The service begins with singing an expression of praise to God. The tune is "Old Hundredth." The words "Be Thou, O God, exalted high…" are a translation of Psalm 57:5.

The minister then says the exhortation beginning "Dearly Beloved, the Scripture moveth us…" One line states what we will do in the course of morning prayer: render thanks and praise to God, listen to scripture and pray for our needs, body and soul.

The Prayer of General Confession acknowledges that we have not acted with the maturity to which God has called us. The confession is general, thus enabling persons to fill in details from their own lives. In the short prayer that follows, the minister voices the hope that those who confess their sins will turn and live in God’s Holy Spirit.

This is the way Jesus taught his disciples to pray. The wisdom, comfort and beauty of this prayer have been felt down through the centuries. Reciting this prayer at the beginning of the service is a sign of our coming together as a congregation in the Christian tradition.

This portion of the service takes up the psalms in word and song. The minister announces which chant we will sing. These chants are from the Anglican tradition in which the prayer book is rooted. Next, the minister and congregation read the psalm for the day, alternating verses. At the end of both the chant and the psalm, we sing a short doxology taken from Paul’s letter to Timothy. This replaces a Trinitarian doxology. The choir’s anthem has been chosen to go with the psalm. The psalms are a major part of our worship because theirs is the voice of faithful men and women.

The Scripture lessons are taken from the Revised Common Lectionary, meaning that these Biblical texts are read in other Christian churches at the same times. The monthly bulletin in the pew lists the readings for each month. Given our tradition of freedom of the pulpit, the preacher is welcome to change these scripture lessons and on occasion does so. We usually have two scripture readings, one from the Old Testament and one from the New. After the readings, the first hymn of the morning is sung, not infrequently a metrical psalm, since this is a deep singing tradition in New England.

Our prayers are spoken in a variety of forms. The opening prayer is a prayer for the day. This is followed by the two short prayers in the prayer book. They begin: "O God, who art the lover of peace and concord…" and "O Lord, our heavenly Father…" The next prayer in the prayer book is for all those in authority. This is followed by a prayer written by the nineteenth century Unitarian James Martineau, beginning: "O God before whose face the generations rise and pass away…" The sixth prayer is a prayer for all sorts and conditions of men and women. There is a moment of silence after the phrase "mind, body or estate." At that time we may recall the names of those for whom we are especially concerned. The seventh prayer is a prayer written for the congregation by the pastor. It begins: "Blessed art Thou, Lord our God…"

This prayer is followed by three concluding prayers. The Prayer of General Thanksgiving is said by the minister and the congregation, and voices a final note of gratitude. The Prayer of St. Chrystostom follows. Chrysostom was an outstanding preacher and pastor in fourth century Byzantium. This brief concluding prayer reminds us of the promises by which Christians live. Finally, the Prayer of St. Peter is an adaptation of a verse from the First Letter of Peter in the New Testament that speaks of our calling and our hope. A sung response from the choir concludes our prayers.

Following the announcements, the morning offering is taken, during which the choir sings a second anthem. At the conclusion of the anthem when the usher brings up the offering, the congregation stands and sings the offertory response "We give thee but thine own…" This is found in our Pilgrim Hymnal. The minister then reminds us of those for whom the flowers have been given.

Hymns are sung before and after the sermon. The first hymn may be chosen to go with the sermon. The final hymn is often a favorite of the congregation.