MORNING PRAYER Monday, 3 February 2014 Anskar, Archbishop of Hamburg, Missionary in Denmark and Sweden, 865 [Lesser Festival] Preparation In the name of the Father and if the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen! O Lord, open our lips and our mouth shall proclaim your praise. One or more of the following is said or sung: a prayer of thanksgiving (page 109), a suitable hymn, or A Song of God’s Compassion The Lord is full of compassion and mercy, • slow to anger and of great kindness. He will not always accuse us, • neither will he keep his anger for ever. He has not dealt with us according to our sins, • nor rewarded us according to our wickedness. For as the heavens are high above the earth, • so great is his mercy upon those who fear him. As far as the east is from the west, • so far has he set our sins from us. As a father has compassion on his children, • so is the Lord merciful towards those who fear him. For he knows of what we are made; • he remembers that we are but dust. Our days are but as grass; • we flourish as a flower of the field; For as soon as the wind goes over it, it is gone, • and its place shall know it no more. But the merciful goodness of the Lord is from of old and endures for ever on those who fear him, • and his righteousness on children’s children; On those who keep his covenant • and remember his commandments to do them. Psalm 103.8-18 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. This opening prayer may be said The night has passed, and the day lies open before us; let us pray with one heart and mind. Silence is kept. As we rejoice in the gift of this new day, so may the light of your presence, O God, set our hearts on fire with love for you; now and for ever. Amen. The Word of God Psalmody The appointed psalmody is said. Psalm 1 The Lord knows the way of the righteous. Blessed are they who have not walked in the counsel of the wicked, • nor lingered in the way of sinners, nor sat in the assembly of the scornful. Their delight is in the law of the Lord • and they meditate on his law day and night. Like a tree planted by streams of water bearing fruit in due season, with leaves that do not wither, • whatever they do, it shall prosper. R As for the wicked, it is not so with them; • they are like chaff which the wind blows away. Therefore the wicked shall not be able to stand in the judgement, • nor the sinner in the congregation of the righteous. For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, • but the way of the wicked shall perish. The Lord knows the way of the righteous. Christ our wisdom, give us delight in your law, that we may bear fruits of patience and peace in the kingdom of the righteous; for your mercy’s sake. Psalm 2 The Lord is the strength of his people, a safe refuge for his anointed. Why are the nations in tumult, • and why do the peoples devise a vain plot? The kings of the earth rise up, and the rulers take counsel together, • against the Lord and against his anointed: ‘Let us break their bonds asunder • and cast away their cords from us.’ R He who dwells in heaven shall laugh them to scorn; • the Lord shall have them in derision. Then shall he speak to them in his wrath • and terrify them in his fury: ‘Yet have I set my king • upon my holy hill of Zion.’ R I will proclaim the decree of the Lord; • he said to me: ‘You are my Son; this day have I begotten you. ‘Ask of me and I will give you the nations for your inheritance • and the ends of the earth for your possession. ‘You shall break them with a rod of iron • and dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.’ R Now therefore be wise, O kings; • be prudent, you judges of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear, and with trembling kiss his feet, • lest he be angry and you perish from the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled. Happy are all they • who take refuge in him. The Lord is the strength of his people, a safe refuge for his anointed. Most high and holy God, lift our eyes to your Son enthroned on Calvary; and as we behold his meekness, shatter our earthly pride; for he is Lord for ever and ever. Psalm 3 You, Lord, are a shield about me. Lord, how many are my adversaries; • many are they who rise up against me. Many are they who say to my soul, • ‘There is no help for you in your God.’ R But you, Lord, are a shield about me; • you are my glory, and the lifter up of my head. When I cry aloud to the Lord, • he will answer me from his holy hill; I lie down and sleep and rise again, • because the Lord sustains me. I will not be afraid of hordes of the peoples • that have set themselves against me all around. R Rise up, O Lord, and deliver me, O my God, • for you strike all my enemies on the cheek and break the teeth of the wicked. Salvation belongs to the Lord: • may your blessing be upon your people. You, Lord, are a shield about me. Shield us, Lord, from all evil, and lift us from apathy and despair, that even when we are terrified, we may trust your power to save; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Each psalm or group of psalms may end with 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. If there are two Scripture readings, the first may be read here, or both may be read after the canticle. Exodus 22.21-27, 23.1-17 You shall not wrong or oppress a resident alien, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt. You shall not abuse any widow or orphan. If you do abuse them, when they cry out to me, I will surely heed their cry; my wrath will burn, and I will kill you with the sword, and your wives shall become widows and your children orphans. If you lend money to my people, to the poor among you, you shall not deal with them as a creditor; you shall not exact interest from them. If you take your neighbour’s cloak in pawn, you shall restore it before the sun goes down; for it may be your neighbour’s only clothing to use as cover; in what else shall that person sleep? And if your neighbour cries out to me, I will listen, for I am compassionate. You shall not spread a false report. You shall not join hands with the wicked to act as a malicious witness. You shall not follow a majority in wrongdoing; when you bear witness in a lawsuit, you shall not side with the majority so as to pervert justice; nor shall you be partial to the poor in a lawsuit. When you come upon your enemy’s ox or donkey going astray, you shall bring it back. When you see the donkey of one who hates you lying under its burden and you would hold back from setting it free, you must help to set it free. You shall not pervert the justice due to your poor in their lawsuits. Keep far from a false charge, and do not kill the innocent or those in