Morning Prayer: Saturday 7 January 2017

January 7, 2017

Saturday after first Sunday after Christmas
Morning Prayer – Incarnation

O Lord, open our lips:
and our mouth shall proclaim your praise.

Glory 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.

PSALMODY

Antiphon: Your justice Lord dawns like morning light;*
its dawning is as sure as the sunrise. (Hos. 6.3)

Opening

VENITE

1 O come let us sing out to the Lord,*
let us shout in triumph to the rock of our salvation.
2 Let us come before his face with thanksgiving*
and cry out to him joyfully in psalms.
3 For the Lord is a great God,*
and a great king above all gods.
4 In his hands are the depths of the earth,*
and the peaks of the mountains are his also.
5 The sea is his and he made it;*
his hands moulded dry land.
6 Come let us worship and bow down,*
and kneel before the Lord our maker.
7 For he himself is our God;*
we are the people of his pasture and the sheep of his hand.
8 Today if only you would hear his voice:*
‘Do not harden your hearts as Israel did in the wilderness;
9 when your fathers tested me;*
put me to proof though they had seen my works.
10 Of whom I swore in my wrath:*
“They shall not enter my rest.”’

Glory to the Father… (may be said by all)

or (from Psalm 85)

1 I will listen to what the Lord God is saying,*
for he is speaking peace to his faithful people.
2 Truly his salvation is very near to those who fear him,*
that his glory may dwell in our land.
3 Mercy and truth have met together;*
righteousness and peace have kissed each other.
4 Truth shall spring up from the earth,*
and righteousness shall look down from heaven.

Glory to the Father…

or a suitable hymn

Psalm 29

1 Ascribe to the Lord, you gods,*
ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
2 Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;*
worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.
3 The voice of the Lord is upon the waters;
the God of glory thunders;*
the Lord is upon the mighty waters.
4 The voice of the Lord is a powerful voice;*
the voice of the Lord is a voice of splendour.
5 The voice of the Lord breaks the cedar trees;*
the Lord breaks the cedars of Lebanon;
6 He makes Lebanon skip like a calf,*
and Mount Hermon like a young wild ox.
7 The voice of the Lord splits the flames of fire;
the voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness;*
the Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.
8 The voice of the Lord makes the oak trees writhe*
and strips the forests bare.
9 And in the temple of the Lord*
all are crying, ‘Glory!’
10 The Lord sits enthroned above the flood;*
the Lord sits enthroned as king for evermore.
11 The Lord shall give strength to his people;*
the Lord shall give his people the blessing of peace.

God of mystery and power, open our eyes to the flame of your love, and open our ears to the thunder of your justice, that we may receive your gifts of blessing and peace, to the glory of your name; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Psalm 34

1 I will bless the Lord at all times;*
his praise shall ever be in my mouth.
2 I will glory in the Lord;*
let the humble hear and rejoice.
3 Proclaim with me the greatness of the Lord;*
let us exalt his name together.
4 I sought the Lord, and he answered me*
and delivered me out of all my terror.
5 Look upon him and be radiant,*
and let not your faces be ashamed.
6 I called in my affliction and the Lord heard me*
and saved me from all my troubles.
7 The angel of the Lord encompasses those who fear him,*
and he will deliver them.
8 Taste and see that the Lord is good;*
happy are they who trust in him!
9 Fear the Lord, you that are his saints,*
for those who fear him lack nothing.
10 The young lions lack and suffer hunger,*
but those who seek the Lord lack nothing that is good.
11 Come, children, and listen to me;*
I will teach you the fear of the Lord.
12 Who among you loves life*
and desires long life to enjoy prosperity?
13 Keep your tongue from evil-speaking*
and your lips from lying words.
14 Turn from evil and do good;*
seek peace and pursue it.
15 The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous,*
and his ears are open to their cry.
16 The face of the Lord is against those who do evil,*
to root out the remembrance of them from the earth.
17 The righteous cry, and the Lord hears them*
and delivers them from all their troubles.
18 The Lord is near to the brokenhearted*
and will save those whose spirits are crushed.
19 Many are the troubles of the righteous,*
but the Lord will deliver him out of them all.
20 He will keep safe all his bones;*
not one of them shall be broken.
21 Evil shall slay the wicked,*
and those who hate the righteous will be punished.
22 The Lord ransoms the life of his servants,*
and none will be punished who trust in him.

