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Monday, January 4, 2027

Morning Prayer

Christmastide

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Prayer Guidance

OFFICIANT

Behold, the dwelling of God is with mankind. He will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself will be with them, and be their God.

Revelation 21:3

OFFICIANT

Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.

Revelation 21:3

Confession of Sin

OFFICIANT

Let us confess our sins against God and our neighbor.

OFFICIANT

Let us humbly confess our sins unto Almighty God.

Silence may be kept.

Officiant and People together, all kneeling

ALL

Most merciful God, we confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done, and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We are truly sorry and we humbly repent. For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and forgive us; that we may delight in your will, and walk in your ways, to the glory of your Name. Amen.

ALL

Almighty and most merciful Father, we have erred and strayed from thy ways like lost sheep, we have followed too much the devices and desires of our own hearts, we have offended against thy holy laws, we have left undone those things which we ought to have done, and we have done those things which we ought not to have done. But thou, O Lord, have mercy upon us, spare thou those who confess their faults, restore thou those who are penitent, according to thy promises declared unto mankind in Christ Jesus our Lord; and grant, O most merciful Father, for his sake, that we may hereafter live a godly, righteous, and sober life, to the glory of thy holy Name. Amen.

Remain kneeling for the concluding prayer.

OFFICIANT

Almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us all our sins through our Lord Jesus Christ, strengthen us in all goodness, and by the power of the Holy Spirit keep us in eternal life. Amen.

OFFICIANT

The Almighty and merciful Lord grant us absolution and remission of all our sins, true repentance, amendment of life, and the grace and consolation of his Holy Spirit. Amen.

The Invitatory and Psalter

All stand

OFFICIANT

Lord, open our lips.

PEOPLE

And our mouth shall proclaim your praise.

ALL

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

ALL

Alleluia.

OFFICIANT

O Lord, open thou our lips.

PEOPLE

And our mouth shall show forth thy praise.

ALL

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

ALL

Alleluia

Venite

ALL

Alleluia. To us a child is born: O come, let us adore him. Alleluia.

ALL

Alleluia. Unto us a child is born: O come, let us adore him. Alleluia.

Come, let us sing to the Lord; *

let us shout for joy to the Rock of our salvation.

Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving *

and raise a loud shout to him with psalms.

For the Lord is a great God, *

and a great King above all gods.

In his hand are the caverns of the earth, *

and the heights of the hills are his also.

The sea is his, for he made it, *

and his hands have molded the dry land.

Come, let us bow down, and bend the knee, *

and kneel before the Lord our Maker.

For he is our God,

and we are the people of his pasture and the sheep of his hand. *

Oh, that today you would hearken to his voice!

O come, let us sing unto the Lord; *

let us heartily rejoice in the strength of our salvation.

Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving *

and show ourselves glad in him with psalms.

For the Lord is a great God, *

and a great King above all gods.

In his hand are all the corners of the earth, *

and the strength of the hills is his also.

The sea is his, and he made it, *

and his hands prepared the dry land.

O come, let us worship and fall down, *

and kneel before the Lord our Maker.

For he is the Lord our God, *

and we are the people of his pasture and the sheep of his hand.

O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness; *

let the whole earth stand in awe of him.

For he cometh, for he cometh to judge the earth, *

and with righteousness to judge the world and the peoples with his truth.

ALL

Alleluia. To us a child is born: O come, let us adore him. Alleluia.

ALL

Alleluia. Unto us a child is born: O come, let us adore him. Alleluia.

Psalms 85, 87

Psalm 85Benedixisti, Domine

1

You have been gracious to your land, O LORD, *

you have restored the good fortune of Jacob.

2

You have forgiven the iniquity of your people *

and blotted out all their sins.

3

You have withdrawn all your fury *

and turned yourself from your wrathful indignation.

4

Restore us then, O God our Savior; *

let your anger depart from us.

5

Will you be displeased with us for ever? *

will you prolong your anger from age to age?

6

Will you not give us life again, *

that your people may rejoice in you?

7

Show us your mercy, O LORD, *

and grant us your salvation.

8

I will listen to what the LORD God is saying, *

for he is speaking peace to his faithful people

and to those who turn their hearts to him.

9

Truly, his salvation is very near to those who fear him, *

that his glory may dwell in our land.

10

Mercy and truth have met together; *

righteousness and peace have kissed each other.

11

Truth shall spring up from the earth, *

and righteousness shall look down from heaven.

