Spirituality: Daily Prayer

Sunday 5 April 2026

Morning Prayer

EASTER DAY
Easter / EASTER DAY

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:
Christ has been raised from the dead:*
the first fruits of those who sleep.
1 Corinthians 15-20


Opening

Easter Anthems

1. Christ our Passover has been sacrificed for us;*
so let us celebrate the feast.
2. Not with the old leaven of corruption and wickedness,*
but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
3. Christ once raised from the dead dies no more;*
death has no more dominion over him.
4. In dying, he died to sin once for all;*
in living, he lives to God.


5. See yourselves therefore as dead to sin,*
and alive to God in Jesus Christ our Lord.
6. Christ has been raised from the dead,*
the first fruits of those who sleep.
7. For as by man came death,*
by man has come also the resurrection of the dead.
8. For as in Adam all die,*
even so in Christ shall all be made alive.

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 118

1. Give thanks to the Lord who is good; *
the mercy of the Lord endures for ever.
2. Let Israel now proclaim, *
”The mercy of the Lord endures for ever.”
3. Let the house of Aaron now proclaim, *
” The mercy of the Lord endures for ever.”
4. Let those who fear the Lord now proclaim, *
” The mercy of the Lord endures for ever.”
5. I called to the Lord in my distress; *
who answered by setting me free.
6. The Lord is at my side, therefore I will not fear; *
what can anyone do to me?
7. The Lord is at my side to help me; *
I will triumph over those who hate me.
8. It is better to rely on the Lord *
than to put any trust in flesh.
9. It is better to rely on the Lord *
than to put any trust in rulers.
10. All the ungodly encompass me; *
in the name of the Lord I will repel them.
11. They hem me in, they hem me in on every side; *
in the name of the Lord I will repel them.

12. They swarm about me like bees; they blaze like a
fire of thorns; *
in the name of the Lord I will repel them.
13. I was pressed so hard that I almost fell, *
but the Lord came to my help.
14. The Lord is my strength and my song, *
and has become my salvation.
15. There is a sound of exultation and victory *
in the tents of the righteous:
16. ”The mighty hand of the Lord has triumphed! *
the mighty hand of the Lord is exalted! the mighty
hand of the Lord has triumphed!”
17. I shall not die, but live, *
and declare the works of the Lord.
18. The Lord has punished me sorely, *
but did not hand me over to death.
19. Open for me the gates of righteousness; *
I will enter them; I will offer thanks to the Lord.
20. ”This is the gate of the Lord; *
those who are righteous may enter.”
21. I will give thanks to the Lord who answered me *
and has become my salvation.
22. The same stone which the builders rejected *
has become the chief cornerstone.

23. This is the Lord’s doing, *
and it is marvellous in our eyes.
24. On this day the Lord has acted; *
we will rejoice and be glad in it.
25. Hosannah, Lord, hosannah! *
Lord, send us now success.
26. Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord; *
we bless you from the house of the Lord.
27. God is the Lord and has shined upon us; *
form a procession with branches up to the horns of
the altar.
28. ”You are my God, and I will thank you; *
you are my God, and I will exalt you.”
29. Give thanks to the Lord who is good; *
the mercy of the Lord endures 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.


Conclusion

Wisdom 10

1. Wisdom freed a holy people and a blameless race,*
from a nation of oppressors.
2. She entered the soul of a servant of the Lord,*
and withstood fearsome rulers with wonders and signs.
3. To the saints she gave the reward of their labours,*
and led them by a marvellous road.
4. She was their shelter by day,*
and a blaze of stars by night.
5. She brought them across the Red Sea;*
she led them through mighty waters.
6. She swallowed their enemies in the waves,*
and spat them out from the depths of the sea.
7. Then, Lord, the righteous sang the glories of your name,*
and praised together your protecting hand.
8. For wisdom opened the mouths of the silent*
and gave speech to the tongues of her children.

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: Christ has been raised from the dead:* the first fruits of those who sleep.

Reading(s)

Ezekiel 37.1-14

The hand of the Lord came upon me, and he brought me out by the spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. He led me all round them; there were very many lying in the valley, and they were very dry. He said to me, ‘Mortal, can these bones live?’ I answered, ‘O Lord God, you know.’ Then he said to me, ‘Prophesy to these bones, and say to them: O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. Thus says the Lord God to these bones: I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. I will lay sinews on you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live; and you shall know that I am the Lord.’

So I prophesied as I had been commanded; and as I prophesied, suddenly there was a noise, a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to its bone. I looked, and there were sinews on them, and flesh had come upon them, and skin had covered them; but there was no breath in them. Then he said to me, ‘Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, mortal, and say to the breath: Thus says the Lord God: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live.’ I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood on their feet, a vast multitude.

Then he said to me, ‘Mortal, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They say, “Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are cut off completely.” Therefore prophesy, and say to them, Thus says the Lord God: I am going to open your graves, and bring you up from your graves, O my people; and I will bring you back to the land of Israel. And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves, and bring you up from your graves, O my people. I will put my spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you on your own soil; then you shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken and will act, says the Lord.’


1 Corinthians 15.1-11

Now I should remind you, brothers and sisters, of the good news that I proclaimed to you, which you in turn received, in which also you stand, through which also you are being saved, if you hold firmly to the message that I proclaimed to you—unless you have come to believe in vain.

For I handed on to you as of first importance what I in turn had received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers and sisters at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to someone untimely born, he appeared also to me. For I am the least of the apostles, unfit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace towards me has not been in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them—though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. Whether then it was I or they, so we proclaim and so you have come to believe.


Silence


Response (Psalm 96.4; 105.1)

Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised, alleluia, alleluia.
Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised, alleluia, alleluia.
Make known God’s deeds among the nations.
Alleluia, alleluia.
Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised, alleluia, alleluia.

Song of Zechariah (Benedictus)

Song of Zechariah Antiphon: The Lord is risen indeed,* * alleluia!

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: The Lord is risen indeed,* * alleluia!

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,
who, through your Son, Jesus Christ,
have overcome death and opened the gates of eternal life:
grant that we, who celebrate with joy the day of his resurrection,
may be raised from the death of sin by your life-giving Spirit;
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.

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