Morning Prayer for Fridays in Christmas, Rite Two
25 December 2021
according to the Book of Common Prayer (p. 75ff.)
Share These Prayers
Invite someone to scan this QR code to pray with you.
This liturgy leaves spaces for the Psalm and up to three lessons. A reader might hold these passages ready to share at the appropriate places in the liturgy.
On Saturday nights of Sundays, if this service is taking the place of a Eucharist, one might wish to use lessons from the Eucharistic Lectionary, which can be conveniently found at lectionarypage.net.
Lessons for the daily office during the Christmas season (12 days) can be found in the Book of Common Prayer on pp. 940f.
You will note that lessons are not provided on those pages for 26, 27, and 28 December. Those are feast days for St. Stephen, St. John, and the Holy Innocents, respectively. Their readings can be found in the BCP on page 996. To make things a little more confusing, if any of these three feasts occur on a Sunday, they are transferred to the nearest subsequent weekday. For example, in 2021, 26 December is a Sunday. So the feast of St. Stephen is transferred to 27 Dec, the feast of St. John to 28 Dec, and the feast of the Holy Innocents to 29 December. (Calendars will disagree among themselves about this.)
If you don’t have a Bible handy, specific passages can be looked up on oremus Bible Browser.
For the first collect, “Proper to the Day” (after the Suffrages), one may again use lectionarypage.net, the collect for the current (on weekdays, the preceding) Sunday. In the BCP, Contemporary-language Collects are found on pp. 211ff. Collects for the three feasts following Christmas Day may be found on BCP pp. 237f.
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)
BCP 80
The Invitatory and Psalter
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. Alleluia.
People:
Alleluia. To us a child is born: Come let us adore him. Alleluia.
BCP 82
Jubilate (Psalm 100)
All:
Be joyful in the Lord, all you lands; *
serve the Lord with gladness
and come before his presence with a song.
Know this: The Lord himself is God; *
he himself has made us, and we are his;
we are his people and the sheep of his pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving;
go into his courts with praise; *
give thanks to him and call upon his Name.
For the Lord is good;
his mercy is everlasting; *
and his faithfulness endures from age to age.
People:
Alleluia. To us a child is born: Come let us adore him. Alleluia.
The People are seated.
The Psalms are sung or said in a suitable manner (e.g., responsively by verse, in unison, or read by the lector).
Psalm ____
. . .
At the end of the Psalms is sung or said
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
Reader:
A Reading (Lesson) from _____________.
…
Reader:
The Word of the Lord.
People:
Thanks be to God.
Silence may be kept.
BCP 86
Canticle 10: The Second Song of Isaiah – Quaerite Dominum (Isaiah 55:6-11)
All:
Seek the Lord while he wills to be found; *
call upon him when he draws near.
Let the wicked forsake their ways *
and the evil ones their thoughts;
And let them turn to the Lord, and he will have compassion, *
and to our God, for he will richly pardon.
For my thoughts are not your thoughts, *
nor your ways my ways, says the Lord.
For as the heavens are higher than the earth, *
so are my ways higher than your ways,
and my thoughts than your thoughts.
For as rain and snow fall from the heavens *
and return not again, but water the earth,
Bringing forth life and giving growth, *
seed for sowing and bread for eating,
So is my word that goes forth from my mouth; *
it will not return to me empty;
But it will accomplish that which I have purposed, *
and prosper in that for which I sent it.
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.
Reader:
A Reading (Lesson) from _____________.
…
Reader:
The Word of the Lord.
People:
Thanks be to God.
Silence may be kept.
BCP 93
Canticle 18: A Song to the Lamb – Dignus es (Rev. 4.11; 5.9–10, 13)
All:
Splendor and honor and kingly power *
are yours by right, O Lord our God,
For you created everything that is, *
and by your will they were created and have their being;
And yours by right, O Lamb that was slain, *
for with your blood you have redeemed for God,
From every family, language, people, and nation, *
a kingdom of priests to serve our God.
And so, to him who sits upon the throne, *
and to Christ the Lamb,
Be worship and praise, dominion and splendor, *
for ever and for evermore.
Reader:
A Reading (Lesson) from _____________.
…
Reader:
The Word of the Lord.
People:
Thanks be to God.
Silence may be kept.
A brief homily, spiritual conversation, or moment of silence may be placed here.
The Apostles’ Creed
Officiant and People together, all standing
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.
The Prayers
The people stand or kneel
Officiant:
The Lord be with you.
People:
And also with you.
Officiant:
Let us pray.
Officiant and People:
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.
BCP 97
Suffrages A
Officiant & People call and respond:
V. Show us your mercy, O Lord;
R. And grant us your salvation.
V. Clothe your ministers with righteousness;
R. Let your people sing with joy.
V. Give peace, O Lord, in all the world;
R. For only in you can we live in safety.
V. Lord, keep this nation under your care;
R. And guide us in the way of justice and truth.
V. Let your way be known upon earth;
R. Your saving health among all nations.
V. Let not the needy, O Lord, be forgotten;
R. Nor the hope of the poor be taken away.
V. Create in us clean hearts, O God;
R. And sustain us with your Holy Spirit.
Collect Proper to the Day
BCP 99
A Collect for Fridays
Almighty God, whose most dear Son went not up to joy but first he suffered pain, and entered not into glory before he was crucified: Mercifully grant that we, walking in the way of the cross, may find it none other than the way of life and peace; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord. Amen.
BCP 101
A Prayer for Mission
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.
Here may be sung a hymn or anthem.
Authorized intercessions and thanksgivings may follow.
BCP 102
A Prayer of St. Chrysostom
Officiant and People:
Almighty God, you have given us grace at this time with one accord to make our common supplication to you; and you have promised through your well-beloved Son that when two or three are gathered together in his Name you will be in the midst of them: Fulfill now, O Lord, our desires and petitions as may be best for us; granting us in this world knowledge of your truth, and in the age to come life everlasting. Amen.
BCP 102
Officiant:
Let us bless the Lord.
People:
Thanks be to God.
The Officiant then concludes with the following sentence of scripture:
May the God of hope fill us with all joy and peace in believing through the power of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 15:13)
All:
Amen.