Morning Prayer
Friday after Third Sunday of Lent
Lent / Week 3 of Lent
O Lord, open our lips:
and our mouth shall proclaim your praise.
Glory be 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
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 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.
or
Glory be 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.
or a suitable hymn
Psalm 35
1. Fight those who fight me, O Lord; * attack those who are attacking me.
2. Take up shield and armour * and rise up to help me.
3. Draw the sword and bar the way against those who pursue me; *
say to my soul, “I am your salvation.”
4. Let those who seek after my life be shamed and humbled; *
let those who plot my ruin fall back and be dismayed.
5. Let them be like chaff before the wind, * and the angel of the Lord drive them away.
6. Let their way be dark and slippery, *
and let the angel of the Lord pursue them.
7. For they have secretly spread a net for me without a cause; *
without a cause they have dug a pit to take me alive.
8. Let ruin come upon them unawares; *
let them be caught in the net they hid; let them fall into the pit they dug.
9. Then I will be joyful in the Lord; * I will glory in your victory.
10. My very bones will say, “Lord, who is like you?*
You deliver the poor from those who are too strong for them, the poor and needy from those who rob them.”
11. Malicious witnesses rise up against me; *
they charge me with matters I know nothing about.
12. They pay me evil in exchange for good; * my soul is full of despair.
13. But when they were sick I dressed in sack-cloth * and humbled myself by fasting;
14. I prayed with my whole heart, *as one would for a friend or kin,
I behaved like one who mourns for a parent, *bowed down and grieving.
15. But when I stumbled, they were glad and gathered together; they gathered against me; *
strangers whom I did not know tore me to pieces and would not stop.
16. They put me to the test and mocked me; * they gnashed at me with their teeth.
17. O Lord, how long will you look on? *
Rescue me from the roaring beasts and my life from the young lions.
18. I will give you thanks in the great congregation; * I will praise you in the mighty throng.
19. Do not let my treacherous foes rejoice over me, * nor let those who hate me without a cause wink at each other.
20 For they do not plan for peace, *
but invent deceitful schemes against the quiet in the land.
21. They opened their mouths at me and said, * “Aha! We saw it with our own eyes.”
22. You saw it, O Lord; do not be silent; * O Lord, be not far from me.
23. Awake, arise, to my cause, *
to my defence, my God and my Lord!
24. Give me justice, O Lord my God, according to your righteousness; *
do not let them triumph over me.
25. Do let them say in their hearts, “Aha! Just what we want!”*
Do not let them say, “We have swallowed this one up.”
26. Let all who rejoice at my ruin be ashamed and disgraced; *
let those who boast against me be clothed with dismay and shame.
27. Let those who favour my cause sing out with joy and be glad; *
let them say always, “Great are you, O Lord, who desires the prosperity of your servant.”
28. And my tongue shall be talking of your righteousness* and of your praise all the day long.
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.
or
Glory be 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.
Conclusion
Song of Humility Hosea 6. 1-6
1. Come, let us return to the Lord *
who has torn us and will heal us.
2. God has stricken us*
and will bind up our wounds.
3. After two days, God will revive us
and on the third day will raise us up, that we may live in
God’s presence.
4. Let us humble ourselves;*
let us strive to know our God,
5. Whose justice dawns like the morning star;*
its dawning is as sure as the sunrise.
6. God’s justice will come to us like the showers,*
like the spring rains that water the earth.
7. ‘O Ephraim, how shall I deal with you?*
How shall I deal with you, O Jacob?
8. ‘Your love for me is like the morning mist,*
like the dew that goes early away.
9. ‘Therefore, I have spoken to them by the prophets,*
and my judgement goes forth as the light.
10. ‘For faithfulness is my desire and not sacrifice,*
and the knowledge of God rather than burnt-offerings.’
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.
or
Glory be 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.
Antiphon: O God, you are my God; eagerly I seek you.
Reading(s)
Genesis 47.1-26
So Joseph went and told Pharaoh, ‘My father and my brothers, with their flocks and herds and all that they possess, have come from the land of Canaan; they are now in the land of Goshen.’ From among his brothers he took five men and presented them to Pharaoh. Pharaoh said to his brothers, ‘What is your occupation?’ And they said to Pharaoh, ‘Your servants are shepherds, as our ancestors were.’ They said to Pharaoh, ‘We have come to reside as aliens in the land; for there is no pasture for your servants’ flocks because the famine is severe in the land of Canaan. Now, we ask you, let your servants settle in the land of Goshen.’ Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, ‘Your father and your brothers have come to you. The land of Egypt is before you; settle your father and your brothers in the best part of the land; let them live in the land of Goshen; and if you know that there are capable men among them, put them in charge of my livestock.’
