Morning Prayer The Church of England Saturday 30 December 2023
Morning Prayer Christmas Season Saturday, 30 December 2023
Preparation
O Lord, open our lips
Alland our mouth shall
proclaim your praise.
You laid the foundation of the earth
Alland the heavens are
the work of your hands. Alleluia.
One or more of the following is said or sung:
this or another prayer of thanksgiving
Blessed are you, sovereign God,
creator of heaven and earth,
to you be praise and glory for ever.
As your living Word, eternal in heaven,
assumed the frailty of our mortal flesh,
may the light of your love be born in us
to fill our hearts with joy as we sing:
Blessed be God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
AllBlessed be God for ever.
a suitable hymn, or A Song of the Bride
1I will greatly rejoice
in the Lord, ♦
my soul shall exult in my God;
2Who has clothed me with
the garments of salvation, ♦
and has covered me with the cloak of integrity,
3As a bridegroom decks
himself with a garland, ♦
and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
4For as the earth puts
forth her blossom, ♦
and as seeds in the garden spring up,
5So shall God make righteousness
and praise ♦
blossom before all the nations.
6For Zion’s sake
I will not keep silent, ♦
and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest
7Until her deliverance
shines out like the dawn, ♦
and her salvation as a burning torch.
8The nations shall see
your deliverance, ♦
and all rulers shall see your glory;
9Then you shall be called
by a new name ♦
which the mouth of God will give.
10You shall be a crown
of glory in the hand of the Lord, ♦
a royal diadem in the hand of your God.
Isaiah 61.10,11; 62.1-3
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 111
Refrain: The Lord
is gracious and full of compassion.
1 Alleluia.
I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart, ♦
in the company of the faithful and in the congregation.
2 The works of the Lord are great, ♦
sought out by all who delight in them.
3 His work is full of majesty and honour ♦
and his righteousness endures for ever.
4 He appointed a memorial for his marvellous deeds; ♦
the Lord is gracious and full of compassion. R
5 He gave food to those who feared him; ♦
he is ever mindful of his covenant.
6 He showed his people the power of his works ♦
in giving them the heritage of the nations.
7 The works of his hands are truth and justice; ♦
all his commandments are sure. R
8 They stand fast for ever and ever; ♦
they are done in truth and equity.
9 He sent redemption to his people;
he commanded his covenant for ever; ♦
holy and awesome is his name.
10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;
a good understanding have those who live by it; ♦
his praise endures for ever.
Refrain: The Lord
is gracious and full of compassion.
Gracious God, you are full of compassion;
may we who long for your kingdom to come
rejoice to do your will
and acknowledge your power alone to save;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Psalm 112
Refrain: The righteous
will be held in everlasting remembrance.
1 Alleluia.
Blessed are those who fear the Lord ♦
and have great delight in his commandments.
2 Their descendants will be mighty in the land, ♦
a generation of the faithful that will be blest.
3 Wealth and riches will be in their house, ♦
and their righteousness endures for ever.
4 Light shines in the darkness for the upright; ♦
gracious and full of compassion are the righteous. R
5 It goes well with those who are generous in lending ♦
and order their affairs with justice,
6 For they will never be shaken; ♦
the righteous will be held in everlasting remembrance.
7 They will not be afraid of any evil tidings; ♦
their heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord. R
8 Their heart is sustained and will not fear, ♦
until they see the downfall of their foes.
9 They have given freely to the poor;
their righteousness stands fast for ever; ♦
their head will be exalted with honour.
10 The wicked shall see it and be angry;
they shall gnash their teeth in despair; ♦
the desire of the wicked shall perish.
Refrain: The righteous
will be held in everlasting remembrance.
Generous God,
save us from the meanness
that calculates its interest and hoards its earthly gain;
as we have freely received,
so may we freely give;
in the grace of Jesus Christ our Lord.
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.
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.
Jonah 2
Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the belly of the fish,
saying,
‘I called to the Lord out of my distress,
and he answered me;
out of the belly of Sheol I cried,
and you heard my voice.
You cast me into the deep,
into the heart of the seas,
and the flood surrounded me;
all your waves and your billows
passed over me.
Then I said, “I am driven away
from your sight;
how shall I look again
upon your holy temple?”
The waters closed in over me;
the deep surrounded me;
weeds were wrapped around my head
at the roots of the mountains.
I went down to the land
whose bars closed upon me for ever;
yet you brought up my life from the Pit,
O Lord my God.
As my life was ebbing away,
I remembered the Lord;
and my prayer came to you,
into your holy temple.
Those who worship vain idols
forsake their true loyalty.
But I with the voice of thanksgiving
will sacrifice to you;
what I have vowed I will pay.
Deliverance belongs to the Lord!’
Then the Lord spoke to the fish, and it spewed Jonah out upon the dry land.
Canticle
A Song of the Messiah, or another suitable canticle, for example,
number 21 (page 572) or number
26 (page 577), may be said
Refrain:
AllTo us a child is born,
to us a son is given. Alleluia.
1The people who walked
in darkness have seen a great light; ♦
those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness,
upon them the light has dawned.
2You have increased their
joy and given them great gladness; ♦
they rejoiced before you as with joy at the harvest.
3For you have shattered
the yoke that burdened them; ♦
the collar that lay heavy on their shoulders.
4For to us a child is
born and to us a son is given, ♦
and the government will be upon his shoulder.
5And his name will be
called: Wonderful Counsellor;
the Mighty God; ♦
the Everlasting Father; the Prince of Peace.
6Of the increase of his
government and of peace ♦
there will be no end,
7Upon the throne of David
and over his kingdom, ♦
to establish and uphold it with justice and righteousness.
8From this time forth
and for evermore; ♦
the zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.
Isaiah 9.2, 3b, 4a, 6, 7
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.
AllTo us a child is born,
to us a son is given. Alleluia.
Scripture Reading
One or more readings appointed for the day are read.
The reading(s) may be followed by a time of silence.
Colossians 1.15-23
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation;
for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers—all things have been created through him and for him.
He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything.
For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell,
and through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross.
And you who were once estranged and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds,
he has now reconciled in his fleshly body through death, so as to present you holy and blameless and irreproachable before him—provided that you continue securely established and steadfast in the faith, without shifting from the hope promised by the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven. I, Paul, became a servant of this gospel.
A suitable song or chant, or a responsory in this or another
form, may follow
The Word of life which was from the beginning
Allwe proclaim to you.
The darkness is passing away
and the true light is already shining;
Allthe Word of life which
was from the beginning.
That which we heard, which we saw with our eyes,
and touched with our hands,
Allwe proclaim to you.
For our fellowship is with the Father,
and with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
AllThe Word of life which
was from the beginning
we proclaim to you.
from 1 John 1
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:
AllTo us is born a Saviour,
who is Christ the Lord,
and all the heavenly hosts now sing,
Glory to God in the highest.
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:
AllTo us is born a Saviour,
who is Christ the Lord,
and all the heavenly hosts now sing,
Glory to God in the highest.
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 Church, especially in places of conflict
¶ The Holy Land, for peace with justice, and
reconciliation
¶ Refugees and asylum seekers
¶ Homeless people
¶ Families with young children
A form of prayer found on
page 378 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.
