Morning Prayer on Thursday Thursday, 15 July 2021 Swithun, Bishop Of

¶ Morning Prayer on Thursday

Thursday, 15 July 2021

Swithun, Bishop of Winchester, c.862 [Lesser Festival]

Bonaventure, Friar, Bishop, Teacher of the Faith, 1274 [Commemoration]

Preparation

O Lord, open our lips

Alland our mouth shall proclaim your praise.

The Acclamation of Christ at the Dawning of the Day (page 108) may replace the Preparation as the start of Morning Prayer on any occasion.

One or more of the following is said or sung:

One of these prayers of thanksgiving (page 109),

Blessed are you, Sovereign God, creator of all, to you be glory and praise for ever.

You founded the earth in the beginning and the heavens are the work of your hands.

In the fullness of time you made us in your image, and in these last days you have spoken to us in your Son Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh.

As we rejoice in the gift of your presence among us let the light of your love always shine in our hearts, your Spirit ever renew our lives and your praises ever be on our lips.

Blessed be God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

AllBlessed be God for ever.

(or)

Blessed are you, creator of all, to you be praise and glory for ever.

As your dawn renews the face of the earth bringing light and life to all creation, may we rejoice in this day you have made; as we wake refreshed from the depths of sleep, 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. after Lancelot Andrewes (1626) or a suitable hymn, or A Song of God’s Blessing

♦ 1God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us,

♦ 2That your way may be known upon earth, your saving power among all nations.

♦ 3Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you.

♦ 4O let the nations rejoice and be glad, for you will judge the peoples righteously and govern the nations upon earth.

♦ 5Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you.

♦ 6Then shall the earth bring forth her increase, and God, our own God, will bless us.

♦ 7God will bless us, and all the ends of the earth shall fear him.

Psalm 67

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

Page 2 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 143

Refrain: Show me, O Lord, the way that I should walk in.

1 Hear my prayer, O Lord, ♦ and in your faithfulness give ear to my supplications; answer me in your righteousness.

♦ 2 Enter not into judgement with your servant, for in your sight shall no one living be justified.

3 For the enemy has pursued me, ♦ crushing my life to the ground, making me sit in darkness like those long dead.

♦ 4 My spirit faints within me; my heart within me is desolate. R

♦ 5 I remember the time past; I muse upon all your deeds;

I consider the works of your hands.

♦ 6 I stretch out my hands to you; my soul gasps for you like a thirsty land.

♦ 7 O Lord, make haste to answer me; my spirit fails me;

Page 3 hide not your face from me lest I be like those who go down to the Pit.

8 Let me hear of your loving-kindness in the morning, ♦ for in you I put my trust; show me the way I should walk in, for I lift up my soul to you. R

♦ 9 Deliver me, O Lord, from my enemies, for I flee to you for refuge.

♦ 10 Teach me to do what pleases you, for you are my God; let your kindly spirit lead me on a level path.

♦ 11 Revive me, O Lord, for your name’s sake; for your righteousness’ sake, bring me out of trouble.

12 In your faithfulness, slay my enemies, ♦ and destroy all the adversaries of my soul, for truly I am your servant.

Refrain: Show me, O Lord, the way that I should walk in.

Jesus, our companion, when we are driven to despair, help us, through the friends and strangers we encounter on our path, to know you as our refuge, our way, our truth and our life.

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.

Page 4 ♦ 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.

Page 5 If there are two Scripture readings, the first may be read here, or both may be read after the canticle.

Ezekiel 12.17-end

The word of the Lord came to me: Mortal, eat your bread with quaking, and drink your water with trembling and with fearfulness; and say to the people of the land,

Thus says the Lord God concerning the inhabitants of Jerusalem in the land of Israel: They shall eat their bread with fearfulness, and drink their water in dismay, because their land shall be stripped of all it contains, on account of the violence of all those who live in it. The inhabited cities shall be laid waste, and the land shall become a desolation; and you shall know that I am the Lord.

The word of the Lord came to me: Mortal, what is this proverb of yours about the land of Israel, which says, ‘The days are prolonged, and every vision comes to nothing’? Tell them therefore, ‘Thus says the Lord God: I will put an end to this proverb, and they shall use it no more as a proverb in Israel.’ But say to them, The days are near, and the fulfilment of every vision. For there shall no longer be any false vision or flattering divination within the house of Israel. But I the Lord will speak the word that I speak, and it will be fulfilled. It will no longer be delayed; but in your days, O rebellious house, I will speak the word and fulfil it, says the Lord

God.

