Morning Prayer (Matins) in Contemporary Language

Blessed are you, sovereign God,
creator of heaven and earth,
to you be praise and glory for ever.
As your living Word, eternal in heaven,
assumed the frailty of our mortal flesh,
may the light of your love be born in us
to fill our hearts with joy as we sing:
Blessed be God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
AllBlessed be God for ever.

a suitable hymn, or A Song of the Bride

1I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, ♦
my soul shall exult in my God;

2Who has clothed me with the garments of salvation, ♦
and has covered me with the cloak of integrity,

3As a bridegroom decks himself with a garland, ♦
and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.

4For as the earth puts forth her blossom, ♦
and as seeds in the garden spring up,

5So shall God make righteousness and praise ♦
blossom before all the nations.

6For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent, ♦
and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest

7Until her deliverance shines out like the dawn, ♦
and her salvation as a burning torch.

8The nations shall see your deliverance, ♦
and all rulers shall see your glory;

9Then you shall be called by a new name ♦
which the mouth of God will give.

10You shall be a crown of glory in the hand of the Lord, ♦
a royal diadem in the hand of your God.

Isaiah 61.10,11; 62.1-3

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 19

Refrain: The commandment of the Lord is pure
and gives light to the eyes.

1 The heavens are telling the glory of God ♦
and the firmament proclaims his handiwork.

2 One day pours out its song to another ♦
and one night unfolds knowledge to another.

3 They have neither speech nor language ♦
and their voices are not heard,

4 Yet their sound has gone out into all lands ♦
and their words to the ends of the world.

5 In them has he set a tabernacle for the sun, ♦
that comes forth as a bridegroom out of his chamber
and rejoices as a champion to run his course.

6 It goes forth from the end of the heavens
and runs to the very end again, ♦
and there is nothing hidden from its heat. R

7 The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; ♦
the testimony of the Lord is sure
and gives wisdom to the simple.

8 The statutes of the Lord are right and rejoice the heart; ♦
the commandment of the Lord is pure
and gives light to the eyes.

9 The fear of the Lord is clean and endures for ever; ♦
the judgements of the Lord are true
and righteous altogether.

10 More to be desired are they than gold,
more than much fine gold, ♦
sweeter also than honey,
dripping from the honeycomb.

11 By them also is your servant taught ♦
and in keeping them there is great reward. R

12 Who can tell how often they offend? ♦
O cleanse me from my secret faults!

13 Keep your servant also from presumptuous sins
lest they get dominion over me; ♦
so shall I be undefiled,
and innocent of great offence.

14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
be acceptable in your sight, ♦
O Lord, my strength and my redeemer.

Refrain: The commandment of the Lord is pure
and gives light to the eyes.

Christ, the sun of righteousness,
rise in our hearts this day,
enfold us in the brightness of your love
and bear us at the last to heaven’s horizon;
for your love’s sake.

Psalm 20

Refrain: We will call on the name of the Lord our God.

1 May the Lord hear you in the day of trouble, ♦
the name of the God of Jacob defend you;

2 Send you help from his sanctuary ♦
and strengthen you out of Zion;

3 Remember all your offerings ♦
and accept your burnt sacrifice;

4 Grant you your heart’s desire ♦
and fulfil all your mind.

5 May we rejoice in your salvation
and triumph in the name of our God; ♦
may the Lord perform all your petitions. R

6 Now I know that the Lord will save his anointed; ♦
he will answer him from his holy heaven,
with the mighty strength of his right hand.

7 Some put their trust in chariots and some in horses, ♦
but we will call only on the name of the Lord our God.

8 They are brought down and fallen, ♦
but we are risen and stand upright.

9 O Lord, save the king ♦
and answer us when we call upon you.

Refrain: We will call on the name of the Lord our God.

Merciful God,
purify our hearts in the flame of your Spirit
and transform our toil into an offering of praise,
that we may reject the proud rule of might
and trust in Christ alone,
for he is our Lord for ever and ever.

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.

Jonah 1

Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah son of Amittai, saying, ‘Go at once to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up before me.’ But Jonah set out to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish; so he paid his fare and went on board, to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of the Lord.

But the Lord hurled a great wind upon the sea, and such a mighty storm came upon the sea that the ship threatened to break up. Then the mariners were afraid, and each cried to his god. They threw the cargo that was in the ship into the sea, to lighten it for them. Jonah, meanwhile, had gone down into the hold of the ship and had lain down, and was fast asleep. The captain came and said to him, ‘What are you doing sound asleep? Get up, call on your god! Perhaps the god will spare us a thought so that we do not perish.’