Hear us, Lord, when we cry to you. Calm our bodies and minds with the peace which passes understanding, and make us radiant with the knowledge of your goodness; through Jesus Christ our Saviour.

Conclusion (from Isaiah 60)

1 Arise, shine, for your light has come,*
the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.
2 For behold darkness shall cover the earth,*
thick darkness the peoples;
3 but the Lord will arise upon you;*
God’s glory will be seen upon you.
4 Nations shall come to your light;*
kings to the brightness of your rising.
5 The sun shall be no more your light by day;*
nor for brightness shall the moon give light to you by night;
6 but the Lord will be your everlasting light,*
your God will be your glory.

Glory to the Father…

Antiphon: Your justice Lord dawns like morning light,
its dawning is as sure as the sunrise.

READING(S)

Isaiah 52.3-6
For thus says the Lord: You were sold for nothing, and you shall be redeemed without money. For thus says the Lord God: Long ago, my people went down into Egypt to reside there as aliens; the Assyrian, too, has oppressed them without cause. Now therefore, what am I doing here, says the Lord, seeing that my people are taken away without cause? Their rulers howl, says the Lord, and continually, all day long, my name is despised. Therefore my people shall know my name; therefore on that day they shall know that it is I who speak; here am I.

Revelation 2.1-7

‘To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks among the seven golden lampstands:

‘I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance. I know that you cannot tolerate evildoers; you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them to be false. I also know that you are enduring patiently and bearing up for the sake of my name, and that you have not grown weary. But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember then from what you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent. Yet this is to your credit: you hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches. To everyone who conquers, I will give permission to eat from the tree of life that is in the paradise of God.

Silence

Response (Ps. 119.130)

When your word goes forth it gives light.
When your word goes forth it gives light.
It gives understanding to the simple.
It gives light.
Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
When your word goes forth it gives light.

BENEDICTUS

Benedictus Antiphon: Glory to Christ* who is preached among the nations and believed on in the world. (from 1 Tim 3.16)

1 Blessed be the Lord the God of Israel,*
for he has come to his people and set them free.
2 He has raised up for us a mighty saviour,*
born of the house of his servant David.
3 Through his holy prophets he promised of old*
that he would save us from our enemies,
from the hands of all that hate us.
4 He promised to show mercy to our forebears,*
and to remember his holy covenant.
5 This was the oath he swore to our father Abraham:*
to set us free from the hands of our enemies,
6 free to worship him without fear,*
holy and righteous in his sight all the days of our life.
7 You my child shall be called the prophet of the Most High,*
for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way,
8 to give his people knowledge of salvation*
by the forgiveness of all their sins.
9 In the tender compassion of our God*
the dawn from on high shall break upon us,
10 to shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death,*
and to guide our feet into the way of peace.

Glory to the Father… (may be said by all)

Benedictus Antiphon: Glory to Christ* who is preached among the nations and believed on in the world. (from 1 Tim 3.16)

PRAYERS

Lord, have mercy upon us.
Christ, have mercy upon us.
Lord, have mercy upon us.

Our 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.
Do not bring us to the time of trial,
but deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power,
and the glory are yours,
now and for ever.
Amen.

Collect of the Day
O God, who, by the guidance of a star, revealed your only-begotten Son to the nations: Grant that we, who know you now by faith, may at the last be led to see your glory face to face; through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, world without end. Amen.

God most holy, we give you thanks for bringing us out of the shadow of night into the light of morning; and we ask you for the joy of spending this day in your service, so that when evening comes, we may once more give you thanks, through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord. Amen.

Let us bless the Lord:
Thanks be to God!

The Lord bless us and preserve us from all evil;
and bring us to life eternal.
Amen.