morning prayer
for epiphany
From Epiphany until Presentation inclusive
Introductory
Responses
Blessed are you, Son of
David;
born to rule,
you received gifts from
the magi.
Blessed are you, Son of
Man;
baptized by John,
you saved us from
ourselves.
Blessed are you,
servant Lord;
teaching and preaching,
healing and comforting,
you proclaimed God’s
gracious reign.
Let
heaven and earth shout their praise.
With all the voices of
heaven
we celebrate the coming
of our Saviour.
Let
heaven and earth shout their praise.
With all creatures on
earth
we sing and dance at
his birth.
Praise
and honour and glory to you, O Lord most high.
Morning Prayer continues with the Invitatory or the Psalm.
The
Invitatory
A Song of God’s Chosen One (Isaiah 11.1-4a, 6, 9)
There shall come forth
a shoot from the stock of Jesse, *
and a branch shall grow out of his roots.
And the Spirit of the
Lord shall rest upon him, *
the spirit of wisdom and understanding,
The spirit of counsel
and might, *
the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.
He shall not judge by
what his eyes see, *
or decide by what his ears hear,
But with righteousness
he shall judge the poor, *
and decide with equity for the meek of the earth.
The wolf shall dwell
with the lamb, *
and the leopard shall lie down with the kid.
The calf and the lion
cub together, *
with a little child to lead them.
They shall not hurt or
destroy in all my holy mountain, *
for the earth shall be full
of the knowledge of the Lord
as the waters cover the sea.
Glory to God, Source of
all being, eternal Word and Holy Spirit:
as it was in the
beginning, is now and will be for ever.
Amen.
or
Glory to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the
beginning, is now and will be for ever.
Amen.
Morning Prayer continues with the Psalm.
The
Psalm
The Psalm of the Day or one of the following may be used.
Sundays in Epiphany Psalm 98
1 Sing to the Lord a new song,
who has done marvellous things, *
whose
right hand and holy arm
has
won the victory for the Lord.
2 The Lord has made known the victory; *
you
have openly shown your righteousness
in
the sight of the nations.
3 You remember your mercy and
faithfulness
to the house of Israel, *
and
all the ends of the earth
have
seen your victory, O God.
4 Shout with joy to the Lord, all you
lands; *
lift
up your voice, rejoice and sing.
5 Sing to the Lord with the harp, *
with
the harp and the voice of song.
6 With trumpets and the sound of the
horn *
shout
with joy before our sovereign, the Lord.
7 Let the sea make a noise and all that
is in it, *
the
lands and those who dwell therein.
8 Let the rivers clap their hands, *
and
let the hills ring out with joy before the Lord,
who
is coming to judge the earth.
9 In righteousness shall God judge the
world *
and
the peoples with equity.
Lord God, we see your righteous rule in all your
works, and we join our voices with the song of your whole creation in praising
you. Amen.
Mondays in Epiphany Psalm 2
1
Why are the nations in an uproar? *
Why
do the peoples mutter empty threats?
2
Why do the rulers of the earth rise up in revolt,
and the princes plot together, *
against
the Lord and the Lord’s anointed?
3
“Let us break their yoke,” they say; *
“let
us cast off their bonds from us.”
4
The one whose throne is in heaven is laughing; *
the
Lord has them in derision.
5
Then God speaks to them in wrath, *
and
God’s rage fills them with terror.
6
“I myself have set my anointed *
upon
my holy hill of Zion.”
7
Let me announce the decree of the Lord, *
who
said to me, “You are my son;
this
day have I begotten you.
8
Ask of me, and I will give you the nations for your inheritance *
and
the ends of the earth for your possession.
9
You shall crush them with an iron rod *
and
shatter them like a piece of pottery.”
10
And now, you monarchs, be wise; *
be
warned, you rulers of the earth.
11
Submit to the Lord with fear, *
and
with trembling bow before God;
12
Lest God be angry and you perish;
for God’s wrath is quickly kindled. *
Happy
are they all
who
take refuge in God!
Ruler of heaven and earth, show us the power of
your saving love and bring us to share in your eternal reign of peace and
justice. Amen.
Tuesdays in Epiphany Psalm 78.1-7
1 Hear my teaching, O my people; *
incline
your ears to the words of my mouth.
2 I will open my mouth in a parable; *
I
will declare the mysteries of ancient times.
3 that which we have heard and known,
and
what our ancestors have told us, *
we
will not hide from their children.
4 We will recount to generations to come
the praiseworthy deeds and the power of the Lord,
*
who
has done wonderful works.
5 The Lord gave a decree to Jacob
and established a law for Israel, *
commanding
them to teach their children;
6 that the generations to come might
know,
and the children yet unborn; *
that
they in their turn might tell it to their children;
7 so that they might put their trust in
God, *
nor
forget those mighty deeds,
but
keep the commandments;
God of pilgrims, strengthen our faith, we
pray. Guide us through the uncertainties
of our journey and hold before us the vision of your eternal reign of justice
and peace. Amen.
