Morning Prayer: Friday 14 March 2025

Friday 14 March 2025

This is the new revised order for Daily Prayer authorised for experimental use. You can find the 2006 Revised version here.

Week 1 of Lent
Lent

Week 1 of Lent

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

Glory to God, Source of all Being, * Eternal Word, and Holy Spirit;*
as it was in the beginning, is now, and shall be for ever. Amen.
Amen.

PSALMODY

Antiphon: O God, you are my God; eagerly I seek you. (Psalm 63.1)

Opening

Glory ...
or a suitable Hymn

(Or from Psalm 63)

1. My soul thirsts for you, my flesh faints for you,*
as in a barren and dry land where there is no water.

2. For your loving-kindness is better than life itself;*
my lips shall give you praise.

3. For you have been my helper,*
and under the shadow of your wings I will rejoice.

4. My soul clings to you;*
your right hand holds me fast.

Glory ...
or a suitable hymn

Psalm 37.18-40
18. The Lord cares for the lives of the godly, *
and their inheritance shall last for ever.
19. They shall not be ashamed in bad times, *
and in days of famine they shall have enough.
20. As for the wicked, they shall perish,*
and the enemies of the Lord, like the glory of the meadows, shall vanish; they shall vanish like smoke
21. The wicked borrow and do not repay, *
but the righteous are generous in giving.
22. Those who are blessed by God shall possess the land, *
but those who are cursed by God shall be destroyed.
23. Our steps are directed by the Lord *
who strengthens those in whose way God delights.
24. If they stumble, they shall not fall headlong, *
for the Lord holds them by the hand.
25. I have been young and now I am old, *
but never have I seen the righteous forsaken, or their children begging bread.
26. The righteous are always generous in their lending, *
and their children shall be a blessing.
27. Turn from evil, and do good, *
and dwell in the land for ever.
28. For the Lord loves justice *and does not forsake those who are faithful.
They shall be kept safe for ever, *but the offspring of the wicked shall be destroyed.
29. The righteous shall possess the land *
and dwell in it for ever.
30. The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom, *
and their tongue speaks what is right.
31. The law of their God is in their heart, *
and their footsteps shall not falter.
32. The wicked spy on the righteous *
and seek occasion to kill them.
33. The Lord will not abandon them to their hand, *
nor let them be found guilty when brought to trial.
34. Wait upon the Lord and keep the ways of God, who will raise you up to possess the land, *
and when the wicked are cut off, you will see it.
35. I have seen the wicked in their arrogance, *
flourishing like a tree in full leaf.
36. I went by, and behold, they were not there; *
I searched for them, but they could not be found.
37. Mark those who are honest; observe the upright; *
for there is a future for the peaceable.
38. Transgressors shall be destroyed, one and all; *
the future of the wicked is cut off.
39. But the deliverance of the righteous comes from the Lord, *
who is their stronghold in time of trouble.
40. The Lord will help them and rescue them; *
rescuing them from the wicked and delivering them, because they seek refuge in God.

Glory ...



Conclusion

Song of the New Creation Isaiah 43. 15-21

1. ‘I am the Lord, your Holy One,*
the Creator of Israel, whom I have chosen.’

2. Thus says the Lord, who makes a way in the sea,*
a path in the mighty waters,

3. ‘Remember not the former things,*
nor consider the things of old.

4. ‘Behold, I make all things new;*
now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?

5. I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert,*
to give drink to my chosen people,

6. ‘The people whom I formed for myself,*
that they might declare my praise.’

Glory ...

O God, you are my God; eagerly I seek you.


READING(S)

Deuteronomy 10.12-22

So now, O Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you? Only to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments of the Lord your God and his decrees that I am commanding you today, for your own well-being. Although heaven and the heaven of heavens belong to the Lord your God, the earth with all that is in it, yet the Lord set his heart in love on your ancestors alone and chose you, their descendants after them, out of all the peoples, as it is today. Circumcise, then, the foreskin of your heart, and do not be stubborn any longer. For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who is not partial and takes no bribe, who executes justice for the orphan and the widow, and who loves the strangers, providing them with food and clothing. You shall also love the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt. You shall fear the Lord your God; him alone you shall worship; to him you shall hold fast, and by his name you shall swear. He is your praise; he is your God, who has done for you these great and awesome things that your own eyes have seen. Your ancestors went down to Egypt seventy persons; and now the Lord your God has made you as numerous as the stars in heaven.


Hebrews 4.11-16

Let us therefore make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one may fall through such disobedience as theirs.

Indeed, the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from spirit, joints from marrow; it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And before him no creature is hidden, but all are naked and laid bare to the eyes of the one to whom we must render an account.

Since, then, we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.


Silence

Response ((Psalm 6.4))

Turn, O Lord, and deliver me.
Turn, O Lord, and deliver me.
Save me for your mercy’s sake.
And deliver me.
Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit
Turn, O Lord, and deliver me.


SONG OF ZECHARIAH

Song of Zechariah Antiphon: We shall not live by bread alone, * but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.

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 ... (may be said by all)

Song of Zechariah Antiphon: We shall not live by bread alone, * but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.

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

Almighty God,
whose Son fasted forty days in the wilderness,
and was tempted as we are, yet did not sin:
give us grace to discipline ourselves in submission to your Spirit,
that, as you know our weakness,
so we may know your power to save;
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.