Morning Prayer (Matins) in Contemporary Language

¶ Morning Prayer
Epiphany Season
Tuesday, 6 January 2026
The Epiphany

Preparation

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

Your light springs up for the righteous
Alland all the peoples have seen your glory.

One or more of the following is said or sung:

this or another prayer of thanksgiving

Blessed are you, Sovereign God,
king of the nations,
to you be praise and glory for ever.
From the rising of the sun to its setting
your name is proclaimed in all the world.
As the Sun of Righteousness dawns in our hearts
anoint our lips with the seal of your Spirit
that we may witness to your gospel
and sing your praise in all the earth.
Blessed be God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
AllBlessed be God for ever.

a suitable hymn, or Jubilate – A Song of Joy

1O be joyful in the Lord, all the earth; ♦
serve the Lord with gladness
and come before his presence with a song.

2Know that the Lord is God; ♦
it is he that has made us and we are his;
we are his people and the sheep of his pasture.

3Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise; ♦
give thanks to him and bless his name.

4For the Lord is gracious; his steadfast love is everlasting, ♦
and his faithfulness endures from generation to generation.

Psalm 100

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 132

Refrain: Arise, O Lord, into your resting place.

1 Lord, remember for David ♦
all the hardships he endured;

2 How he swore an oath to the Lord ♦
and vowed a vow to the Mighty One of Jacob:

3 ‘I will not come within the shelter of my house, ♦
nor climb up into my bed;

4 ‘I will not allow my eyes to sleep, ♦
nor let my eyelids slumber,

5 ‘Until I find a place for the Lord, ♦
a dwelling for the Mighty One of Jacob.’ R

6 Now, we heard of the ark in Ephrathah ♦
and found it in the fields of Ja-ar.

7 Let us enter his dwelling place ♦
and fall low before his footstool.

8 Arise, O Lord, into your resting place, ♦
you and the ark of your strength.

9 Let your priests be clothed with righteousness ♦
and your faithful ones sing with joy.

10 For your servant David’s sake, ♦
turn not away the face of your anointed. R

11 The Lord has sworn an oath to David, ♦
a promise from which he will not shrink:

12 ‘Of the fruit of your body ♦
shall I set upon your throne.

13 ‘If your children keep my covenant
and my testimonies that I shall teach them, ♦
their children also shall sit upon your throne for evermore.’

14 For the Lord has chosen Zion for himself; ♦
he has desired her for his habitation: R

15 ‘This shall be my resting place for ever; ♦
here will I dwell, for I have longed for her.

16 ‘I will abundantly bless her provision; ♦
her poor will I satisfy with bread.

17 ‘I will clothe her priests with salvation, ♦
and her faithful ones shall rejoice and sing.

18 ‘There will I make a horn to spring up for David; ♦
I will keep a lantern burning for my anointed.

19 ‘As for his enemies, I will clothe them with shame; ♦
but on him shall his crown be bright.’

Refrain: Arise, O Lord, into your resting place.

Jesus, Son of David,
make us a priestly people;
clothe us in righteousness,
make us fruitful,
and give us hearts to shout for joy in your salvation;
we pray in the power of the Spirit.

Psalm 113

Refrain: From the rising of the sun to its setting
let the name of the Lord be praised.

1 Alleluia.
Give praise, you servants of the Lord, ♦
O praise the name of the Lord.

2 Blessed be the name of the Lord, ♦
from this time forth and for evermore.

3 From the rising of the sun to its setting ♦
let the name of the Lord be praised.

4 The Lord is high above all nations ♦
and his glory above the heavens. R

5 Who is like the Lord our God,
that has his throne so high, ♦
yet humbles himself to behold
the things of heaven and earth?

6 He raises the poor from the dust ♦
and lifts the needy from the ashes,

7 To set them with princes, ♦
with the princes of his people.

8 He gives the barren woman a place in the house ♦
and makes her a joyful mother of children.
Alleluia.

Refrain: From the rising of the sun to its setting
let the name of the Lord be praised.

From the rising of the sun to its setting
we praise your name, O Lord;
may your promise to raise the poor from the dust
and turn the fortunes of the needy upside down
be fulfilled in our time also,
as it was in your Son, 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.

