All Saints’ Church Renhold Bedfordshire, England
Morning Prayer on Monday
Monday, 16 October 2023
Nicholas Ridley, Bishop of London, and Hugh Latimer, Bishop of Worcester, Reformation Martyrs, 1555 [Commemoration]
Preparation
O Lord, open our lips
and our mouth shall proclaim your praise.
Prayer of thanksgiving
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.
Blessed be God for ever.
A Song of God’s Compassion
The Lord is full of compassion and mercy,
slow to anger and of great kindness.
He will not always accuse us,
neither will he keep his anger for ever.
He has not dealt with us according to our sins,
nor rewarded us according to our wickedness.
For as the heavens are high above the earth,
so great is his mercy upon those who fear him.
As far as the east is from the west,
so far has he set our sins from us.
As a father has compassion on his children,
so is the Lord merciful towards those who fear him.
For he knows of what we are made;
he remembers that we are but dust.
Our days are but as grass;
we flourish as a flower of the field;
For as soon as the wind goes over it, it is gone,
and its place shall know it no more.
But the merciful goodness of the Lord is from of old
and endures for ever on those who fear him,
and his righteousness on children’s children;
On those who keep his covenant
and remember his commandments to do them. Psalm 103.8-18
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.
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.Amen.
The Word of God
Psalmody
Psalm 98
The Lord has made known his salvation.
Sing to the Lord a new song,
for he has done marvellous things.
His own right hand and his holy arm
have won for him the victory.
The Lord has made known his salvation;
his deliverance has he openly shown in the sight of the nations.
He has remembered his mercy and faithfulness
towards the house of Israel,
and all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God. R
Sound praises to the Lord, all the earth;
break into singing and make music.
Make music to the Lord with the lyre,
with the lyre and the voice of melody.
With trumpets and the sound of the horn
sound praises before the Lord, the King. R
Let the sea thunder and all that fills it,
the world and all that dwell upon it.
Let the rivers clap their hands
and let the hills ring out together before the Lord,
for he comes to judge the earth.
In righteousness shall he judge the world
and the peoples with equity.
The Lord has made known his salvation.
Lord God, just and true,
you make your salvation known in the sight of the nations;
tune the song of our hearts to the music of creation
as you come among us to judge the earth;
through our Saviour Jesus Christ.
Psalm 99
The Lord is king: let the peoples tremble;
he is enthroned above the cherubim: let the earth shake.
The Lord is great in Zion
and high above all peoples.
Let them praise your name, which is great and awesome;
the Lord our God is holy.
Mighty king, who loves justice,
you have established equity;
you have executed justice and righteousness in Jacob.
Exalt the Lord our God;
bow down before his footstool, for he is holy.
Moses and Aaron among his priests
and Samuel among those who call upon his name,
they called upon the Lord and he answered them.
He spoke to them out of the pillar of cloud;
they kept his testimonies and the law that he gave them.
You answered them, O Lord our God;
you were a God who forgave them
and pardoned them for their offences.
Exalt the Lord our God
and worship him upon his holy hill,
for the Lord our God is holy.
Lord God, mighty king,
you love justice and establish equity;
may we love justice more than gain
and mercy more than power;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Psalm 101
Blessed are those who fear the Lord.
I will sing of faithfulness and justice;
to you, O Lord, will I sing.
Let me be wise in the way that is perfect:
when will you come to me?
I will walk with purity of heart
within the walls of my house.
I will not set before my eyes
a counsel that is evil.
I abhor the deeds of unfaithfulness;
they shall not cling to me. R
A crooked heart shall depart from me;
I will not know a wicked person.
One who slanders a neighbour in secret
I will quickly put to silence.
Haughty eyes and an arrogant heart
I will not endure. R
My eyes are upon the faithful in the land,
that they may dwell with me.
One who walks in the way that is pure
shall be my servant.
There shall not dwell in my house
one that practises deceit.
One who utters falsehood
shall not continue in my sight. R
Morning by morning will I put to silence
all the wicked in the land,
To cut off from the city of the Lord
all those who practise evil.
Blessed are those who fear the Lord.
Keep us, O Lord,
in purity of heart and faithfulness to your commands,
that your servants may walk before you
in the way that is perfect;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
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.
The first may be read here,
Ecclesiasticus 22.6-22
Like music in time of mourning is ill-timed conversation,
but a thrashing and discipline are at all times wisdom.
Whoever teaches a fool is like one who glues potsherds together,
or who rouses a sleeper from deep slumber.
Whoever tells a story to a fool tells it to a drowsy man;
and at the end he will say, ‘What is it?’
Weep for the dead, for he has left the light behind;
and weep for the fool, for he has left intelligence behind.