the right, for I will not acquit the guilty. You shall take no bribe, for a bribe blinds the officials, and subverts the cause of those who are in the right. You shall not oppress a resident alien; you know the heart of an alien, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt. For six years you shall sow your land and gather in its yield; but the seventh year you shall let it rest and lie fallow, so that the poor of your people may eat; and what they leave the wild animals may eat. You shall do the same with your vineyard, and with your olive orchard. For six days you shall do your work, but on the seventh day you shall rest, so that your ox and your donkey may have relief, and your home-born slave and the resident alien may be refreshed. Be attentive to all that I have said to you. Do not invoke the names of other gods; do not let them be heard on your lips. Three times in the year you shall hold a festival for me. You shall observe the festival of unleavened bread; as I commanded you, you shall eat unleavened bread for seven days at the appointed time in the month of Abib, for in it you came out of Egypt. No one shall appear before me empty-handed. You shall observe the festival of harvest, of the first fruits of your labour, of what you sow in the field. You shall observe the festival of ingathering at the end of the year, when you gather in from the field the fruit of your labour. Three times in the year all your males shall appear before the Lord God. Canticle A Song of Deliverance, or another suitable canticle, for example, number 40 (page 591), may be said Refrain: All the earth, shout and sing for joy, for great in your midst is the Holy One. ‘Behold, God is my salvation; • I will trust and will not be afraid; ‘For the Lord God is my strength and my song, • and has become my salvation.’ With joy you will draw water • from the wells of salvation. On that day you will say, • ‘Give thanks to the Lord, call upon his name; ‘Make known his deeds among the nations, • proclaim that his name is exalted. ‘Sing God’s praises, who has triumphed gloriously; • let this be known in all the world. ‘Shout and sing for joy, you that dwell in Zion, • for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.‘ Isaiah 12.2-6 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. All the earth, shout and sing for joy, for great in your midst is the Holy One. Scripture Reading One or more readings appointed for the day are read. The reading(s) may be followed by a time of silence. Philippians 1.1-11 Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, with the bishops and deacons: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I thank my God every time I remember you, constantly praying with joy in every one of my prayers for all of you, because of your sharing in the gospel from the first day until now. I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work among you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ. It is right for me to think this way about all of you, because you hold me in your heart, for all of you share in God’s grace with me, both in my imprisonment and in the defence and confirmation of the gospel. For God is my witness, how I long for all of you with the compassion of Christ Jesus. And this is my prayer, that your love may overflow more and more with knowledge and full insight to help you to determine what is best, so that on the day of Christ you may be pure and blameless, having produced the harvest of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ for the glory and praise of God. A suitable song or chant, or a responsory in this or another form, may follow Trust in the Lord with all your heart; and be not wise in your own sight. Trust in the Lord with all your heart; and be not wise in your own sight. In all your ways acknowledge him and he will make straight your paths. Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. Trust in the Lord with all your heart; and be not wise in your own sight. from Proverbs 3 Gospel Canticle The Benedictus (The Song of Zechariah) is normally said, or the Te Deum Laudamus (A Song of the Church) (page 636) may be said Refrain: Christ gave them as a light to the nations that his salvation might reach to the ends of the earth. Blessed be the Lord the God of Israel, • who has come to his people and set them free. He has raised up for us a mighty Saviour, • born of the house of his servant David. Through his holy prophets God promised of old • to save us from our enemies, from the hands of all that hate us, To show mercy to our ancestors, • and to remember his holy covenant. This was the oath God swore to our father Abraham: • to set us free from the hands of our enemies, Free to worship him without fear, • holy and righteous in his sight all the days of our life. And you, child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High, • for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way, To give his people knowledge of salvation • by the forgiveness of all their sins. In the tender compassion of our God • the dawn from on high shall break upon us, To shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death, • and to guide our feet into the way of peace. Luke 1.68-79 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. Refrain: Christ gave them as a light to the nations that his salvation might reach to the ends of the earth. Prayers Intercessions are offered ¶ for the day and its tasks ¶ for the world and its needs ¶ for the Church and her life The cycle on pages 364–365 and the prayer on page 377 may be used. These responses may be used Lord, in your mercy hear our prayer (or) Lord, hear us. Lord, graciously hear us. Silence may be kept. The Collect of the day is said God of grace and might, who sent your servant Anskar to spread the gospel to the Nordic peoples: raise up, we pray, in our generation messengers of your good news and heralds of your kingdom that the world may come to know the immeasurable riches of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. The Lord’s Prayer is said As our Saviour taught us, so we pray 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. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours now and for ever. Amen. (or) Let us pray with confidence as our Saviour has taught us Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come; thy will be done; on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen. The Conclusion The Lord bless us, and preserve us from all evil, and keep us in eternal life. Amen. Let us bless the Lord. Thanks be to God. In the name of the Father and if the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen!
Posted on: Mon, 03 Feb 2014 05:26:30 +0000