Then Joseph brought in his father Jacob, and presented him before Pharaoh, and Jacob blessed Pharaoh. Pharaoh said to Jacob, ‘How many are the years of your life?’ Jacob said to Pharaoh, ‘The years of my earthly sojourn are one hundred and thirty; few and hard have been the years of my life. They do not compare with the years of the life of my ancestors during their long sojourn.’ Then Jacob blessed Pharaoh, and went out from the presence of Pharaoh. Joseph settled his father and his brothers, and granted them a holding in the land of Egypt, in the best part of the land, in the land of Rameses, as Pharaoh had instructed. And Joseph provided his father, his brothers, and all his father’s household with food, according to the number of their dependants.
Now there was no food in all the land, for the famine was very severe. The land of Egypt and the land of Canaan languished because of the famine. Joseph collected all the money to be found in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan, in exchange for the grain that they bought; and Joseph brought the money into Pharaoh’s house. When the money from the land of Egypt and from the land of Canaan was spent, all the Egyptians came to Joseph, and said, ‘Give us food! Why should we die before your eyes? For our money is gone.’ And Joseph answered, ‘Give me your livestock, and I will give you food in exchange for your livestock, if your money is gone.’ So they brought their livestock to Joseph; and Joseph gave them food in exchange for the horses, the flocks, the herds, and the donkeys. That year he supplied them with food in exchange for all their livestock. When that year was ended, they came to him the following year, and said to him, ‘We cannot hide from my lord that our money is all spent; and the herds of cattle are my lord’s. There is nothing left in the sight of my lord but our bodies and our lands. Shall we die before your eyes, both we and our land? Buy us and our land in exchange for food. We with our land will become slaves to Pharaoh; just give us seed, so that we may live and not die, and that the land may not become desolate.’
So Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh. All the Egyptians sold their fields, because the famine was severe upon them; and the land became Pharaoh’s. As for the people, he made slaves of them from one end of Egypt to the other. Only the land of the priests he did not buy; for the priests had a fixed allowance from Pharaoh, and lived on the allowance that Pharaoh gave them; therefore they did not sell their land. Then Joseph said to the people, ‘Now that I have this day bought you and your land for Pharaoh, here is seed for you; sow the land. And at the harvests you shall give one-fifth to Pharaoh, and four-fifths shall be your own, as seed for the field and as food for yourselves and your households, and as food for your little ones.’ They said, ‘You have saved our lives; may it please my lord, we will be slaves to Pharaoh.’ So Joseph made it a statute concerning the land of Egypt, and it stands to this day, that Pharaoh should have the fifth. The land of the priests alone did not become Pharaoh’s.
1 Corinthians 9.16-27
If I proclaim the gospel, this gives me no ground for boasting, for an obligation is laid on me, and woe betide me if I do not proclaim the gospel! For if I do this of my own will, I have a reward; but if not of my own will, I am entrusted with a commission. What then is my reward? Just this: that in my proclamation I may make the gospel free of charge, so as not to make full use of my rights in the gospel.
For though I am free with respect to all, I have made myself a slave to all, so that I might win more of them. To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though I myself am not under the law) so that I might win those under the law. To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law) so that I might win those outside the law. To the weak I became weak, so that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, so that I might by any means save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel, so that I may share in its blessings.
Do you not know that in a race the runners all compete, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win it. Athletes exercise self-control in all things; they do it to receive a perishable garland, but we an imperishable one. So I do not run aimlessly, nor do I box as though beating the air; but I punish my body and enslave it, so that after proclaiming to others I myself should not be disqualified.
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 (Benedictus)
Song of Zechariah Antiphon: You will guide us with your counsel, O God: * and, after, receive us with glory. Lord, you are indeed the Saviour of the world. * Give us living water, that we may not thirst.
1 Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, *
who has come to his people and set them free.
2 The Lord has raised up for us a mighty Saviour,*
born of the house of his servant David.
3 Through the holy prophets, God promised of old*
to save us from our enemies, from the hands of all who hate us,
4 to show mercy to our forebears, *
and to remember his holy covenant.
5 This was the oath God 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 before him, all the days of our life.
7 And you, child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High,*
for you will go before the Lord to prepare the way,
8 to give his people knowledge of salvation*
by the forgiveness of 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 and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit;*
as it was in the beginning, is now, and shall be for ever.
Amen.
or
Glory be 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.
