Morning Prayer on Thursday — Thursday, 24 September 2026

Preparation

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

The Acclamation of Christ at the Dawning of the Day (page 108) may replace the Preparation as the start of Morning Prayer on any occasion.

One or more of the following is said or sung:

One of these prayers of thanksgiving (page 109),

Blessed are you, Sovereign God, creator of all, to you be glory and praise for ever. You founded the earth in the beginning and the heavens are the work of your hands. In the fullness of time you made us in your image, and in these last days you have spoken to us in your Son Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh. As we rejoice in the gift of your presence among us let the light of your love always shine in our hearts, your Spirit ever renew our lives and your praises ever be on our lips. Blessed be God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Blessed be God for ever.

(or)

Blessed are you, creator of all, to you be praise and glory for ever. As your dawn renews the face of the earth bringing light and life to all creation, may we rejoice in this day you have made; as we wake refreshed from the depths of sleep, open our eyes to behold your presence and strengthen our hands to do your will, that the world may rejoice and give you praise. Blessed be God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Blessed be God for ever.

after Lancelot Andrewes (1626)

or a suitable hymn,

or A Song of God’s Blessing

1 God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us,

2 That your way may be known upon earth, your saving power among all nations.

3 Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you.

4 O let the nations rejoice and be glad, for you will judge the peoples righteously and govern the nations upon earth.

5 Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you.

6 Then shall the earth bring forth her increase, and God, our own God, will bless us.

7 God will bless us, and all the ends of the earth shall fear him.

Psalm 67

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.

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. Amen.

The Word of God

Psalmody

The appointed psalmody is said.

Psalm 56

In God I trust, and will not fear.

1 Have mercy on me, O God, for they trample over me; all day long they assault and oppress me.

2 My adversaries trample over me all the day long; many are they that make proud war against me.

3 In the day of my fear I put my trust in you, in God whose word I praise.

4 In God I trust, and will not fear, for what can flesh do to me?

5 All day long they wound me with words; their every thought is to do me evil.

6 They stir up trouble; they lie in wait; marking my steps, they seek my life.

7 Shall they escape for all their wickedness? In anger, O God, cast the peoples down.

8 You have counted up my groaning; put my tears into your bottle; are they not written in your book?

9 Then shall my enemies turn back on the day when I call upon you; this I know, for God is on my side.

10 In God whose word I praise, in the Lord whose word I praise, in God I trust and will not fear: what can flesh do to me?

11 To you, O God, will I fulfil my vows; to you will I present my offerings of thanks,

12 For you will deliver my soul from death and my feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of the living.

In God I trust, and will not fear.

Faithful God, your deliverance is nearer than we know; free us from fear and help us to find courage in your Word, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Psalm 57

1 Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me, for my soul takes refuge in you;

2 In the shadow of your wings will I take refuge until the storm of destruction has passed by.

3 I will call upon the Most High God, the God who fulfils his purpose for me.

4 He will send from heaven and save me and rebuke those that would trample upon me; God will send forth his love and his faithfulness.

5 I lie in the midst of lions, people whose teeth are spears and arrows, and their tongue a sharp sword.

6 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens, and your glory over all the earth.

7 They have laid a net for my feet; my soul is pressed down; they have dug a pit before me and will fall into it themselves.

8 My heart is ready, O God, my heart is ready; I will sing and give you praise.

9 Awake, my soul; awake, harp and lyre, that I may awaken the dawn.

10 I will give you thanks, O Lord, among the peoples; I will sing praise to you among the nations.

11 For your loving-kindness is as high as the heavens, and your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.

12 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens, and your glory over all the earth.

Tender God, gentle protector in time of trouble, pierce the gloom of despair and give us, with all your people, the song of freedom and the shout of praise; in Jesus Christ our Lord.

Psalm (63*)

My soul is athirst for God, even for the living God.

