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Morning Prayer Lent Tuesday, 24 March 2020 Walter Hilton of Thurgarton, Augustinian Canon, Mystic, 1396 [Commemoration] Oscar Romero, Archbishop of San Salvador, Martyr, 1980 [Commemoration] Paul Couturier, Priest, Ecumenist, 1953 [Commemoration]
Preparation
O Lord, open our lips Alland our mouth shall proclaim your praise.
Hear our voice, O Lord, according to your faithful love, Allaccording to your judgement give us life.
One or more of the following is said or sung:
this or another prayer of thanksgiving
Blessed are you, God of compassion and mercy, to you be praise and glory for ever. In the darkness of our sin, your light breaks forth like the dawn and your healing springs up for deliverance. As we rejoice in the gift of your saving help, sustain us with your bountiful Spirit and open our lips to sing your praise. Blessed be God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. AllBlessed be God for ever.
a suitable hymn, or A Song of Penitence
1Have mercy on me, O God, in your great goodness; ♦ according to the abundance of your compassion blot out my offences.
2Wash me thoroughly from my wickedness ♦ and cleanse me from my sin.
3For I acknowledge my faults ♦ and my sin is ever before me.
4Against you only have I sinned ♦ and done what is evil in your sight,
5So that you are justified in your sentence ♦ and righteous in your judgement.
6Cast me not away from your presence ♦ and take not your holy spirit from me.
7Give me again the joy of your salvation ♦ and sustain me with your gracious spirit;
8Then shall I teach your ways to the wicked ♦ and sinners shall return to you.
9Deliver me from my guilt, O God, the God of my salvation, ♦ and my tongue shall sing of your righteousness.
Psalm 51.1-5, 12-15
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 54
Refrain:Behold, God is my helper.
1Save me, O God, by your name ♦ and vindicate me by your power.
2Hear my prayer, O God; ♦ give heed to the words of my mouth.
3For strangers have risen up against me, and the ruthless seek after my life; ♦ they have not set God before them.
4Behold, God is my helper; ♦ it is the Lord who upholds my life. R
5May evil rebound on those who lie in wait for me; ♦ destroy them in your faithfulness.
6An offering of a free heart will I give you ♦ and praise your name, O Lord, for it is gracious.
7For he has delivered me out of all my trouble, ♦ and my eye has seen the downfall of my enemies.
Refrain:Behold, God is my helper.
O living God, reach through the violence of the proud and the despair of the weak to create in Jesus Christ a people free to praise your holy name, now and for ever.
Psalm 79
Refrain:Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of your name.
1O God, the heathen have come into your heritage; ♦ your holy temple have they defiled and made Jerusalem a heap of stones.
2The dead bodies of your servants they have given to be food for the birds of the air, ♦ and the flesh of your faithful to the beasts of the field.
3Their blood have they shed like water on every side of Jerusalem, ♦ and there was no one to bury them.
4We have become the taunt of our neighbours, ♦ the scorn and derision of those that are round about us. R
5Lord, how long will you be angry, for ever? ♦ How long will your jealous fury blaze like fire?
6Pour out your wrath upon the nations that have not known you, ♦ and upon the kingdoms that have not called upon your name.
7For they have devoured Jacob ♦ and laid waste his dwelling place. R
8Remember not against us our former sins; ♦ let your compassion make haste to meet us, for we are brought very low.
9Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of your name; ♦ deliver us, and wipe away our sins for your name’s sake.
10Why should the heathen say, ♦ ‘Where is now their God?’ R
11Let vengeance for your servants’ blood that is shed ♦ be known among the nations in our sight.
12Let the sorrowful sighing of the prisoners come before you, ♦ and by your mighty arm preserve those who are condemned to die.
13May the taunts with which our neighbours taunted you, Lord, ♦ return sevenfold into their bosom.
14But we that are your people and the sheep of your pasture will give you thanks for ever, ♦ and tell of your praise from generation to generation.
Refrain:Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of your name.
When faith is scorned and love grows cold, then, God of hosts, rebuild your Church on lives of thankfulness and patient prayer; through Christ your eternal Son.
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.
Exodus 2.23-3.20
After a long time the king of Egypt died. The Israelites groaned under their slavery, and cried out. Out of the slavery their cry for help rose up to God. God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. God looked upon the Israelites, and God took notice of them.
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! Remove 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.
Then the Lord said, ‘I have observed the misery of my people who are in Egypt; I have heard their cry on account of their taskmasters. Indeed, I know their sufferings, and I have come down to deliver them from the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey, to the country of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. The cry of the Israelites has now come to me; I have also seen how the Egyptians oppress them. So come, I will send you to Pharaoh to bring my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt.’ But Moses said to God, ‘Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?’ He said, ‘I will be with you; and this shall be the sign for you that it is I who sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall worship God on this mountain.’
