Morning Prayer: Saturday 31 December 2022
John Wycliffe, Priest, 1384
Incarnation
Saturday after first Sunday after Christmas
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: Your justice Lord dawns like morning light; its dawning is as sure as the sunrise. (Hosea 6.3)
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
or a suitable Hymn
(Or from Psalm 85)
1 I will listen to what the Lord God is saying,*
for he is speaking peace to his faithful people.
2 Truly his salvation is very near to those who fear him,*
that his glory may dwell in our land.
3 Mercy and truth have met together;*
righteousness and peace have kissed each other.
4 Truth shall spring up from the earth,*
and righteousness shall look down from heaven.
Glory to the Father...
or a suitable hymn
33 Teach me, O Lord, the way of your statutes,*
and I shall keep it to the end.
34 Give me understanding, and I shall keep your law;*
I shall keep it with all my heart.
35 Make me go in the path of your commandments,*
for that is my desire.
36 Incline my heart to your decrees*
and not to unjust gain.
37 Turn my eyes from watching what is worthless;*
give me life in your ways.
38 Fulfil your promise to your servant,*
which you make to those who fear you.
39 Turn away the reproach which I dread,*
because your judgements are good.
40 Behold, I long for your commandments;*
in your righteousness preserve my life.
Waw
41 Let your loving-kindness come to me, O Lord,*
and your salvation, according to your promise.
42 Then shall I have a word for those who taunt me,*
because I trust in your words.
43 Do not take the word of truth out of my mouth,*
for my hope is in your judgements.
44 I shall continue to keep your law;*
I shall keep it for ever and ever.
45 I will walk at liberty,*
because I study your commandments.
46 I will tell of your decrees before kings*
and will not be ashamed.
47 I delight in your commandments,*
which I have always loved.
48 I will lift up my hands to your commandments,*
and I will meditate on your statutes.
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 60
1 Arise, shine, for your light has come,*
the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.
2 For behold darkness shall cover the earth,*
thick darkness the peoples;
3 but the Lord will arise upon you;*
God’s glory will be seen upon you.
4 Nations shall come to your light;*
kings to the brightness of your rising.
5 The sun shall be no more your light by day;*
nor for brightness shall the moon give light to you by night;
6 but the Lord will be your everlasting light,*
your God will be your glory.
Glory to the Father...
Antiphon: Your justice Lord dawns like morning light, its dawning is as sure as the sunrise.
READING(S)
Isaiah 26.1-9,19
2 Corinthians 5.16-6.2
John 8.12-19
Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life. Then the Pharisees said to him, You are testifying on your own behalf; your testimony is not valid. Jesus answered, Even if I testify on my own behalf, my testimony is valid because I know where I have come from and where I am going, but you do not know where I come from or where I am going. You judge by human standards; I judge no one. Yet even if I do judge, my judgement is valid; for it is not I alone who judge, but I and the Father who sent me. In your law it is written that the testimony of two witnesses is valid. I testify on my own behalf, and the Father who sent me testifies on my behalf. Then they said to him, Where is your Father? Jesus answered, You know neither me nor my Father. If you knew me, you would know my Father also.
Silence
Response Psalm (119.130)
When your word goes forth it gives light.
When your word goes forth it gives light.
It gives understanding to the simple.
It gives light.
Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
When your word goes forth it gives light.
BENEDICTUS
Benedictus antiphon: To us is born this day a Saviour, Christ the Lord. (Luke 2.11)
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: To us is born this day a Saviour, Christ the Lord. (Luke 2.11)
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, you make us glad with the yearly remembranceof the birth of your Son, Jesus Christ:
grant that, as we joyfully receive him as our Saviour,
so we may with confidence
behold him as he comes to be our Judge;
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.