12

The LORD will indeed grant prosperity, *

and our land will yield its increase.

13

Righteousness shall go before him, *

and peace shall be a pathway for his feet.

Psalm 87Fundamenta ejus

1

On the holy mountain stands the city he has founded; *

the LORD loves the gates of Zion

more than all the dwellings of Jacob.

2

Glorious things are spoken of you, *

O city of our God.

3

I count Egypt and Babylon among those who know me; *

behold Philistia, Tyre, and Ethiopia:

in Zion were they born.

4

Of Zion it shall be said, "Everyone was born in her, *

and the Most High himself shall sustain her."

5

The LORD will record as he enrolls the peoples, *

"These also were born there."

6

The singers and the dancers will say, *

"All my fresh springs are in you."

ALL

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: *

as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

The Lessons

The First Lesson

1Meanwhile, Moses was shepherding the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian. He led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2There the angel of the LORD appeared to him in a blazing fire from within a bush. Moses saw the bush ablaze with fire, but it was not consumed. 3So Moses thought, “I must go over and see this marvelous sight. Why is the bush not burning up?”

4When the LORD saw that he had gone over to look, God called out to him from within the bush, “Moses, Moses!”

“Here I am,” he answered.

5“Do not come any closer,” God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” 6Then He said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.”

At this, Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.

7The LORD said, “I have indeed seen the affliction of My people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their oppressors, and I am aware of their sufferings. 8I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land to a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey— the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites.

9And now the cry of the Israelites has reached Me, and I have seen how severely the Egyptians are oppressing them. 10Therefore, go! I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring My people the Israelites out of Egypt.”

11But Moses asked God, “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?”

12“I will surely be with you,” God said, “and this will be the sign to you that I have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, all of you will worship God on this mountain.”

Silence may be kept after each Reading.

The First Song of Isaiah

A Song of Praise

Surely, it is God who saves me; *

I will trust in him and not be afraid.

For the Lord is my stronghold and my sure defense, *

and he will be my Savior.

Therefore you shall draw water with rejoicing *

from the springs of salvation.

And on that day you shall say, *

Give thanks to the Lord and call upon his Name;

Make his deeds known among the peoples; *

see that they remember that his Name is exalted.

Sing the praises of the Lord, for he has done great things, *

and this is known in all the world.

Cry aloud, inhabitants of Zion, ring out your joy, *

for the great one in the midst of you is the Holy One of Israel.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: *

as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

Blessed art thou, O Lord God of our fathers; *

praised and exalted above all for ever.

Blessed art thou for the Name of thy Majesty; *

praised and exalted above all for ever.

Blessed art thou in the temple of thy holiness; *

praised and exalted above all for ever.

Blessed art thou that beholdest the depths, and dwellest between the Cherubim; *

praised and exalted above all for ever.

Blessed art thou on the glorious throne of thy kingdom; *

praised and exalted above all for ever.

Blessed art thou in the firmament of heaven; *

praised and exalted above all for ever.

Blessed art thou, O Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; *

praised and exalted above all for ever.

The Second Lesson

23By faith Moses’ parents hid him for three months after his birth, because they saw that he was a beautiful child, and they were unafraid of the king’s edict.

24By faith Moses, when he was grown, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. 25He chose to suffer oppression with God’s people rather than to experience the fleeting enjoyment of sin. 26He valued disgrace for Christ above the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking ahead to his reward.

27By faith Moses left Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger; he persevered because he saw Him who is invisible. 28By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn would not touch Israel’s own firstborn.

29By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as on dry land; but when the Egyptians tried to follow, they were drowned.

30By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the people had marched around them for seven days.

31By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies in peace, did not perish with those who were disobedient.

Silence may be kept after each Reading.

The Song of the Redeemed

The Song of Zechariah

O ruler of the universe, Lord God,

great deeds are they that you have done, *

surpassing human understanding.

Your ways are ways of righteousness and truth, *

O King of all the ages.

Who can fail to do you homage, Lord,

and sing the praises of your Name? *

for you only are the Holy One.

All nations will draw near and fall down before you, *

because your just and holy works have been revealed.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: *

as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, *

for he hath visited and redeemed his people;

And hath raised up a mighty salvation for us *

in the house of his servant David,

As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, *

which have been since the world began:

That we should be saved from our enemies, *

and from the hand of all that hate us;

To perform the mercy promised to our forefathers, *

and to remember his holy covenant;

To perform the oath which he sware to our forefather Abraham, *

that he would give us,

That we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies *

might serve him without fear,

In holiness and righteousness before him, *

all the days of our life.

