¶ Morning Prayer
Easter Season
Wednesday, 21 April 2021
Anselm, Abbot of Le Bec, Archbishop of Canterbury, Teacher of the Faith, 1109 [Lesser Festival]

Preparation

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

In your resurrection, O Christ,
Alllet heaven and earth rejoice. Alleluia.

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 once you ransomed your people from Egypt
and led them to freedom in the promised land,
so now you have delivered us from the dominion of darkness
and brought us into the kingdom of your risen Son.
May we, the first fruits of your new creation,
rejoice in this new day you have made,
and praise you for your mighty acts.
Blessed be God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
AllBlessed be God for ever.

a suitable hymn, or the Easter Anthems

1Christ our passover has been sacrificed for us: ♦
so let us celebrate the feast,

2not with the old leaven of corruption and wickedness: ♦
but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

1 Corinthians 5.7b, 8

3Christ once raised from the dead dies no more: ♦
death has no more dominion over him.

4In dying he died to sin once for all: ♦
in living he lives to God.

5See yourselves therefore as dead to sin: ♦
and alive to God in Jesus Christ our Lord.

Romans 6.9-11

6Christ has been raised from the dead: ♦
the first fruits of those who sleep.

7For as by man came death: ♦
by man has come also the resurrection of the dead;

8for as in Adam all die: ♦
even so in Christ shall all be made alive.

1 Corinthians 15.20-22

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 Word of God

Psalmody

The appointed psalmody is said.

Psalm 105

Refrain: Remember the marvels the Lord has done.

1 O give thanks to the Lord and call upon his name; ♦
make known his deeds among the peoples.

2 Sing to him, sing praises, ♦
and tell of all his marvellous works.

3 Rejoice in the praise of his holy name; ♦
let the hearts of them rejoice who seek the Lord.

4 Seek the Lord and his strength; ♦
seek his face continually.

5 Remember the marvels he has done, ♦
his wonders and the judgements of his mouth,

6 O seed of Abraham his servant, ♦
O children of Jacob his chosen. R

7 He is the Lord our God; ♦
his judgements are in all the earth.

8 He has always been mindful of his covenant, ♦
the promise that he made for a thousand generations:

9 The covenant he made with Abraham, ♦
the oath that he swore to Isaac,

10 Which he established as a statute for Jacob, ♦
an everlasting covenant for Israel,

11 Saying, ‘To you will I give the land of Canaan ♦
to be the portion of your inheritance.’ R

12 When they were but few in number, ♦
of little account, and sojourners in the land,

13 Wandering from nation to nation, ♦
from one kingdom to another people,

14 He suffered no one to do them wrong ♦
and rebuked even kings for their sake,

15 Saying, ‘Touch not my anointed ♦
and do my prophets no harm.’ R

16 Then he called down famine over the land ♦
and broke every staff of bread.

17 But he had sent a man before them, ♦
Joseph, who was sold as a slave.

18 They shackled his feet with fetters; ♦
his neck was ringed with iron.

19 Until all he foretold came to pass, ♦
the word of the Lord tested him.

20 The king sent and released him; ♦
the ruler of peoples set him free.

21 He appointed him lord of his household ♦
and ruler of all he possessed,

22 To instruct his princes as he willed ♦
and to teach his counsellors wisdom. R

23 Then Israel came into Egypt; ♦
Jacob sojourned in the land of Ham.

24 And the Lord made his people exceedingly fruitful; ♦
he made them too many for their adversaries,

25 Whose heart he turned, so that they hated his people ♦
and dealt craftily with his servants. R

26 Then sent he Moses his servant ♦
and Aaron whom he had chosen.

27 He showed his signs through their word ♦
and his wonders in the land of Ham.

28 He sent darkness and it grew dark; ♦
yet they did not heed his words.

29 He turned their waters into blood ♦
and slew all their fish.

30 Their land swarmed with frogs, ♦
even in their kings’ chambers.

31 He spoke the word, and there came clouds of flies, ♦
swarms of gnats within all their borders.

32 He gave them hailstones for rain ♦
and flames of lightning in their land.

33 He blasted their vines and their fig trees ♦
and shattered trees across their country.

34 He spoke the word, and the grasshoppers came ♦
and young locusts without number;

35 They ate every plant in their land ♦
and devoured the fruit of their soil.

36 He smote all the firstborn in their land, ♦
the first fruits of all their strength. R

37 Then he brought them out with silver and gold; ♦
there was not one among their tribes that stumbled.

38 Egypt was glad at their departing, ♦
for a dread of them had fallen upon them.

39 He spread out a cloud for a covering ♦
and a fire to light up the night.

40 They asked and he brought them quails; ♦
he satisfied them with the bread of heaven. R

41 He opened the rock, and the waters gushed out ♦
and ran in the dry places like a river.

42 For he remembered his holy word ♦
and Abraham, his servant.

43 So he brought forth his people with joy, ♦
his chosen ones with singing.

44 He gave them the lands of the nations ♦
and they took possession of the fruit of their toil,

45 That they might keep his statutes ♦
and faithfully observe his laws.
Alleluia.

Refrain: Remember the marvels the Lord has done.

God of our earthly pilgrimage,
feed your Easter people with the bread of heaven,
that we may hunger and thirst for righteousness
until we reach our promised land;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

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.

