Spirituality: Daily Prayer

Wednesday 14 January 2026

Morning Prayer

Hilary of Poitiers, Bishop and Teacher of the Faith, c 367
Week A / Week of Proper 1

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:
I will sing to the Lord as long as I live;*
I will praise my God while I have my being.
Psalm 104.33


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 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

(Or from Psalm 104)

1. You spread out the heavens like a curtain;*
you lay the beams of your chambers in the waters above;
2. You make the clouds your chariot;*
you ride on the wings of the wind;
3. You make the winds your messengers*
and flames of fire your servants.
4. You have set the earth upon its foundations,*
so that it never shall move at any time.

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 37.18-40

18. The Lord cares for the lives of the godly, * and their inheritance shall last for ever.
19. They shall not be ashamed in bad times, * and in days of famine they shall have enough.
20. As for the wicked, they shall perish,*
and the enemies of the Lord, like the glory of the meadows, shall vanish; they shall vanish like smoke
21. The wicked borrow and do not repay, * but the righteous are generous in giving.
22. Those who are blessed by God shall possess the land, * but those who are cursed by God shall be destroyed.
23. Our steps are directed by the Lord *
who strengthens those in whose way God delights.
24. If they stumble, they shall not fall headlong, * for the Lord holds them by the hand.
25. I have been young and now I am old, *
but never have I seen the righteous forsaken, or their children begging bread.
26. The righteous are always generous in their lending, * and their children shall be a blessing.
27. Turn from evil, and do good, * and dwell in the land for ever.
28. For the Lord loves justice *and does not forsake those who are faithful.
They shall be kept safe for ever, *but the offspring of the wicked shall be destroyed.
29. The righteous shall possess the land * and dwell in it for ever.
30. The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom, * and their tongue speaks what is right.
31. The law of their God is in their heart, * and their footsteps shall not falter.
32. The wicked spy on the righteous * and seek occasion to kill them.
33. The Lord will not abandon them to their hand, * nor let them be found guilty when brought to trial.
34. Wait upon the Lord and keep the ways of God, who will raise you up to possess the land, *
and when the wicked are cut off, you will see it.
35. I have seen the wicked in their arrogance, * flourishing like a tree in full leaf.
36. I went by, and behold, they were not there; *
I searched for them, but they could not be found.
37. Mark those who are honest; observe the upright; * for there is a future for the peaceable.
38. Transgressors shall be destroyed, one and all; * the future of the wicked is cut off.
39. But the deliverance of the righteous comes from the Lord, *
who is their stronghold in time of trouble.
40. The Lord will help them and rescue them; * rescuing them from the wicked and delivering them, because they seek refuge in God.

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

Isaiah 45

1. Thus says the Lord who created the heavens,*
who formed the earth and made it;
2. who did not create it a chaos,*
but formed it to be inhabited -
3. Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth;*
for I am God: there is no other.
4. From my mouth has gone forth in righteousness*
a word that shall not return:
5 "To me every knee shall bow,*
every tongue shall swear".'
6. In the Lord all the offspring of Israel*
shall triumph and glory.

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: I will sing to the Lord as long as I live;* I will praise my God while I have my being.

Reading(s)

Genesis 3.1-24

Now the serpent was more crafty than any other wild animal that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, ‘Did God say, “You shall not eat from any tree in the garden”?’ The woman said to the serpent, ‘We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden; but God said, “You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the garden, nor shall you touch it, or you shall die.”’ But the serpent said to the woman, ‘You will not die; for God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.’ So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate; and she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made loincloths for themselves.

They heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden at the time of the evening breeze, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man, and said to him, ‘Where are you?’ He said, ‘I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.’ He said, ‘Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?’ The man said, ‘The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit from the tree, and I ate.’ Then the Lord God said to the woman, ‘What is this that you have done?’ The woman said, ‘The serpent tricked me, and I ate.’ The Lord God said to the serpent,

‘Because you have done this,
cursed are you among all animals
and among all wild creatures;
upon your belly you shall go,
and dust you shall eat
all the days of your life.
I will put enmity between you and the woman,
and between your offspring and hers;
he will strike your head,
and you will strike his heel.’

To the woman he said,

‘I will greatly increase your pangs in childbearing;
in pain you shall bring forth children,
yet your desire shall be for your husband,
and he shall rule over you.’

And to the man he said,

‘Because you have listened to the voice of your wife,
and have eaten of the tree
about which I commanded you,
“You shall not eat of it”,
cursed is the ground because of you;
in toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life;
thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you;
and you shall eat the plants of the field.
By the sweat of your face
you shall eat bread
until you return to the ground,
for out of it you were taken;
you are dust,
and to dust you shall return.’

The man named his wife Eve, because she was the mother of all who live. And the Lord God made garments of skins for the man and for his wife, and clothed them.

Then the Lord God said, ‘See, the man has become like one of us, knowing good and evil; and now, he might reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever’— therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from which he was taken. He drove out the man; and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim, and a sword flaming and turning to guard the way to the tree of life.


Hebrews 2.11-18

For the one who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one Father. For this reason Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters, saying,

‘I will proclaim your name to my brothers and sisters,
in the midst of the congregation I will praise you.’

And again,

‘I will put my trust in him.’

And again,

‘Here am I and the children whom God has given me.’

Since, therefore, the children share flesh and blood, he himself likewise shared the same things, so that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by the fear of death. For it is clear that he did not come to help angels, but the descendants of Abraham. Therefore he had to become like his brothers and sisters in every respect, so that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make a sacrifice of atonement for the sins of the people. Because he himself was tested by what he suffered, he is able to help those who are being tested.


Silence


Response (Psalm 92.4)

In all you have done, O Lord, you have made me glad.
In all you have done, O Lord, you have made me glad.
I will sing for joy because of the works of your hands.
You have made me glad.
Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit
In all you have done, O Lord, you have made me glad.

Song of Zechariah (Benedictus)

Song of Zechariah Antiphon: The dawn from on high shall break upon us: * * to shine on those who dwell in darkness.

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 dawn from on high shall break upon us: * * to shine on those who dwell in darkness.

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 Lord,
in your loving kindness,
hear the prayers of your people as they call upon you:
that they may discern your will,
and also be given strength to fulfil it;
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.

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