Saturday after Third Sunday of Easter
Morning Prayer – New Life – The Lord
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: Christ has been raised from the dead;*
the first fruits of those who sleep (1Cor 15-20)
Opening – 148
1 Christ our Passover has been sacrifices for us;*
so let us celebrate the feast
2 Not with the old leaven of corruption and wickedness,*
but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
3 Christ once raised from the dead dies no more:*
death has no more dominion over him
4 in dying, he dies to sin once and for all;*
in living, he lives to God.
5 See yourselves therefore as dead to sin,*
and alive to God in Jesus Christ our Lord.
6 Christ has been raised from the dead,*
the first fruits of those who sleep.
7 For as by man cam death,
by man has come also the resurrection of the dead
8 For as in Adam all die.*
even so in Christ shall be made alive.
Glory to the Father…
or a suitable hymn
Psalm 149
1 Hallelujah!
Sing to the Lord a new song;*
sing his praise in the congregation of the faithful.
2 Let Israel rejoice in his maker;*
let the children of Zion be joyful in their king.
3 Let them praise his name in the dance;*
let them sing praise to him with timbrel and harp.
4 For the Lord takes pleasure in his people*
and adorns the poor with victory.
5 Let the faithful rejoice in triumph;*
let them be joyful on their beds.
6 Let the praises of God be in their throat*
and a two-edged sword in their hand;
7 To wreak vengeance on the nations*
and punishment on the peoples;
8 To bind their kings in chains*
and their nobles with links of iron;
9 To inflict on them the judgement decreed;*
this is glory for all his faithful people.
Hallelujah!
Accept our praise, God of justice, defender of the oppressed. Give us grace to join in this your holy work, that all the world may see your glory, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Conclusion (from Wisdom 10)
1 Wisdom freed a holy people and a blameless race,*
from a nation of oppressors.
2 She entered the soul of a servant of the Lord,*
and withstood fearsome rulers with wonders and signs.
3 To the saints she gave the reward of their labours,*
and led them by a marvellous road.
4 She was their shelter by day,*
and a blaze of stars by night.
5 She brought them across the Red Sea;*
she led them through mighty waters.
6 She swallowed their enemies in the waves,*
and spat them out from the depths of the sea.
7 Then, Lord, the righteous sang the glories of your name,*
and praised together your protecting hand.
8 For wisdom opened the mouths of the silent.*
and gave speech to the tongues of her children.
Glory to the Father…
Antiphon: Christ has been raised from the dead:
the first fruits of those who sleep
READING(S)
Daniel 6.16-28
Then the king gave the command, and Daniel was brought and
thrown into the den of lions. The king said to Daniel, ‘May your
God, whom you faithfully serve, deliver you!’ A stone was brought
and laid on the mouth of the den, and the king sealed it with his
own signet and with the signet of his lords, so that nothing might
be changed concerning Daniel. Then the king went to his palace
and spent the night fasting; no food was brought to him, and sleep fled from him.
Then, at break of day, the king got up and hurried to the den of
lions.When he came near the den where Daniel was, he cried out
anxiously to Daniel, ‘O Daniel, servant of the living God, has your
God whom you faithfully serve been able to deliver you from the
lions?’ Daniel then said to the king, ‘O king, live for ever! My God
sent his angel and shut the lions’ mouths so that they would not
hurt me, because I was found blameless before him; and also
before you, O king, I have done no wrong.’ Then the king was
exceedingly glad and commanded that Daniel be taken up out of
the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no kind of
harm was found on him, because he had trusted in his God.The
king gave a command, and those who had accused Daniel were
brought and thrown into the den of lions—they, their children,
and their wives. Before they reached the bottom of the den the
lions overpowered them and broke all their bones in pieces.
Then King Darius wrote to all peoples and nations of every
language throughout the whole world: ‘May you have abundant
prosperity! I make a decree, that in all my royal dominion people
should tremble and fear before the God of Daniel:
For he is the living God,
enduring for ever.
His kingdom shall never be destroyed,
and his dominion has no end.
He delivers and rescues,
he works signs and wonders in heaven and on earth;
for he has saved Daniel
from the power of the lions.’
So this Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius and the reign of Cyrus the Persian.
3 John 1-15
The elder to the beloved Gaius, whom I love in truth.
Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you
may be in good health, just as it is well with your soul. I was
overjoyed when some of the friends arrived and testified to your
faithfulness to the truth, namely, how you walk in the truth. I
have no greater joy than this, to hear that my children are
walking in the truth.
Beloved, you do faithfully whatever you do for the
friends, even though they are strangers to you; they have
testified to your love before the church. You will do well to send
them on in a manner worthy of God; for they began their journey
for the sake of Christ, accepting no support from non-
believers. Therefore we ought to support such people, so that we
may become co-workers with the truth.
I have written something to the church; but Diotrephes,
who likes to put himself first, does not acknowledge our
authority. So if I come, I will call attention to what he is doing in
spreading false charges against us. And not content with those
charges, he refuses to welcome the friends, and even prevents
those who want to do so and expels them from the church.
Beloved, do not imitate what is evil but imitate what is
good. Whoever does good is from God; whoever does evil has not
seen God. Everyone has testified favourably about Demetrius,
and so has the truth itself. We also testify for him, and you know
that our testimony is true.
I have much to write to you, but I would rather not write
with pen and ink; instead I hope to see you soon, and we will talk
together face to face.
Peace to you. The friends send you their greetings. Greet
the friends there, each by name.
Silence
Response (PS. 96.4)
Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised, alleluia, alleluia.
Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised,
alleluia, alleluia.
He is more to be feared than all gods.
Alleluia, alleluia.
Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised,
alleluia, alleluia.
BENEDICTUS
Benedictus Antiphon: I am the good shepherd*says the Lord; alleluia
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: I am the good shepard*says the Lord; alleluia
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, in the death and resurrection of your Son, have raised up this fallen world: may we and all your people, whom you have saved from the gates of everlasting death, rejoice in your eternal presence; through 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.
