Morning Prayer: Thursday 25 September 2025

Thursday 25 September 2025

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

Finnbar of Caithness, Bishop, c 610
Season of Creation

Creation Week 3

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

Psalm 68.19-35

19. Blessed be the Lord day by day, *
the God of our salvation, who bears our burdens.
20. This is our God, the God of our salvation; *
God is the Lord, by whom we escape death.
21. God shall crush the heads of the enemies of God, *
and the hairy scalp of those who go on still in their wickedness.
22. The Lord has said, ”I will bring them back from Bashan; *
I will bring them back from the depths of the sea;
23. that your foot may be dipped in blood, *
the tongues of your dogs in the blood of your enemies.”
24. They see your procession, O God, *
your procession into the sanctuary, my God and my Sovereign.
25. The singers go before, musicians follow after, *
in the midst of maidens playing upon the hand-drums.
26. Bless God in the congregation; *
bless the Lord, you that are of the fountain of Israel.
27. There is Benjamin, least of the tribes, at the head; the princes of Judah in a company; *
and the princes of Zebulon and Naphtali.
28. Send forth your strength, O God; *
establish, O God, what you have wrought for us.
29. Rulers shall bring gifts to you, *
for your temple’s sake at Jerusalem.
30. Rebuke the wild beast of the reeds, and the peoples,
a herd of wild bulls with its calves.*
Trample down those who lust after silver; scatter the peoples that delight in war.
31. Let tribute be brought out of Egypt; *
let Ethiopia stretch out her hands to God.
32. Sing to God, O dominions of the earth; *
sing praises to the Lord. You ride in the heavens, the ancient heavens, O God; *
33. You ride in the heavens, the ancient heavens, O God;*
sending forth your voice, your mighty voice.
34. Ascribe power to God; *
whose majesty is over Israel; whose strength is in the skies.
35. How wonderful is God in the divine sanctuary! *
The God of Israel gives strength and power to this people! Blessed be 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 9.1-16

Then the prophet Elisha called a member of the company of prophets and said to him, ‘Gird up your loins; take this flask of oil in your hand, and go to Ramoth-gilead. When you arrive, look there for Jehu son of Jehoshaphat, son of Nimshi; go in and get him to leave his companions, and take him into an inner chamber. Then take the flask of oil, pour it on his head, and say, “Thus says the Lord: I anoint you king over Israel.” Then open the door and flee; do not linger.’

So the young man, the young prophet, went to Ramoth-gilead. He arrived while the commanders of the army were in council, and he announced, ‘I have a message for you, commander.’ ‘For which one of us?’ asked Jehu. ‘For you, commander.’ So Jehu got up and went inside; the young man poured the oil on his head, saying to him, ‘Thus says the Lord the God of Israel: I anoint you king over the people of the Lord, over Israel. You shall strike down the house of your master Ahab, so that I may avenge on Jezebel the blood of my servants the prophets, and the blood of all the servants of the Lord. For the whole house of Ahab shall perish; I will cut off from Ahab every male, bond or free, in Israel. I will make the house of Ahab like the house of Jeroboam son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha son of Ahijah. The dogs shall eat Jezebel in the territory of Jezreel, and no one shall bury her.’ Then he opened the door and fled.

When Jehu came back to his master’s officers, they said to him, ‘Is everything all right? Why did that madman come to you?’ He answered them, ‘You know the sort and how they babble.’ They said, ‘Liar! Come on, tell us!’ So he said, ‘This is just what he said to me: “Thus says the Lord, I anoint you king over Israel.” ’ Then hurriedly they all took their cloaks and spread them for him on the bare steps; and they blew the trumpet, and proclaimed, ‘Jehu is king.’
Thus Jehu son of Jehoshaphat son of Nimshi conspired against Joram. Joram with all Israel had been on guard at Ramoth-gilead against King Hazael of Aram; but King Joram had returned to be healed in Jezreel of the wounds that the Arameans had inflicted on him, when he fought against King Hazael of Aram. So Jehu said, ‘If this is your wish, then let no one slip out of the city to go and tell the news in Jezreel.’ Then Jehu mounted his chariot and went to Jezreel, where Joram was lying ill. King Ahaziah of Judah had come down to visit Joram.

1 Corinthians 6.12-20

‘All things are lawful for me’, but not all things are beneficial. ‘All things are lawful for me’, but I will not be dominated by anything. ‘Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food’, and God will destroy both one and the other. The body is meant not for fornication but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. And God raised the Lord and will also raise us by his power. Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Should I therefore take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never! Do you not know that whoever is united to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For it is said, ‘The two shall be one flesh.’ But anyone united to the Lord becomes one spirit with him. Shun fornication! Every sin that a person commits is outside the body; but the fornicator sins against the body itself. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you were bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body.

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. Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; * then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy.

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)

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,
in whose wisdom all things have been established in order:
enlighten the people you have saved,
that they may consider
the greater wonder of your new creation,
brought forth in the fullness of time,
through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, our Lord,
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.