Morning Prayer: Thursday 24 July 2025

Thursday 24 July 2025

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

Thursday after Pentecost 6
Week C

Week of Proper 16

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: Be joyful in God, all you lands;* sing the glory of the divine name! (Psalm. 66.1)

Opening

Come, let us sing

1 Come, let us sing to the Lord; *
let us shout for joy to the rock of our salvation.
2 Let us come before the presence of the Lord with thanksgiving *
and raise a loud shout to God with psalms.
3 For you, O Lord, are a great God, *
and a great sovereign above all gods.
4 In your hand are the caverns of the earth, *
and the heights of the hills are yours also.
5 The sea is yours, for you made it, *
and your hands have moulded the dry land.
6 Come, let us bow down, and bend the knee, *
and kneel before the Lord our Maker.
7 For you are our God, and we are the people of your pasture and the sheep of your hand. *
Oh, that today we would hearken to your voice!
8 “Harden not your hearts, *
as your forebears did in the wilderness.
9 They put me to the test, *
though they had seen my works.
10 So I swore in my wrath, *
‘They shall not enter into my rest.’”

Glory ...
or a suitable Hymn

(Or from Psalms 66 and 92)

1. All the earth bows down before you,*
sings to you, sings out your name.

2. Bless our God, you peoples;*
make the voice of God’s praise to be heard.

3. It is a good thing to give thanks to the Lord,*
and to sing praises to your name, O Most High;

4. to tell of your loving-kindness early in the morning*
and of your faithfulness in the night season.

Glory ...
or a suitable hymn

Psalm 66
1. Be joyful in God, all you lands *
be joyful, all the earth.
2. sing the glory of the divine name; *
sing the glory of God’s praise.
3. Say to God,” How awesome are your deeds! *
Because of your great strength your enemies cringe before you.
4. All the earth bows down before you, *
sings to you, sings out your name.”
5. Come now and see the works of God, *
how wonderful you are, O God, in your doing toward all people.
6. You turned the sea into dry land, so that they went through the water on foot, *
and there we rejoiced in you.
7. In your might you rule for ever; your eyes keep watch over the nations; *
let no rebel rise up against you.
8. Bless our God, you peoples; *
make the voice of God’s praise to be heard;
9. who holds our souls in life, *
and will not allow our feet to slip.
10. For you, O God, have proved us; *
you have tried us just as silver is tried.
11. You brought us into the snare; *
you laid heavy burdens upon our backs.
12. You let enemies ride over our heads; we went through fire and water; *
but you brought us out into a place of refreshment.
13. I will enter your house with burnt-offerings *
and will pay you my vows,
14. which I promised with my lips *
and spoke with my mouth when I was in trouble
15. I will offer you sacrifices of fat beasts with the smoke of rams; *
I will give you oxen and goats.
16. Come and listen, all you who fear God, *
and I will tell you what the Lord has done for me,
17. The One to whom I called out with my mouth *
and whose praise was on my tongue.
18. If I had found evil in my heart, *
the Lord would not have heard me;
19. But in truth God has heard me *
and has attended to the voice of my prayer.
20. Blessed be God, who has not rejected my prayer, *
nor withheld steadfast love from me.

Glory ...


Conclusion

Isaiah 12

1. Behold God is my salvation;*
I will trust and not be afraid;

2. the Lord God is my strength and my song;
the Lord God has become my salvation.

3. With joy you will draw water*
from the wells of salvation.

4. Give thanks to the Lord, call upon God’s name;*
make known the Lord’s deeds among the nations.

5. Sing to the Lord who has done gloriously;*
let this be known in all the earth.

6. Shout and sing for joy, O inhabitant of Sion,*
for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel

Glory ...

Be joyful in God, all you lands;*sing the glory of the divine name!