Wednesdays in Epiphany Psalm 111
1 Hallelujah!
I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole
heart, *
in
the assembly of the upright, in the congregation.
2 Great are the deeds of the Lord! *
They
are studied by all who delight in them.
3 Your work is full of majesty and
splendour, *
and
your righteousness endures for ever.
4 You make your marvellous works to be
remembered; *
you,
Lord, are gracious and full compassion.
5 You give food to those who fear you; *
you
are ever mindful of your covenant.
6 You have shown your people the power
of your works *
in
giving them the lands of the nations.
7 The works of your hands are
faithfulness and justice; *
all
your commandments are sure.
8 They stand fast for ever and ever, *
because
they are done in truth and equity.
9 You send redemption to your people;
you commanded your covenant for ever; *
holy
and awesome is your name.
10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning
of wisdom; *
those
who act accordingly have a good understanding;
the
praise of the Lord endures for ever.
Generous and bountiful God, give us grace always
to thank you and share your gifts with others that the world may be filled with
joy. Amen.
Thursdays in Epiphany Psalm 29
1
Ascribe to the Lord, you gods, *
ascribe
to the Lord glory and strength.
2
Ascribe to the Lord the glory due God’s name; *
worship
the Lord in the beauty of holiness.
3
The voice of the Lord is upon the waters;
the God of glory thunders; *
the
Lord is upon the mighty waters.
4
The voice of the Lord is a powerful voice; *
the
voice of the Lord is a voice of splendour.
5
The voice of the Lord breaks the cedar trees; *
the
Lord breaks the cedars of Lebanon,
6
making Lebanon skip like a calf, *
and
Mount Hermon like a young wild ox.
7
The voice of the Lord *
splits the flames of fire;
8
the voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness; *
the
Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.
9 The voice of the Lord makes the oak trees writhe
and strips the forests bare. *
And in the temple of the Lord
all
are crying, “Glory!”
10 The sits enthroned above the flood; *
the
Lord sits enthroned as sovereign for evermore.
11 The Lord shall give strength to this people; *
the
Lord shall give this people the blessing of peace.
God of mystery and power, open our eyes to the flame
of your love, and open our ears to the thunder of your justice, that we may
receive your gifts of blessing and peace, to the glory of your name. Amen.
Fridays in Epiphany Psalm 57
1 Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful,
for I have taken refuge in you; *
in
the shadow of your wings will I take refuge
until
this time of trouble has gone by.
2 I will call upon you, the Most High
God, *
the
God who maintains my cause.
3 You will send from heaven and save me;
you will confound those who trample upon me; *
you
will send forth your love and your faithfulness.
4 I lie in the midst of lions that
devour the people; *
their
teeth are spears and arrows,
their
tongue a sharp sword.
5 They have laid a net for my feet,
and I am bowed low; *
they
have dug a pit before me,
but
have fallen into it themselves.
6 Exalt yourself above the heavens, O
God, *
and
your glory over all the earth.
7 My heart is firmly fixed, O God, my
heart is fixed; *
I
will sing and make melody.
8 Wake up, my spirit;
awake, lute and harp; *
I
myself will waken the dawn.
9 I will confess you among the peoples,
O Lord; *
I
will sing praise to you among the nations.
10 For your loving-kindness is greater
than the heavens, *
and
your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.
11 Exalt yourself above the heavens, O
God, *
and
your glory over all the earth.
God our help and strength, look with mercy on all
who are oppressed in mind, body or human dignity. Shield and protect them, and give them that
wholeness which is your will for all your children. Amen.
Saturdays in Epiphany Psalm 145.1-12
1
I will exalt
you, O God my sovereign, *
and
bless your name for ever and ever.
2 Every day will I bless you *
and
praise your name for ever and ever.
3
Great are you,
O Lord, and greatly to be praised; *
there
is no end to your greatness.
4
One generation
shall praise your works to another *
and
shall declare your power.
5
I will ponder
the glorious splendour of your majesty *
and
all your marvellous works.
6
They shall
speak of the might of your wondrous acts, *
and
I will tell of your greatness.
7
They shall
publish the remembrance of your great goodness; *
they
shall sing of your righteous deeds.
8
You, O Lord,
are gracious and full of compassion, *
slow
to anger and of great kindness.
9
You are loving
to everyone *
and
your compassion is over all your works.
10
All your works
praise you, O Lord, *
and
your faithful servants bless you.
11
They make known
the glory of your realm *
and
speak of your power;
12
that the
peoples may know of your power *
and
the glorious splendour of your realm.