And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest, *

for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways;

To give knowledge of salvation unto his people *

for the remission of their sins,

Through the tender mercy of our God, *

whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us;

To give light to them that sit in darkness and in 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 will be for ever. Amen.

The Apostles’ Creed

Officiant and People together, all standing

ALL

I believe in God, the Father almighty,

creator of heaven and earth;

I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord.

He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit

and born of the Virgin Mary.

He suffered under Pontius Pilate,

was crucified, died, and was buried.

He descended to the dead.

On the third day he rose again.

He ascended into heaven,

and is seated at the right hand of the Father.

He will come again to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,

the holy catholic Church,

the communion of saints,

the forgiveness of sins,

the resurrection of the body,

and the life everlasting. Amen.

ALL

I believe in God, the Father almighty,

maker of heaven and earth;

And in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord;

who was conceived by the Holy Ghost,

born of the Virgin Mary,

suffered under Pontius Pilate,

was crucified, dead, and buried.

He descended into hell.

The third day he rose again from the dead.

He ascended into heaven,

and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father almighty.

From thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Ghost,

the holy catholic Church,

the communion of saints,

the forgiveness of sins,

the resurrection of the body,

and the life everlasting. Amen.

The Prayers

The People stand or kneel

OFFICIANT

The Lord be with you.

PEOPLE

And also with you.

OFFICIANT

Let us pray.

OFFICIANT

The Lord be with you.

PEOPLE

And with thy spirit.

OFFICIANT

Let us pray.

ALL

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.

Save us from the time of trial,

and deliver us from evil.

For the kingdom, the power,

and the glory are yours,

now and for ever. Amen.

ALL

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, and the power, and the glory,

for ever and ever. Amen.

OFFICIANT

Show us your mercy, O Lord;

PEOPLE

And grant us your salvation.

OFFICIANT

Clothe your ministers with righteousness;

PEOPLE

Let your people sing with joy.

OFFICIANT

Give peace, O Lord, in all the world;

PEOPLE

For only in you can we live in safety.

OFFICIANT

Lord, keep this nation under your care;

PEOPLE

And guide us in the way of justice and truth.

OFFICIANT

Let your way be known upon earth;

PEOPLE

Your saving health among all nations.

OFFICIANT

Let not the needy, O Lord, be forgotten;

PEOPLE

Nor the hope of the poor be taken away.

OFFICIANT

Create in us clean hearts, O God;

PEOPLE

And sustain us with your Holy Spirit.

OFFICIANT

O Lord, show thy mercy upon us;

PEOPLE

And grant us thy salvation.

OFFICIANT

Endue thy ministers with righteousness;

PEOPLE

And make thy chosen people joyful.

OFFICIANT

Give peace, O Lord, in all the world;

PEOPLE

For only in thee can we live in safety.

OFFICIANT

Lord, keep this nation under thy care;

PEOPLE

And guide us in the way of justice and truth.

OFFICIANT

Let thy way be known upon earth;

PEOPLE

Thy saving health among all nations.

OFFICIANT

Let not the needy, O Lord, be forgotten;

PEOPLE

Nor the hope of the poor be taken away.

OFFICIANT

Create in us clean hearts, O God;

PEOPLE

And sustain us with thy Holy Spirit.

The Collect of the Day

O God, who wonderfully created, and yet more wonderfully restored, the dignity of human nature: Grant that we may share the divine life of him who humbled himself to share our humanity, your Son Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

O God, who didst wonderfully create, and yet more wonderfully restore, the dignity of human nature: Grant that we may share the divine life of him who humbled himself to share our humanity, thy Son Jesus Christ; who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

A Collect for the Renewal of Life

OFFICIANT

O God, the King eternal, whose light divides the day from the night and turns the shadow of death into the morning: Drive far from us all wrong desires, incline our hearts to keep your law, and guide our feet into the way of peace; that, having done your will with cheerfulness during the day, we may, when night comes, rejoice to give you thanks; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

OFFICIANT

O God, the King eternal, who dividest the day from the night and turnest the shadow of death into the morning: Drive far from us all wrong desires, incline our hearts to keep thy law, and guide our feet into the way of peace; that, having done thy will with cheerfulness while it was day, we may, when the night cometh, rejoice to give thee thanks; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

A Prayer for Mission

OFFICIANT

Lord Jesus Christ, you stretched out your arms of love on the hard wood of the cross that everyone might come within the reach of your saving embrace: So clothe us in your Spirit that we, reaching forth our hands in love, may bring those who do not know you to the knowledge and love of you; for the honor of your Name. Amen.

