealed myself to the family of your ancestor in Egypt when they were slaves to the house of Pharaoh. I chose him out of all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to go up to my altar, to offer incense, to wear an ephod before me; and I gave to the family of your ancestor all my offerings by fire from the people of Israel. Why then look with greedy eye at my sacrifices and my offerings that I commanded, and honour your sons more than me by fattening yourselves on the choicest parts of every offering of my people Israel? Therefore the Lord the God of Israel declares: I promised that your family and the family of your ancestor should go in and out before me for ever; but now the Lord declares: Far be it from me; for those who honour me I will honour, and those who despise me shall be treated with contempt. See, a time is coming when I will cut off your strength and the strength of your ancestors family, so that no one in your family will live to old age. Then in distress you will look with greedy eye on all the prosperity that shall be bestowed upon Israel; and no one in your family shall ever live to old age. The only one of you whom I shall not cut off from my altar shall be spared to weep out his eyes and grieve his heart; all the members of your household shall die by the sword. The fate of your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, shall be the sign to youboth of them shall die on the same day. I will raise up for myself a faithful priest, who shall do according to what is in my heart and in my mind. I will build him a sure house, and he shall go in and out before my anointed one for ever. Everyone who is left in your family shall come to implore him for a piece of silver or a loaf of bread, and shall say, Please put me in one of the priests places, that I may eat a morsel of bread.
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.
Luke 20.9-19
He began to tell the people this parable: A man planted a vineyard, and leased it to tenants, and went to another country for a long time.
When the season came, he sent a slave to the tenants in order that they might give him his share of the produce of the vineyard; but the tenants beat him and sent him away empty-handed.
Next he sent another slave; that one also they beat and insulted and sent away empty-handed.
And he sent yet a third; this one also they wounded and threw out.
Then the owner of the vineyard said, What shall I do? I will send my beloved son; perhaps they will respect him.
But when the tenants saw him, they discussed it among themselves and said, This is the heir; let us kill him so that the inheritance may be ours.
So they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them?
He will come and destroy those tenants and give the vineyard to others. When they heard this, they said, Heaven forbid!
But he looked at them and said, What then does this text mean:
The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone?
Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces; and it will crush anyone on whom it falls.
When the scribes and chief priests realized that he had told this parable against them, they wanted to lay hands on him at that very hour, but they feared the people.
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
Almighty and everlasting God,
by whose Spirit the whole body of the Church
is governed and sanctified:
hear our prayer which we offer for all your faithful people,
that in their vocation and ministry
they may serve you in holiness and truth
to the glory of your name;
through our Lord and Saviour Jesus 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
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.
©
The Archbishops' Council of the Church of England, 2000-2005
Official Common Worship apps, books and eBooks are available from
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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
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Implementation copyright © Simon Kershaw, 2002-2021.