Morning Prayer ~ Celtic Daily Prayer
+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
Opening sentences
One thing I have asked of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life; to behold the beauty of the Lord and to seek Him in His temple.
Declaration of faith
To whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God. Praise to You, Lord Jesus Christ, King of endless glory.
Morning readings
Psalm 116:15 ESV Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.
2 Kings 13:14, 20-21 ESV Now when Elisha had fallen sick with the illness of which he was to die, Joash king of Israel went down to him and wept before him, crying, “My father, my father! The chariots of Israel and its horsemen!”
So Elisha died, and they buried him. Now bands of Moabites used to invade the land in the spring of the year. And as a man was being buried, behold, a marauding band was seen and the man was thrown into the grave of Elisha, and as soon as the man touched the bones of Elisha, he revived and stood on his feet.
Acts 6:15 ESV And gazing at [Stephen], all who sat in the council saw that his face was like the face of an angel.
Prayer ~ Lord, so strange to us this doorway labelled death! – a door of darkness still closed to protect us from the brilliance of eternal life; a final obstacle to the fullness of Your presence. Give courage, Lord, for this uncharted journey, peacefulness at parting from all that must be left behind, and an inner vision of invitation for all that is better that awaits. Soon enough, we must place our footsteps in those of Christ Himself. Amen.
Hymn: “Now the Day Is Over” – Sabine Baring-Gould (1865)
Now the day is over, Night is drawing nigh, Shadows of the evening / Steal across the sky.
Jesus, give the weary / Calm and sweet repose; With Thy tenderest blessing / May our eyelids close.
Comfort every sufferer / Watching late in pain; Those who plan some evil / From their sins restrain.
Through the long night-watches, May Thine angels spread / Their white wings above me, Watching round my bed.
When the morning wakens, Then may I arise / Pure, and fresh, and sinless / In Thy holy eyes.
Glory to the Father, Glory to the Son, And to Thee, blest Spirit, Whilst all ages run.
Blessing
May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you, wherever He may send you. May He guide you through the wilderness, protect you through the storm. May He bring you home rejoicing at the wonders He has shown you. May He bring you home rejoicing once again into our doors.
+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
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Peanut Gallery: Selected readings from the Daily Office of the Northumbrian Community as available online here… and in the book form, Celtic Daily Prayer available on Amazon.com.
The website and prayer book are rich in prayer resources and I commend them to you. For our purpose here, I am limiting my selections to the Morning Prayer resources.
The Peanut Gallery 