Morning Prayer (Matins) in Contemporary Language

¶ Morning Prayer
from the day after Ascension Day
until the Day of Pentecost
Wednesday, 19 May 2021
Dunstan, Archbishop of Canterbury, Restorer of Monastic Life, 988 [Lesser Festival]

Preparation

O Lord, open our lips
Alland our mouth shall proclaim your praise.

Send your Holy Spirit upon us,
Alland clothe us with power from on high. Alleluia..

One or more of the following is said or sung:

this or another prayer of thanksgiving

Blessed are you, creator God,
to you be praise and glory for ever.
As your Spirit moved over the face of the waters
bringing light and life to your creation,
pour out your Spirit on us today
that we may walk as children of light
and by your grace reveal your presence.
Blessed be God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
AllBlessed be God for ever.

a suitable hymn, or A Song of God’s Righteousness

1Bless the Lord, O my soul, ♦
and all that is within me bless his holy name.

2Bless the Lord, O my soul, ♦
and forget not all his benefits;

3Who forgives all your sins ♦
and heals all your infirmities;

4Who redeems your life from the Pit ♦
and crowns you with faithful love and compassion;

5Who satisfies you with good things, ♦
so that your youth is renewed like an eagle’s.

6The Lord executes righteousness ♦
and judgement for all who are oppressed.

7He made his ways known to Moses ♦
and his works to the children of Israel.

8The Lord has established his throne in heaven, ♦
and his kingdom has dominion over all.

9Bless the Lord, you angels of his, ♦
you mighty ones who do his bidding
and hearken to the voice of his word.

10Bless the Lord, all you his hosts, ♦
you ministers of his who do his will.

11Bless the Lord, all you works of his,
in all places of his dominion; ♦
bless the Lord, O my soul.

Psalm 103.1-7, 19-22

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 2

Refrain: The Lord is the strength of his people, a safe refuge for his anointed.

1 Why are the nations in tumult, ♦
and why do the peoples devise a vain plot?

2 The kings of the earth rise up,
and the rulers take counsel together, ♦
against the Lord and against his anointed:

3 ‘Let us break their bonds asunder ♦
and cast away their cords from us.’ R

4 He who dwells in heaven shall laugh them to scorn; ♦
the Lord shall have them in derision.

5 Then shall he speak to them in his wrath ♦
and terrify them in his fury:

6 ‘Yet have I set my king ♦
upon my holy hill of Zion.’ R

7 I will proclaim the decree of the Lord; ♦
he 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 break them with a rod of iron ♦
and dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.’ R

10 Now therefore be wise, O kings; ♦
be prudent, you judges of the earth.

11 Serve the Lord with fear, and with trembling kiss his feet, ♦
lest he be angry and you perish from the way,
for his wrath is quickly kindled.

12 Happy are all they ♦
who take refuge in him.

Refrain: The Lord is the strength of his people, a safe refuge for his anointed.

Most high and holy God,
lift our eyes to your Son
enthroned on Calvary;
and as we behold his meekness,
shatter our earthly pride;
for he is Lord for ever and ever.

Psalm 29

Refrain: The Lord shall give his people the blessing of peace.

1 Ascribe to the Lord, you powers of heaven, ♦
ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.

2 Ascribe to the Lord the honour due to his 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. R

4 The voice of the Lord is mighty in operation; ♦
the voice of the Lord is a glorious voice.

5 The voice of the Lord breaks the cedar trees; ♦
the Lord breaks the cedars of Lebanon;

6 He makes Lebanon skip like a calf ♦
and Sirion like a young wild ox. R

7 The voice of the Lord splits the flash of lightning;
the voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness; ♦
the Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.

8 The voice of the Lord makes the oak trees writhe
and strips the forests bare; ♦
in his temple all cry, ‘Glory!’

9 The Lord sits enthroned above the water flood; ♦
the Lord sits enthroned as king for evermore.

10 The Lord shall give strength to his people; ♦
the Lord shall give his people the blessing of peace.

Refrain: The Lord shall give his people the blessing of peace.

Open our ears, glorious Lord Christ,
to hear the music of your voice
above the chaos of this world;
open our eyes to see the vision of your glory,
for you are our King, now and for 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.

Deuteronomy 31.30-32.14

Then Moses recited the words of this song, to the very end, in the hearing of the whole assembly of Israel:

Give ear, O heavens, and I will speak;
   let the earth hear the words of my mouth.
May my teaching drop like the rain,
   my speech condense like the dew;
like gentle rain on grass,
   like showers on new growth.
For I will proclaim the name of the Lord;
   ascribe greatness to our God!

