Morning Prayer (Matins) in Contemporary Language

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 Compassion

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 27

Refrain: The Lord is my light and my salvation.

1 The Lord is my light and my salvation;
whom then shall I fear? ♦
The Lord is the strength of my life;
of whom then shall I be afraid?

2 When the wicked, even my enemies and my foes,
came upon me to eat up my flesh, ♦
they stumbled and fell.

3 Though a host encamp against me,
my heart shall not be afraid, ♦
and though there rise up war against me,
yet will I put my trust in him.

4 One thing have I asked of the Lord
and that alone I seek; ♦
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord
all the days of my life,

5 To behold the fair beauty of the Lord ♦
and to seek his will in his temple.

6 For in the day of trouble
he shall hide me in his shelter; ♦
in the secret place of his dwelling shall he hide me
and set me high upon a rock.

7 And now shall he lift up my head ♦
above my enemies round about me;

8 Therefore will I offer in his dwelling an oblation
with great gladness; ♦
I will sing and make music to the Lord. R

9 Hear my voice, O Lord, when I call; ♦
have mercy upon me and answer me.

10 My heart tells of your word, ‘Seek my face.’ ♦
Your face, Lord, will I seek.

11 Hide not your face from me, ♦
nor cast your servant away in displeasure.

12 You have been my helper; ♦
leave me not, neither forsake me, O God of my salvation.

13 Though my father and my mother forsake me, ♦
the Lord will take me up.

14 Teach me your way, O Lord; ♦
lead me on a level path,
because of those who lie in wait for me.

15 Deliver me not into the will of my adversaries, ♦
for false witnesses have risen up against me,
and those who breathe out violence.

16 I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord ♦
in the land of the living.

17 Wait for the Lord;
be strong and he shall comfort your heart; ♦
wait patiently for the Lord.

Refrain: The Lord is my light and my salvation.

God, our light and our salvation,
illuminate our lives,
that we may see your goodness in the land of the living,
and, looking on your beauty,
may be changed into the likeness of Jesus Christ our Lord.

Psalm 30

Refrain: You brought me up, O Lord, from the dead.

1 I will exalt you, O Lord,
because you have raised me up ♦
and have not let my foes triumph over me.

2 O Lord my God, I cried out to you ♦
and you have healed me.

3 You brought me up, O Lord, from the dead; ♦
you restored me to life from among those that go down to the Pit.

4 Sing to the Lord, you servants of his; ♦
give thanks to his holy name.

5 For his wrath endures but the twinkling of an eye,
his favour for a lifetime. ♦
Heaviness may endure for a night,
but joy comes in the morning. R

6 In my prosperity I said,
‘I shall never be moved. ♦
You, Lord, of your goodness,
have made my hill so strong.’

7 Then you hid your face from me ♦
and I was utterly dismayed.

8 To you, O Lord, I cried; ♦
to the Lord I made my supplication:

9 ‘What profit is there in my blood,
if I go down to the Pit? ♦
Will the dust praise you or declare your faithfulness?

10 ‘Hear, O Lord, and have mercy upon me; ♦
O Lord, be my helper.’ R

11 You have turned my mourning into dancing; ♦
you have put off my sackcloth and girded me with gladness;

12 Therefore my heart sings to you without ceasing; ♦
O Lord my God, I will give you thanks for ever.

Refrain: You brought me up, O Lord, from the dead.

Lord, you hide your face
when we trust in ourselves;
strip us of false security
and re-clothe us in your praise,
that we may know you
as the one who raises us from death,
as you raised your Son, our Saviour Jesus Christ.

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.

Ezekiel 28.1-19

The word of the Lord came to me: Mortal, say to the prince of Tyre, Thus says the Lord God:
Because your heart is proud
   and you have said, ‘I am a god;
I sit in the seat of the gods,
   in the heart of the seas’,
yet you are but a mortal, and no god,
   though you compare your mind
   with the mind of a god.
You are indeed wiser than Daniel;
   no secret is hidden from you;
by your wisdom and your understanding
   you have amassed wealth for yourself,
and have gathered gold and silver
   into your treasuries.
By your great wisdom in trade
   you have increased your wealth,
   and your heart has become proud in your wealth.
Therefore, thus says the Lord God:
Because you compare your mind
   with the mind of a god,
therefore, I will bring strangers against you,
   the most terrible of the nations;
they shall draw their swords against the beauty of your wisdom
   and defile your splendour.
They shall thrust you down to the Pit,
   and you shall die a violent death
   in the heart of the seas.
Will you still say, ‘I am a god’,
   in the presence of those who kill you,
though you are but a mortal, and no god,
   in the hands of those who wound you?
You shall die the death of the uncircumcised
   by the hand of foreigners;
   for I have spoken, says the Lord God.