The sailors said to one another, ‘Come, let us cast lots, so that we may know on whose account this calamity has come upon us.’ So they cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah. Then they said to him, ‘Tell us why this calamity has come upon us. What is your occupation? Where do you come from? What is your country? And of what people are you?’ ‘I am a Hebrew,’ he replied. ‘I worship the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.’ Then the men were even more afraid, and said to him, ‘What is this that you have done!’ For the men knew that he was fleeing from the presence of the Lord, because he had told them so.

Then they said to him, ‘What shall we do to you, that the sea may quieten down for us?’ For the sea was growing more and more tempestuous. He said to them, ‘Pick me up and throw me into the sea; then the sea will quieten down for you; for I know it is because of me that this great storm has come upon you.’ Nevertheless, the men rowed hard to bring the ship back to land, but they could not, for the sea grew more and more stormy against them. Then they cried out to the Lord, ‘Please, O Lord, we pray, do not let us perish on account of this man’s life. Do not make us guilty of innocent blood; for you, O Lord, have done as it pleased you.’ So they picked Jonah up and threw him into the sea; and the sea ceased from its raging. Then the men feared the Lord even more, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows.

But the Lord provided a large fish to swallow up Jonah; and Jonah was in the belly of the fish for three days and three nights.

Canticle

A Song of the Messiah, or another suitable canticle, for example, number 21 (page 572) or number 26 (page 577), may be said

Refrain:

AllTo us a child is born,
to us a son is given. Alleluia.

1The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; ♦
those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness,
upon them the light has dawned.

2You have increased their joy and given them great gladness; ♦
they rejoiced before you as with joy at the harvest.

3For you have shattered the yoke that burdened them; ♦
the collar that lay heavy on their shoulders.

4For to us a child is born and to us a son is given, ♦
and the government will be upon his shoulder.

5And his name will be called: Wonderful Counsellor;
the Mighty God; ♦
the Everlasting Father; the Prince of Peace.

6Of the increase of his government and of peace ♦
there will be no end,

7Upon the throne of David and over his kingdom, ♦
to establish and uphold it with justice and righteousness.

8From this time forth and for evermore; ♦
the zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.

Isaiah 9.2, 3b, 4a, 6, 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.

AllTo us a child is born,
to us a son is given. Alleluia.

Scripture Reading

One or more readings appointed for the day are read.

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

Colossians 1.1-14

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,

To the saints and faithful brothers and sisters in Christ in Colossae:

Grace to you and peace from God our Father.

In our prayers for you we always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, for we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. You have heard of this hope before in the word of the truth, the gospel that has come to you. Just as it is bearing fruit and growing in the whole world, so it has been bearing fruit among yourselves from the day you heard it and truly comprehended the grace of God. This you learned from Epaphras, our beloved fellow-servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf, and he has made known to us your love in the Spirit.

For this reason, since the day we heard it, we have not ceased praying for you and asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of God’s will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you may lead lives worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, as you bear fruit in every good work and as you grow in the knowledge of God. May you be made strong with all the strength that comes from his glorious power, and may you be prepared to endure everything with patience, while joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the light. He has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

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

The Word of life which was from the beginning
Allwe proclaim to you.
The darkness is passing away
and the true light is already shining;
Allthe Word of life which was from the beginning.
That which we heard, which we saw with our eyes,
and touched with our hands,
Allwe proclaim to you.
For our fellowship is with the Father,
and with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
AllThe Word of life which was from the beginning
we proclaim to you.

from 1 John 1

Gospel Canticle

The Benedictus (The Song of Zechariah) is normally said, or Gloria in Excelsis (A Song of God’s Glory) (page 635) may be said

Refrain:

AllTo us is born a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord,
and all the heavenly hosts now sing,
Glory to God in the highest.

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:

AllTo us is born a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord,
and all the heavenly hosts now sing,
Glory to God in the highest.

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 Church, especially in places of conflict
¶ The Holy Land, for peace with justice, and reconciliation
¶ Refugees and asylum seekers
¶ Homeless people
¶ Families with young children

A form of prayer found on page 378 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

Lord God,
who gave grace to your servant Thomas Becket
to put aside all earthly fear
      and be faithful even to death:
grant that we, disregarding worldly esteem,
may fight all wrong,
uphold your rule,
and serve you to our life’s end;
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

Rejoicing in the presence of God here among us,
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)

Rejoicing in the presence of God here among us,
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, who has called us out of darkness
into his marvellous light,
bless us and fill us with peace.
AllAmen.

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