Morning Prayer (Mattins) in Contemporary Language
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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 on Saturday
Saturday, 15 February 2025
Sigfrid, Bishop, Apostle of Sweden, 1045 [Commemoration]
Thomas Bray, Priest, Founder of the SPCK and the SPG, 1730 [Commemoration]
Preparation
O Lord, open our lips
Alland our mouth shall
proclaim your praise.
The Acclamation of Christ at the Dawning of the Day (page 108) may replace the Preparation as the start of Morning Prayer on any occasion.
One or more of the following is said or sung:
One of these prayers of thanksgiving (page 109),
Blessed are you, Sovereign God, creator of all,
to you be glory and praise for ever.
You founded the earth in the beginning
and the heavens are the work of your hands.
In the fullness of time you made us in your image,
and in these last days you have spoken to us
in your Son Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh.
As we rejoice in the gift of your presence among us
let the light of your love always shine in our hearts,
your Spirit ever renew our lives
and your praises ever be on our lips.
Blessed be God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
AllBlessed be God for ever.
(or)
Blessed are you, creator of all,
to you be praise and glory for ever.
As your dawn renews the face of the earth
bringing light and life to all creation,
may we rejoice in this day you have made;
as we wake refreshed from the depths of sleep,
open our eyes to behold your presence
and strengthen our hands to do your will,
that the world may rejoice and give you praise.
Blessed be God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
AllBlessed be God for ever.
after Lancelot Andrewes (1626)
or a suitable hymn,
or A Song of God’s Praise
1O God, you are my God;
eagerly I seek you; ♦
my soul is athirst for you.
2My flesh also faints
for you, ♦
as in a dry and thirsty land where there is no water.
3So would I gaze upon
you in your holy place, ♦
that I might behold your power and your glory.
4Your loving-kindness
is better than life itself ♦
and so my lips shall praise you.
5I will bless you as
long as I live ♦
and lift up my hands in your name.
6My soul shall be satisfied,
as with marrow and fatness, ♦
and my mouth shall praise you with joyful lips,
7When I remember you
upon my bed ♦
and meditate on you in the watches of the night.
8For you have been my
helper ♦
and under the shadow of your wings will I rejoice.
9My soul clings to you;
♦
your right hand shall hold me fast.
Psalm 63.1-9
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 41
Refrain: O Lord, be merciful to me.
1 Blessed are those who consider the poor and needy; ♦
the Lord will deliver them in the time of trouble.
2 The Lord preserves them and restores their life,
that they may be happy in the land; ♦
he will not hand them over to the will of their enemies.
3 The Lord sustains them on their sickbed; ♦
their sickness, Lord, you will remove.
4 And so I said, Lord, be merciful to me; ♦
heal me, for I have sinned against you. R
5 My enemies speak evil about me, ♦
asking when I shall die and my name perish.
6 If they come to see me, they utter empty words; ♦
their heart gathers mischief;
when they go out, they tell it abroad.
7 All my enemies whisper together against me, ♦
against me they devise evil,
8 Saying that a deadly thing has laid hold on me, ♦
and that I will not rise again from where I lie.
9 Even my bosom friend, whom I trusted,
who ate of my bread, ♦
has lifted up his heel against me. R
10 But you, O Lord, be merciful to me ♦
and raise me up, that I may reward them.
11 By this I know that you favour me, ♦
that my enemy does not triumph over me.
12 Because of my integrity you uphold me ♦
and will set me before your face for ever.
13 Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, ♦
from everlasting to everlasting. Amen and Amen.
Refrain: O Lord, be merciful to me.
God our deliverer,
raise up the poor and comfort the betrayed,
through the one who for our sakes became poor
and whose betrayal brought our salvation,
Jesus Christ our Lord.
Psalm 42
1 As the deer longs for the water brooks, ♦
so longs my soul for you, O God.
2 My soul is athirst for God, even for the living God; ♦
when shall I come before the presence of God?
3 My tears have been my bread day and night, ♦
while all day long they say to me, Where is now your God?
4 Now 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,
5 With the voice of praise and thanksgiving, ♦
among those who kept holy day.
6 Why are you so full of heaviness, O my soul, ♦
and why are you so disquieted within me?
7 O put your trust in God; ♦
for I will yet give him thanks,
who is the help of my countenance, and my God.
8 My soul is heavy within me; ♦
therefore I will remember you from the land of Jordan,
and from Hermon and the hill of Mizar.
9 Deep calls to deep in the thunder of your waterfalls; ♦
all your breakers and waves have gone over me.
10 The Lord will grant his loving-kindness in the daytime; ♦
through the night his song will be with me,
a prayer to the God of my life.
11 I say to God my rock,
Why have you forgotten me, ♦
and why go I so heavily, while the enemy oppresses me?
12 As they crush my bones, my enemies mock me; ♦
while all day long they say to me, Where is now your God?
13 Why are you so full of heaviness, O my soul? ♦
and why are you so disquieted within me?
14 O put your trust in God; ♦
for I will yet give him thanks,
who is the help of my countenance, and my God.
Come, creator Spirit, source of life;
sustain us when our hearts are heavy
and our wells have run dry,
for you are the Father’s gift,
with him who is our living water,
Jesus Christ our Lord.
Psalm 43
1 Give judgement for me, O God,
and defend my cause against an ungodly people; ♦
deliver me from the deceitful and the wicked.
2 For you are the God of my refuge;
why have you cast me from you, ♦
and why go I so heavily, while the enemy oppresses me?
