Morning Prayer (Matins) in Traditional Language

View the service for yesterday | today | tomorrow

Please note: Daily Prayer provided by the official Church of England web site, © The Archbishops' Council of the Church of England, 2002-2004.

				Morning Prayer from
				*The Book of Common Prayer*
				Wednesday, 16 January 2019
				The introduction to the service is used on Sundays, and may be used on any occasion. If the Introduction is not used, the service begins with the opening responses.
		¶		Introduction

				The minister may use a seasonal sentence before using one or more of the penitential sentences.

				The minister introduces the service

				Dearly beloved [brethren],
				the Scripture moveth us in sundry places to acknowledge
				and confess our manifold sins and wickedness;

				[and that we should not dissemble nor cloak them before
				the face of almighty God our heavenly Father;
				but confess them with an humble, lowly, penitent and
				obedient heart;
				to the end that we may obtain forgiveness of the same
				by his infinite goodness and mercy.
				And although we ought at all times humbly to acknowledge
				our sins before God;
				yet ought we most chiefly so to do,
				when we assemble and meet together
				to render thanks for the great benefits that we have
				received at his hands,
				to set forth his most worthy praise,
				to hear his most holy word,
				and to ask those things which are requisite and necessary,
				as well for the body as the soul.]

				Wherefore I pray and beseech you,
				as many as are here present,
				to accompany me with a pure heart, and humble voice,
				unto the throne of the heavenly grace, saying [after me]:

				(or)

				Beloved, we are come together in the presence of almighty God and of the whole company of heaven to offer unto him through our Lord Jesus Christ our worship and praise and thanksgiving; to make confession of our sins; to pray, as well for others as for ourselves, that we may know more truly the greatness of God's love and shew forth in our lives the fruits of his grace; and to ask on behalf of all men such things as their well-being doth require.

				Wherefore let us kneel in silence, and remember God's presence with us now.

		All		Almighty and most merciful Father,
				we have erred, and strayed from thy ways like lost sheep.
				We have followed too much the devices and desires
				of our own hearts.
				We have offended against thy holy laws.
				We have left undone those things
				which we ought to have done;
				and we have done those things
				which we ought not to have done;
				and there is no health in us.
				But thou, O Lord, have mercy upon us, miserable offenders.
				Spare thou them, O God, which confess their faults.
				Restore thou them that are penitent;
				according to thy promises declared unto mankind
				in Christ Jesu our Lord.
				And grant, O most merciful Father, for his sake,
				that we may hereafter live a godly, righteous, and sober life,
				to the glory of thy holy name.
				Amen.

				A priest says

				Almighty God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
				who desireth not the death of a sinner,
				but rather that he may turn from his wickedness and live;
				and hath given power, and commandment, to his ministers
				to declare and pronounce to his people, being penitent,
				the absolution and remission of their sins:
				he pardoneth and absolveth all them that truly repent
				and unfeignedly believe his holy gospel.
				Wherefore let us beseech him to grant us true repentance,
				and his Holy Spirit,
				that those things may please him which we do at this present;
				and that the rest of our life hereafter may be pure and holy;
				so that at the last we may come to his eternal joy;
				through Jesus Christ our Lord.
		All		Amen.

				or other ministers may say

				Grant, we beseech thee, merciful Lord,
				to thy faithful people pardon and peace,
				that they may be cleansed from all their sins,
				and serve thee with a quiet mind;
				through Jesus Christ our Lord.
		All		Amen.

		All		Our Father, which art in heaven,
				hallowed be thy name;
				thy kingdom come;
				thy will be done,
				in earth as it is in heaven.
				Give us this day our daily bread.
				And forgive us our trespasses,
				as we forgive them that 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.
		¶		Morning Prayer

				The introduction to the service is used on Sundays, and may be used on any occasion. If the Introduction is not used, the service begins with the opening responses.

				These responses are used

				O Lord, open thou our lips
		All		and our mouth shall shew forth thy praise.

				O God, make speed to save us.
		All		O Lord, make haste to help us.

				Glory be to the Father, and to the Son,
				and to the Holy Ghost;
		All		as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
				world without end. Amen.

				Praise ye the Lord.
		All		The Lord's name be praised.

				Venite, exultemus Domino

		1		O come, let us sing unto the Lord :
				let us heartily rejoice in the strength of our salvation.

		2		Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving :
				and shew ourselves glad in him with psalms.

