O Lord, open our lips
Alland our mouth shall
proclaim your praise.
Reveal among us the light of your presence
Allthat we may behold your
power and glory.
One or more of the following is said or sung:
this or another prayer of thanksgiving
Blessed are you, Sovereign God of all,
to you be praise and glory for ever.
In your tender compassion
the dawn from on high is breaking upon us
to dispel the lingering shadows of night.
As we look for your coming among us this day,
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.
a suitable hymn, or A Song of the King’s Glory
1The earth is the Lord’s
and all that fills it, •
the compass of the world and all who dwell therein.
2For he has founded it
upon the seas •
and set it firm upon the rivers of the deep.
3‘Who shall ascend
the hill of the Lord, •
or who can rise up in his holy place?’
4‘Those who have
clean hands and a pure heart, •
who have not lifted up their soul to an idol,
nor sworn an oath to a lie;
5‘They shall receive
a blessing from the Lord, •
a just reward from the God of their salvation.’
6Such is the company of
those who seek him, •
of those who seek your face, O God of Jacob.
7Lift up your heads,
O gates;
be lifted up, you everlasting doors; •
and the King of glory shall come in.
8‘Who is the King
of glory?’ •
‘The Lord, strong and mighty,
the Lord who is mighty in battle.’
9Lift up your heads,
O gates;
be lifted up, you everlasting doors; •
and the King of glory shall come in.
10‘Who is this King
of glory?’ •
‘The Lord of hosts,
he is the King of glory.’
Psalm 24
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 appointed psalmody is said.
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.
A Song of the Wilderness, or another suitable canticle, for example, number 30 or number 49, may be said
Refrain:
AllLift up your voice with
strength,
O herald of good tidings.
1The wilderness and the
dry land shall rejoice, •
the desert shall blossom and burst into song.
2They shall see the glory
of the Lord, •
the majesty of our God.
3Strengthen the weary
hands, •
and make firm the feeble knees.
4Say to the anxious,
‘Be strong, fear not,
your God is coming with judgement, •
coming with judgement to save you.’
5Then shall the eyes
of the blind be opened, •
and the ears of the deaf unstopped;
6Then shall the lame
leap like a hart, •
and the tongue of the dumb sing for joy.
7For waters shall break
forth in the wilderness, •
and streams in the desert;
8The ransomed of the
Lord shall return with singing, •
with everlasting joy upon their heads.
9Joy and gladness shall
be theirs, •
and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.
Isaiah 35.1, 2b-4a, 4c-6, 10
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.
AllLift up your voice with
strength,
O herald of good tidings.
One or more readings appointed for the day are read.
The reading(s) may be followed by a time of silence.
A suitable song or chant, or a responsory in this or another form, may follow
Now it is time to awake out of sleep,
Allfor the night is far
spent and the day is at hand.
Now is our salvation nearer than when we first believed,
Allfor the night is far
spent.
Let us therefore cast off the works of darkness
and put on the armour of light,
Allfor the day is at hand.
Put on the Lord Jesus Christ
and make no provision for the flesh,
Allfor the night is far
spent and the day is at hand.
from Romans 13
The Benedictus (The Song of Zechariah) is normally said, or A Song of Redemption may be said
From Advent Sunday until 16 December:
Refrain:
All Look
towards the east, O Jerusalem,
and see the glory that is coming from God.
From 17 December until Christmas Eve:
Refrain:
All Like
the sun in the morning sky,
the Saviour of the world will dawn;
like rain upon the meadows,
the Christ will come down upon us.
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.
From Advent Sunday until 16 December:
All Look
towards the east, O Jerusalem,
and see the glory that is coming from God.
From 17 December until Christmas Eve:
All Like
the sun in the morning sky,
the Saviour of the world will dawn;
like rain upon the meadows,
the Christ will come down upon us.
Intercessions are offered
¶ for the day and its tasks
¶ for the world and its needs
¶ for the Church and her life
This cycle and this prayer 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 or the following is said
Almighty God,
give us grace to cast away the works of darkness
and to put on the armour of light,
now in the time of this mortal life,
in which your Son Jesus Christ came to us in great humility;
that on the last day,
when he shall come again in his glorious majesty
to judge the living and the dead,
we may rise to the life immortal;
through him 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
Awaiting his coming in glory,
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)
Awaiting his coming in glory,
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.
May the Lord, when he comes,
find us watching and waiting.
AllAmen.
Let us bless the Lord.
AllThanks be to God.