O Lord, open our lips
Alland our mouth shall
proclaim your praise.
Let your ways be known upon earth,
Allyour saving power among
the nations.
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 a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief
your only Son was lifted up
that he might draw the whole world to himself.
May we walk this day in the way of the cross
and always be ready to share its weight,
declaring your love for all the world.
Blessed be God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
AllBlessed be God for ever.
a suitable hymn, or A Song of Lamentation
1Is it nothing to you,
all you who pass by? •
Look and see if there is any sorrow like my sorrow,
2Which was brought upon
me, •
which the Lord inflicted
on the day of his fierce anger.
3For these things I weep;
my eyes flow with tears; •
for a comforter is far from me,
one to revive my courage.
4Remember my affliction
and my bitterness, •
the wormwood and the gall!
5But this I call to mind,
•
and therefore I have hope:
6The steadfast love of
the Lord never ceases, •
his mercies never come to an end;
7They are new every morning;
•
great is your faithfulness.
8‘The Lord is my
portion,’ says my soul, •
‘therefore I will hope in him.’
9The Lord is good to
those who wait for him, •
to the soul that seeks him.
10It is good that we
should wait quietly •
for the salvation of the Lord.
11For the Lord will not
reject for ever; •
though he causes grief, he will have compassion,
12According to the abundance
of his steadfast love; •
for he does not willingly afflict or grieve anyone.
Lamentations 1.12, 16a,b; 3.19, 21-26, 31-33
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 Lord’s Gracious Deeds, or another suitable canticle, for example, number 23, number 42 or number 43, may be said
Refrain:
AllI will recount the gracious
deeds of the Lord,
the praises of the Most High.
1Who is this that comes
from Edom, •
coming from Bozrah, his garments stained crimson?
2Who is this in glorious
apparel, •
marching in the greatness of his strength?
3‘It is I, who
announce that right has won the day, •
it is I,’ says the Lord, ‘for I am mighty to save.’
4Why are your robes all
red, O Lord, •
and your garments like theirs who tread the winepress?
5‘I have trodden
the winepress alone, •
and from the peoples no one was with me.’
6I will recount the gracious
deeds of the Lord, •
the praises of the Most High;
7All that God has done
for us in his mercy, •
by his many acts of love.
8For God said, ‘Surely,
they are my people,
my children who will not deal falsely,’ •
and he became their Saviour in all their distress.
9So God redeemed them
by his love and pity; •
he lifted them up and carried them
through all the days of old.
Isaiah 63.1-3a, 7-9
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.
AllI will recount the gracious
deeds of the Lord,
the praises of the Most High.
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
We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you;
Allby your holy cross,
you have redeemed the world.
God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong.
AllWe adore you, O Christ,
and we bless you.
We preach Christ crucified,
the power of God and the wisdom of God.
AllBy your holy cross,
you have redeemed the world.
God forbid that I should glory,
save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.
AllWe adore you, O Christ,
and we bless you;
by your holy cross, you have redeemed the world.
cf 1 Corinthians 1 and Galatians 6
The Benedictus (The Song of Zechariah) is normally said,
or Saviour of the World may be said
Refrain:
AllThe word of the cross is
folly
to those who are perishing,
but to those who are being saved
it is the power of God.
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.
AllThe word of the cross is
folly
to those who are perishing,
but to those who are being saved
it is the power of God.
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 one of the following is said
(from the Fifth Sunday of Lent)
Most merciful God,
who by the death and resurrection of your Son Jesus Christ
delivered and saved the world:
grant that by faith in him who suffered on the cross
we may triumph in the power of his victory;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
AllAmen.
(or, from Palm Sunday)
Almighty and everlasting God,
who in your tender love towards the human race
sent your Son our Saviour Jesus Christ
to take upon him our flesh
and to suffer death upon the cross:
grant that we may follow the example of his patience and humility,
and also be made partakers of his resurrection;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
AllAmen.
The Lord’s Prayer is said
Standing at the foot of the cross,
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)
Standing at the foot of the cross,
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 Christ, who bore our sins on the cross,
set us free to serve him with joy.
AllAmen.
Let us bless the Lord.
AllThanks be to God.