		3		For the Lord is a great God :
				and a great King above all gods.

		4		In his hand are all the corners of the earth :
				and the strength of the hills is his also.

		5		The sea is his, and he made it :
				and his hands prepared the dry land.

		6		O come, let us worship, and fall down :
				and kneel before the Lord our Maker.

		7		For he is the Lord our God :
				and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand.

		[8		Today if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts :
				as in the provocation,
				and as in the day of temptation in the wilderness;

		9		When your fathers tempted me :
				proved me, and saw my works.

		10		Forty years long was I grieved with this generation, and said :
				It is a people that do err in their hearts,
				for they have not known my ways.

		11		Unto whom I sware in my wrath :
				that they should not enter into my rest.]
				Psalm 95

				Glory be to the Father, and to the Son :
				and to the Holy Ghost;
				as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be :
				world without end. Amen.

				Psalmody
				Psalm 79

		1		O God, the heathen are come into thine inheritance :
				thy holy temple have they defiled, and made Jerusalem an heap of stones.

		2		The dead bodies of thy servants have they given to be meat unto the fowls of the air :
				and the flesh of thy saints unto the beasts of the land.

		3		Their blood have they shed like water on every side of Jerusalem :
				and there was no man to bury them.

		4		We are become an open shame to our enemies :
				a very scorn and derision unto them that are round about us.

		5		Lord, how long wilt thou be angry :
				shall thy jealousy burn like fire for ever?

		6		Pour out thine indignation upon the heathen that have not known thee :
				and upon the kingdoms that have not called upon thy Name.

		7		For they have devoured Jacob :
				and laid waste his dwelling-place.

		8		O remember not our old sins, but have mercy upon us, and that soon :
				for we are come to great misery.

		9		Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of thy Name :
				O deliver us, and be merciful unto our sins, for thy Name’s sake.

		10		Wherefore do the heathen say :
				Where is now their God?

		11		O let the vengeance of thy servants’ blood that is shed :
				be openly shewed upon the heathen in our sight.

		12		O let the sorrowful sighing of the prisoners come before thee :
				according to the greatness of thy power, preserve thou those that are appointed to die.

		13		And for the blasphemy wherewith our neighbours have blasphemed thee :
				reward thou them, O Lord, seven-fold into their bosom.

		14		So we, that are thy people, and sheep of thy pasture, shall give thee thanks for ever :
				and will alway be shewing forth thy praise from generation to generation.
				Psalm 80

		1		Hear, O thou Shepherd of Israel, thou that leadest Joseph like a sheep :
				shew thyself also, thou that sittest upon the cherubims.

		2		Before Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasses :
				stir up thy strength, and come, and help us.

		3		Turn us again, O God :
				shew the light of thy countenance, and we shall be whole.

		4		O Lord God of hosts :
				how long wilt thou be angry with thy people that prayeth?

		5		Thou feedest them with the bread of tears :
				and givest them plenteousness of tears to drink.

		6		Thou hast made us a very strife unto our neighbours :
				and our enemies laugh us to scorn.

		7		Turn us again, thou God of hosts :
				shew the light of thy countenance, and we shall be whole.

		8		Thou hast brought a vine out of Egypt :
				thou hast cast out the heathen, and planted it.

		9		Thou madest room for it :
				and when it had taken root it filled the land.

		10		The hills were covered with the shadow of it :
				and the boughs thereof were like the goodly cedar-trees.

		11		She stretched out her branches unto the sea :
				and her boughs unto the river.

		12		Why hast thou then broken down her hedge :
				that all they that go by pluck off her grapes?

		13		The wild boar out of the wood doth root it up :
				and the wild beasts of the field devour it.

		14		Turn thee again, thou God of hosts, look down from heaven :
				behold, and visit this vine;

		15		And the place of the vineyard that thy right hand hath planted :
				and the branch that thou madest so strong for thyself.

		16		It is burnt with fire, and cut down :
				and they shall perish at the rebuke of thy countenance.

		17		Let thy hand be upon the man of thy right hand :
				and upon the son of man, whom thou madest so strong for thine own self.

		18		And so will not we go back from thee :
				O let us live, and we shall call upon thy Name.

		19		Turn us again, O Lord God of hosts :
				shew the light of thy countenance, and we shall be whole.
				Psalm 81

		1		Sing we merrily unto God our strength :
				make a cheerful noise unto the God of Jacob.

		2		Take the psalm, bring hither the tabret :
				the merry harp with the lute.

		3		Blow up the trumpet in the new-moon :
				even in the time appointed, and upon our solemn feast-day.

		4		For this was made a statute for Israel :
				and a law of the God of Jacob.

		5		This he ordained in Joseph for a testimony :
				when he came out of the land of Egypt, and had heard a strange language.