READING(S)

1 Samuel 28.3-20

Now Samuel had died, and all Israel had mourned for him and buried him in Ramah, his own city. Saul had expelled the mediums and the wizards from the land. The Philistines assembled, and came and encamped at Shunem. Saul gathered all Israel, and they encamped at Gilboa. When Saul saw the army of the Philistines, he was afraid, and his heart trembled greatly. When Saul inquired of the Lord, the Lord did not answer him, not by dreams, nor by Urim, nor by prophets. Then Saul said to his servants, ‘Seek out for me a woman who is a medium, so that I may go to her and inquire of her.’ His servants said to him, ‘There is a medium at Endor.’

So Saul disguised himself and put on other clothes and went there, he and two men with him. They came to the woman by night. And he said, ‘Consult a spirit for me, and bring up for me the one whom I name to you.’ The woman said to him, ‘Surely you know what Saul has done, how he has cut off the mediums and the wizards from the land. Why then are you laying a snare for my life to bring about my death?’ But Saul swore to her by the Lord, ‘As the Lord lives, no punishment shall come upon you for this thing.’ Then the woman said, ‘Whom shall I bring up for you?’ He answered, ‘Bring up Samuel for me.’ When the woman saw Samuel, she cried out with a loud voice; and the woman said to Saul, ‘Why have you deceived me? You are Saul!’ The king said to her, ‘Have no fear; what do you see?’ The woman said to Saul, ‘I see a divine being coming up out of the ground.’ He said to her, ‘What is his appearance?’ She said, ‘An old man is coming up; he is wrapped in a robe.’ So Saul knew that it was Samuel, and he bowed with his face to the ground, and did obeisance.

Then Samuel said to Saul, ‘Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?’ Saul answered, ‘I am in great distress, for the Philistines are warring against me, and God has turned away from me and answers me no more, either by prophets or by dreams; so I have summoned you to tell me what I should do.’ Samuel said, ‘Why then do you ask me, since the Lord has turned from you and become your enemy? The Lord has done to you just as he spoke by me; for the Lord has torn the kingdom out of your hand, and given it to your neighbour David. Because you did not obey the voice of the Lord, and did not carry out his fierce wrath against Amalek, therefore the Lord has done this thing to you today. Moreover, the Lord will give Israel along with you into the hands of the Philistines; and tomorrow you and your sons shall be with me; the Lord will also give the army of Israel into the hands of the Philistines.’

Immediately Saul fell full length on the ground, filled with fear because of the words of Samuel; and there was no strength in him, for he had eaten nothing all day and all night.

Acts 15.1-11

Then certain individuals came down from Judea and were teaching the brothers, ‘Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.’ And after Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and debate with them, Paul and Barnabas and some of the others were appointed to go up to Jerusalem to discuss this question with the apostles and the elders. So they were sent on their way by the church, and as they passed through both Phoenicia and Samaria, they reported the conversion of the Gentiles, and brought great joy to all the believers. When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and the elders, and they reported all that God had done with them. But some believers who belonged to the sect of the Pharisees stood up and said, ‘It is necessary for them to be circumcised and ordered to keep the law of Moses.’

The apostles and the elders met together to consider this matter. After there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them, ‘My brothers, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that I should be the one through whom the Gentiles would hear the message of the good news and become believers. And God, who knows the human heart, testified to them by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as he did to us; and in cleansing their hearts by faith he has made no distinction between them and us. Now therefore why are you putting God to the test by placing on the neck of the disciples a yoke that neither our ancestors nor we have been able to bear? On the contrary, we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will.’

Silence

Response (Psalm 63.4)

I will bless you Lord as long as I live.
I will bless you Lord as long as I live.
And lift up my hands in your name.
As long as I live.
Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit
I will bless you Lord as long as I live.

SONG OF ZECHARIAH

Song of Zechariah Antiphon: Christ is the chosen of God: * * who brings healing to the nations.

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: Christ is the chosen of God: * * who brings healing to the nations.

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 of power and might,
all good things belong to you:
sow in our hearts the love of your name,
and make us grow in the life of faith;
nurture the things that are good,
and tend them with your loving care;
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.