Morning Prayer Epiphany Season Monday 8 January 2024
O Lord, open our lips
Alland our mouth shall proclaim your praise.
Your light springs up for the righteousn
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 Word of God
Psalmody
The appointed psalmody is said.
Psalm 2
Refrain:The Lord is the strength of his people, a safe refuge for his anointed.
1Why are the nations in tumult, ♦
and why do the peoples devise a vain plot?
2The 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
4He who dwells in heaven shall laugh them to scorn; ♦
the Lord shall have them in derision.
5Then 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
7I 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
10Now therefore be wise, O kings; ♦
be prudent, you judges of the earth.
11Serve 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.
12Happy 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.
Psalm 110
Refrain:The Lord is king and has put on glorious apparel.
1The Lord said to my lord, ‘Sit at my right hand, ♦
until I make your enemies your footstool.’
2May 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
4The Lord has sworn and will not retract: ♦
‘You are a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.’
5The king at your right hand, O Lord, ♦
shall smite down kings in the day of his wrath. R
6In all his majesty, he shall judge among the nations, ♦
smiting heads over all the wide earth.
7He 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.
Genesis 1.1-19
In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters. Then God said, ‘Let there be light’; and there was light. And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.
And God said, ‘Let there be a dome in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.’ So God made the dome and separated the waters that were under the dome from the waters that were above the dome. And it was so. God called the dome Sky. And there was evening and there was morning, the second day.
And God said, ‘Let the waters under the sky be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear.’ And it was so. God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good. Then God said, ‘Let the earth put forth vegetation: plants yielding seed, and fruit trees of every kind on earth that bear fruit with the seed in it.’ And it was so. The earth brought forth vegetation: plants yielding seed of every kind, and trees of every kind bearing fruit with the seed in it. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening and there was morning, the third day.
And God said, ‘Let there be lights in the dome of the sky to separate the day from the night; and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years, and let them be lights in the dome of the sky to give light upon the earth.’ And it was so. God made the two great lights—the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night—and the stars. God set them in the dome of the sky to give light upon the earth, to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day.
Canticle
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.
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.
Scripture Reading
One or more readings appointed for the day are read.
The reading(s) may be followed by a time of silence.
Matthew 21.1-17
When they had come near Jerusalem and had reached Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, ‘Go into the village ahead of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, just say this, “The Lord needs them.” And he will send them immediately.’ This took place to fulfil what had been spoken through the prophet, saying,
‘Tell the daughter of Zion,
Look, your king is coming to you,
humble, and mounted on a donkey,
and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’
The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them; they brought the donkey and the colt, and put their cloaks on them, and he sat on them. A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds that went ahead of him and that followed were shouting,
‘Hosanna to the Son of David!
Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!
Hosanna in the highest heaven!’
When he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was in turmoil, asking, ‘Who is this?’ The crowds were saying, ‘This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee.’
Then Jesus entered the temple and drove out all who were selling and buying in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold doves. He said to them, ‘It is written,
“My house shall be called a house of prayer”;
but you are making it a den of robbers.’
The blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he cured them. But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the amazing things that he did, and heard the children crying out in the temple, ‘Hosanna to the Son of David’, they became angry and said to him, ‘Do you hear what these are saying?’ Jesus said to them, ‘Yes; have you never read,
“Out of the mouths of infants and nursing babies
you have prepared praise for yourself”?’
He left them, went out of the city to Bethany, and spent the night there.
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
Gospel Canticle
The Benedictus (The Song of Zechariah) is normally said, or A Song of the Blessed (page 606) may be said
Refrain:
AllThis is the Christ, the Chosen of God,
the one who will bring healing to the nations.
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:
AllThis is the Christ, the Chosen of God,
the one who will bring healing to the nations.
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 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
Eternal Father,
who at the baptism of Jesus
revealed him to be your Son,
anointing him with the Holy Spirit:
grant to us, who are born again by water and the Spirit,
that we may be faithful to our calling as your adopted children;
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
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.
The Conclusion
May Christ, who sends us to the nations,
give us the power of his Spirit.
AllAmen.
Let us bless the Lord.
AllThanks be to God.