1 O God, you are my God; eagerly I seek you; my soul is athirst for you.

2 My flesh also faints for you, as in a dry and thirsty land where there is no water.

3 So would I gaze upon you in your holy place, that I might behold your power and your glory.

4 Your loving-kindness is better than life itself and so my lips shall praise you.

5 I will bless you as long as I live and lift up my hands in your name.

6 My soul shall be satisfied, as with marrow and fatness, and my mouth shall praise you with joyful lips,

7 When I remember you upon my bed and meditate on you in the watches of the night.

8 For you have been my helper and under the shadow of your wings will I rejoice.

9 My soul clings to you; your right hand shall hold me fast.

10 But those who seek my soul to destroy it shall go down to the depths of the earth;

11 Let them fall by the edge of the sword and become a portion for jackals.

12 But the king shall rejoice in God; all those who swear by him shall be glad, for the mouth of those who speak lies shall be stopped.

My soul is athirst for God, even for the living God.

To you we come, radiant Lord, the goal of all our desiring, beyond all earthly beauty; gentle protector, strong deliverer, in the night you are our confidence; from first light be our joy; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Each psalm or group of psalms may end with

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.

If there are two Scripture readings, the first may be read here, or both may be read after the canticle.

1 Kings 18.1-20

After many days the word of the Lord came to Elijah, in the third year of the drought, saying, ‘Go, present yourself to Ahab; I will send rain on the earth.’ So Elijah went to present himself to Ahab. The famine was severe in Samaria. Ahab summoned Obadiah, who was in charge of the palace. (Now Obadiah revered the Lord greatly; when Jezebel was killing off the prophets of the Lord, Obadiah took a hundred prophets, hid them fifty to a cave, and provided them with bread and water.) Then Ahab said to Obadiah, ‘Go through the land to all the springs of water and to all the wadis; perhaps we may find grass to keep the horses and mules alive, and not lose some of the animals.’ So they divided the land between them to pass through it; Ahab went in one direction by himself, and Obadiah went in another direction by himself.

As Obadiah was on the way, Elijah met him; Obadiah recognized him, fell on his face, and said, ‘Is it you, my lord Elijah?’ He answered him, ‘It is I. Go, tell your lord that Elijah is here.’ And he said, ‘How have I sinned, that you would hand your servant over to Ahab, to kill me? As the Lord your God lives, there is no nation or kingdom to which my lord has not sent to seek you; and when they would say, “He is not here”, he would require an oath of the kingdom or nation, that they had not found you. But now you say, “Go, tell your lord that Elijah is here.” As soon as I have gone from you, the spirit of the Lord will carry you I know not where; so, when I come and tell Ahab and he cannot find you, he will kill me, although I your servant have revered the Lord from my youth. Has it not been told my lord what I did when Jezebel killed the prophets of the Lord, how I hid a hundred of the Lord’s prophets fifty to a cave, and provided them with bread and water? Yet now you say, “Go, tell your lord that Elijah is here”; he will surely kill me.’ Elijah said, ‘As the Lord of hosts lives, before whom I stand, I will surely show myself to him today.’ So Obadiah went to meet Ahab, and told him; and Ahab went to meet Elijah.

When Ahab saw Elijah, Ahab said to him, ‘Is it you, you troubler of Israel?’ He answered, ‘I have not troubled Israel; but you have, and your father’s house, because you have forsaken the commandments of the Lord and followed the Baals. Now therefore have all Israel assemble for me at Mount Carmel, with the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal and the four hundred prophets of Asherah, who eat at Jezebel’s table.’

So Ahab sent to all the Israelites, and assembled the prophets at Mount Carmel.

Canticle

A Song of the Covenant, or another suitable canticle, for example, number 44 (page 596), may be said

I have given you as a light to the nations, and I have called you in righteousness. Alleluia.

1 Thus says God, who created the heavens, who fashioned the earth and all that dwells in it;

2 Who gives breath to the people upon it and spirit to those who walk in it,

3 ‘I am the Lord and I have called you in righteousness, I have taken you by the hand and kept you;

4 ‘I have given you as a covenant to the people, a light to the nations, to open the eyes that are blind,

5 ‘To bring out the captives from the dungeon, from the prison, those who sit in darkness.

