About the Order for Morning Prayer

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My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O LORD;
in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up. (Psalm 5:3)

From the morning and evening sacrifices offered by Old Testament Israel to the hours of prayer observed by the New Testament Church, the practice of daily morning and evening prayer has always framed the lives of the people of God. Indeed, since Adam and Eve were accustomed to meeting the Lord in the Garden “in the cool of the day,” it is clear this practice is rooted in Creation.

The Order for Daily Morning Prayer printed here comes from the 1928 edition of the Book of Common Prayer (BCP) and has been used since 1549. The contents, though, are not particular to the Anglican church and rather reflects a tradition of daily prayer from the Early Church. The language of the BCP is also traditional and, together with readings from the Authorized Version of the Bible, serves to connect us not only to five centuries of Christian prayer, hymnody, and theology, but also to the classics of English literature.

The Order for Morning Prayer falls into two parts: the first focuses on the orderly reading of the Bible and the second on corporate prayer. 

The Scriptures are the Word of God. It is fitting then that we encounter them in Morning Prayer in the form of a dialogue. The opening sentences call us to acknowledge God’s presence, and we respond by confessing of our sin and need of God’s mercy and forgiveness. We hear the assurance of pardon for all who repent and turn to Christ, and we respond by boldly praying the Prayer our Lord himself taught us and by singing the Psalms inspired by the Holy Spirit. Next we hear two lessons, that is, readings, one each from the Old and New Testaments, and we respond to each with a song that praises God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The first part concludes with the Creed, teaching us always to respond with faith to the Word of God. 

With hearts and voices tuned to sing God’s praise, and minds instructed by God’s Word, we are ready to offer him our prayers. We do so following St. Paul’s words to the Philippians: “Be careful for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.” We pray for Grace and Peace for the ensuing day, we supplicate God for our country and for the Church, we intercede for the needs of all mankind, and we give thanks for how God has so faithfully provided for us. Finally, we are dismissed with a blessing from the closing words of 2 Corinthians: The Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Love of God, and the Fellowship of the Holy Ghost be with us all evermore. Amen.