Morning Prayer: Friday 19 September 2025
This is the new revised order for Daily Prayer authorised for experimental use. You can find the 2006 Revised version here.
Friday after Pentecost 14
Season of Creation
Creation Week 2
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 created the heavens and spread out the earth You gave breath to all people and spirit to everything that lives. (Isaiah 42.5)
Opening
Glory ...
or a suitable Hymn
(Or from (Psalm 24.1-4))
1. The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it,
the world, and those who live in it;
2. for God has founded it on the seas,
and established it on the rivers.
3. Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord?
And who shall stand in God’s holy place?
4. Those who have clean hands and pure hearts,
who do not lift up their souls to what is false, and do not swear deceitfully.
Glory ...
or a suitable hymn
and has called the earth from the rising of the sun to its setting.
2. Out of Zion, perfect in its beauty, *
God reveals the divine glory.
3. Our God will come and will not keep silence; *
before whom there is a consuming flame, and round about whom a raging storm.
4. God calls the heavens and the earth from above *
to witness the judgement of this people.
5. “Gather before me my loyal followers, *
those who have made a covenant with me and sealed it with sacrifice.”
6. Let the heavens declare the rightness of the divine cause; *
for God, God alone, is judge.
7. “Hear, O my people, and I will speak: O Israel, I will bear witness against you; *
for I am God, your God.
8. I do not accuse you because of your sacrifices; *
your offerings are always before me.
9. I will take no bull-calf from your stalls, *
nor he-goats out of your pens;
10. For the beasts of the forest are mine, *
the herds in their thousands upon the hills.
11. I know every bird in the sky, *
and the creatures of the fields are in my sight.
12. If I were hungry, I would not tell you, *
for the whole world is mine and all that is in it.
13. Do you think I eat the flesh of bulls, *
or drink the blood of goats?
14. Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving *
and make good your vows to the Most High.
15. Call upon me in the day of trouble; *
I will deliver you, and you shall honour me.”
16. But to the wicked God says: *
“Why do you recite my statutes, and take my covenant upon your lips;
17. since you refuse discipline, *
and toss my words behind your back?
18. When you see a thief, you make that one your
friend, *
and you cast in your lot with adulterers.
19. You have loosed your lips for evil, *
and harnessed your tongue to a lie.
20. You are always speaking evil of your kin * and slandering your own mother’s child.
These things you have done, and I kept still, * and you thought that I am like you.”
21. “I have made my accusation; *
I have put my case in order before your eyes.
22. Consider this well, you who forget God, *
lest I rend you and there be none to deliver you.
23. Whoever offers me the sacrifice of thanksgiving honours me; *
but to those who keep in my way will I show the salvation of God.”
Glory ...
Conclusion
(Isaiah 24.4-7)
4. The earth dries up and withers, the world languishes and withers; the heavens languish together with the earth.
5. The earth lies polluted under its inhabitants;
for they have transgressed laws, violated the statutes, broken the everlasting covenant.
6. Therefore a curse devours the earth, and its inhabitants suffer for their guilt. Therefore the inhabitants of the earth dwindled, and few people are left.
7. The wine dries up, the vine languishes, all the merry-hearted sigh.
Glory ...
O God, you created the heavens and spread out the earth. You gave breath to all people and spirit to everything which lives.
READING(S)
2 Kings 1.2-17
The messengers returned to the king, who said to them, ‘Why have you returned?’ They answered him, ‘There came a man to meet us, who said to us, “Go back to the king who sent you, and say to him: Thus says the Lord: Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are sending to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron? Therefore you shall not leave the bed to which you have gone, but shall surely die.” ’ He said to them, ‘What sort of man was he who came to meet you and told you these things?’ They answered him, ‘A hairy man, with a leather belt around his waist.’ He said, ‘It is Elijah the Tishbite.’
Then the king sent to him a captain of fifty with his fifty men. He went up to Elijah, who was sitting on the top of a hill, and said to him, ‘O man of God, the king says, “Come down.” ’ But Elijah answered the captain of fifty, ‘If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty.’ Then fire came down from heaven, and consumed him and his fifty.
Again the king sent to him another captain of fifty with his fifty. He went up and said to him, ‘O man of God, this is the king’s order: Come down quickly!’ But Elijah answered them, ‘If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty.’ Then the fire of God came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty.
Again the king sent the captain of a third fifty with his fifty. So the third captain of fifty went up, and came and fell on his knees before Elijah, and entreated him, ‘O man of God, please let my life, and the life of these fifty servants of yours, be precious in your sight. Look, fire came down from heaven and consumed the two former captains of fifty men with their fifties; but now let my life be precious in your sight.’ Then the angel of the Lord said to Elijah, ‘Go down with him; do not be afraid of him.’ So he set out and went down with him to the king, and said to him, ‘Thus says the Lord: Because you have sent messengers to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron,—is it because there is no God in Israel to inquire of his word?—therefore you shall not leave the bed to which you have gone, but you shall surely die.’
So he died according to the word of the Lord that Elijah had spoken. His brother Jehoram succeeded him as king in the second year of King Jehoram son of Jehoshaphat of Judah, because Ahaziah had no son.
1 Corinthians 3.16-23
Do not deceive yourselves. If you think that you are wise in this age, you should become fools so that you may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written,
‘He catches the wise in their craftiness’,
and again,
‘The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise,
that they are futile.’
So let no one boast about human leaders. For all things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future—all belong to you, and you belong to Christ, and Christ belongs to God.
Silence
Response ((Proverbs 3.19-20))
By your wisdom, O Lord, you founded the earth and established the heavens;
By your wisdom, O Lord, you founded the earth and established the heavens;
By you knowledge the deeps broke open.
You founded the earth and established the heavens;
Glory to God, Source of all Being, Eternal Word and Holy Spirit.
By your wisdom, O Lord, you founded the earth and established the heavens.
SONG OF ZECHARIAH
Song of Zechariah Antiphon: You will guide us with your counsel, O God: * and, after, receive us with glory. God’s hand laid the foundation of the earth. * God’s right hand spread out the heavens.
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.
Song of Zechariah Antiphon: You will guide us with your counsel, O God: * and, after, receive us with glory. God’s hand laid the foundation of the earth. * God’s right hand spread out the heavens.
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
God the Creator,in Christ you call all people
to the fullness of glory
for which you created us in your image:
heal our hardened hearts,
renew our obedience to your will,
and conform our lives to your gracious design,
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.
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.