(may be said by all)
Song of Zechariah Antiphon: You will guide us with your counsel, O God: * and, after, receive us with glory. Lord, you are indeed the Saviour of the world. * Give us living water, that we may not thirst.
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
Merciful Father,
we have no power in ourselves to help ourselves:
when we are discouraged by our weakness,
give us strength to follow Christ,
our pattern and our hope;
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.
Evening Prayer
Friday after Third Sunday of Lent
Lent / Week 3 of Lent
O God make speed to save us;
O Lord make haste to help us.
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.
Psalmody
Antiphon: Show me your ways, O Lord, and teach me your paths.
Psalm 25.3
Opening (from Psalm 25)
1. You are the God of my salvation;*
in you have I trusted all the day long.
2. Remember, O Lord, your compassion and love,*
for they are from everlasting.
3. Remember not the sins of my youth and my transgressions;*
remember me according to your love.
4. Let integrity and uprightness preserve me,*
for my hope has been in you.
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.
or
Glory be 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.
or a suitable Hymn
Psalm 37.1-17
1. Do not fret yourself because of evildoers; * do not be jealous of those who do wrong.
2. For they shall soon wither like the grass, * and like the green grass fade away.
3. Put your trust in the Lord and do good; * dwell in the land and feed on its riches.
4. Take delight in the Lord, *
who shall give you your heart’s desire.
5. Commit your way to the Lord and put your trust in the Holy One *
who will bring it to pass.
6. God will make your righteousness as clear as the light * and your just dealing as the noonday.
7. Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for God. * Do not fret yourself over the one who prospers, the one who succeeds in evil schemes.
8. Refrain from anger, leave rage alone; * do not fret yourself; it leads only to evil.
9. For evildoers shall be cut off, *
but those who wait upon the Lord shall possess the land.
10. In a little while the wicked shall be no more; *
you shall search out their place, but they will not be there.
11. But the lowly shall possess the land; * they will delight in abundance of peace.
12. The wicked plot against the righteous * and gnash at them with their teeth.
13. The Lord laughs at the wicked, *
because God sees that their day will come.
14. The wicked draw their sword and bend their bow to strike down the poor and needy, *
to slaughter those who are upright in their ways.
15. Their sword shall go through their own heart, * and their bow shall be broken.
16. The little that the righteous have *
is better than great riches of the wicked.
17. For the power of the wicked shall be broken, * but the Lord upholds the righteous.
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.
or
Glory be 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.
Conclusion
1 John 1
1. This is the message we have heard from Christ and proclaim
to you:*
that God is light, in whom there is no darkness at all.
2. If we say that we have fellowship with God while we walk in darkness,*
we lie and do not do what is true.
3. But if we walk in the light as God is in the light,*
we have fellowship with one another.
4. For the blood of Jesus, the Son of God,*
cleanses us from all our sins.
5. If we say that we have no sin,*
we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.
6. If we confess our sins,*
the One who is faithful and just will forgive us and cleanse us
from all unrighteousness.
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.
or
Glory be 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.
Antiphon: Show me your ways, O Lord, and teach me your paths.
Reading(s)
Mark 6.47-56
When evening came, the boat was out on the lake, and he was alone on the land. When he saw that they were straining at the oars against an adverse wind, he came towards them early in the morning, walking on the lake. He intended to pass them by. But when they saw him walking on the lake, they thought it was a ghost and cried out; for they all saw him and were terrified. But immediately he spoke to them and said, ‘Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.’ Then he got into the boat with them and the wind ceased. And they were utterly astounded, for they did not understand about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened.When they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret and moored the boat. When they got out of the boat, people at once recognized him, and rushed about that whole region and began to bring the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was. And wherever he went, into villages or cities or farms, they laid the sick in the market-places, and begged him that they might touch even the fringe of his cloak; and all who touched it were healed.
Silence
Response Psalm 86.15
You, Lord, are gracious and full of compassion.
You, Lord, are gracious and full of compassion.
Slow to anger, full of kindness and truth.
Full of compassion.
Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
You, Lord, are gracious and full of compassion.
Song of Mary (Magnificat)
Song of Mary Antiphon: Lord, you are indeed the Saviour of the world. Give us living water, that we may not thirst.
1 My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,*
my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour,
2 who has looked with favour on his lowly servant;*
from this day all generations will call me blessed.
3 The Almighty has done great things for me,*
and holy is his name.
4 God has mercy on those who fear him,*
from generation to generation.
5 The Lord has shown strength with his arm*
and scattered the proud in their conceit,
6 casting down the mighty from their thrones*
and lifting up the lowly.
