Thursday 21 May 2026

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

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.

Antiphon: Exalt yourself above the heavens, O God, and your glory over all the earth. (Psalm 57.11)

Opening

The Easter Anthems

1 Christ our passover has been sacrificed for us;*
so let us celebrate the feast.
2 Not with the old leaven of corruption and wickedness,*
but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
3 Christ once raised from the dead dies no more;*
death has no more dominion over him.
4 In dying, he died to sin once for all;*
in living, he lives to God.
5 See yourselves therefore as dead to sin,*
and alive to God in Jesus Christ our Lord.
6 Christ has been raised from the dead,*
the first fruits of those who sleep.
7 For as by man came death,*
by man has come also the resurrection of the dead.
8 For as in Adam all die,*
even so in Christ shall all be made alive.

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.

or a suitable Hymn
(Or from Psalm 57)

1 My heart is firmly fixed, O God, my heart is fixed;*
I will sing and make melody.
2 Wake up, my spirit; awake, lute and harp:*
I myself will waken the dawn.
3 I will confess you among the peoples, O Lord;*
I will sing praise to you among the nations.
4 For your loving-kindness is greater than the heavens,*
and your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.

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.

or a suitable hymn

Psalm 104.1-25

1 Bless the Lord, O my soul;*
O Lord my God, how excellent is your greatness!
you are clothed with majesty and splendour.

2 You wrap yourself with light as with a cloak*
and spread out the heavens like a curtain.

3 You lay the beams of your chambers in the waters above;*
you make the clouds your chariot;
you ride on the wings of the wind.

4 You make the winds your messengers*
and flames of fire your servants.

5 You have set the earth upon its foundations,*
so that it never shall move at any time.

6 You covered it with the deep as with a mantle;*
the waters stood higher than the mountains.

7 At your rebuke they fled;*
at the voice of your thunder they hastened away.

8 They went up into the hills and down to the valleys beneath,*
to the places you had appointed for them.

9 You set the limits that they should not pass;*
they shall not again cover the earth.

10 You send the springs into the valleys;*
they flow between the mountains.

11 All the beasts of the field drink their fill from them,*
and the wild asses quench their thirst.

12 Beside them the birds of the air make their nests*
and sing among the branches.

13 You water the mountains from your dwelling on high;*
the earth is fully satisfied by the fruit of your works.

14 You make grass grow for flocks and herds*
and plants to serve mankind;

15 That they may bring forth food from the earth,*
and wine to gladden our hearts,

16 Oil to make a cheerful countenance,*
and bread to strengthen the heart.

17 The trees of the Lord are full of sap,*
the cedars of Lebanon which he planted,

18 In which the birds build their nests,*
and in whose tops the stork makes his dwelling.

19 The high hills are a refuge for the mountain goats,*
and the stony cliffs for the rock badgers.

20 You appointed the moon to mark the seasons,*
and the sun knows the time of its setting.

21 You make darkness that it may be night,*
in which all the beasts of the forest prowl.

22 The lions roar after their prey*
and seek their food from God.

23 The sun rises, and they slip away*
and lay themselves down in their dens .

24 Man goes forth to his work*
and to his labour until the evening.

25 O Lord, how manifold are your works!*
in wisdom you have made them all;
the earth is full of your creatures.

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.

O God of eternal light, heaven and earth are the work of your hands, and all creation sings your praise and beauty. As in the beginning, by your Spirit, you gave life and order to all that is, so by the same Spirit redeem us and all things, through Christ our Lord.

Conclusion

Isaiah 61/Luke 4

1 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,*
because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor,
2 and has sent me to proclaim release to the captives;*
recovery of sight to the blind;
3 to set at liberty those who are oppressed;*
to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.
4 I will greatly rejoice in the Lord;*
my soul shall exult in my God;
5 who has clothed me with the garment of salvation,*
and covered me with the robe of righteousness.
6 For as the earth brings forth its shoots,*
so the Lord will cause righteousness to spring forth before all nations.

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.

Antiphon: Exalt yourself above the heavens, O God, and your glory over all the earth.

Zechariah 4.1-14

The angel who talked with me came again, and wakened me, as one is wakened from sleep. He said to me, ‘What do you see?’ And I said, ‘I see a lampstand all of gold, with a bowl on the top of it; there are seven lamps on it, with seven lips on each of the lamps that are on the top of it. And by it there are two olive trees, one on the right of the bowl and the other on its left.’ I said to the angel who talked with me, ‘What are these, my lord?’ Then the angel who talked with me answered me, ‘Do you not know what these are?’ I said, ‘No, my lord.’ He said to me, ‘This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, says the Lord of hosts. What are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain; and he shall bring out the top stone amid shouts of “Grace, grace to it!”’ Moreover, the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ‘The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also complete it. Then you will know that the Lord of hosts has sent me to you. For whoever has despised the day of small things shall rejoice, and shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel. ‘These seven are the eyes of the Lord, which range through the whole earth.’ Then I said to him, ‘What are these two olive trees on the right and the left of the lampstand?’ And a second time I said to him, ‘What are these two branches of the olive trees, which pour out the oil through the two golden pipes?’ He said to me, ‘Do you not know what these are?’ I said, ‘No, my lord.’ Then he said, ‘These are the two anointed ones who stand by the Lord of the whole earth.’

Ephesians 4.17-32

Now this I affirm and insist on in the Lord: you must no longer live as the Gentiles live, in the futility of their minds. They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of their ignorance and hardness of heart. They have lost all sensitivity and have abandoned themselves to licentiousness, greedy to practise every kind of impurity. That is not the way you learned Christ! For surely you have heard about him and were taught in him, as truth is in Jesus. You were taught to put away your former way of life, your old self, corrupt and deluded by its lusts, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to clothe yourselves with the new self, created according to the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. So then, putting away falsehood, let all of us speak the truth to our neighbours, for we are members of one another. Be angry but do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not make room for the devil. Thieves must give up stealing; rather let them labour and work honestly with their own hands, so as to have something to share with the needy. Let no evil talk come out of your mouths, but only what is useful for building up, as there is need, so that your words may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with which you were marked with a seal for the day of redemption. Put away from you all bitterness and wrath and anger and wrangling and slander, together with all malice, and be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you.

Silence

Response Psalm (Psalm 105.1)

Give thanks to the Lord and call upon his name, alleluia, alleluia.
Give thanks to the Lord and call upon his name, alleluia, alleluia.
Make known his deeds among the peoples,
Alleluia, alleluia.
Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
Give thanks to the Lord and call upon his name, alleluia, alleluia.

Benedictus antiphon: I will not leave you desolate, says the Lord; I will come to you; alleluia. (John 14.18)

1 Blessed be the Lord the God of Israel,* for he 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 he promised of old* that he would save us from our enemies, from the hands of all that hate us.
4 He promised to show mercy to our forebears,* and to remember his holy covenant.
5 This was the oath he 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 You my 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.

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.
(may be said by all)

Benedictus antiphon: I will not leave you desolate, says the Lord; I will come to you; alleluia. (John 14.18)

Lord, have mercy upon us.
Christ, have mercy upon us.
Lord, have mercy upon us.

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

Collect of the Day

O God,
the King of Glory, hear our prayer:
that as we believe your Son Jesus Christ
to be exalted with great triumph to your kingdom in heaven;
so also we may know his presence with us now,
and to the end of time;
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

Let us bless the Lord:
Thanks be to God!

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