Jeremiah 31.7-14

For thus says the Lord:
Sing aloud with gladness for Jacob,
   and raise shouts for the chief of the nations;
proclaim, give praise, and say,
   ‘Save, O Lord, your people,
   the remnant of Israel.’
See, I am going to bring them from the land of the north,
   and gather them from the farthest parts of the earth,
among them the blind and the lame,
   those with child and those in labour, together;
   a great company, they shall return here.
With weeping they shall come,
   and with consolations I will lead them back,
I will let them walk by brooks of water,
   in a straight path in which they shall not stumble;
for I have become a father to Israel,
   and Ephraim is my firstborn.

Hear the word of the Lord, O nations,
   and declare it in the coastlands far away;
say, ‘He who scattered Israel will gather him,
   and will keep him as a shepherd a flock.’
For the Lord has ransomed Jacob,
   and has redeemed him from hands too strong for him.
They shall come and sing aloud on the height of Zion,
   and they shall be radiant over the goodness of the Lord,
over the grain, the wine, and the oil,
   and over the young of the flock and the herd;
their life shall become like a watered garden,
   and they shall never languish again.
Then shall the young women rejoice in the dance,
   and the young men and the old shall be merry.
I will turn their mourning into joy,
   I will comfort them, and give them gladness for sorrow.
I will give the priests their fill of fatness,
   and my people shall be satisfied with my bounty,

says the Lord.

Canticle

A Song of the New Jerusalem, or another suitable canticle, for example, number 31 (page 582) or number 36 (page 587), may be said

Refrain:

AllAbove you the Holy One arises,
and above you God’s glory appears. Alleluia.

1Arise, shine out, for your light has come, ♦
the glory of the Lord is rising upon you.

2Though night still covers the earth, ♦
and darkness the peoples;

3Above you the Holy One arises, ♦
and above you God’s glory appears.

4The nations will come to your light, ♦
and kings to your dawning brightness.

5Your gates will lie open continually, ♦
shut neither by day nor by night.

6The sound of violence shall be heard no longer in your land, ♦
or ruin and devastation within your borders.

7You will call your walls, Salvation, ♦
and your gates, Praise.

8No more will the sun give you daylight, ♦
nor moonlight shine upon you;

9But the Lord will be your everlasting light, ♦
your God will be your splendour.

10For you shall be called the city of God, ♦
the dwelling of the Holy One of Israel.

Isaiah 60.1-3, 11a, 18, 19, 14b

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.

AllAbove you the Holy One arises,
and above you God’s glory appears. Alleluia.

Scripture Reading

One or more readings appointed for the day are read.

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

John 1.29-34

The next day he saw Jesus coming towards him and declared, ‘Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! This is he of whom I said, “After me comes a man who ranks ahead of me because he was before me.” I myself did not know him; but I came baptizing with water for this reason, that he might be revealed to Israel.’ And John testified, ‘I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water said to me, “He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.” And I myself have seen and have testified that this is the Son of God.’

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

O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness;
Alllet the whole earth tremble before him.
Tell it out among the nations that the Lord is King.
AllO worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.
Tell out his salvation from day to day.
AllLet the whole earth tremble before him.
Declare his glory among the nations
and his wonders among all peoples.
AllO worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness;
let the whole earth tremble before him.

from Psalm 96

Gospel Canticle

The Benedictus (The Song of Zechariah) is normally said, or A Song of the Blessed (page 606) may be said

Refrain:

AllThis is the Christ, the Chosen of God,
the one who will bring healing to the nations.

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:

AllThis is the Christ, the Chosen of God,
the one who will bring healing to the nations.

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 unity of the Church
¶ The peace of the world
¶ The healing of the sick
¶ The revelation of Christ to those from whom his glory is hidden
¶ All who travel

A form of prayer found on page 379 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

O God,
who by the leading of a star
manifested your only Son to the peoples of the earth:
mercifully grant that we,
who know you now by faith,
may at last behold your glory face to face;
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

Believing the promises of God,
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)

Believing the promises of God,
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 Christ, who sends us to the nations,
give us the power of his Spirit.
AllAmen.

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