Morning Prayer (Mattins) in Contemporary Language

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 Glorious Name

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 92

Refrain: You, O Lord, shall be exalted for evermore.

1 It is a good thing to give thanks to the Lord ♦
and to sing praises to your name, O Most High;

2 To tell of your love early in the morning ♦
and of your faithfulness in the night-time,

3 Upon the ten-stringed instrument, upon the harp, ♦
and to the melody of the lyre.

4 For you, Lord, have made me glad by your acts, ♦
and I sing aloud at the works of your hands.

5 O Lord, how glorious are your works! ♦
Your thoughts are very deep. R

6 The senseless do not know, ♦
nor do fools understand,

7 That though the wicked sprout like grass ♦
and all the workers of iniquity flourish,

8 It is only to be destroyed for ever; ♦
but you, O Lord, shall be exalted for evermore.

9 For lo, your enemies, O Lord,
lo, your enemies shall perish, ♦
and all the workers of iniquity shall be scattered.

10 But my horn you have exalted
like the horns of wild oxen; ♦
I am anointed with fresh oil.

11 My eyes will look down on my foes; ♦
my ears shall hear the ruin of the evildoers
who rise up against me. R

12 The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree, ♦
and shall spread abroad like a cedar of Lebanon.

13 Such as are planted in the house of the Lord ♦
shall flourish in the courts of our God.

14 They shall still bear fruit in old age; ♦
they shall be vigorous and in full leaf;

15 That they may show that the Lord is true; ♦
he is my rock,
and there is no unrighteousness in him.

Refrain: You, O Lord, shall be exalted for evermore.

Give us the music of your praise, Lord,
morning, noon and night,
that our lives may be fruitful
and our lips confess you as the true and only God.

Psalm 146

Refrain: The Lord shall reign for ever.

1 Alleluia.
Praise the Lord, O my soul:
while I live will I praise the Lord; ♦
as long as I have any being,
I will sing praises to my God.

2 Put not your trust in princes,
nor in any human power, ♦
for there is no help in them.

3 When their breath goes forth, they return to the earth; ♦
on that day all their thoughts perish. R

4 Happy are those who have the God of Jacob for their help, ♦
whose hope is in the Lord their God;

5 Who made heaven and earth,
the sea and all that is in them; ♦
who keeps his promise for ever;

6 Who gives justice to those that suffer wrong ♦
and bread to those who hunger. R

7 The Lord looses those that are bound; ♦
the Lord opens the eyes of the blind;

8 The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down; ♦
the Lord loves the righteous;

9 The Lord watches over the stranger in the land;
he upholds the orphan and widow; ♦
but the way of the wicked he turns upside down.

10 The Lord shall reign for ever, ♦
your God, O Zion, throughout all generations.
Alleluia.

Refrain: The Lord shall reign for ever.

Lord of all,
our breath and being come from you,
yet our earthly end is dust;
as you loose the bound and feed the hungry,
so bring us in your mercy through the grave and gate of death
to the feast of eternal life,
where you reign for evermore.

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.

2 Samuel 15.17-21

King David left Jerusalem, followed by all the people; and they stopped at the last house. All his officials passed by him; and all the Cherethites, and all the Pelethites, and all the six hundred Gittites who had followed him from Gath, passed on before the king.

Then the king said to Ittai the Gittite, ‘Why are you also coming with us? Go back, and stay with the king; for you are a foreigner, and also an exile from your home. You came only yesterday, and shall I today make you wander about with us, while I go wherever I can? Go back, and take your kinsfolk with you; and may the Lord show steadfast love and faithfulness to you.’ But Ittai answered the king, ‘As the Lord lives, and as my lord the king lives, wherever my lord the king may be, whether for death or for life, there also your servant will be.’

or Ecclesiasticus 2

Canticle

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.

Scripture Reading

One or more readings appointed for the day are read.

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

John 11.1-16

Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. Mary was the one who anointed the Lord with perfume and wiped his feet with her hair; her brother Lazarus was ill. So the sisters sent a message to Jesus, ‘Lord, he whom you love is ill.’ But when Jesus heard it, he said, ‘This illness does not lead to death; rather it is for God’s glory, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.’ Accordingly, though Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus, after having heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was.

Then after this he said to the disciples, ‘Let us go to Judea again.’ The disciples said to him, ‘Rabbi, the Jews were just now trying to stone you, and are you going there again?’ Jesus answered, ‘Are there not twelve hours of daylight? Those who walk during the day do not stumble, because they see the light of this world. But those who walk at night stumble, because the light is not in them.’ After saying this, he told them, ‘Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I am going there to awaken him.’ The disciples said to him, ‘Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will be all right.’ Jesus, however, had been speaking about his death, but they thought that he was referring merely to sleep. Then Jesus told them plainly, ‘Lazarus is dead. For your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.’ Thomas, who was called the Twin, said to his fellow-disciples, ‘Let us also go, that we may die with him.’

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

Lord, you will guide me with your counsel
and afterwards receive me with glory.
AllLord, you will guide me with your counsel
and afterwards receive me with glory.
For I am always with you;
you hold me by my right hand.
AllAnd afterwards receive me with glory.
Glory to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit.
AllLord, you will guide me with your counsel
and afterwards receive me with glory.

from Psalm 73

Gospel Canticle

The Benedictus (The Song of Zechariah) is normally said,
or A Song of Redemption (page 620) 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.

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

¶ The social services
¶ All who work in the criminal justice system
¶ Victims and perpetrators of crime
¶ The work of aid agencies throughout the world
¶ Those living in poverty or under oppression

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 eternal God,
who, for the firmer foundation of our faith,
allowed your holy apostle Thomas
      to doubt the resurrection of your Son
till word and sight convinced him:
grant to us, who have not seen, that we also may believe
and so confess Christ as our Lord and our God;
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.