Thursday Morning Prayer

Morning Prayer

Thursday 17 June 2021

Preparation

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

1 God be gracious to us and bless us

and make his face to shine upon us,

2 That your way may be known upon earth,

your saving power among all nations.

3 Let the peoples praise you, O God;

let all the peoples praise you.

4 O let the nations rejoice and be glad,

for you will judge the peoples righteously

and govern the nations upon earth.

5 Let the peoples praise you, O God;

let all the peoples praise you.

6 Then shall the earth bring forth her increase,

and God, our own God, will bless us.

7 God will bless us,

and all the ends of the earth shall fear him.

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. Amen.

Psalmody

Psalm 56

1 Have mercy on me, O God, for they trample over me;

all day long they assault and oppress me.

2 My adversaries trample over me all the day long;

many are they that make proud war against me.

3 In the day of my fear I put my trust in you,

in God whose word I praise.

4 In God I trust, and will not fear,

for what can flesh do to me?

5 All day long they wound me with words;

their every thought is to do me evil.

6 They stir up trouble; they lie in wait;

marking my steps, they seek my life.

7 Shall they escape for all their wickedness?

In anger, O God, cast the peoples down.

8 You have counted up my groaning; put my tears into your bottle;

are they not written in your book?

9 Then shall my enemies turn back on the day when I call upon you;

this I know, for God is on my side.

10 In God whose word I praise, in the Lord whose word I praise,

in God I trust and will not fear: what can flesh do to me?

11 To you, O God, will I fulfil my vows;

to you will I present my offerings of thanks,

12 For you will deliver my soul from death and my feet from falling,

that I may walk before God in the light of the living.

Glory 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.

Psalm 57

1 Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me,

for my soul takes refuge in you;

2 In the shadow of your wings will I take refuge

until the storm of destruction has passed by.

3 I will call upon the Most High God,

the God who fulfils his purpose for me.

4 He will send from heaven and save me

and rebuke those that would trample upon me;

God will send forth his love and his faithfulness.

5 I lie in the midst of lions,

people whose teeth are spears and arrows, and their tongue a sharp sword.

6 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens,

and your glory over all the earth.

7 They have laid a net for my feet; my soul is pressed down;

they have dug a pit before me and will fall into it themselves.

8 My heart is ready, O God, my heart is ready;

I will sing and give you praise.

9 Awake, my soul; awake, harp and lyre,

that I may awaken the dawn.

10 I will give you thanks, O Lord, among the peoples;

I will sing praise to you among the nations.

11 For your loving-kindness is as high as the heavens,

and your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.

12 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens,

and your glory over all the earth.

Glory 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.

1st Reading

Job 23

Then Job answered:

‘Today also my complaint is bitter;

his hand is heavy despite my groaning.

O that I knew where I might find him,

that I might come even to his dwelling!

I would lay my case before him,

and fill my mouth with arguments.

I would learn what he would answer me,

and understand what he would say to me.

Would he contend with me in the greatness of his power?

No; but he would give heed to me.

There an upright person could reason with him,

and I should be acquitted for ever by my judge.

‘If I go forward, he is not there;

or backward, I cannot perceive him;

on the left he hides, and I cannot behold him;

I turn to the right, but I cannot see him.

But he knows the way that I take;

when he has tested me, I shall come out like gold.

My foot has held fast to his steps;

I have kept his way and have not turned aside.

I have not departed from the commandment of his lips;

I have treasured in my bosom the words of his mouth.

But he stands alone and who can dissuade him?

What he desires, that he does.

For he will complete what he appoints for me;

and many such things are in his mind.

Therefore I am terrified at his presence;

when I consider, I am in dread of him.

God has made my heart faint;

the Almighty has terrified me;

If only I could vanish in darkness,

and thick darkness would cover my face!

Canticle

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

1 Thus says God, who created the heavens,

who fashioned the earth and all that dwells in it;

2 Who 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;

my glory I give to no other.’

Glory 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.

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

2nd Reading

Romans 10.11-end

The scripture says, ‘No one who believes in him will be put to shame.’ For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all and is generous to all who call on him. For, ‘Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.’

But how are they to call on one in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in one of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone to proclaim him? And how are they to proclaim him unless they are sent? As it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!’ But not all have obeyed the good news; for Isaiah says, ‘Lord, who has believed our message?’ So faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the word of Christ.

But I ask, have they not heard? Indeed they have; for

‘Their voice has gone out to all the earth,

and their words to the ends of the world.’

Again I ask, did Israel not understand? First Moses says,

‘I will make you jealous of those who are not a nation;

with a foolish nation I will make you angry.’

Then Isaiah is so bold as to say,

‘I have been found by those who did not seek me;

I have shown myself to those who did not ask for me.’

But of Israel he says, ‘All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and contrary people.’

Gospel Canticle

1 Blessed be the Lord the God of Israel,

who has come to his people and set them free.

2 He has raised up for us a mighty Saviour,

born of the house of his servant David.

3 Through his holy prophets God promised of old

to save us from our enemies, from the hands of all that hate us,

4 To show mercy to our ancestors,

and to remember his holy covenant.

5 This was the oath God swore to our father Abraham:

to set us free from the hands of our enemies,

6 Free to worship him without fear,

holy and righteous in his sight all the days of our life.

7 And you, child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High,

for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way,

8 To give his people knowledge of salvation

by the forgiveness of all their sins,

9 In the tender compassion of our God

the dawn from on high shall break upon us,

10 To shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow

of death, and to guide our feet into the way of peace.

Glory 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.

Intercessions

Prayers for the needs of others – spend some time praying for those in need. Just share with the Lord what’s on your mind today…

The Collect

Lord, you have taught us

that all our doings without love are nothing worth:

send your Holy Spirit

and pour into our hearts that most excellent gift of love,

the true bond of peace and of all virtues,

without which whoever lives is counted dead before you.

Grant this for your only Son Jesus Christ's sake,

who is alive and reigns with you,

in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and for ever.

Amen.

Our 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.

The Conclusion

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

Let us bless the Lord. Thanks be to God.