Almighty God, give us grace to know you more and
more, that knowing we may love and loving we may praise, that the whole world
may hear your name and worship you. Amen.
The
Reading
A Reading from a daily lectionary or one of the following may be
used.
Sundays in Epiphany Exodus 3.1-6a
Moses was
keeping the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian; he led his
flock beyond the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire
out of a bush; he looked, and the bush was blazing, yet it was not
consumed. Then Moses said, “I must turn
aside and look at this great sight, and see why the bush is not burned
up.” When the Lord saw that he had turned aside to see, God called to him
out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he
said, “Here I am.” Then he said, “Come
no closer! Removed the sandals from your
feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” He said further, “I am the God of your
father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to
look at God.
Mondays in Epiphany Genesis 17.1-5
When Abram
was ninety-nine years old, the Lord
appeared to Abram, and said to him, “I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be
blameless. And I will make my covenant
between me and you, and will make you exceedingly numerous.” Then Abram fell on his face; and God said to
him, “As for me, this is my covenant with you:
You shall be the ancestor of a multitude of nations. No longer shall your name be Abram, but your
name shall be Abraham; for I have made you the ancestor of a multitude of
nations.”
Tuesdays in Epiphany Isaiah 41.17-20
When the
poor and needy seek water, and there is none, and their tongue is parched with
thirst, I the Lord will answer
them, I the God of Israel will not forsake them. I will open rivers on the bare heights, and
fountains in the midst of the valleys; I will make the wilderness a pool of
water, and the dry land springs of water.
I will put in the wilderness the cedar, the acacia, the myrtle, and the
olive; I will set in the desert the cypress, the plane and the pine together,
so that all may see and know, all may consider and understand, that the hand of
the Lord has done this, the Holy
One of Israel has created it.
Wednesdays in Epiphany Micah 4.6-7
In that day,
says the Lord, I will assemble the
lame and gather those who have been driven away, and those whom I have
afflicted. The lame I will make the
remnant, and those who were cast off, a strong nation; and the Lord will reign over them in Mount Zion
now and forevermore.
Thursdays in Epiphany Ezekiel 16.59-60, 62-63
Yes, thus
says the Lord God: I will deal with you as you have done, you
who have despised the oath, breaking the covenant; yet I will remember my
covenant with you in the days of your youth, and I will establish with you an
everlasting covenant. I will establish
my covenant with you, and you shall know that I am the Lord, in order that you may remember and be confounded, and
never open your mouth again because of your shame, when I forgive you all that
you have done, says the Lord God.
Fridays in Epiphany Hosea 14.4-7
I will heal
their disloyalty; I will love them freely, for my anger has turned from
them. I will be like the dew to Israel;
he shall blossom like the lily, he shall strike root like the forests of
Lebanon. His shoots shall spread out;
his beauty shall be like the olive tree, and his fragrance like that of
Lebanon. They shall again live beneath
my shadow, they shall flourish as a garden; they shall blossom like the vine,
their fragrance shall be like the wine of Lebanon.
Saturdays in Epiphany Leviticus 23.1-3
The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: Speak to the people of Israel and say to
them: These are the appointed festivals
of the Lord that you shall
proclaim as holy convocations, my appointed festivals. Six days shall work be done; but the seventh
day is a Sabbath of complete rest, a holy convocation; you shall do no work; it
is a Sabbath to the Lord
throughout your settlements.
After a period of silent reflection one of the following is said.
The word of the Lord.
Thanks
be to God.
or
Here what the Spirit is
saying to the church.
Thanks
be to God.
or
Holy Word, Holy Wisdom.
Thanks
be to God.
Morning Prayer continues with the Responsory or the Canticle.
The
Responsory
Out of Zion, perfect in
its beauty, *
you, O God, reveal
yourself in glory.
Out
of Zion, perfect in its beauty, *
you,
O God, reveal yourself in glory.
You, O Lord, the God of
gods, have spoken;
you have called the
earth from the rising of the sun to its setting. *
You,
O God, reveal yourself in glory.
Let the heavens declare
the rightness of your cause,
for you yourself are
judge. *
You,
O God, reveal yourself in glory.
Call upon me in the day
of trouble;
I will deliver you, and
you shall honour me.
You,
O God, reveal yourself in glory.
Glory to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. *
Out
of Zion, perfect in its beauty,
you,
O God, reveal yourself in glory.
or
Glory to God, Source of
all being, eternal Word and Holy Spirit. *
Out
of Zion, perfect in its beauty,
you,
O God, reveal yourself in glory.
Morning Prayer continues with the Canticle.
The
Canticle
A Song of Christ’s Appearing (1 Timothy 3.16; 6.16)
Christ Jesus was
revealed in the flesh *
and vindicated in the spirit.