6 ‘I am the Lord, that is my name; my glory I give to no other.’

Isaiah 42.5-8a

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.

I have given you as a light to the nations, and I have called you in righteousness. Alleluia.

Scripture Reading

One or more readings appointed for the day are read.

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

Acts 20.17-end

From Miletus Paul sent a message to Ephesus, asking the elders of the church to meet him. When they came to him, he said to them:

‘You yourselves know how I lived among you the entire time from the first day that I set foot in Asia, serving the Lord with all humility and with tears, enduring the trials that came to me through the plots of the Jews. I did not shrink from doing anything helpful, proclaiming the message to you and teaching you publicly and from house to house, as I testified to both Jews and Greeks about repentance towards God and faith towards our Lord Jesus. And now, as a captive to the Spirit, I am on my way to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there, except that the Holy Spirit testifies to me in every city that imprisonment and persecutions are waiting for me. But I do not count my life of any value to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the good news of God’s grace.

‘And now I know that none of you, among whom I have gone about proclaiming the kingdom, will ever see my face again. Therefore I declare to you this day that I am not responsible for the blood of any of you, for I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole purpose of God. Keep watch over yourselves and over all the flock, of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God that he obtained with the blood of his own Son. I know that after I have gone, savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. Some even from your own group will come distorting the truth in order to entice the disciples to follow them. Therefore be alert, remembering that for three years I did not cease night or day to warn everyone with tears. And now I commend you to God and to the message of his grace, a message that is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all who are sanctified. I coveted no one’s silver or gold or clothing. You know for yourselves that I worked with my own hands to support myself and my companions. In all this I have given you an example that by such work we must support the weak, remembering the words of the Lord Jesus, for he himself said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” ’

When he had finished speaking, he knelt down with them all and prayed. There was much weeping among them all; they embraced Paul and kissed him, grieving especially because of what he had said, that they would not see him again. Then they brought him to the ship.

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

Fear not, for I have redeemed you. I have called you by name; you are mine. Fear not, for I have redeemed you. I have called you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you. When you walk through fire, you shall not be burned. I have called you by name; you are mine. Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. Fear not, for I have redeemed you. I have called you by name; you are mine.

from Isaiah 43

Gospel Canticle

The Benedictus (The Song of Zechariah) is normally said, or Gloria in Excelsis (A Song of God's Glory) (page 635) may be said

Refrain

You promised, O God, to save us from our enemies, from the hands of all that hate us.

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

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

3 Through his holy prophets God promised of old to save us from our enemies, from the hands of all that hate us,

4 To show mercy to our ancestors, and to remember his holy covenant.

5 This was the oath God swore to our father Abraham: to set us free from the hands of our enemies,

6 Free to worship him without fear, holy and righteous in his sight all the days of our life.

7 And you, child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High, for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way,

8 To give his people knowledge of salvation by the forgiveness of all their sins.

9 In the tender compassion of our God the dawn from on high shall break upon us,

10 To 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

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.

Refrain

You promised, O God, to save us from our enemies, from the hands of all that hate us.

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 362–363

Local government, community leaders All who provide local services Those who work with young or elderly people Schools, colleges and universities Emergency and rescue organizations

One of the forms of prayer found on pages 362–371 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 Lord, we beseech you mercifully to hear the prayers of your people who call upon you; and grant that they may both perceive and know what things they ought to do, and also may have grace and power faithfully to fulfil them; 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. Amen.

The Lord’s Prayer is said

As our Saviour taught us, so we pray

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. 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)

Let us pray with confidence as our Saviour has taught us

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.

The Conclusion

The Lord bless us, and preserve us from all evil, and keep us in eternal life. Amen.

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

© The Archbishops’ Council of the Church of England, 2000–2005 Official Common Worship apps, books and eBooks are available from Church House Publishing.

The Bible readings (other than the psalms) are from The New Revised Standard Version Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995 Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Implemented by Simon Kershaw at Crucix. Implementation copyright © Simon Kershaw, 2002–2021.