Deuteronomy 6

Now this is the commandment—the statutes and the ordinances—that the Lord your God charged me to teach you to observe in the land that you are about to cross into and occupy, so that you and your children and your children’s children may fear the Lord your God all the days of your life, and keep all his decrees and his commandments that I am commanding you, so that your days may be long. Hear therefore, O Israel, and observe them diligently, so that it may go well with you, and so that you may multiply greatly in a land flowing with milk and honey, as the Lord, the God of your ancestors, has promised you.

Hear, O Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might. Keep these words that I am commanding you today in your heart. Recite them to your children and talk about them when you are at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you rise. Bind them as a sign on your hand, fix them as an emblem on your forehead, and write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

When the Lord your God has brought you into the land that he swore to your ancestors, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give you—a land with fine, large cities that you did not build, houses filled with all sorts of goods that you did not fill, hewn cisterns that you did not hew, vineyards and olive groves that you did not plant—and when you have eaten your fill, take care that you do not forget the Lord, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. The Lord your God you shall fear; him you shall serve, and by his name alone you shall swear. Do not follow other gods, any of the gods of the peoples who are all around you, because the Lord your God, who is present with you, is a jealous God. The anger of the Lord your God would be kindled against you and he would destroy you from the face of the earth.

Do not put the Lord your God to the test, as you tested him at Massah. You must diligently keep the commandments of the Lord your God, and his decrees, and his statutes that he has commanded you. Do what is right and good in the sight of the Lord, so that it may go well with you, and so that you may go in and occupy the good land that the Lord swore to your ancestors to give you, thrusting out all your enemies from before you, as the Lord has promised.

When your children ask you in time to come, ‘What is the meaning of the decrees and the statutes and the ordinances that the Lord our God has commanded you?’ then you shall say to your children, ‘We were Pharaoh’s slaves in Egypt, but the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand. The Lord displayed before our eyes great and awesome signs and wonders against Egypt, against Pharaoh and all his household. He brought us out from there in order to bring us in, to give us the land that he promised on oath to our ancestors. Then the Lord commanded us to observe all these statutes, to fear the Lord our God, for our lasting good, so as to keep us alive, as is now the case. If we diligently observe this entire commandment before the Lord our God, as he has commanded us, we will be in the right.’

Canticle

The Song of Moses and Miriam, or another suitable canticle, for example, number 23 (page 574) or number 32 (page 583), may be said

Refrain:

AllIn your unfailing love, O Lord,
you lead the people whom you have redeemed. Alleluia.

1I will sing to the Lord, who has triumphed gloriously, ♦
the horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea.

2The Lord is my strength and my song ♦
and has become my salvation.

3This is my God whom I will praise, ♦
the God of my forebears whom I will exalt.

4The Lord is a warrior, ♦
the Lord is his name.

5Your right hand, O Lord, is glorious in power: ♦
your right hand, O Lord, shatters the enemy.

6At the blast of your nostrils, the sea covered them; ♦
they sank as lead in the mighty waters.

7In your unfailing love, O Lord, ♦
you lead the people whom you have redeemed.

8And by your invincible strength ♦
you will guide them to your holy dwelling.

9You will bring them in and plant them, O Lord, ♦
in the sanctuary which your hands have established.

Exodus 15.1b-3, 6, 10, 13, 17

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.

AllIn your unfailing love, O Lord,
you lead the people whom you have redeemed. Alleluia.

Scripture Reading

One or more readings appointed for the day are read.

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

Ephesians 2.1-10

You were dead through the trespasses and sins in which you once lived, following the course of this world, following the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work among those who are disobedient. All of us once lived among them in the passions of our flesh, following the desires of flesh and senses, and we were by nature children of wrath, like everyone else. But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness towards us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God—not the result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life.

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

Death is swallowed up in victory.
AllWhere, O death, is your sting?
Christ is risen from the dead,
the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep.
AllDeath is swallowed up in victory.
The trumpet will sound
and the dead shall be raised.
AllWhere, O death, is your sting?
We shall not all sleep,
but we shall be changed.
AllDeath is swallowed up in victory.
Where, O death, is your sting?

from 1 Corinthians 15

Gospel Canticle

The Benedictus (The Song of Zechariah) is normally said,
or The Song of Christ’s Glory (page 619) may be said

Refrain:

All Those who are wise will shine as brightly as the heavens,
and those who have instructed many in virtue will shine like stars
for all eternity. Alleluia.

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.

Refrain:

All Those who are wise will shine as brightly as the heavens,
and those who have instructed many in virtue will shine like stars
for all eternity. Alleluia.

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 364–365

¶ The people of God, that they may proclaim the risen Lord
¶ God’s creation, that the peoples of the earth may meet their responsibility to care
¶ Those in despair and darkness, that they may find the hope and light of Christ
¶ Those in fear of death, that they may find faith through the resurrection
¶ Prisoners and captives

A form of prayer found on page 382 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 is said

Eternal God,who gave great gifts to your servant Anselm
as a pastor and teacher:
grant that we, like him, may desire you with our whole heart
and, so desiring, may seek you
and, seeking, may find you;
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

Rejoicing in God’s new creation,
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)

Rejoicing in God’s new creation,
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.

The Conclusion

May the risen Christ grant us the joys of eternal life.
AllAmen.

Let us bless the Lord. Alleluia, alleluia.
AllThanks be to God. Alleluia, alleluia.