He was seen by angels *
and proclaimed among the nations.
Believed in throughout
the world, *
he was taken up in glory.
This will be made
manifest at the proper time *
by the blessed and only Sovereign,
Who alone has
immortality, *
and dwells in unapproachable light.
Glory to God, Source of
all being, eternal Word and Holy Spirit:
as it was in the
beginning, is now and will be for ever.
Amen.
or
Glory to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the
beginning, is now and will be for ever.
Amen.
Morning Prayer continues with the Affirmation of Faith or the
Litany.
Affirmation
of Faith
Either of the following may be said.
The Apostles’ Creed
I
believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator
of heaven and earth.
I
believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, our Lord,
who
was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born
of the virgin Mary,
suffered
under Pontius Pilate,
was
crucified, died, and was buried;
he
descended to the dead.
On
the third day he rose again;
he
ascended into heaven,
he
is seated at the right hand of the Father,
and
he will come again to judge the living and the dead.
I
believe in the Holy Spirit,
the
holy catholic church,
the
communion of saints,
the
forgiveness of sins,
the
resurrection of the body,
and
the life everlasting. Amen.
Hear, O Israel
Hear,
O Israel,
the
Lord our God, the Lord is one.
Love
the Lord your God
with
all your heart,
with
all your soul,
with
all your mind,
and
with all your strength.
This
is the first and the great commandment.
The
second is like it:
Love
your neighbour as yourself.
There
is no commandment greater than these.
Morning Prayer continues with the Litany.
The
Litany
Let us pray to Christ,
the Sun of Righteousness, saying, “Word made manifest, hear our prayer.”
For all who walk in the
darkness of violence and oppression, and for all who by their life and
preaching cast into that darkness the light of God’s peace and justice, Word made manifest, hear our prayer.
For all who carry on
the teaching of prophets and apostles, and for the full communion in life and
worship of those who receive God’s word, Word
made manifest, hear our prayer.
For all who have at
their disposal this world’s riches, and for all who call out to them, Word made manifest, hear our prayer.
For all who raise their
eyes to the heavens looking for healing and deliverance, Word made manifest, hear our prayer.
For the rulers of the
earth, and for every child that stands in need of their protection, Word made manifest, hear our prayer.
For all who through
death have passed into the full epiphany of God’s glory, Word made manifest, hear our prayer.
Free prayer may be offered and silence is kept. After the silence the Collect of the Day or
one of the following collects may be said.
O God of light and
peace, whose glory, shining in the child of Bethlehem, still draws the nations
to yourself: dispel the darkness that
surrounds our path, that we may come to kneel before Christ in true worship,
offer him our hearts and souls, and return from his presence to live as he has
taught. Amen.
or
God of grace and glory,
you call us with your voice of flame to be your people, faithful and
courageous. As your beloved Son embraced
his mission in the waters of baptism, inspire us with the fire of your Spirit
to join in his transforming work. We ask
this in the name of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns for ever and
ever. Amen.
The
Lord’s Prayer
Gathering our prayers
and praises into one,
let us pray as our
Saviour taught 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.
Save
us from the time of trial,
and
deliver us from evil.
For
the kingdom, the power,
and
the glory are yours,
now
and for ever. Amen.
Morning Prayer continues with the Dismissal.
The
Dismissal
Let us bless the Lord
made manifest.
Thanks
be to God.
Then may be said.
May Christ, the Son of
God, be manifest in us, that our lives may be a light to the world. Amen.
Liturgical Resources Used
All scriptural passages are taken
from the New Revised Standard Version (c) 1989 by The National Council of
Churches.
The Psalms are taken from The Book of Alternative Services (c)
1985 by The Anglican Church of Canada.
They have been emended by the Rev’d Dr Richard Geoffrey Leggett for
inclusive language and, when necessary, renumbered to conform to the
versification of the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible.
The Psalm Prayers are taken from The Book of Alternative Services (c)
1985 by The Anglican Church of Canada and have been emended by the Rev’d Dr
Richard Geoffrey Leggett.
The Apostles’ Creed which originally
appeared in Praying Together (c) 1988
by the English Language Liturgical Consultation, is taken from Evangelical Lutheran Worship (c) by The
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
The Litany is adapted from Intercessions for the Christian People
(c) 1990 by Liturgical Press, p. 11.
The Collects after the Litany are the
thematic prayers for Epiphany and the Baptism of Christ as published in Revised Common Lectionary Prayers (c)
2002 by The Consultation on Common Texts.
The concluding Doxology is adapted
from The Book of Occasional Services 2003
(c) 2004 by The Church Pension Fund.
All other liturgical texts are taken
from The Book of Alternative Services
(c) 1985 by The Anglican Church of Canada with emendations by the Rev’d Dr
Richard Geoffrey Leggett.