7 God has filled the hungry with good things*
and sent the rich away empty.
8 He has come to the aid of his servant Israel,*
to remember the promise of mercy,
9 the promise made to our forebears,*
to Abraham and his children for ever.
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.
or
Glory be 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.
(may be said by all)
Song of Mary Antiphon: Lord, you are indeed the Saviour of the world. Give us living water, that we may not thirst.
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
Merciful Father,
we have no power in ourselves to help ourselves:
when we are discouraged by our weakness,
give us strength to follow Christ,
our pattern and our hope;
who lives and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, world without end.
Amen
Lord God almighty, come and dispel the darkness from our hearts, that in the radiance of your brightness we may know you, the only unfading light, glorious in all eternity.
Amen.
Let us bless the Lord:
Thanks be to God!
The God of hope fill us with all joy and peace in believing:
through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Night Prayer
Friday after Third Sunday of Lent
Lent / Week 3 of Lent
The Lord Almighty grant us a quiet night and a perfect end.
Amen.
O God, make speed to save us;
O Lord, make haste to help us.
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.
Psalmody
Opening This or another suitable opening hymn may be sung.
"Before the ending of the day,
Creator of the world, we pray
That you, with steadfast love, would keep
Your watch around us while we sleep.
From evil dreams defend our sight,
From fears and terrors of the night;
Tread underfoot our deadly foe
That we no sinful thought may know.
O Father, that we ask be done
Through Jesus Christ, your only Son;
And Holy Spirit, by whose breath
Our souls are raised to life from death."
Antiphon: O Lord, my God, my Saviour,* by day and night I cry to you.
Psalm: Psalm 88
2. Let my prayer enter into your presence;*
incline your ear to my lamentation.
3. For I am full of trouble;*
my life is at the brink of the grave.
4. I am counted among those who go down to the Pit;*
I have become like one who has no strength;
5 Lost among the dead,*
like the slain who lie in the grave,
6. Whom you remember no more,*
for they are cut off from your hand.
7. You have laid me in the depths of the Pit,*
in dark places, and in the abyss.
8. Your anger weighs upon me heavily,*
and all your great waves overwhelm me.
9. You have put my friends far from me;
you have made me to be abhorred by them;*
I am in prison and cannot get free.
10. My sight has failed me because of trouble;*
Lord, I have called upon you daily;
I have stretched out my hands to you.
11. Do you work wonders for the dead?*
will those who have died stand up and give you thanks?
12. Will your loving-kindness be declared in the grave?*
your faithfulness in the land of destruction?
13. Will your wonders be known in the dark?*
or your righteousness in the country where all is forgotten?
14. But as for me, O Lord, I cry to you for help;*
in the morning my prayer comes before you.
15. Lord, why have you rejected me?*
why have you hidden your face from me?
16. Ever since my youth, I have been wretched and at the point of death;*
I have borne your terrors with a troubled mind.
17. Your blazing anger has swept over me;*
your terrors have destroyed me;
18. They surround me all day long like a flood;*
they encompass me on every side.
19. My friend and neighbour you have put away from me,*
and darkness is my only companion.
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.
or
Glory be 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.
Antiphon: O Lord, my God, my Saviour, by day and night I cry to you.
Reading(s)
Jeremiah 14.9
You are in our midst, Lord, and we bear your name. Do not forsake us.
Thanks be to God.
Silence
Response Psalm 31.5
Into your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit.
Into your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit.
For you have redeemed me, Lord God of truth.
I commend my spirit.
Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
Into your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit.
Song of Simeon
Antiphon:
Preserve us, O Lord,* while waking, and guard us while sleeping, that awake we may watch with Christ, and asleep we may rest in peace.
1. Now, Lord, you let your servant go in peace;*
your word has been fulfilled.
2. My own eyes have seen the salvation*
which you have prepared in the sight of every
people;
3. A light to reveal you to the nations,*
and the glory of your people Israel.
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.
or
Glory be 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.
Antiphon: Preserve us, O Lord, while waking, and guard us while sleeping, that awake we may watch with Christ, and asleep we may rest in peace.
Prayers
Collect
Lighten our darkness, Lord, we pray; and in your mercy defend us from all perils and dangers of this night; for the love of your only Son, our Saviour, Jesus Christ.
Amen.
Conclusion
The Lord be with you;
and also with you.
Let us bless the Lord;
Thanks be to God.
May the almighty and merciful God, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, bless and keep us.
Amen.
or
May we be hidden under the shadow of God’s wings, this night and for ever.
Amen.