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Morning Prayer (Mattins) in Contemporary Language

Please note: Daily Prayer provided by the official Church of England web site, © The Archbishops' Council of the Church of England, 2002-2004.

Morning Prayer
from All Saints’ Day until
the day before the First Sunday of Advent
Wednesday, 6 November 2024
Leonard, Hermit, 6th century [Commemoration]
William Temple, Archbishop of Canterbury, Teacher of the Faith, 1944 [Commemoration]

Preparation

O Lord, open our lips
Alland our mouth shall proclaim your praise.

Your faithful servants bless you.
AllThey make known the glory of your kingdom. Alleluia.

One or more of the following is said or sung:

this or another prayer of thanksgiving

Blessed are you, Sovereign God,
ruler and judge of all,
to you be praise and glory for ever.
In the darkness of this age that is passing away
may the light of your presence which the saints enjoy
surround our steps as we journey on.
May we reflect your glory this day
and so be made ready to see your face
in the heavenly city where night shall be no more.
Blessed be God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
AllBlessed be God for ever.

a suitable hymn, or A Song of Trust in God

1As the deer longs for the water brooks,
so longs my soul for you, O God.

2My soul is athirst for God, even for the living God;
when shall I come before the presence of God?

3My tears have been my bread day and night,
while all day long they say to me, ‘Where is now your God?’

4Now when I think on these things, I pour out my soul:
how I went with the multitude
and led the procession to the house of God,

5With the voice of praise and thanksgiving,
among those who kept holy day.

6Why are you so full of heaviness, O my soul,
and why are you so disquieted within me?

7O put your trust in God;
for I will yet give him thanks,
who is the help of my countenance, and my God.

Psalm 42.1-7

AllGlory 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.
AllAmen.

The Word of God

Psalmody

The appointed psalmody is said.

Psalm 9

Refrain: You, Lord, have never failed those who seek you.

1 I will give thanks to you, Lord, with my whole heart; 
I will tell of all your marvellous works.

2 I will be glad and rejoice in you; 
I will make music to your name, O Most High.

3 When my enemies are driven back, 
they stumble and perish at your presence.

4 For you have maintained my right and my cause; 
you sat on your throne giving righteous judgement. R

5 You have rebuked the nations and destroyed the wicked; 
you have blotted out their name for ever and ever.

6 The enemy was utterly laid waste. 
You uprooted their cities;
their very memory has perished.

7 But the Lord shall endure for ever; 
he has made fast his throne for judgement.

8 For he shall rule the world with righteousness 
and govern the peoples with equity.

9 Then will the Lord be a refuge for the oppressed, 
a refuge in the time of trouble.

10 And those who know your name will put their trust in you, 
for you, Lord, have never failed those who seek you. R

11 Sing praises to the Lord who dwells in Zion; 
declare among the peoples the things he has done.

12 The avenger of blood has remembered them; 
he did not forget the cry of the oppressed.

13 Have mercy upon me, O Lord; 
consider the trouble I suffer from those who hate me,
you that lift me up from the gates of death;

14 That I may tell all your praises in the gates of the city of Zion 
and rejoice in your salvation.

15 The nations shall sink into the pit of their making 
and in the snare which they set will their own foot be taken.

16 The Lord makes himself known by his acts of justice; 
the wicked are snared in the works of their own hands. R

17 They shall return to the land of darkness, 
all the nations that forget God.

18 For the needy shall not always be forgotten 
and the hope of the poor shall not perish for ever.

19 Arise, O Lord, and let not mortals have the upper hand; 
let the nations be judged before your face.

20 Put them in fear, O Lord, 
that the nations may know themselves to be but mortal.

Refrain: You, Lord, have never failed those who seek you.

Remember, Lord, all who cry to you
from death’s dark gates;
do not forget those whom the world forgets,
but raise your faithful ones to Zion’s gate,
with your all-conquering Son,
Jesus Christ our Lord.

Psalm 147.13-end

Refrain: Great is our Lord and mighty in power.

