Prayer in the morning for Lent

I apologise that due to being unwell these were not published on time. Here is the bonus post for the fourth Sunday of Lent. I will add suitable graphics later in the week. I hope you find it helpful.

As our offering for the fourth Sunday of Lent. We have a service for the Morning in Lent. Like the Prayer in the Evening from a few weeks ago this is a short service which lasts approximately 11 minutes. I have left a short gap after each of the prayer of intercession sentences for your own prayers. If you want longer and are listening to the audio just stop and re-start it as appropriate.

Methodist Worship Book Page 5ff.

 

Opening

O Lord, open our lips
And we shall praise your name.

Because Christ has passed through the time of suffering,
he is able to help those in time of trial.

Rend your hearts and not your garments.
Return to the Lord, your God,
for he is gracious and merciful.

There is one body and one Spirit
Just as there is one hope
held out in God’s call to you.

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.

Hymn

1. Lord, in the morning you will hear
my voice lifted in praise
To you I offer up my prayers
to you I turn my gaze

2. O may your spirit guide my feet
along your righteous ways
That I may see the path to take
to follow you each day

3. O Lord I love your holy name
my hope in you secure
Your mighty hand will hold me safe
A shield that will endure

Original words Isaac Watts. Alt. words © Chris Hancock

Prayer

Blessèd are you, Lord our God,
Giver of life,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
At the opening of this day
you call us out of darkness
into your marvellous light.
Blessèd are you for ever and ever. Amen.

O God, you are my God, I seek you,
my soul thirsts for you;
my flesh faints for you,
as in a dry and weary land
where there is no water.
So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary,
beholding your power and glory.
Because your steadfast love is better than life,
my lips will praise you.
So I will bless you as long as I live;
I will lift up my hands
and call on your name.

Ephesians 5: 8-14

Once you were darkness, but now in the Lord you are
light. Live as children of light – for the fruit of the light is
found in all that is good and right and true. Try to find out
what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the unfruitful
work of darkness, but instead expose them. For it is
shameful even to mention what such people do secretly;
but everything exposed by the light becomes visible, for
everything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says,
“Sleeper, awake!
Rise from the dead,
and Christ will shine on you.”

Benedictus

Blessèd be the Lord, the God of Israel,
who has come to his people and set them free.

The Lord has raised up for us a mighty Saviour,
born of the house of his servant David.

Through the holy prophets, God promised of old
to save us from our enemies,
from the hands of all who hate us,
to show mercy to our forebears,
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 before him,
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 their sins.

In the tender compassion of our God
the dawn from heaven 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 shall be for ever. Amen.

We praise you, O God,
we acclaim you as Lord;

All creation worships you,
the Father everlasting.

To you all angels, all the powers of heaven,
the 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 praise,
the Holy Spirit, advocate and guide.

You Christ are the king of glory,
the eternal Son of the Father.
When you took our flesh to set us free
you humbly chose 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 to 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.

Save your people, Lord, and bless your inheritance.
Govern and uphold them now and always.

Day by day we bless you.
We praise your name for ever.

Keep us today Lord from all sin.
Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy.

Lord, show us your love and mercy,
for we put our trust in you.

In you, Lord, is our hope:
let us never be put to shame.

Prayers for Others

Let us offer our prayer
with all God’s people
through Jesus Christ our Lord
who ever lives to pray for us.

We pray for the needs of the world…

For the Church…

For all in trouble or distress..

For all who make a new beginning today…

God of compassion and mercy,
listen to our prayer.
May what we ask in Jesus Christ your Son
be done according to his word, who said,
‘Ask, and you will receive,
seek, and you will find,
knock, and the door will be opened to you.’
To you, merciful God,
through your Son,
in the lifegiving Spirit,
be glory and praise for
ever. Amen.

The Lord’s Prayer

As our Saviour taught his disciples we pray:

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.

Closing Prayers

Lord our God,
as with all creation
we offer you the life of this new day,
give us grace to love and serve you
to the praise of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Let us bless the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Copyrights

Liturgy

Liturgy for Prayer in the Morning ‘Used with permission from The Methodist Worship Book Page 5ff © Trustees for Methodist Church Purposes. The Methodist Church in Britain’.

Hymn

Original words by Isaac Watts revised by Chris Hancock 2023.
Recording by the Hatfield Road Methodist Church music group.

Images

Images are from pixabay.com and free for commercial use no attribution required.

Background Music

Music from Pixabay
Relaxing Music Vol.1 – Relaxing Time slightly edited by Chris Hancock as permitted by the Pixabay licence.