Moreover, the word of the Lord came to me: Mortal, raise a lamentation over the king of Tyre, and say to him, Thus says the Lord God:
You were the signet of perfection,
   full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.
You were in Eden, the garden of God;
   every precious stone was your covering,
carnelian, chrysolite, and moonstone,
   beryl, onyx, and jasper,
sapphire, turquoise, and emerald;
   and worked in gold were your settings
   and your engravings.
On the day that you were created
   they were prepared.
With an anointed cherub as guardian I placed you;
   you were on the holy mountain of God;
   you walked among the stones of fire.
You were blameless in your ways
   from the day that you were created,
   until iniquity was found in you.
In the abundance of your trade
   you were filled with violence, and you sinned;
so I cast you as a profane thing from the mountain of God,
   and the guardian cherub drove you out
   from among the stones of fire.
Your heart was proud because of your beauty;
   you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendour.
I cast you to the ground;
   I exposed you before kings,
   to feast their eyes on you.
By the multitude of your iniquities,
   in the unrighteousness of your trade,
   you profaned your sanctuaries.
So I brought out fire from within you;
   it consumed you,
and I turned you to ashes on the earth
   in the sight of all who saw you.
All who know you among the peoples
   are appalled at you;
you have come to a dreadful end
   and shall be no more for ever.

Canticle

A Song of Deliverance, or another suitable canticle, for example, number 40 (page 591), may be said

Refrain:

AllAll the earth, shout and sing for joy,
for great in your midst is the Holy One. Alleluia.

1‘Behold, God is my salvation; ♦
I will trust and will not be afraid;

2‘For the Lord God is my strength and my song, ♦
and has become my salvation.’

3With joy you will draw water ♦
from the wells of salvation.

4On that day you will say, ♦
‘Give thanks to the Lord, call upon his name;

5‘Make known his deeds among the nations, ♦
proclaim that his name is exalted.

6‘Sing God’s praises, who has triumphed gloriously; ♦
let this be known in all the world.

7‘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

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.

AllAll the earth, shout and sing for joy,
for great in your midst is the Holy One. Alleluia.

Scripture Reading

One or more readings appointed for the day are read.

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

James 2.1-13

My brothers and sisters, do you with your acts of favouritism really believe in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ? For if a person with gold rings and in fine clothes comes into your assembly, and if a poor person in dirty clothes also comes in, and if you take notice of the one wearing the fine clothes and say, ‘Have a seat here, please’, while to the one who is poor you say, ‘Stand there’, or, ‘Sit at my feet’, have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts? Listen, my beloved brothers and sisters. Has not God chosen the poor in the world to be rich in faith and to be heirs of the kingdom that he has promised to those who love him? But you have dishonoured the poor. Is it not the rich who oppress you? Is it not they who drag you into court? Is it not they who blaspheme the excellent name that was invoked over you?

You do well if you really fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself.’ But if you show partiality, you commit sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it. For the one who said, ‘You shall not commit adultery’, also said, ‘You shall not murder.’ Now if you do not commit adultery but if you murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. So speak and so act as those who are to be judged by the law of liberty. For judgement will be without mercy to anyone who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgement.

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.
AllTrust 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.
AllTrust in the Lord with all your heart.
Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
AllTrust 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:

AllThey who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength;
they shall mount up with wings as an eagle. Alleluia.

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:

AllThey who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength;
they shall mount up with wings as an eagle. Alleluia.

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

¶ The media and the arts
¶ Farming and fishing
¶ Commerce and industry
¶ Those whose work is unfulfilling, stressful or fraught with danger
¶ All who are unemployed

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

God of peace,
who in the poverty of the blessed Clare
gave us a clear light to shine in the darkness of this world:
give us grace so to follow in her footsteps
that we may, at the last, rejoice with her in your eternal glory;
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.