Develop a Discipleship System
AN ORDER FOR MORNING PRAISE AND PRAYER
This service is for use by groups at dawn or as they begin their day in prayer. The service is most effective when morning sunlight is visible.
The people may participate by using An Order for Morning Praise and Prayer in UMH 876.
The congregation may be invited to stand for the entire service, except during the reading of Scripture and Silence, when used.
CALL TO PRAISE AND PRAYER * Sung (220) or spoken:
O Lord, open our lips.
And we shall declare your praise. (PSALM 51:15, ALT.)
MORNING HYMN *
A hymn appropriate to the morning may be sung. Suggested from UMH:
| 674 –81 | Morning Hymns | 658 | This Is the Day the Lord Hath Made |
| 947 | Hymns listed under Morning Prayer | 185 | When Morning Gilds the Skies |
| 173 | Christ, Whose Glory Fills the Skies | 65 | Santo! Santo! Santo! |
| 64 | Holy, Holy, Holy! | 657 | This Is the Day |
PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING*
See For a New Day ( UMH 676), Listen, Lord (UMH 677), and For Help for the Forthcoming Day (UMH 681).
SCRIPTURE
The following or other readings appropriate to the morning, or to the day or season of the Christian year, or to the nature of the occasion, may be used:
| Deuteronomy 6:4 –7 | The Shema |
| Isaiah 55:1 –3 | Invitation to abundant life |
| Psalm 51 (UMH 785) | Prayer for cleansing and pardon |
| Psalm 63 (UMH 788) | Comfort and assurance |
| Psalm 95 (UMH 814) | Call to worship and obedience |
| Romans 12:1 –2 | Be transformed by God. |
| John 1:1 –5, 9–14 | In the beginning was the Word. |
SILENCE
Silent meditation on the scripture that has been read. This may be concluded with a short prayer, such as Let our prayers be acceptable to you, O God, our rock and our salvation. Amen.
SONG OF PRAISE *
The traditional morning Song of Praise is the Song of Zechariah (UMH 208, 209). The following psalms and canticles, or other scripture songs or hymns, may also be sung:
| Psalm 100 (UMH 821) | Canticle of Light and Darkness (UMH 205) |
| Psalm 148 (UMH 861) | Canticle of Moses and Miriam (UMH 135) |
| Psalm 150 (UMH 862) | Canticle of Praise to God (UMH 91) |
| Canticle of God's Glory (UMH 82, 83) | |
| Canticle of the Holy Trinity (UMH 80) |
PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE *
The following or other of litany of intercession (see another litany) may be prayed, during which any person may offer a brief prayer of intercession or petition.
After each prayer, the leader may conclude: Lord, in your mercy, and all may respond: Hear our prayer.
Or the leader may intone: Let Us Pray to the Lord (UMH 485), and all respond singing: Lord, have mercy.
Together, let us pray
for the people of this congregation...
for those who suffer and those in trouble...
for the concerns of this local community...
for the world, its peoples, and its leaders...
for the earth you have given to our care…
for the Church universal—its leaders, its members, and its mission...
in communion with the saints….
Following these prayers, all may sing one of the following from UMH:
| 490 | Hear Us, O God | 491 | Remember Me |
| 488 | Jesus, Remember Me | 487 | |
| 485 | Let Us Pray to the Lord |
See also:
| God Hears Our Every Need (Hymn 183) | Tino tenda Jesu (Hymn 203) |
| Jesus, We Are Here (Hymn 187) | Señor, Apiádate de Nosotros (Hymn 188) |
| Teach Me to Hear in Silence (Hymn 194) | O Lamb of God (Hymn 201) |
THE LORD'S PRAYER * Sung or spoken. See UMH 270–71, 894–96.
BLESSING *
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ,
and the love of God,
and the communion of the Holy Spirit
be with you all. Amen.
THE PEACE * Signs of peace may be exchanged.
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Copyright: “An Order for Morning Praise and Prayer,” Copyright © 1992 UMPH. Note: an additional petition (for the earth) has been added, 2013, by Discipleship Ministries, in keeping with the Council of Bishops’ 2009 teaching document, “God’s Renewed Creation: Call to Hope and Action.”
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