		6		I eased his shoulder from the burden :
				and his hands were delivered from making the pots.

		7		Thou calledst upon me in troubles, and I delivered thee :
				and heard thee what time as the storm fell upon thee.

		8		I proved thee also :
				at the waters of strife.

		9		Hear, O my people, and I will assure thee, O Israel :
				if thou wilt hearken unto me,

		10		There shall no strange god be in thee :
				neither shalt thou worship any other god.

		11		I am the Lord thy God, who brought thee out of the land of Egypt :
				open thy mouth wide, and I shall fill it.

		12		But my people would not hear my voice :
				and Israel would not obey me.

		13		So I gave them up unto their own hearts’ lusts :
				and let them follow their own imaginations.

		14		O that my people would have hearkened unto me :
				for if Israel had walked in my ways,

		15		I should soon have put down their enemies :
				and turned my hand against their adversaries.

		16		The haters of the Lord should have been found liars :
				but their time should have endured for ever.

		17		He should have fed them also with the finest wheat-flour :
				and with honey out of the stony rock should I have satisfied thee.


				At the end of each psalm these words are said or sung

				Glory be to the Father, and to the Son :
				and to the Holy Ghost;
				as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be :
				world without end. Amen.

				Old Testament Reading
				First Reading: Amos 3 Hear this word that the Lord hath spoken against you, O children of Israel, against the whole family which I brought up from the land of Egypt, saying, You only have I known of all the families of the earth: therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities. Can two walk together, except they be agreed? Will a lion roar in the forest, when he hath no prey? will a young lion cry out of his den, if he have taken nothing? Can a bird fall in a snare upon the earth, where no gin is for him? shall one take up a snare from the earth, and have taken nothing at all? Shall a trumpet be blown in the city, and the people not be afraid? shall there be evil in a city, and the Lord hath not done it? Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets. The lion hath roared, who will not fear? the Lord God hath spoken, who can but prophesy? Publish in the palaces at Ashdod, and in the palaces in the land of Egypt, and say, Assemble yourselves upon the mountains of Samaria, and behold the great tumults in the midst thereof, and the oppressed in the midst thereof. For they know not to do right, saith the Lord, who store up violence and robbery in their palaces. Therefore thus saith the Lord God; An adversary there shall be even round about the land; and he shall bring down thy strength from thee, and thy palaces shall be spoiled. Thus saith the Lord; As the shepherd taketh out of the mouth of the lion two legs, or a piece of an ear; so shall the children of Israel be taken out that dwell in Samaria in the corner of a bed, and in Damascus in a couch. Hear ye, and testify in the house of Jacob, saith the Lord God, the God of hosts, That in the day that I shall visit the transgressions of Israel upon him I will also visit the altars of Bethel: and the horns of the altar shall be cut off, and fall to the ground. And I will smite the winter house with the summer house; and the houses of ivory shall perish, and the great houses shall have an end, saith the Lord.

				Te Deum Laudamus

				Either the Te Deum Laudamus (as follows) or Benedicite, omnia opera is said or sung.

				We praise thee, O God; we acknowledge thee to be the Lord.
				All the earth doth worship thee, the Father everlasting.
				To thee all angels cry aloud, the heavens and all the powers therein.
				To thee cherubin and seraphin continually do cry,
				Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of Sabaoth;
				Heaven and earth are full of the majesty of thy glory.
				The glorious company of the apostles praise thee.
				The goodly fellowship of the prophets praise thee.
				The noble army of martyrs praise thee.
				The holy Church throughout all the world doth acknowledge thee:
				the Father of an infinite majesty;
				thine honourable, true and only Son;
				also the Holy Ghost the Comforter.

				Thou art the King of glory, O Christ.
				Thou art the everlasting Son of the Father.
				When thou tookest upon thee to deliver man,
				thou didst not abhor the Virgin's womb.
				When thou hadst overcome the sharpness of death,
				thou didst open the kingdom of heaven to all believers.
				Thou sittest at the right hand of God, in the glory of the Father.
				We believe that thou shalt come to be our judge.
				We therefore pray thee, help thy servants,
				whom thou hast redeemed with thy precious blood.
				Make them to be numbered with thy saints in glory everlasting.

				O Lord, save thy people and bless thine heritage.
				Govern them and lift them up for ever.
				Day by day we magnify thee;
				and we worship thy name, ever world without end.
				Vouchsafe, O Lord, to keep us this day without sin.
				O Lord, have mercy upon us, have mercy upon us.
				O Lord, let thy mercy lighten upon us, as our trust is in thee.
				O Lord, in thee have I trusted; let me never be confounded.

