The Church of England Morning Prayer (Contemporary) on Thursday 18 January 2024
Morning Prayer
Epiphany Season
Thursday, 18 January 2024
Amy Carmichael, Founder of the Dohnavur Fellowship, Spiritual Writer, 1951 [Commemoration]
First Day of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity
Preparation
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 Word of God
Psalmody
The appointed psalmody is said.
Psalm 76
Refrain:The Lord has made fast his throne for judgement.
1In Judah God is known; ♦
his name is great in Israel.
2At Salem is his tabernacle, ♦
and his dwelling place in Zion.
3There broke he the flashing arrows of the bow, ♦
the shield, the sword and the weapons of war. R
4In the light of splendour you appeared, ♦
glorious from the eternal mountains.
5The boastful were plundered; they have slept their sleep; ♦
none of the warriors can lift their hand.
6At your rebuke, O God of Jacob, ♦
both horse and chariot fell stunned. R
7Terrible are you in majesty: ♦
who can stand before your face when you are angry?
8You caused your judgement to be heard from heaven; ♦
the earth trembled and was still,
9When God arose to judgement, ♦
to save all the meek upon earth. R
10You crushed the wrath of the peoples ♦
and bridled the wrathful remnant.
11Make a vow to the Lord your God and keep it; ♦
let all who are round about him bring gifts
to him that is worthy to be feared.
12He breaks down the spirit of princes ♦
and strikes terror in the kings of the earth.
Refrain:The Lord has made fast his throne for judgement.
Majestic and gracious God,
more awesome than the agents of war,
more powerful than the wrath of nations,
restrain the violence of the peoples
and draw the despised of the earth
into the joyful life of your kingdom,
where you live and reign for ever and ever.
Psalm 148
Refrain:O praise the name of the Lord.
1Alleluia.
Praise the Lord from the heavens; ♦
praise him in the heights.
2Praise him, all you his angels; ♦
praise him, all his host.
3Praise him, sun and moon; ♦
praise him, all you stars of light.
4Praise him, heaven of heavens, ♦
and you waters above the heavens.
5Let them praise the name of the Lord; ♦
for he commanded and they were created.
6He made them fast for ever and ever; ♦
he gave them a law which shall not pass away. R
7Praise the Lord from the earth, ♦
you sea monsters and all deeps;
8Fire and hail, snow and mist, ♦
tempestuous wind, fulfilling his word;
9Mountains and all hills, ♦
fruit trees and all cedars;
10Wild beasts and all cattle, ♦
creeping things and birds on the wing;
11Kings of the earth and all peoples, ♦
princes and all rulers of the world;
12Young men and women,
old and young together; ♦
let them praise the name of the Lord.
13For his name only is exalted, ♦
his splendour above earth and heaven.
14He has raised up the horn of his people
and praise for all his faithful servants, ♦
the children of Israel, a people who are near him.
Alleluia.
Refrain:O praise the name of the Lord.
O glorious God,
your whole creation sings your marvellous work;
may heaven’s praise so echo in our hearts
that we may be good stewards of the earth;
through 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.
Genesis 8.15 – 9.7
Then God said to Noah, ‘Go out of the ark, you and your wife, and your sons and your sons’ wives with you. Bring out with you every living thing that is with you of all flesh—birds and animals and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth—so that they may abound on the earth, and be fruitful and multiply on the earth.’ So Noah went out with his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives. And every animal, every creeping thing, and every bird, everything that moves on the earth, went out of the ark by families.
Then Noah built an altar to the Lord, and took of every clean animal and of every clean bird, and offered burnt-offerings on the altar. And when the Lord smelt the pleasing odour, the Lord said in his heart, ‘I will never again curse the ground because of humankind, for the inclination of the human heart is evil from youth; nor will I ever again destroy every living creature as I have done.
As long as the earth endures,
seedtime and harvest, cold and heat,
summer and winter, day and night,
shall not cease.’
God blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth. The fear and dread of you shall rest on every animal of the earth, and on every bird of the air, on everything that creeps on the ground, and on all the fish of the sea; into your hand they are delivered. Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you; and just as I gave you the green plants, I give you everything. Only, you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood. For your own lifeblood I will surely require a reckoning: from every animal I will require it and from human beings, each one for the blood of another, I will require a reckoning for human life.
Whoever sheds the blood of a human,
by a human shall that person’s blood be shed;
for in his own image
God made humankind.
And you, be fruitful and multiply, abound on the earth and multiply in it.’
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 25.1-13
‘Then the kingdom of heaven will be like this. Ten bridesmaids took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. When the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them; but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. As the bridegroom was delayed, all of them became drowsy and slept. But at midnight there was a shout, “Look! Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.” Then all those bridesmaids got up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish said to the wise, “Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.” But the wise replied, “No! there will not be enough for you and for us; you had better go to the dealers and buy some for yourselves.” And while they went to buy it, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went with him into the wedding banquet; and the door was shut. Later the other bridesmaids came also, saying, “Lord, lord, open to us.” But he replied, “Truly I tell you, I do not know you.” Keep awake therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.
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
Almighty God,
in Christ you make all things new:
transform the poverty of our nature by the riches of your grace,
and in the renewal of our lives
make known your heavenly glory;
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.
