Morning Prayer - December 4, 2025

Today's Readings

Psalm 119:137-160

Job 23:1-12

John 1:43-51

--Today is the Holy Day of the Saints Philip and James--

Saint and Major Saints' Days
You are no longer strangers and sojourners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God. Ephesians 2:19

Confession of Sin
Most merciful God,
I confess that I have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what I have done, and by what I have left undone. I have not loved you with my whole heart; I have not loved my neighbors as myself. I am truly sorry and I humbly repent. For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, have mercy on me and forgive me; that I may delight in your will, and walk in your ways, to the glory of your Name. Amen.

Almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us all our sins through our Lord Jesus Christ, strengthen us in all goodness, and by the power of the Holy Spirit keep us in eternal life. Amen

The Invitatory and Psalter
Lord, open our lips. And our mouth shall proclaim your praise
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen Alleluia

Venite

ⓘ 'Venite' is Latin for 'O Come,' the opening word of Psalm 95: Venite exultemus Domino ('O Come, let us sing to the LORD').

Psalm 95:1 to 7
Come, let us sing to the Lord;
   let us shout for joy to the Rock of our salvation.
Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving
   and raise a loud shout to him with psalms.

For the Lord is a great God,
   and a great King above all gods.
In his hand are the caverns of the earth,
   and the heights of the hills are his also.
The sea is his, for he made it,
   and his hands have molded the dry land.

Come, let us bow down, and bend the knee,
   and kneel before the Lord our Maker.
For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture and the sheep of his hand.
    Oh, that today you would hearken to his voice!

The Antiphon:

ⓘ A short, reflective sentence recited alongside a psalm to deepen our understanding of the readings.

The Lessons

Psalm 119

⁽¹³⁷⁾ Righteous are You, O LORD, And upright are Your judgments.⁽¹³⁸⁾ Your testimonies, which You have commanded, Are righteous and very faithful.⁽¹³⁹⁾ My zeal has consumed me, Because my enemies have forgotten Your words.⁽¹⁴⁰⁾ Your word is very pure; Therefore Your servant loves it.

⁽¹⁴¹⁾ I am small and despised, Yet I do not forget Your precepts.⁽¹⁴²⁾ Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, And Your law is truth.⁽¹⁴³⁾ Trouble and anguish have overtaken me, Yet Your commandments are my delights.⁽¹⁴⁴⁾ The righteousness of Your testimonies is everlasting; Give me understanding, and I shall live.

⁽¹⁴⁵⁾ I cry out with my whole heart; Hear me, O LORD! I will keep Your statutes.⁽¹⁴⁶⁾ I cry out to You; Save me, and I will keep Your testimonies.⁽¹⁴⁷⁾ I rise before the dawning of the morning, And cry for help; I hope in Your word.⁽¹⁴⁸⁾ My eyes are awake through the night watches, That I may meditate on Your word.

⁽¹⁴⁹⁾ Hear my voice according to Your lovingkindness; O LORD, revive me according to Your justice.⁽¹⁵⁰⁾ They draw near who follow after wickedness; They are far from Your law.⁽¹⁵¹⁾ You are near, O LORD, And all Your commandments are truth.⁽¹⁵²⁾ Concerning Your testimonies, I have known of old that You have founded them forever.

⁽¹⁵³⁾ Consider my affliction and deliver me, For I do not forget Your law.⁽¹⁵⁴⁾ Plead my cause and redeem me; Revive me according to Your word.⁽¹⁵⁵⁾ Salvation is far from the wicked, For they do not seek Your statutes.⁽¹⁵⁶⁾ Great are Your tender mercies, O LORD; Revive me according to Your judgments.

⁽¹⁵⁷⁾ Many are my persecutors and my enemies, Yet I do not turn from Your testimonies.⁽¹⁵⁸⁾ I see the treacherous, and am disgusted, Because they do not keep Your word.⁽¹⁵⁹⁾ Consider how I love Your precepts; Revive me, O LORD, according to Your lovingkindness.⁽¹⁶⁰⁾ The entirety of Your word is truth, And every one of Your righteous judgments endures forever.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.