				New Testament Reading
				Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 2 And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling. And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought: But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory: Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man. For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? but we have the mind of Christ.

				Benedictus

				Either The Benedictus (as follows) or Jubilate Deo (Psalm 100) is said or sung.

		1		Blessed be the Lord God of Israel :
				for he hath visited, and redeemed his people;

		2		And hath raised up a mighty salvation for us :
				in the house of his servant David;

		3		As he spake by the mouth of his holy Prophets :
				which have been since the world began;

		4		That we should be saved from our enemies :
				and from the hands of all that hate us;

		5		To perform the mercy promised to our forefathers :
				and to remember his holy covenant;

		6		To perform the oath which he sware to our forefather Abraham :
				that he would give us,

		7		That we being delivered out of the hands of our enemies :
				might serve him without fear,

		8		In holiness and righteousness before him :
				all the days of our life.

		9		And thou, child, shalt be called the Prophet of the Highest :
				for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways;

		10		To give knowledge of salvation unto his people :
				for the remission of their sins;

		11		Through the tender mercy of our God :
				whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us;

		12		To give light to them that sit in darkness,
				and in the shadow of death :
				and to guide our feet into the way of peace.
				Luke 1.68-79

				Glory be to the Father, and to the Son :
				and to the Holy Ghost;
				as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be :
				world without end. Amen.

				The Apostles' Creed

		All		I believe in God the Father almighty,
				maker of heaven and earth:
				and in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord,
				who was conceived by the Holy Ghost,
				born of the Virgin Mary,
				suffered under Pontius Pilate,
				was crucified, dead, and buried.
				He descended into hell;
				the third day he rose again from the dead;
				he ascended into heaven,
				and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father almighty;
				from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.
				I believe in the Holy Ghost;
				the holy catholic Church;
				the communion of saints;
				the forgiveness of sins;
				the resurrection of the body,
				and the life everlasting.
				Amen.

				Prayers

				The Lord be with you.
		All		And with thy spirit.

				Let us pray.

				Lord, have mercy upon us.
		All		Christ, have mercy upon us.
				Lord, have mercy upon us.

		All		Our Father, which art in heaven,
				hallowed be thy name;
				thy kingdom come;
				thy will be done,
				in earth as it is in heaven.
				Give us this day our daily bread.
				And forgive us our trespasses,
				as we forgive them that trespass against us.
				And lead us not into temptation;
				but deliver us from evil. Amen.

				O Lord, shew thy mercy upon us.
		All		And grant us thy salvation.

				O Lord, save the Queen.
		All		And mercifully hear us when we call upon thee.

				Endue thy ministers with righteousness.
		All		And make thy chosen people joyful.

				O Lord, save thy people.
		All		And bless thine inheritance.

				Give peace in our time, O Lord.
		All		Because there is none other that fighteth for us,
				but only thou, O God.

				O God, make clean our hearts within us.
		All		And take not thy Holy Spirit from us.

				Three Collects are said.

				The Collect of the Day

				O Lord, we beseech thee mercifully to receive the prayers of thy people which call upon thee; and grant that they may both perceive and know what things they ought to do, and also may have grace and power faithfully to fulfil the same; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
		All		Amen.


				The Collect for Peace

				O God, who art the author of peace and lover of concord,
				in knowledge of whom standeth our eternal life,
				whose service is perfect freedom;
				defend us thy humble servants in all assaults of our enemies;
				that we, surely trusting in thy defence,
				may not fear the power of any adversaries;
				through the might of Jesus Christ our Lord.
		All		Amen.

				The Collect for Grace

				O Lord, our heavenly Father,
				almighty and everlasting God,
				who hast safely brought us to the beginning of this day;
				defend us in the same with thy mighty power;
				and grant that this day we fall into no sin,
				neither run into any kind of danger,
				but that all our doings may be ordered by thy governance,
				to do always that is righteous in thy sight;
				through Jesus Christ our Lord.
		All		Amen.

				The order for the end of the service may include:

				¶ hymns or anthems
				¶ a sermon
				¶ further prayers (which may include prayers from here)

				This prayer may be used to conclude the service

				The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,
				and the love of God,
				and the fellowship of the Holy Ghost,
				be with us all evermore.
		All		Amen.

© The Archbishops' Council of the Church of England, 2000-2004
All of the official Common Worship publications are available from Church House Publishing.

Daily Prayer

Morning Prayer (Matins) in Traditional Language

Psalm 79

Psalm 80

Psalm 81

First Reading: Amos 3

Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 2