3 O send out your light and your truth, that they may lead me, ♦
and bring me to your holy hill and to your dwelling,
4 That I may go to the altar of God,
to the God of my joy and gladness; ♦
and on the lyre I will give thanks to you, O God my God.
5 Why are you so full of heaviness, O my soul, ♦
and why are you so disquieted within me?
6 O put your trust in God; ♦
for I will yet give him thanks,
who is the help of my countenance, and my God.
Come, creator Spirit, light and truth;
bring us to the altar of life
and renew our joy and gladness
in Jesus Christ our Lord.
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.
Joel 3.1-3, 9-end
Proclaim this among the nations:
Prepare war,
stir up the warriors.
Let all the soldiers draw near,
let them come up.
Beat your ploughshares into swords,
and your pruning-hooks into spears;
let the weakling say, I am a warrior.
Come quickly,
all you nations all around,
gather yourselves there.
Bring down your warriors, O Lord.
Let the nations rouse themselves,
and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat;
for there I will sit to judge
all the neighbouring nations.
Put in the sickle,
for the harvest is ripe.
Go in, tread,
for the wine press is full.
The vats overflow,
for their wickedness is great.
Multitudes, multitudes,
in the valley of decision!
For the day of the Lord is near
in the valley of decision.
The sun and the moon are darkened,
and the stars withdraw their shining.
The Lord roars from Zion,
and utters his voice from Jerusalem,
and the heavens and the earth shake.
But the Lord is a refuge for his people,
a stronghold for the people of Israel.
So you shall know that I, the Lord your God,
dwell in Zion, my holy mountain.
And Jerusalem shall be holy,
and strangers shall never again pass through it.
On that day
the mountains shall drip sweet wine,
the hills shall flow with milk,
and all the stream beds of Judah
shall flow with water;
a fountain shall come forth from the house of the Lord
and water the Wadi Shittim.
Egypt shall become a desolation
and Edom a desolate wilderness,
because of the violence done to the people of Judah,
in whose land they have shed innocent blood.
But Judah shall be inhabited for ever,
and Jerusalem to all generations.
I will avenge their blood, and I will not clear the guilty,
for the Lord dwells in Zion.
Canticle
A Song of Jerusalem our Mother, or another suitable canticle, for example, number 48 (page 600), may be said
Refrain:
AllThus says our God, I will
comfort you,
you shall see and your heart shall rejoice. Alleluia.
1‘Rejoice with
Jerusalem and be glad for her, ♦
all you who love her,’ says the Lord.
2 ‘Rejoice with
her in joy, ♦
all you who mourn over her,
3‘That you may
drink deeply with delight ♦
from her consoling breast.’
4For thus says our God,
♦
‘You shall be nursed and carried on her arm.
5‘As a mother comforts
her children, ♦
so I will comfort you;
6‘You shall see
and your heart shall rejoice; ♦
you shall flourish like the grass of the fields.’
Isaiah 66.10, 11a, 12a, 12c, 13a, 14a, b
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.
AllThus says our God, I will
comfort you,
you shall see and your heart shall rejoice. Alleluia.
Scripture Reading
One or more readings appointed for the day are read.
The reading(s) may be followed by a time of silence.
John 16.23-end
Jesus said to his disciples, On that day you will ask nothing of me. Very truly, I tell you, if you ask anything of the Father in my name, he will give it to you. Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be complete.
I have said these things to you in figures of speech. The hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figures, but will tell you plainly of the Father. On that day you will ask in my name. I do not say to you that I will ask the Father on your behalf; for the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God. I came from the Father and have come into the world; again, I am leaving the world and am going to the Father.
His disciples said, Yes, now you are speaking plainly, not in any figure of speech! Now we know that you know all things, and do not need to have anyone question you; by this we believe that you came from God. Jesus answered them, Do you now believe? The hour is coming, indeed it has come, when you will be scattered, each one to his home, and you will leave me alone. Yet I am not alone because the Father is with me. I have said this to you, so that in me you may have peace. In the world you face persecution. But take courage; I have conquered the world!
A suitable song or chant, or a responsory in this or another form, may follow
Your salvation is near to those who fear you;
that glory may dwell in our land.
AllYour salvation is near
to those who fear you;
that glory may dwell in our land.
Mercy and truth have met together;
righteousness and peace have kissed each other.
AllThat glory may dwell
in our land.
Glory to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit.
AllYour salvation is near
to those who fear you;
that glory may dwell in our land.
from Psalm 85
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:
AllShine on us, O God, who
dwell in darkness,
and guide us into the way of peace.
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:
AllShine on us, O God, who
dwell in darkness,
and guide us into the way of peace.
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 362–363
¶ Our homes, families, friends and all whom
we love
¶ Those whose time is spent caring for others
¶ Those who are close to death
¶ Those who have lost hope
¶ The worship of the Church
One of the forms of prayer found on pages 362–371 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
O God,
you know us to be set
in the midst of so many and great dangers,
that by reason of the frailty of our nature
we cannot always stand upright:
grant to us such strength and protection
as may support us in all dangers
and carry us through all temptations;
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
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)
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
The Lord bless us, and preserve us from all evil,
and keep us in eternal life.
AllAmen.
Let us bless the Lord. Alleluia, alleluia.
AllThanks be to God. Alleluia, alleluia.
©
The Archbishops’ Council of the Church of England, 2000–2005
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The Bible readings (other than the psalms) are from The New Revised Standard Version Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995 Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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