The word of the Lord came to me: Mortal, the house of Israel is saying, ‘The vision that he sees is for many years ahead; he prophesies for distant times.’ Therefore say to them, Thus says the Lord God: None of my words will be delayed any longer, but the word that I speak will be fulfilled, says the Lord God.

Canticle

A Song of the Covenant, or another suitable canticle, for example, number 44 (page 596), may be said

Refrain:

AllI have given you as a light to the nations, and I have called you in righteousness.

♦ 1Thus says God, who created the heavens, who fashioned the earth and all that dwells in it;

♦ 2Who gives breath to the people upon it and spirit to those who walk in it,

♦ 3 ‘I am the Lord and I have called you in righteousness,

I have taken you by the hand and kept you;

♦ 4 ‘I have given you as a covenant to the people, a light to the nations, to open the eyes that are blind,

♦ 5‘To bring out the captives from the dungeon, from the prison, those who sit in darkness.

♦ 6‘I am the Lord, that is my name;

Page 6 my glory I give to no other.’

Isaiah 42.5-8a

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 have given you as a light to the nations, and I have called you in righteousness.

Scripture Reading

One or more readings appointed for the day are read.

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

2 Corinthians 8.16-9.5

But thanks be to God who put in the heart of Titus the same eagerness for you that I myself have. For he not only accepted our appeal, but since he is more eager than ever, he is going to you of his own accord. With him we are sending the brother who is famous among all the churches for his proclaiming of the good news; and not only that, but he has also been appointed by the churches to travel with us while we are administering this generous undertaking for the glory of the Lord himself and to show our goodwill. We intend that no one should blame us about this generous gift that we are administering, for we intend to do what is right not only in the Lord’s sight but also in the sight of others. And with them we are sending our brother whom we have often tested and found eager in many matters, but who is now more eager than ever because of his great confidence in you. As for Titus, he is my partner and co-worker in your service; as for our brothers, they are messengers of the churches, the glory of Christ. Therefore, openly before the churches, show them the proof of your love and of our reason for boasting about you.

Now it is not necessary for me to write to you about the ministry to the saints, for I know your eagerness, which is the subject of my boasting about you to the people of Macedonia, saying that Achaia has been ready since last year; and your zeal has stirred up most of them. But I am sending the brothers in order that our boasting about you may not prove to have been empty in this case, so that you may be ready, as I said you would be; otherwise, if some Macedonians come with me and find that you are not ready, we would be humiliated—to say nothing of you—in this undertaking. So I thought it necessary to urge the brothers to go on ahead to you, and arrange in advance for this bountiful gift that you have promised, so that it may be ready as a voluntary gift and not as an extortion.

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

Fear not, for I have redeemed you.

I have called you by name; you are mine.

AllFear not, for I have redeemed you.

I have called you by name; you are mine.

Page 7 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you.

When you walk through fire, you shall not be burned.

AllI have called you by name; you are mine.

Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.

AllFear not, for I have redeemed you.

I have called you by name; you are mine. from Isaiah 43

Gospel Canticle

The Benedictus (The Song of Zechariah) is normally said, or Gloria in Excelsis (A Song of God's Glory) (page 635) may be said

Refrain:

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

♦ 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,

Page 8 ♦ 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.

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 362–363

¶ Local government, community leaders

¶ All who provide local services

¶ Those who work with young or elderly people

¶ Schools, colleges and universities

¶ Emergency and rescue organizations

One of the forms of prayer found on pages 362–371 may be used.

These responses may be used

Lord, in your mercy hear our prayer

(or)

Page 9 Lord, hear us.

Lord, graciously hear us.

Silence may be kept.

The Collect of the day is said

Almighty God, by whose grace we celebrate again the feast of your servant Swithun: grant that, as he governed with gentleness

the people committed to his care, so we, rejoicing in our Christian inheritance, may always seek to build up your Church in unity and love; 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

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)

Let us pray with confidence as our Saviour has taught us

Page 10 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

The Lord bless us, and preserve us from all evil, and keep us in eternal life.

AllAmen.

Let us bless the Lord.

AllThanks be to God.

The Bible readings (other than the psalms) are from The New Revised Standard Version Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995 Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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