13 Sing praise to the Lord, O Jerusalem; 
praise your God, O Zion;

14 For he has strengthened the bars of your gates 
and has blest your children within you.

15 He has established peace in your borders 
and satisfies you with the finest wheat. R

16 He sends forth his command to the earth 
and his word runs very swiftly.

17 He gives snow like wool 
and scatters the hoarfrost like ashes.

18 He casts down his hailstones like morsels of bread; 
who can endure his frost? R

19 He sends forth his word and melts them; 
he blows with his wind and the waters flow.

20 He declares his word to Jacob, 
his statutes and judgements to Israel.

21 He has not dealt so with any other nation; 
they do not know his laws.
Alleluia.

Refrain: Great is our Lord and mighty in power.

Compassionate God,
as you know each star you have created,
so you know the secrets of every heart;
in your loving mercy bring to your table
all who are fearful and broken,
all who are wounded and needy,
that our hungers may be satisfied
in the city of your peace;
through Christ who is our peace.

Each psalm or group of psalms may end with

AllGlory 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.

Daniel 2.25-end

Then Arioch quickly brought Daniel before the king and said to him: ‘I have found among the exiles from Judah a man who can tell the king the interpretation.’ The king said to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, ‘Are you able to tell me the dream that I have seen and its interpretation?’ Daniel answered the king, ‘No wise men, enchanters, magicians, or diviners can show to the king the mystery that the king is asking, but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and he has disclosed to King Nebuchadnezzar what will happen at the end of days. Your dream and the visions of your head as you lay in bed were these: To you, O king, as you lay in bed, came thoughts of what would be hereafter, and the revealer of mysteries disclosed to you what is to be. But as for me, this mystery has not been revealed to me because of any wisdom that I have more than any other living being, but in order that the interpretation may be known to the king and that you may understand the thoughts of your mind.

‘You were looking, O king, and lo! there was a great statue. This statue was huge, its brilliance extraordinary; it was standing before you, and its appearance was frightening. The head of that statue was of fine gold, its chest and arms of silver, its middle and thighs of bronze, its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay. As you looked on, a stone was cut out, not by human hands, and it struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay and broke them in pieces. Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold, were all broken in pieces and became like the chaff of the summer threshing-floors; and the wind carried them away, so that not a trace of them could be found. But the stone that struck the statue became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.

‘This was the dream; now we will tell the king its interpretation. You, O king, the king of kings—to whom the God of heaven has given the kingdom, the power, the might, and the glory, into whose hand he has given human beings, wherever they live, the wild animals of the field, and the birds of the air, and whom he has established as ruler over them all—you are the head of gold. After you shall arise another kingdom inferior to yours, and yet a third kingdom of bronze, which shall rule over the whole earth. And there shall be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron; just as iron crushes and smashes everything, it shall crush and shatter all these. As you saw the feet and toes partly of potter’s clay and partly of iron, it shall be a divided kingdom; but some of the strength of iron shall be in it, as you saw the iron mixed with the clay. As the toes of the feet were part iron and part clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly brittle. As you saw the iron mixed with clay, so will they mix with one another in marriage, but they will not hold together, just as iron does not mix with clay. And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, nor shall this kingdom be left to another people. It shall crush all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and it shall stand for ever; just as you saw that a stone was cut from the mountain not by hands, and that it crushed the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold. The great God has informed the king what shall be hereafter. The dream is certain, and its interpretation trustworthy.’

Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell on his face, worshipped Daniel, and commanded that a grain-offering and incense be offered to him. The king said to Daniel, ‘Truly, your God is God of gods and Lord of kings and a revealer of mysteries, for you have been able to reveal this mystery!’ Then the king promoted Daniel, gave him many great gifts, and made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon and chief prefect over all the wise men of Babylon. Daniel made a request of the king, and he appointed Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego over the affairs of the province of Babylon. But Daniel remained at the king’s court.

Canticle

A Song of the New Creation, or another suitable canticle, for example, number 28 (page 579), number 46 (page 598) or number 47 (page 599), may be said

Refrain:

AllI will make a way in the wilderness,
and rivers in the desert. Alleluia.

1‘I am the Lord, your Holy One,
the Creator of Israel, your King.’

2Thus says the Lord, who makes a way in the sea,
a path in the mighty waters,

3‘Remember not the former things,
nor consider the things of old.

4‘Behold, I am doing a new thing;
now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?

5‘I will make a way in the wilderness
and rivers in the desert,
to give drink to my chosen people,

6‘The people whom I formed for myself,
that they might declare my praise.’