But Moses said to God, ‘If I come to the Israelites and say to them, “The God of your ancestors has sent me to you”, and they ask me, “What is his name?” what shall I say to them?’ God said to Moses, ‘I am who I am.’ He said further, ‘Thus you shall say to the Israelites, “I am has sent me to you.” ’ God also said to Moses, ‘Thus you shall say to the Israelites, “The Lord, the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you”: This is my name for ever, and this my title for all generations. Go and assemble the elders of Israel, and say to them, “The Lord, the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, has appeared to me, saying: I have given heed to you and to what has been done to you in Egypt. I declare that I will bring you up out of the misery of Egypt, to the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, a land flowing with milk and honey.” They will listen to your voice; and you and the elders of Israel shall go to the king of Egypt and say to him, “The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us; let us now go a three days’ journey into the wilderness, so that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God.” I know, however, that the king of Egypt will not let you go unless compelled by a mighty hand. So I will stretch out my hand and strike Egypt with all my wonders that I will perform in it; after that he will let you go.
Canticle
The Song of Manasseh, or another suitable canticle, for example, number 20 (page 570), number 33 (page 584) or number 41 (page 592), may be said
Refrain:
AllFull of compassion and mercy and love is God, the Most High, the Almighty.
1Lord almighty and God of our ancestors, ♦ you who made heaven and earth in all their glory:
2All things tremble with awe at your presence, ♦ before your great and mighty power.
3Immeasurable and unsearchable is your promised mercy, ♦ for you are God, Most High.
4You are full of compassion, long-suffering and very merciful, ♦ and you relent at human suffering.
5O God, according to your great goodness, ♦ you have promised forgiveness for repentance to those who have sinned against you.
6The sins I have committed against you ♦ are more in number than the sands of the sea.
7I am not worthy to look up to the height of heaven, ♦ because of the multitude of my iniquities.
8And now I bend the knee of my heart before you, ♦ imploring your kindness upon me.
9I have sinned, O God, I have sinned, ♦ and I acknowledge my transgressions.
10Unworthy as I am, you will save me, ♦ according to your great mercy.
11For all the host of heaven sings your praise, ♦ and your glory is for ever and ever.
Manasseh 1a, 2, 4, 6, 7a, b, 9a, c, 11, 12, 14b, 15b
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.
AllFull of compassion and mercy and love is God, the Most High, the Almighty.
Scripture Reading
One or more readings appointed for the day are read.
The reading(s) may be followed by a time of silence.
Hebrews 9.15-end
For this reason he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, because a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions under the first covenant. Where a will is involved, the death of the one who made it must be established. For a will takes effect only at death, since it is not in force as long as the one who made it is alive. Hence not even the first covenant was inaugurated without blood. For when every commandment had been told to all the people by Moses in accordance with the law, he took the blood of calves and goats, with water and scarlet wool and hyssop, and sprinkled both the scroll itself and all the people, saying, ‘This is the blood of the covenant that God has ordained for you.’ And in the same way he sprinkled with the blood both the tent and all the vessels used in worship. Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.
Thus it was necessary for the sketches of the heavenly things to be purified with these rites, but the heavenly things themselves need better sacrifices than these. For Christ did not enter a sanctuary made by human hands, a mere copy of the true one, but he entered into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. Nor was it to offer himself again and again, as the high priest enters the Holy Place year after year with blood that is not his own; for then he would have had to suffer again and again since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the age to remove sin by the sacrifice of himself. And just as it is appointed for mortals to die once, and after that the judgement, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin, but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.
A suitable song or chant, or a responsory in this or another form, may follow
To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul; AllO my God, in you I trust. You are the God of my salvation, AllTo you, O Lord, I lift up my soul. In you I hope all the day long. AllO my God, in you I trust. Remember, Lord, your compassion and love, for they are from everlasting. AllTo you, O Lord, I lift up my soul; O my God, in you I trust.
from Psalm 25
Gospel Canticle
The Benedictus (The Song of Zechariah) is normally said, or Saviour of the World (page 644) may be said
Refrain:
AllBlessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
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:
AllBlessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
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
¶ Those preparing for baptism and confirmation ¶ Those serving through leadership ¶ Those looking for forgiveness ¶ Those misled by the false gods of this present age ¶ All who are hungry
A form of prayer found on page 380 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
Merciful Lord, absolve your people from their offences, that through your bountiful goodness we may all be delivered from the chains of those sins which by our frailty we have committed; grant this, heavenly Father, for Jesus Christ's sake, our blessed Lord and Saviour, 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
Trusting in the compassion of God, 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)
Trusting in the compassion of God, 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 God our Redeemer show us compassion and love. AllAmen.
Let us bless the Lord. AllThanks be to God.