Morning Prayer for Sundays 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, I bring you good news of a great joy which will come to all the people; for to you is born this day in the city of David, a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. (Luke 2:10, 11)
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 92
Canticle 16: The Song of Zechariah — Benedictus Dominus Deus — Luke 1:68–79
All:
Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; *
he has come to his people and set them free.
He has raised up for us a mighty savior, *
born of the house of his servant David.
Through his holy prophets he promised of old,
that he would save us from our enemies, *
from the hands of all who hate us.
He promised to show mercy to our fathers *
and to remember his holy covenant.
This was the oath he 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.
You, my 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 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.
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 95
Canticle 21: You are God — Te Deum laudamus
All:
You are God: we praise you;
You are the Lord: we acclaim you;
You are the eternal Father:
All creation worships you.
To you all angels, all the powers of heaven,
Cherubim and Seraphim, sing in endless praise:
Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might,
heaven and earth are full of your glory.
The glorious company of apostles praise you.
The noble fellowship of prophets praise you.
The white-robed army of martyrs praise you.
Throughout the world the holy Church acclaims you;
Father, of majesty unbounded,
your true and only Son, worthy of all worship,
and the Holy Spirit, advocate and guide.
You, Christ, are the king of glory,
the eternal Son of the Father.
When you became man to set us free
you did not shun the Virgin’s womb.
You overcame the sting of death
and opened the kingdom of heaven to all believers.
You are seated at God’s right hand in glory.
We believe that you will come and be our judge.
Come then, Lord, and help your people,
bought with the price of your own blood,
and bring us with your saints
to glory everlasting.
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 98
A Collect for Sundays
O God, you make us glad with the weekly remembrance of the glorious resurrection of your Son our Lord: Give us this day such blessing through our worship of you, that the week to come may be spent in your favor; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
BCP 100
A Prayer for Mission
Almighty and everlasting God, by whose Spirit the whole body of your faithful people is governed and sanctified: Receive our supplications and prayers which we offer before you for all members of your holy Church, that in their vocation and ministry they may truly and devoutly serve you; through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 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:
Glory to God whose power, working in us, can do inifinitely more than we can ask or imagine: Glory to him from generation to generation in the Church, and in Christ Jesus for ever and ever. (Ephesians 3:20,21)
All:
Amen.