What is Morning Prayer?

Most of the time when our congregation gathers the thing we do is Eucharist.  That word, eucharist, comes from the Bible and means “thanksgiving.”  Christians generally do this on Sunday because it is the weekly commemoration of the Resurrection of Jesus.

In doing Eucharist we thank God for Jesus and for what his death and resurrection has accomplished among us. In giving thanks the presence of the crucified and risen Body is manifest through the sharing of bread and wine in the Holy Communion (see 1 Corinthians 10:16-17). In other words, two essential things of Eucharist are being gathered and tangible sharing in something beyond ourselves.  

At this time physical distancing makes almost any kind of physical sharing very difficult. However, with the designation that Allegheny County is in the “yellow” phase of recovery (instead of the “red” phase) it is once again possible for people to gather, albeit in smaller numbers than many may like.  Even though the Body of Christ may not be visible in the one bread and shared cup of wine, that Body is visible in the gathering of Christians, members of his Body which is the church. 

Beginning May 17 our congregation will resume public gatherings on Sunday that proclaim the Resurrection of Jesus (at 8:00 AM and 10:30 AM). Until we are more easily able to share one loaf of bread and wine poured from the same cup the form of what we do in that Sunday gathering will be Morning Prayer.

The pattern of Morning Prayer stretches back to Old Testament times with the use of psalms prayed evening and morning. This pattern continued among Christians and was further developed in the 4th and 5th centuries as monastic communities came into existence. Martin Luther retained the services of Morning and Evening Prayer he had known as an Augustinian Friar, slightly simplifying them. 

The opening of the day has often been associated with the Resurrection of Jesus. The beginning of every new day brings opportunities for serving God until that final day dawns when no sun shall set and the world is made new in the likeness of Christ.

Central to Morning Prayer is the use of passages from the Bible to praise God for bringing us to see the light of that new day. Three essential building blocks form the basis of Morning Prayer; each is a passage from the Bible. They are the Psalm, the Canticle, and the Lord’s Prayer. 

Although the service opens with a few snippets of Scripture (sentences called “versicles” because they are verses taken from the Bible), the  first major element – the psalm of praise (usually Psalm 95, called the Venite; or Psalm 100, called the Jubilate; or Psalm 63) – summarizes the themes already mentioned.  Sometimes another psalm is also recited after that psalm of praise. The psalms are followed by a reading of one or more passages from the Bible.  A sermon may also be proclaimed. 

The second major element of Daily Prayer services is the Gospel Canticle.  It follows the readings of Scripture.  Most often the Benedictus (Luke 1:68-79) is the Canticle used at Morning Prayer. The ancient but non-biblical canticle, Te Deum (You are God; We praise you…), may also be used.  

The Canticles encourage Christians to understand and frame their experience of the world from a biblical viewpoint. The Benedictus is also known as the Song of Zechariah; Zechariah was the father of John the Baptist.  

Zechariah initially doubted what the angel said – that Zechariah and his wife, Elizabeth would have a son, John the Baptist; and that their son would prepare many for the coming of salvation, prepared for the world in Christ Jesus. As a result of his doubts, Zechariah was unable to speak until the day John was named. The Benedictus were the first words Zechariah spoke as he saw a new day dawn upon his people Israel.  

We too trust that through Christ Jesus, God is guiding us into the future by the forgiveness of our sins.  The lesser used canticle, Te Deum, has often thought to have been composed by St. Augustine as he came out of the water after being baptized by St. Ambrose.  

The final element of Morning Prayer consists of the formal prayers.  The entire service may be understood as prayer because it facilitates communication both from God to us as well as our response to God in the words of Scripture.  But, the prayers or requests are focused at the end of the service in the Prayer of the Day.  The Prayer of the Day used to be called a collect because it was a way for the leader to collect the requests and thoughts of all present, focusing them into a condensed form.

The most important prayer said is the Lord’s Prayer because it is the prayer that joins us to Jesus. The words have come from the Lord, himself (Matthew 5:9-13 & Luke 11:2-4). The Lord’s Prayer is a tangible way for the “mind of Christ” (Philippians 2:5) to dwell in us.  After the formal prayers the service comes to an end with the blessings.