Morning Prayer: Justice
The Call to Prayer
I will sing of loyalty and of justice; to you, O Lord, I will sing.
Psalm 101
The Request for Presence
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.
Luke 1:78-79
The Greeting
My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my saviour.
Luke 1:46-47
The Hymn
Lead on, eternal Sovereign, we follow in your way;
loud rings your cry for justice, your call for peace this day;
through prayerful preparation, your grace will make us strong,
to carry on the struggle to triumph over wrong.
Lead on, eternal Sovereign, we follow not with fear,
for in each human conflict your words of strength we hear:
that when we serve with gladness, you will not let us fall,
our trust is in your promise that love will conquer all.
Lead on, eternal Sovereign, till sin’s fierce war shall cease
and all you saints together will sing a hymn of peace;
than all in your dominion will live with hearts set free,
to love and serve each other for all eternity.
Ernest Warburton Shurtleff
(copyright The Pilgrim Press, 1992)
PCC Hymn #743 Lead on, eternal Sovereign
The Refrain
Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Romans 12:21
A Reading
Jesus said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor had respect for people; and there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Grant me justice against my opponent.’ For a while he refused; but later he said to himself, ‘Though I have no fear of God and no respect for anyone, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will grant her justice, or she will wear me out by her continual coming.’”
Luke 18:2-5
The Refrain
Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Romans 12:21
The Psalm
Alleluia! Praise YHWH, my soul!
I will praise you all my life; I will sing praise to my God while I live!
Do not trust in rulers, in mortals in whom there is no salvation.
When their spirits depart, they return to the earth; on that day theirs plans perish.
Happy are those who help is the God of Israel, whose hope is in YHWH their God,
who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in it!
YHWH you keep faith forever:
you secure justice for the oppressed; you give food to the hungry; you set captives free;
you give sight to the blind; you raise up those who were bowed down; you love those who do justice;
you protect strangers; you sustain orphans and the bereaved—
but you thwart the way of the corrupt.
YHWH will reign forever,—your God, Zion!— through all generations. Alleluia!
Psalm 146
The Refrain
Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Romans 12:21
Optional Prayers
Prayers for the world
The Gloria
All glory to Almighty
For love so deep, so high, so broad
The Trinity whom we adore
Forever and forevermore.
15th c. Latin, translated by Benjamin Webb
PCC Hymn #205 O love, how deep, how broad, how high
The Lord’s Prayer
The Prayer Appointed for the Day
O God of love and justice, when we step back and look at the world, the injustices are overwhelming. All of your creation is being trespassed against. Help us to be instruments of your peace. Help us not to be overcome by evil. Give us the endurance and wisdom to overcome evil with good. Transform us so that we will be people through whom your kingdom comes and your will is done on earth as it is in heaven. In Jesus name, Amen.
The Concluding Prayer of the Church
Almighty and everlasting God, you have brought us in safety to the beginning of this day. Preserve us with your mighty power, that we may not fall into sin, nor be overcome with adversity; and in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purposes; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Phyllis Tickle
Inspired by Phyllis Tickle’s The Divine Hours, Pocket Edition
Scripture translations from the NRSV or The Inclusive Bible.