St Clement Morning Prayer Service for the late Queen Elizabeth II 19.9.22
Preparation
O Lord open our lips
and our mouth shall proclaim your praise
O Lord, save the King.
And mercifully hear us when we call upon thee.
Psalm 103.8-18
The Lord is merciful and gracious,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
He will not always accuse,
nor will he keep his anger for ever.
He does not deal with us according to our sins,
nor repay us according to our iniquities.
For as the heavens are high above the earth,
so great is his steadfast love towards those who fear him;
as far as the east is from the west,
so far he removes our transgressions from us.
As a father has compassion for his children,
so the Lord has compassion for those who fear him.
For he knows how we were made;
he remembers that we are dust.
As for mortals, their days are like grass;
they flourish like a flower of the field;
for the wind passes over it, and it is gone,
and its place knows it no more.
But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting
on those who fear him,
and his righteousness to children’s children,
to those who keep his covenant
and remember to do his commandments.
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.
The night has passed, and the day lies open before us; let us pray with one heart and mind.
Almighty God, Father of all mercies and giver of all comfort: deal
graciously, we pray with all those who mourn, the members of the
Royal Family, this Nation and all Nations of the Commonwealth, that
casting every care on you, we may know the consolation of thy love;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
The Word of God
Psalm 23
The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures;
he leads me beside still waters; he restores my soul.
He leads me in right paths for his name's sake.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff—
they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.
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.
Canticle
Psalm 103.8-18
The Lord is merciful and gracious,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
He will not always accuse,
nor will he keep his anger for ever.
He does not deal with us according to our sins,
nor repay us according to our iniquities.
For as the heavens are high above the earth,
so great is his steadfast love towards those who fear him;
as far as the east is from the west,
so far he removes our transgressions from us.
As a father has compassion for his children,
so the Lord has compassion for those who fear him.
For he knows how we were made;
he remembers that we are dust.
As for mortals, their days are like grass;
they flourish like a flower of the field;
for the wind passes over it, and it is gone,
and its place knows it no more.
But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting
on those who fear him,
and his righteousness to children’s children,
to those who keep his covenant
and remember to do his commandments.
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.
Scripture Reading
Isaiah 61.1-3
The spirit of the Lord God is upon me,
because the Lord has anointed me;
he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed,
to bind up the broken-hearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives,
and release to the prisoners;
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour,
and the day of vengeance of our God;
to comfort all who mourn;
to provide for those who mourn in Zion—
to give them a garland instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness instead of mourning,
the mantle of praise instead of a faint spirit.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
the planting of the Lord, to display his glory.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart;
and be not wise in your own sight.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart;
and be not wise in your own sight
In all your ways acknowledge him
and he will make straight your paths.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart.
Glory to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart;
and be not wise in your own sight
Gospel Canticle
Luke 1.68-79
You have set us free to worship you without fear,
Holy and righteous in your sight.
‘Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,
for he has looked favourably on his people and redeemed them.
He has raised up a mighty saviour for us
in the house of his servant David,
as he spoke through the mouth of his holy prophets from of old,
that we would be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us.
Thus he has shown the mercy promised to our ancestors,
and has remembered his holy covenant,
the oath that he swore to our ancestor Abraham,
to grant us that we, being rescued from the hands of our enemies,
might serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness
before him all our days.
And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High;
for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways,
to give knowledge of salvation to his people
by the forgiveness of their sins.
By the tender mercy of our God,
the dawn from on high will break upon us,
to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,
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.
You have set us free to worship you without fear,
Holy and righteous in your sight.
Prayers
Eternal God, our heavenly Father, we bless your holy name for all that you have given us in and through the life of your servant Queen Elizabeth.
We give you thanks:
for her love of family and her gift of friendship;
for her devotion to this nation and the nations of the Commonwealth;
for her grace, dignity and courtesy;
and for her generosity and love of life.
We praise you for:
the courage that she showed in testing times;
the depth and of her Christian faith;
and the witness she bore to it in word and deed.
Accept our thanks and praise, we pray,
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
God our creator and redeemer,
by your power Christ conquered death
and returned to you in glory.
Confident of his victory
and claiming his promises,
we entrust your servant Elizabeth into your keeping
in the name of Jesus our Lord,
who, though he died, is now alive
and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God now and for ever. Amen.
Father of all mercies and God of all consolation,
you pursue us with untiring love
and dispel the shadow of death
with the bright dawn of life.
Give courage to the Royal Family
in their loss and sorrow.
Be their refuge and strength, O Lord;
reassure them of your continuing love
and lift them from the depths of grief
into the peace and light of your presence.
Your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ,
by dying has destroyed our death,
and by rising, restored our life.
Your Holy Spirit, our comforter,
speaks for us in groans too deep for words.
Come alongside your people,
remind them of your eternal presence
and give them your comfort and strength. Amen.
Lord God,
you provide for your people by your power,
and rule over them in love:
Grant to your servant our King
the Spirit of wisdom and discernment,
that being devoted to you with his whole heart,
he may so wisely govern,
that in his time we may live in safety and in peace;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
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.
Thanks be to God.