Morning Prayer (Matins) in Contemporary Language

¶ Morning Prayer
Easter Season
Thursday, 1 May 2025
Philip and James, Apostles

Preparation

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

In your resurrection, O Christ,
Alllet heaven and earth rejoice. Alleluia.

One or more of the following is said or sung:

this or another prayer of thanksgiving

Blessed are you, Lord God of our salvation,
to you be praise and glory for ever.
As once you ransomed your people from Egypt
and led them to freedom in the promised land,
so now you have delivered us from the dominion of darkness
and brought us into the kingdom of your risen Son.
May we, the first fruits of your new creation,
rejoice in this new day you have made,
and praise you for your mighty acts.
Blessed be God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
AllBlessed be God for ever.

a suitable hymn, or the Easter Anthems

1Christ our passover has been sacrificed for us: ♦
so let us celebrate the feast,

2not with the old leaven of corruption and wickedness: ♦
but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

1 Corinthians 5.7b, 8

3Christ once raised from the dead dies no more: ♦
death has no more dominion over him.

4In dying he died to sin once for all: ♦
in living he lives to God.

5See yourselves therefore as dead to sin: ♦
and alive to God in Jesus Christ our Lord.

Romans 6.9-11

6Christ has been raised from the dead: ♦
the first fruits of those who sleep.

7For as by man came death: ♦
by man has come also the resurrection of the dead;

8for as in Adam all die: ♦
even so in Christ shall all be made alive.

1 Corinthians 15.20-22

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 139

Refrain: Search me out, O God, and know my heart.

1 O Lord, you have searched me out and known me; ♦
you know my sitting down and my rising up;
you discern my thoughts from afar.

2 You mark out my journeys and my resting place ♦
and are acquainted with all my ways.

3 For there is not a word on my tongue, ♦
but you, O Lord, know it altogether.

4 You encompass me behind and before ♦
and lay your hand upon me.

5 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, ♦
so high that I cannot attain it. R

6 Where can I go then from your spirit? ♦
Or where can I flee from your presence?

7 If I climb up to heaven, you are there; ♦
if I make the grave my bed, you are there also.

8 If I take the wings of the morning ♦
and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,

9 Even there your hand shall lead me, ♦
your right hand hold me fast.

10 If I say, ‘Surely the darkness will cover me ♦
and the light around me turn to night,’

11 Even darkness is no darkness with you;
the night is as clear as the day; ♦
darkness and light to you are both alike. R

12 For you yourself created my inmost parts; ♦
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.

13 I thank you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; ♦
marvellous are your works, my soul knows well.

14 My frame was not hidden from you, ♦
when I was made in secret
and woven in the depths of the earth.

15 Your eyes beheld my form, as yet unfinished; ♦
already in your book were all my members written,

16 As day by day they were fashioned ♦
when as yet there was none of them.

17 How deep are your counsels to me, O God! ♦
How great is the sum of them!

18 If I count them, they are more in number than the sand, ♦
and at the end, I am still in your presence. R

19 O that you would slay the wicked, O God, ♦
that the bloodthirsty might depart from me!

20 They speak against you with wicked intent; ♦
your enemies take up your name for evil.

21 Do I not oppose those, O Lord, who oppose you? ♦
Do I not abhor those who rise up against you?

22 I hate them with a perfect hatred; ♦
they have become my own enemies also.

23 Search me out, O God, and know my heart; ♦
try me and examine my thoughts.

24 See if there is any way of wickedness in me ♦
and lead me in the way everlasting.

Refrain: Search me out, O God, and know my heart.

Creator God,
may every breath we take be for your glory,
may every footstep show you as our way,
that, trusting in your presence in this world,
we may, beyond this life, still be with you
where you are alive and reign
for ever and ever.

Psalm 146

Refrain: The Lord shall reign for ever.

1 Alleluia.
Praise the Lord, O my soul:
while I live will I praise the Lord; ♦
as long as I have any being,
I will sing praises to my God.

2 Put not your trust in princes,
nor in any human power, ♦
for there is no help in them.

3 When their breath goes forth, they return to the earth; ♦
on that day all their thoughts perish. R

4 Happy are those who have the God of Jacob for their help, ♦
whose hope is in the Lord their God;

5 Who made heaven and earth,
the sea and all that is in them; ♦
who keeps his promise for ever;

6 Who gives justice to those that suffer wrong ♦
and bread to those who hunger. R

7 The Lord looses those that are bound; ♦
the Lord opens the eyes of the blind;

8 The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down; ♦
the Lord loves the righteous;

9 The Lord watches over the stranger in the land;
he upholds the orphan and widow; ♦
but the way of the wicked he turns upside down.