OFFICIANT

Lord Jesus Christ, who didst stretch out thine arms of love on the hard wood of the cross that everyone might come within the reach of thy saving embrace: So clothe us in thy Spirit that we, reaching forth our hands in love, may bring those who do not know thee to the knowledge and love of thee; for the honor of thy Name. Amen.

Here may be sung a hymn or anthem.

Authorized intercessions and thanksgivings may follow.

The General Thanksgiving

ALL

Almighty God, Father of all mercies, we your unworthy servants give you humble thanks for all your goodness and loving-kindness to us and to all whom you have made. We bless you for our creation, preservation, and all the blessings of this life; but above all for your immeasurable love in the redemption of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ; for the means of grace, and for the hope of glory. And, we pray, give us such an awareness of your mercies, that with truly thankful hearts we may show forth your praise, not only with our lips, but in our lives, by giving up our selves to your service, and by walking before you in holiness and righteousness all our days; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory throughout all ages. Amen.

ALL

Almighty God, Father of all mercies, we thine unworthy servants do give thee most humble and hearty thanks for all thy goodness and loving-kindness to us and to all men. We bless thee for our creation, preservation, and all the blessings of this life; but above all for thine inestimable love in the redemption of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ; for the means of grace, and for the hope of glory. And, we beseech thee, give us that due sense of all thy mercies, that our hearts may be unfeignedly thankful; and that we show forth thy praise, not only with our lips, but in our lives, by giving up our selves to thy service, and by walking before thee in holiness and righteousness all our days; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with thee and the Holy Ghost, be all honor and glory, world without end. Amen.

Dismissal

OFFICIANT

Let us bless the Lord.

PEOPLE

Thanks be to God.

OFFICIANT

Let us bless the Lord.

PEOPLE

Thanks be to God.

OFFICIANT

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us all evermore. Amen.

OFFICIANT

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Ghost, be with us all evermore. Amen.

Text from the Book of Common Prayer (1979), The Episcopal Church.

The Psalter from the Book of Common Prayer (1979), The Episcopal Church.

Berean Standard Bible (BSB), public domain.

Why this Morning Prayer has these texts

The order is the same every day. Year One of the lectionary appoints the psalms and lessons; the season, the weekday, and the app’s defaults choose the rest.

This explains the Contemporary (Rite II) office. Traditional (Rite I) has the same psalms and lessons, with traditional-language canticles from those Rite I allows (pp. 47 and 65).

Today’s parts in order, each sized by its word count.
Words in the office by how often they change
The same every day28%644 words
Follows the season or feast14%311 words
Follows the weekday, or rotates18%417 words
Appointed for the day by the lectionary39%894 words
Opening sentence
Revelation 21:3 A sentence for Christmas, taken in turn.
Lord, open our lips
With “Alleluia,” as in every season but Lent.
Invitatory antiphon
Alleluia. To us a child is born: O come, let us adore him. Alleluia. The antiphon appointed “on the Twelve Days of Christmas.”
Invitatory psalm
Venite The usual invitatory psalm. The Jubilate may be used instead.
The Psalms
Psalms 85, 87 Appointed for this day in Year One.
The First Lesson
Exodus 3:1-12 The day’s Old Testament reading, Year One.
Canticle after the first lesson
The First Song of Isaiah The table’s canticle for Mondays.
The Second Lesson
Hebrews 11:23-31 The day’s Epistle, Year One.
Canticle after the second lesson
The Song of the Redeemed The table’s canticle for Mondays.
The Collect of the Day
The Collect for Second Sunday after Christmas Day The collect of the Sunday before, said through the week.
A collect for the day
A Collect for the Renewal of Life The app’s collect for Mondays.
A prayer for mission
Lord Jesus Christ, you stretched out your arms of love on… One of the three, taken in turn.
Dismissal
Without Alleluias, which are added only in Easter Season.

Praying the Psalter by the month instead? Day 4 of the 30-day Psalter appoints Psalms 19, 20, 21.

Every part of Morning Prayer, and the choices it allows

Every office, on your phone

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