DAILY PRAYER
For centuries, the Church has maintained the spiritual disciplines of morning and evening prayer.
These originally stem from the Old Testament practice of morning and evening sacrifice, led by the levitical priests.
We encourage you to use the following liturgical devotional either individually or with your family at home.
Family members’ responses are in bold.
Opening Prayer
O God, you are my God, early will I seek you.
In the morning, I will direct my prayer unto you and will look up.
New are your mercies every morning, O Lord;
And great is your faithfulness.
For the Spirit of Prayer
O Almighty God, you pour out on all who desire it the spirit of grace and of supplication:
Deliver us, when we draw near to you, from coldness of heart and wanderings of mind, that with steadfast thoughts and affections we may worship you in spirit and in truth; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer
Let us pray:
Our Father, who are in heaven;
Hallowed be your Name;
Your kingdom come;
Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today 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 the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours, now and forever.
Amen.
Thanksgiving for the gift of another day
We give you heartfelt thanks, O heavenly Father, for the rest of the past night, and for the gift of a new day.
Grant that we may so pass its hours in the perfect freedom of your service, that, when evening comes, we may again rejoice to give you thanks; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Prayer of repentance and faith
Lord Jesus Christ, I confess my faults, shortcomings, sins, and rebellious acts, and ask you to forgive me. I embrace you, Lord Jesus, as my Saviour and Lord.
Thank you for your atoning death on the cross in obedience to your Father’s will to put away my sins.
I enthrone you, Lord Jesus, to be in charge of every part of my life, and I ask you to indwell and empower me with your Holy Spirit, so that I may live as your faithful follower from now on. Amen.
For Intimacy with the Father
Gracious Father, we come to you through the saving work of Jesus Christ on the cross. Thank you for adopting us as your children through him. Grant us the grace to know you more fully as our Heavenly Father, that we may enjoy the fullness of the promises of your eternal kingdom; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
The Collect of the Day
Sunday | for Strength to Await Christ’s Return
O God our King, by the resurrection of your Son Jesus Christ on the first day of the week, you conquered sin, put death to flight, and gave us the hope of everlasting life: Redeem all our days by this victory; forgive our sins, banish our fears, make us bold to praise you and to do your will; and steel us to wait for the consummation of your kingdom on the last great Day; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Monday | for the Renewal of Life
O God, the King eternal, whose light divides the day from the night and turns the shadow of death into the morning: Drive far from us all wrong desires, incline our hearts to keep your law, and guide our feet into the way of peace; that, having done your will with cheerfulness during the day, we may, when evening comes, rejoice to give you thanks; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Tuesday | for Peace
O God, who are the author of peace and lover of concord, in knowledge of whom stands our eternal life, and whose service is perfect freedom: Defend us, your humble servants, in all assaults of our enemies; that we, surely trusting in your defence, may not fear the power of any adversaries, through the might of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Wednesday | for Grace
O Lord, our heavenly Father, almighty and everlasting God, who have brought us safely to the beginning of this day: Defend us by your mighty power, and grant that this day we may not fall into sin, nor run into any danger; but that guided by your Spirit, we may do what is righteous in your sight; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Thursday | for Guidance
O Heavenly Father, in whom we live and move and have our being: We humbly pray you so to guide and govern us by your Holy Spirit, that in all the cares and occupations of our life we may not forget you, but remember that we are ever walking in your sight; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Friday | for Endurance
Almighty God, whose most dear Son went not up to joy but first he suffered pain, and entered not into glory before he was crucified: Mercifully grant that we, walking in the way of the cross, may find it none other than the way of life and peace; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord. Amen.
Saturday | for Sabbath Rest
Almighty God, who after the creation of the world rested from all your works and sanctified a day of rest for all your creatures: Grant that we, putting away all earthly anxieties, may be duly prepared for the service of your sanctuary, and that our rest here upon earth may be a preparation for the eternal rest promised to your people in heaven; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
For Daily Work
O Lord our Heavenly Father, by whose providence our duties are variously ordered: Grant to us all the spirit to labour heartily to do our work in our several stations, in serving one Master and looking for one reward. Teach us to put to good account whatever talents you have lent to us, and enable us to redeem our time by patience and zeal; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
For the Family
Merciful Saviour, who loved Martha and Mary and Lazarus, hallowing their home with your sacred presence: Bless, we pray you, our home, that your love may rest upon us, and that your presence may be with us. May we all grow in grace and in the knowledge of you, our Lord and Saviour. Teach us to love one another as you have given commandment. Help us to bear one another’s burdens and so fulfill your law, O blessed Jesus, who with the Father and the Holy Spirit live and reign, one God, for evermore. Amen.
For Children
O Lord Jesus Christ, who took little children into your arms and blessed them: Bless, we ask you, the children of this family; grant that they may grow up in your fear and love; give them day by day your strength and guidance, so that they may continue in your love and service unto their lives’ end. Grant this, O blessed Saviour, for your own Name’s sake. Amen.
For the Parish
Most merciful Father, we pray you to send your heavenly blessing upon your Church in this Parish, that all its members may dwell together in unity and brotherly love. Keep far from us all self-will and discord. Endue your ministers with righteousness, and enable them to faithfully dispense your holy Word and Sacraments, to bring again the outcasts, and to seek the lost. Grant that we may so receive their ministrations, and use your means of grace, that in all our words and deeds we may seek your glory and the advancement of your kingdom; through Jesus Christ our Saviour. Amen.
For Studying the Scriptures
Blessed Lord, who caused all Holy Scriptures to be written for our learning: Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn and inwardly digest them, that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life, which you have given us in our Saviour Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.
The TEN COMMANDMENTS
I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery:
I - You shall have no other gods before me.
II - You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.
III - You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.
IV - Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labour, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.
V - Honour your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.
VI - You shall not murder.
VII - You shall not commit adultery.
VIII - You shall not steal.
IX - You shall not bear false witness against your neighbour.
X - You shall not covet your neighbour's house; you shall not covet your neighbour's wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbour's.
The Apostles' Creed
I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord.
He was conceived by the Holy Spirit
and born of the Virgin Mary.
He suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose again.
He ascended into heaven,
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting.
Amen.
Prayer and Intercession
Starting with open intercessions for our family and community, and then:
O Lord God, who have bidden light to shine out of darkness, and have again wakened us to praise you for your goodness and to ask for your grace: Accept now the offering of our worship and thanksgiving, and grant to us all such requests as may be acceptable to your holy will. Make us to live as children of the light, and heirs of your everlasting kingdom.
Remember, O Lord, according to the multitude of your mercies, your whole Church, all who join with us in prayer, and all our brethren, wherever they may be, who stand in need of your aid.
Pour down upon us all the riches of your grace, so that, redeemed in soul and body, and steadfast in faith, we may ever praise your wonderful and holy Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
O God, Most High and Holy, Three in One, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; we offer to you this day ourselves, our souls and bodies, to be a reasonable, holy, and living sacrifice unto you; to whom be all praise and glory. Amen.
The GracE
May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us all evermore. Amen.