Isaiah 43.15, 16, 18, 19, 20c, 21

AllGlory 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.

AllI will make a way in the wilderness,
and rivers in the desert. Alleluia.

Scripture Reading

One or more readings appointed for the day are read.

The reading(s) may be followed by a time of silence.

Revelation 2.12-end

And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write: These are the words of him who has the sharp two-edged sword:

I know where you are living, where Satan’s throne is. Yet you are holding fast to my name, and you did not deny your faith in me even in the days of Antipas my witness, my faithful one, who was killed among you, where Satan lives. But I have a few things against you: you have some there who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling-block before the people of Israel, so that they would eat food sacrificed to idols and practise fornication. So you also have some who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans. Repent then. If not, I will come to you soon and make war against them with the sword of my mouth. Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches. To everyone who conquers I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give a white stone, and on the white stone is written a new name that no one knows except the one who receives it.

And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write: These are the words of the Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and whose feet are like burnished bronze:

I know your works—your love, faith, service, and patient endurance. I know that your last works are greater than the first. But I have this against you: you tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophet and is teaching and beguiling my servants to practise fornication and to eat food sacrificed to idols. I gave her time to repent, but she refuses to repent of her fornication. Beware, I am throwing her on a bed, and those who commit adultery with her I am throwing into great distress, unless they repent of her doings; and I will strike her children dead. And all the churches will know that I am the one who searches minds and hearts, and I will give to each of you as your works deserve. But to the rest of you in Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who have not learned what some call ‘the deep things of Satan’, to you I say, I do not lay on you any other burden; only hold fast to what you have until I come. To everyone who conquers and continues to do my works to the end,
I will give authority over the nations;
to rule them with an iron rod,
   as when clay pots are shattered—
even as I also received authority from my Father. To the one who conquers I will also give the morning star. Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches.

A suitable song or chant, or a responsory in this or another form, may follow

I will sing for ever of your love, O Lord,
Allmy lips shall proclaim your faithfulness.
The heavens bear witness to your wonders;
AllI will sing for ever of your love, O Lord.
The assembly of your saints proclaims your truth;
Allmy lips shall proclaim your faithfulness.
Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne;
steadfast love and faithfulness go before you.
AllI will sing for ever of your love, O Lord,
my lips shall proclaim your faithfulness.

from Psalm 89

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:

AllYou will guide us with your counsel, O God,
and afterwards receive us with glory.

1Blessed be the Lord the God of Israel,
who has come to his people and set them free.

2He has raised up for us a mighty Saviour,
born of the house of his servant David.

3Through his holy prophets God promised of old
to save us from our enemies,
from the hands of all that hate us,

4To show mercy to our ancestors,
and to remember his holy covenant.

5This was the oath God swore to our father Abraham:
to set us free from the hands of our enemies,

6Free to worship him without fear,
holy and righteous in his sight
all the days of our life.

7And you, child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High,
for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way,

8To give his people knowledge of salvation
by the forgiveness of all their sins.

9In the tender compassion of our God
the dawn from on high shall break upon us,

10To 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

AllGlory 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:

AllYou will guide us with your counsel, O God,
and afterwards receive us with glory.

Prayers

Intercessions are offered
for the day and its tasks
for the world and its needs
for the Church and her life

Prayers may include the following concerns from the cycle on pages 364–365

The saints on earth, that they may live as citizens of heaven
All people, that they may hear and believe the word of God
All who fear the winter months
All sovereigns and political leaders, that they may imitate the righteous rule of Christ
All who grieve or wait with the dying

A form of prayer found on page 384 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

Almighty and eternal God,
you have kindled the flame of love
      in the hearts of the saints:
grant to us the same faith and power of love,
that, as we rejoice in their triumphs,
we may be sustained by their example and fellowship;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.
AllAmen.

The Lord’s Prayer is said

Uniting our prayers with the whole company of heaven,
as our Saviour taught us, so we pray

AllOur 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)

Uniting our prayers with the whole company of heaven,
let us pray with confidence as our Saviour has taught us

AllOur 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

May Christ, who has opened the kingdom of heaven,
bring us to reign with him in glory.
AllAmen.

Let us bless the Lord. Alleluia, alleluia.
AllThanks be to God. Alleluia, alleluia.