Weep less bitterly for the dead, for he is at rest;
but the life of the fool is worse than death.
Mourning for the dead lasts seven days,
but for the foolish or the ungodly it lasts all the days of their lives.
Do not talk much with a senseless person
or visit an unintelligent person.
Stay clear of him, or you may have trouble,
and be spattered when he shakes himself.
Avoid him and you will find rest,
and you will never be wearied by his lack of sense.
What is heavier than lead?
And what is its name except ‘Fool’?
Sand, salt, and a piece of iron
are easier to bear than a stupid person.
A wooden beam firmly bonded into a building
is not loosened by an earthquake;
so the mind firmly resolved after due reflection
will not be afraid in a crisis.
A mind settled on an intelligent thought
is like stucco decoration that makes a wall smooth.
Fences set on a high place
will not stand firm against the wind;
so a timid mind with a fool’s resolve
will not stand firm against any fear.
One who pricks the eye brings tears,
and one who pricks the heart makes clear its feelings.
One who throws a stone at birds scares them away,
and one who reviles a friend destroys a friendship.
Even if you draw your sword against a friend,
do not despair, for there is a way back.
If you open your mouth against your friend,
do not worry, for reconciliation is possible.
But as for reviling, arrogance, disclosure of secrets, or a treacherous blow—
in these cases any friend will take to flight.
Canticle
Refrain:
All the earth, shout and sing for joy,
for great in your midst is the Holy One.
‘Behold, God is my salvation;
I will trust and will not be afraid;
‘For the Lord God is my strength and my song,
and has become my salvation.’
With joy you will draw water
from the wells of salvation.
On that day you will say,
‘Give thanks to the Lord, call upon his name;
‘Make known his deeds among the nations,
proclaim that his name is exalted.
‘Sing God’s praises, who has triumphed gloriously;
let this be known in all the world.
‘Shout and sing for joy, you that dwell in Zion,
for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.‘ Isaiah 12.2-6
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.
All the earth, shout and sing for joy,
for great in your midst is the Holy One.
Scripture Reading
The reading may be followed by a time of silence.
John 13.1-11
Now before the festival of the Passover, Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart from this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. The devil had already put it into the heart of Judas son of Simon Iscariot to betray him. And during supper Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going to God, got up from the table, took off his outer robe, and tied a towel around himself. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was tied around him. He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, ‘Lord, are you going to wash my feet?’ Jesus answered, ‘You do not know now what I am doing, but later you will understand.’ Peter said to him, ‘You will never wash my feet.’ Jesus answered, ‘Unless I wash you, you have no share with me.’ Simon Peter said to him, ‘Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!’Jesus said to him, ‘One who has bathed does not need to wash, except for the feet, but is entirely clean. And you are clean, though not all of you.’ For he knew who was to betray him; for this reason he said, ‘Not all of you are clean.’
Trust in the Lord with all your heart;
and be not wise in your own sight.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart;
and be not wise in your own sight.
In all your ways acknowledge him
and he will make straight your paths.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart.
Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart;
and be not wise in your own sight. from Proverbs 3
Gospel Canticle
The Benedictus (The Song of Zechariah) is said,
Refrain:
You have set us free to worship you without fear,
holy and righteous in your sight.
Blessed be the Lord the God of Israel,
who has come to his people and set them free.
He has raised up for us a mighty Saviour,
born of the house of his servant David.
Through his holy prophets God promised of old
to save us from our enemies,
from the hands of all that hate us,
To show mercy to our ancestors,
and to remember his holy covenant.
This was the oath God swore to our father Abraham:
to set us free from the hands of our enemies,
Free to worship him without fear,
holy and righteous in his sight
all the days of our life.
And you, child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High,
for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way,
To give his people knowledge of salvation
by the forgiveness of all their sins.
In the tender compassion of our God
the dawn from on high shall break upon us,
To 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
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.
Refrain:
You have set us free to worship you without fear,
holy and righteous in your sight.
Prayers
Intercessions are offered
¶ for the day and its tasks
¶ for the world and its needs
¶ for the Church and her life
¶ The media and the arts
¶ Farming and fishing
¶ Commerce and industry
¶ Those whose work is unfulfilling, stressful or fraught with danger
¶ All who are unemployed
These responses may be used
Lord, in your mercy
hear our prayer
Silence may be kept.
The Collect of the day is said
O God, forasmuch as without you
we are not able to please you;
mercifully grant that your Holy Spirit
may in all things direct and rule our hearts;
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. Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer is said
Let us pray with confidence as our Saviour has taught us
Our 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.
Amen.
Let us bless the Lord.
Thanks be to God.