An Order of Morning Prayer for
The Third Sunday of Epiphany
Preparation
O Lord, open our lips
and our mouth shall proclaim your praise.
You laid the foundation of the earth
and the heavens are the work of your hands.
Blessed are you, sovereign God,
creator of heaven and earth,
to you be praise and glory for ever.
As your living Word, eternal in heaven,
assumed the frailty of our mortal flesh,
may the light of your love be born in us
to fill our hearts with joy as we sing:
Blessed be God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Blessed be God for ever.
Hymn
Songs of thankfulness and praise,
Jesu, Lord, to thee we raise,
manifested by the star
to the sages from afar;
branch of royal David's stem
in thy birth at Bethlehem:
anthems be to thee addrest,
God in man made manifest.
Manifest at Jordan's stream,
Prophet, Priest, and King supreme;
and at Cana wedding-guest
in thy Godhead manifest;
manifest in power divine,
changing water into wine:
anthems be to thee addrest,
God in man made manifest.
Manifest in making whole
palsied limbs and fainting soul;
manifest in valiant fight,
quelling all the devil's might;
manifest in gracious will,
ever bringing good from ill:
anthems be to thee addrest,
God in man made manifest.
Sun and moon shall darkened be,
stars shall fall, the heavens shall flee;
Christ will then like lightning shine,
all will see his glorious sign;
all will then the trumpet hear,
all will see the Judge appear:
thou by all wilt be confest,
God in man made manifest.
Grant us grace to see thee, Lord,
mirrored in thy holy word;
may we imitate thee now,
and be pure, as pure art thou;
that we like to thee may be
at thy great Epiphany;
and may praise thee, ever blest,
God in man made manifest.
Words: Christopher Wordsworth (1807–1885)
Reproduced from Ancient & Modern Electronic Words Edition, number 104 .
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
Genesis 14.17–20
After his return from the defeat of Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King’s Valley). And King Melchizedek of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was priest of God Most High. He blessed him and said,
‘Blessed be Abram by God Most High,
maker of heaven and earth;
and blessed be God Most High,
who has delivered your enemies into your hand!’
And Abram gave him one-tenth of everything.
Psalm 128
1 Blessed are all those who fear the Lord,
and walk in his ways.
2 You shall eat the fruit of the toil of your hands;
it shall go well with you, and happy shall you be.
3 Your wife within your house
shall be like a fruitful vine;
your children round your table,
like fresh olive branches.
4 Thus shall the one be blest
who fears the Lord.
5 The Lord from out of Zion bless you,
that you may see Jerusalem in prosperity
all the days of your life.
6 May you see your children’s children,
and may there be peace upon Israel.
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.
John 2.1–11
On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. When the wine gave out, the mother of Jesus said to him, ‘They have no wine.’ And Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, what concern is that to you and to me? My hour has not yet come.’ His mother said to the servants, ‘Do whatever he tells you.’ Now standing there were six stone water-jars for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. Jesus said to them, ‘Fill the jars with water.’ And they filled them up to the brim. He said to them, ‘Now draw some out, and take it to the chief steward.’ So they took it. When the steward tasted the water that had become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the steward called the bridegroom and said to him, ‘Everyone serves the good wine first, and then the inferior wine after the guests have become drunk. But you have kept the good wine until now.’ Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee, and revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.
Responsory
The Word of life which was from the beginning
we proclaim to you.
The darkness is passing away
and the true light is already shining;
the Word of life which was from the beginning.
That which we heard, which we saw with our eyes,
and touched with our hands,
we proclaim to you.
For our fellowship is with the Father,
and with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
The Word of life which was from the beginning
we proclaim to you.
Hymn
Christ is our light! the bright and morning star
covering with radiance all from near and far.
Christ be our light, shine on, shine on we pray
into our hearts, into our world today.
Christ is our love! baptized that we may know
the love of God among us, swooping low.
Christ be our love, bring us to turn our face
and see you in the light of heaven’s embrace.
Christ is our joy! transforming wedding guest!
Through water turned to wine the feast was blessed.
Christ be our joy; your glory let us see,
as your disciples did in Galilee.
Words: Leith Fisher (1941–2009)
Reproduced from Ancient & Modern Electronic Words Edition, number 97
Words: © Church of Scotland Mission and Discipleship Council, 121 George Street, Edinburgh EH2 4YN
Reflection
Anthem
Author of life divine by Richard Shephard
Performed by St Martin’s Voices
Prayers
Which conclude with...
Collect for the Third Sunday of Epiphany
Almighty God,
whose Son revealed in signs and miracles
the wonder of your saving presence:
renew your people with your heavenly grace,
and in all our weakness
sustain us by your mighty power;
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.
Rejoicing in the presence of God here among us,
as our Saviour taught us, so 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.
Hymn
Christ is the King! O friends rejoice;
brothers and sisters with one voice
tell all the world he is your choice.
Alleluia.
O magnify the Lord, and raise
anthems of joy and holy praise
for Christ's brave saints of ancient days.
Alleluia.
They with a faith for ever new
followed the King, and round him drew
thousands of faithful hearts and true.
Alleluia.
O Christian women, Christian men,
all the world over, seek again
the Way disciples followed then.
Alleluia.
Christ through all ages is the same:
place the same hope in his great name,
with the same faith his word proclaim.
Alleluia.
Let love's unconquerable might
your scattered companies unite
in service to the Lord of light.
Alleluia.
So shall God's will on earth be done,
new lamps be lit, new tasks begun,
and the whole church at last be one.
Alleluia.
Words: George Kennedy Allen Bell (1883–1958)*
Reproduced from Ancient & Modern Electronic Words Edition, number 486
Words: © From Enlarged Songs of Praise, 1931. Reproduced by permission of Oxford University Press. All rights reserved.
The Conclusion
May God, who has called us out of darkness
into his marvellous light,
bless us and fill us with peace.
Amen.
Let us bless the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Common Worship: Services and Prayers for the Church of England, material from which is included here,
is copyright © The Archbishops' Council 2000 and published by Church House Publishing.
Scripture quotations are from New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright © 1989, 1995 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America.
Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide
