Easter Friday Morning Prayer, 17th April 2020

Holy One, open our lips: and we shall proclaim your praise.

Glory to God, Source of all being, Eternal Word and Holy Spirit;*
as it was in the beginning, is now, and shall be for ever.  Amen.

OPENING

Fridays: From Psalm 16, Conserva me, Domine 

Protect me, O God, for I take refuge in you; I have said to the Lord,
“You are my Lord, my good above all other.”
All my delight is upon the godly that are in the land, *
upon those who are noble among the people.

O Lord, you are my portion and my cup; it is you who uphold my lot.
My boundaries enclose a pleasant land;
indeed, I have a goodly heritage.
I will bless the Lord who gives me counsel;
my heart teaches me, night after night.
I have set the Lord always before me;
because you are at my side I shall not fall.
My heart, therefore, is glad, and my spirit rejoices;
my body also shall rest in hope.
You will show me the path of life;
in your presence there is fullness of joy,
and in your hand are pleasures for evermore. 

READING: 1 Corinthians 15:51–58

Listen, I will tell you a mystery! We will not all die, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For this perishable body must put on imperishability, and this mortal body must put on immortality. When this perishable body puts on imperishability, and this mortal body puts on immortality, then the saying that is written will be fulfilled:
‘Death has been swallowed up in victory.’
‘Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is your sting?’
The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Therefore, my beloved, be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the work of the Lord, because you know that in the Lord your labour is not in vain.

Silence 

BENEDICTUS
Blessed be the Lord the God of Israel,
for he has come to his people and set them free.
He has raised up for us a mighty saviour,
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 that hate us.
He promised to show mercy to our forebears,
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 all 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 shall be for ever.  Amen.

PRAYERS
The power of the risen Christ sets us free from evil’s grip!
Lord, have mercy upon us.
The touch of the risen Christ heals our deepest wounds and sorrow!
Christ, have mercy upon us.
The life of the risen Christ swallows up our fear of death!
Lord, have mercy upon us.

FRIDAYS:
O Christ, you sent the Holy Spirit received from the Father upon your disciples: lead us by that same Spirit.
O Christ, you send us to proclaim your forgiveness:
reveal your love to every human being.
O Christ, you promised that the Spirit would teach us all things:
enlighten our faith.
O Christ, you promised us the Spirit of peace:
renew the earth by your peace.
O Christ, you promised to send the Spirit of truth:
enable us to know your love which is beyond all knowledge.
O Christ, your Spirit fills the universe,
dwelling within each of us.

Lord’s Prayer
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.
Do not bring us to the time of trial,
but deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours,
now and for ever. Amen.

COLLECTS

FRIDAYS: Saviour of every life, in following you we choose to love and never to harden our hearts. You wish us to know a Gospel joy. And when the depths of our being are covered by a dark cloud, one way forward remains open, the way of serene trust. Amen

Almighty God, who, through your Son, Jesus Christ, have overcome death and opened the gates of eternal life: grant that we, who celebrate with joy the day of his resurrection, may be raised from the death of sin by your life-giving Spirit; through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, world without end. Amen.

God most holy, we give you thanks for bringing us out of the shadow of night into the light of morning; and we ask you for the joy of spending this day in your service, so that when evening comes, we may once more give you thanks, through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord. Amen.

The Lord bless us and preserve us from all evil; and bring us to life eternal. Amen.

Compiled with Materials from:  SEC Daily Prayer; Jim Cotter, Lectionary Resources; Taizé A prayer for each day; GS2016 Pointed Liturgical Psalter 2016 04 08; Chris Thorpe, Touching the Sacred.

A priest and poet in the Scottish Episcopal Church, exploring the workings of the Holy Spirit in Banchory .