The Rock, his work is perfect,
   and all his ways are just.
A faithful God, without deceit,
   just and upright is he;
yet his degenerate children have dealt falsely with him,
   a perverse and crooked generation.
Do you thus repay the Lord,
   O foolish and senseless people?
Is not he your father, who created you,
   who made you and established you?
Remember the days of old,
   consider the years long past;
ask your father, and he will inform you;
   your elders, and they will tell you.
When the Most High apportioned the nations,
   when he divided humankind,
he fixed the boundaries of the peoples
   according to the number of the gods;
the Lord’s own portion was his people,
   Jacob his allotted share.

He sustained him in a desert land,
   in a howling wilderness waste;
he shielded him, cared for him,
   guarded him as the apple of his eye.
As an eagle stirs up its nest,
   and hovers over its young;
as it spreads its wings, takes them up,
   and bears them aloft on its pinions,
the Lord alone guided him;
   no foreign god was with him.
He set him upon the heights of the land,
   and fed him with produce of the field;
he nursed him with honey from the crags,
   with oil from flinty rock;
curds from the herd, and milk from the flock,
   with fat of lambs and rams;
Bashan bulls and goats,
   together with the choicest wheat—
   you drank fine wine from the blood of grapes.

Canticle

A Song of Ezekiel, or another suitable canticle, for example, number 45 (page 597), may be said

Refrain:

AllThe Spirit of God fills the whole world. Alleluia.

1I will take you from the nations, ♦
and gather you from all the countries.

2I will sprinkle clean water upon you, ♦
and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses.

3A new heart I will give you, ♦
and put a new spirit within you,

4And I will remove from your body the heart of stone ♦
and give you a heart of flesh.

5You shall be my people, ♦
and I will be your God.

Ezekiel 36.24-26, 28b

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.

AllThe Spirit of God fills the whole world. Alleluia.

Scripture Reading

One or more readings appointed for the day are read.

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

1 John 3.11-end

For this is the message you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. We must not be like Cain who was from the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother’s righteous. Do not be astonished, brothers and sisters, that the world hates you. We know that we have passed from death to life because we love one another. Whoever does not love abides in death. All who hate a brother or sister are murderers, and you know that murderers do not have eternal life abiding in them. We know love by this, that he laid down his life for us—and we ought to lay down our lives for one another. How does God’s love abide in anyone who has the world’s goods and sees a brother or sister in need and yet refuses help?

Little children, let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action. And by this we will know that we are from the truth and will reassure our hearts before him whenever our hearts condemn us; for God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. Beloved, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have boldness before God; and we receive from him whatever we ask, because we obey his commandments and do what pleases him.

And this is his commandment, that we should believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us. All who obey his commandments abide in him, and he abides in them. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit that he has given us.

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

Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your people
Alland kindle in us the fire of your love.
All who are led by the Spirit of God
are children of God and fellow-heirs with Christ.
AllCome, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your people.
Renew the face of your creation, Lord,
pouring on us the gifts of your Spirit,
Alland kindle in us the fire of your love.
For the creation waits with eager longing
for the glorious liberty of the children of God.
AllCome, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your people
and kindle in us the fire of your love.

cf Romans 8

Gospel Canticle

The Benedictus (The Song of Zechariah) is normally said,
or The Song of Christ’s Glory (page 619) may be said

Refrain:

All I will give you shepherds after my own heart
who will feed you with knowledge and understanding. 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:

All I will give you shepherds after my own heart
who will feed you with knowledge and understanding. 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 364–365

¶ God’s royal priesthood, for empowerment by the Spirit
¶ Those who wait on God, that they may find renewal
¶ All people, that they may acknowledge the kingdom of the ascended Christ
¶ The earth, for productivity and for fruitful harvests
¶ All who are struggling with broken relationships

A form of prayer found on page 383 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

Almighty God,
who raised up Dunstan to be a true shepherd of the flock,
a restorer of monastic life
and a faithful counsellor to those in authority:
give to all pastors the same gifts of your Holy Spirit
that they may be true servants of Christ and of all his people;
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

Being made one by the power of the Spirit,
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)

Being made one by the power of the Spirit,
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 the Spirit kindle in us the fire of God’s love.
AllAmen.

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