Job Chapter 23

⁽¹⁾ Then Job answered and said:⁽²⁾ Even today my complaint is bitter; My hand is listless because of my groaning.⁽³⁾ Oh, that I knew where I might find Him, That I might come to His seat!⁽⁴⁾ I would present my case before Him, And fill my mouth with arguments.

⁽⁵⁾ I would know the words which He would answer me, And understand what He would say to me.⁽⁶⁾ Would He contend with me in His great power? No! But He would take note of me.⁽⁷⁾ There the upright could reason with Him, And I would be delivered forever from my Judge.⁽⁸⁾ Look, I go forward, but He is not there, And backward, but I cannot perceive Him;

⁽⁹⁾ When He works on the left hand, I cannot behold Him; When He turns to the right hand, I cannot see Him.⁽¹⁰⁾ But He knows the way that I take; When He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold.⁽¹¹⁾ My foot has held fast to His steps; I have kept His way and not turned aside.⁽¹²⁾ I have not departed from the commandment of His lips; I have treasured the words of His mouth More than my necessary food.

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

John Chapter 1

⁽⁴³⁾ The following day Jesus wanted to go to Galilee, and He found Philip and said to him, 'Follow Me.'⁽⁴⁴⁾ Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter.⁽⁴⁵⁾ Philip found Nathanael and said to him, 'We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote -- Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.'⁽⁴⁶⁾ And Nathanael said to him, 'Can anything good come out of Nazareth?' Philip said to him, 'Come and see.'

⁽⁴⁷⁾ Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward Him, and said of him, 'Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!'⁽⁴⁸⁾ Nathanael said to Him, 'How do You know me?' Jesus answered and said to him, 'Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.'⁽⁴⁹⁾ Nathanael answered and said to Him, 'Rabbi, You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!'⁽⁵⁰⁾ Jesus answered and said to him, 'Because I said to you, 'I saw you under the fig tree,' do you believe? You will see greater things than these.'

⁽⁵¹⁾ And He said to him, 'Most assuredly, I say to you, hereafter you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.'

The Gospel of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

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.

The Prayers

The Lord's Prayer

Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy Name,
thy kingdom come, thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day 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 thine is the kingdom,
and the power, and the glory,
forever and ever. Amen.

Suffrages

ⓘ A simple prayer to God for help, mercy, or intercession, rooted in the Latin word for support.

Show us your mercy, O Lord;
And grant us your salvation.
Clothe your ministers with righteousness;
Let your people sing with joy.
Give peace, O Lord, in all the world;
For only in you can we live in safety.
Lord, keep this nation under your care;
And guide us in the way of justice and truth.
Let your way be known upon earth;
Your saving health among all nations.
Let not the needy, O Lord, be forgotten;
Nor the hope of the poor be taken away.
Create in us clean hearts, O God;
And sustain us by your Holy Spirit.

Holy Day Collect: Saint Philip and Saint James May 3
Almighty God, who gave to your apostles Philip and James grace and strength to bear witness to the truth: Grant that we, being mindful of their victory of faith, may glorify in life and death the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Collect of the Day: Heavenly Father, in you 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 may remember that we are ever walking in your sight; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

A Prayer for Mission: Almighty and everlasting God, by whose Spirit the whole body of your faithful people is governed and sanctified: Receive our supplications and prayers which we offer before you for all members of your holy Church, that in their vocation and ministry they may truly and devoutly serve you; through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

Personal Prayers and Reflection

This is a time to pause, consider and listen. Pray for yourself and others.

Closing Prayers

Thanksgiving
Almighty God, Father of all mercies, we your unworthy servants give you humble thanks for all your goodness and loving-kindness to us and to all whom you have made. We bless you for our creation, preservation, and all the blessings of this life; but above all for your immeasurable love in the redemption of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ; for the means of grace, and for the hope of glory, and, we pray, give us such an awareness of your mercies, that with truly thankful hearts we may show forth your praise, not only with our lips, but in our lives, by giving up ourselves to your service, and by walking before you in holiness and righteousness all our days; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory throughout all ages. Amen.

Conclude with the following
Let Us Bless the Lord, Thanks be to God

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. 2 Corinthians 13:14