10 The Lord shall reign for ever, ♦
your God, O Zion, throughout all generations.
Alleluia.

Refrain: The Lord shall reign for ever.

Lord of all,
our breath and being come from you,
yet our earthly end is dust;
as you loose the bound and feed the hungry,
so bring us in your mercy through the grave and gate of death
to the feast of eternal life,
where you reign for evermore.

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.

Proverbs 4.10-18

Hear, my child, and accept my words,
   that the years of your life may be many.
I have taught you the way of wisdom;
   I have led you in the paths of uprightness.
When you walk, your step will not be hampered;
   and if you run, you will not stumble.
Keep hold of instruction; do not let go;
   guard her, for she is your life.
Do not enter the path of the wicked,
   and do not walk in the way of evildoers.
Avoid it; do not go on it;
   turn away from it and pass on.
For they cannot sleep unless they have done wrong;
   they are robbed of sleep unless they have made someone stumble.
For they eat the bread of wickedness
   and drink the wine of violence.
But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn,
   which shines brighter and brighter until full day.

Canticle

The following, or another suitable canticle, may be said or sung

Refrain:

AllThe Lord has anointed me
and sent me to bring good news to the oppressed. Alleluia.

1The Spirit of the Lord is upon me ♦
because he has anointed me.

2He has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed, ♦
to bind up the broken-hearted,

3To proclaim liberty to the captives, ♦
and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;

4To proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour, ♦
to comfort all who mourn,

5To give them a garland instead of ashes, ♦
the oil of gladness instead of mourning,
the mantle of praise instead of a faint spirit,

6That they may be called oaks of righteousness, ♦
the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified.

7For as the earth puts forth her blossom, ♦
and as seeds in the garden spring up,

8So shall the Lord God make righteousness and praise ♦
blossom before all the nations.

9You shall be called priests of the Lord; ♦
they shall speak of you as ministers of our God.

Isaiah 61.1-3, 11, 6a

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 Lord has anointed me
and sent me to bring good news to the oppressed. 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 1.1-12

James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ,

To the twelve tribes in the Dispersion:

Greetings.

My brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of any kind, consider it nothing but joy, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance; and let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking in nothing.

If any of you is lacking in wisdom, ask God, who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly, and it will be given you. But ask in faith, never doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind; for the doubter, being double-minded and unstable in every way, must not expect to receive anything from the Lord.

Let the believer who is lowly boast in being raised up, and the rich in being brought low, because the rich will disappear like a flower in the field. For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the field; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. It is the same with the rich; in the midst of a busy life, they will wither away.

Blessed is anyone who endures temptation. Such a one has stood the test and will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.

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

Death is swallowed up in victory.
AllWhere, O death, is your sting?
Christ is risen from the dead,
the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep.
AllDeath is swallowed up in victory.
The trumpet will sound
and the dead shall be raised.
AllWhere, O death, is your sting?
We shall not all sleep,
but we shall be changed.
AllDeath is swallowed up in victory.
Where, O death, is your sting?

from 1 Corinthians 15

Gospel Canticle

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

Refrain:

AllYou did not choose me but I chose you
and I appointed you to go out and bear fruit, fruit that shall last. 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:

AllYou did not choose me but I chose you
and I appointed you to go out and bear fruit, fruit that shall last. 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

¶ The people of God, that they may proclaim the risen Lord
¶ God’s creation, that the peoples of the earth may meet their responsibility to care
¶ Those in despair and darkness, that they may find the hope and light of Christ
¶ Those in fear of death, that they may find faith through the resurrection
¶ Prisoners and captives

A form of prayer found on page 382 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 Father,
whom truly to know is eternal life:
teach us to know your Son Jesus Christ
as the way, the truth, and the life;
that we may follow the steps
      of your holy apostles Philip and James,
and walk steadfastly in the way that leads to your 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

Rejoicing in God’s new creation,
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 God’s new creation,
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 risen Christ grant us the joys of eternal life.
AllAmen.

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