Morning Prayer: Saturday 24 March 2018
Saturday after Passion Sunday
The Suffering Christ
Week of Lent 5
O Lord, open our lips:
and our mouth shall proclaim your praise.
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.
PSALMODY
Antiphon: I will thank you, O Lord my God, with all my heart,* and glorify your name for evermore. (Ps. 86.12)
Opening
VENITE
1 O come let us sing out to the Lord,*let us shout in triumph to the rock of our salvation.
2 Let us come before his face with thanksgiving*
and cry out to him joyfully in psalms.
3 For the Lord is a great God,*
and a great king above all gods.
4 In his hands are the depths of the earth,*
and the peaks of the mountains are his also.
5 The sea is his and he made it;*
his hands moulded dry land.
6 Come let us worship and bow down,*
and kneel before the Lord our maker.
7 For he himself is our God;*
we are the people of his pasture and the sheep of his hand.
8 Today if only you would hear his voice:*
Do not harden your hearts as Israel did in the wilderness;
9 when your fathers tested me;*
put me to proof though they had seen my works.
10 Of whom I swore in my wrath:*
They shall not enter my rest.
Glory to the Father... (may be said by all)
Glory to the Father
or a suitable Hymn
(Or from 86)
1 Among the gods there is none like you, O Lord,*
nor anything like your works.
2 All nations you have made will come and worship you, O Lord,*
and glorify your name.
3 For you are great; you do wondrous things;*
and you alone are God.
4 Teach me your way, O Lord, and I will walk in your truth;*
knit my heart to you that I may fear your name.
Glory to the Father...
or a suitable hymn
97 Oh, how I love your law!*
all the day long it is in my mind.
98 Your commandment has made me wiser than my enemies,*
and it is always with me.
99 I have more understanding than all my teachers,*
for your decrees are my study.
100 I am wiser than the elders,*
because I observe your commandments.
101 I restrain my feet from every evil way,*
that I may keep your word.
102 I do not shrink from your judgements,*
because you yourself have taught me.
103 How sweet are your words to my taste!*
they are sweeter than honey to my mouth.
104 Through your commandments I gain understanding;*
therefore I hate every lying way.
Nun
105 Your word is a lantern to my feet*
and a light upon my path.
106 I have sworn and am determined*
to keep your righteous judgements.
107 I am deeply troubled;*
preserve my life, O Lord, according to your word.
108 Accept, O Lord, the willing tribute of my lips,*
and teach me your judgements.
109 My life is always in my hand,*
yet I do not forget your law.
110 The wicked have set a trap for me,*
but I have not strayed from your commandments.
111 Your decrees are my inheritance for ever;*
truly, they are the joy of my heart.
112 I have applied my heart to fulfil your statutes*
for ever and to the end.
Samekh
113 I hate those who have a divided heart,*
but your law do I love.
114 You are my refuge and shield;*
my hope is in your word.
115 Away from me, you wicked!*
I will keep the commandments of my God.
116 Sustain me according to your promise, that I may live,*
and let me not be disappointed in my hope.
117 Hold me up, and I shall be safe,*
and my delight shall be ever in your statutes.
118 You spurn all who stray from your statutes;*
their deceitfulness is in vain.
119 In your sight all the wicked of the earth are but dross;*
therefore I love your decrees.
120 My flesh trembles with dread of you;*
I am afraid of your judgements.
Glory to the Father...
Lord, you are just and your commandments are eternal. Teach us to love you with all our heart and to love our neighbour as ourselves, for the sake of Jesus our Lord.
Conclusion
Isaiah 42
Behold my servant, whom I uphold*
my chosen, in whom
my soul delights;
I have put my spirit upon him*
he will bring forth justice to the nations:
He will not cry nor lift up his voice*
or make it heard in the street;
a bruised reed he will not break*
a dimly burning wick he will not quench;
he will faithfully bring forth justice*
he will not fail nor be discouraged,
till he has established justice in the earth*
and the coastlands wait for his law.
Glory to the Father...
I will thank you, O Lord my God, with all my heart, and glorify your name for evermore.
READING(S)
Exodus 10.21-11.8
Then the Lord said to Moses, Stretch out your hand towards heaven so that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, a darkness that can be felt. So Moses stretched out his hand towards heaven, and there was dense darkness in all the land of Egypt for three days. People could not see one another, and for three days they could not move from where they were; but all the Israelites had light where they lived. Then Pharaoh summoned Moses, and said, Go, worship the Lord. Only your flocks and your herds shall remain behind. Even your children may go with you. But Moses said, You must also let us have sacrifices and burnt-offerings to sacrifice to the Lord our God. Our livestock also must go with us; not a hoof shall be left behind, for we must choose some of them for the worship of the Lord our God, and we will not know what to use to worship the Lord until we arrive there. But the Lord hardened Pharaohs heart, and he was unwilling to let them go. Then Pharaoh said to him, Get away from me! Take care that you do not see my face again, for on the day you see my face you shall die. Moses said, Just as you say! I will never see your face again.
The Lord said to Moses, I will bring one more plague upon Pharaoh and upon Egypt; afterwards he will let you go from here; indeed, when he lets you go, he will drive you away. Tell the people that every man is to ask his neighbour and every woman is to ask her neighbour for objects of silver and gold. The Lord gave the people favour in the sight of the Egyptians. Moreover, Moses himself was a man of great importance in the land of Egypt, in the sight of Pharaohs officials, and in the sight of the people.
Moses said, Thus says the Lord: About midnight I will go out through Egypt. Every firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sits on his throne to the firstborn of the female slave who is behind the handmill, and all the firstborn of the livestock. Then there will be a loud cry throughout the whole land of Egypt, such as has never been nor will ever be again. But not a dog shall growl at any of the Israelitesnot at people, not at animalsso that you may know that the Lord makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel. Then all these officials of yours shall come down to me, and bow low to me, saying, Leave us, you and all the people who follow you. After that I will leave. And in hot anger he left Pharaoh.
2 Corinthians 4.13-18
But just as we have the same spirit of faith that is in accordance with scriptureI believed, and so I spokewe also believe, and so we speak,because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus, and will bring us with you into his presence. Yes, everything is for your sake, so that grace, as it extends to more and more people, may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God.
So we do not lose heart. Even though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day. For this slight momentary affliction is preparing us for an eternal weight of glory beyond all measure, because we look not at what can be seen but at what cannot be seen; for what can be seen is temporary, but what cannot be seen is eternal.
Silence
Response Psalm (Ps. 119.123)
My eyes have failed from watching for your salvation.
My eyes have failed from watching for your salvation.
And for your righteous promise.
For your salvation.
Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
My eyes have failed from watching for your salvation.
BENEDICTUS
Benedictus antiphon:
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.
Benedictus antiphon:
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 God,look upon your family as we travel to the foot of the cross:
and, by your great goodness, guide us in body;
that, by your protection,
we may also be preserved in heart and mind;
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.
