Morning Prayer - December 15, 2025

Today's Readings

Psalm 86:1-17

Genesis 28:10-17

John 1:43-51

--Today is the Holy Day of Saint Bartholomew--

Saint and Major Saints' Days
Their sound has gone out into all lands, and their message to the ends of the world. Psalm 19:4

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 86

⁽¹⁾ Bow down Your ear, O LORD, hear me; For I am poor and needy.⁽²⁾ Preserve my life, for I am holy; You are my God; Save Your servant who trusts in You!⁽³⁾ Be merciful to me, O Lord, For I cry to You all day long.⁽⁴⁾ Rejoice the soul of Your servant, For to You, O Lord, I lift up my soul.

⁽⁵⁾ For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive, And abundant in mercy to all those who call upon You.⁽⁶⁾ Give ear, O LORD, to my prayer; And attend to the voice of my supplications.⁽⁷⁾ In the day of my trouble I will call upon You, For You will answer me.⁽⁸⁾ Among the gods there is none like You, O Lord; Nor are there any works like Your works.

⁽⁹⁾ All nations whom You have made Shall come and worship before You, O Lord, And shall glorify Your name.⁽¹⁰⁾ For You are great, and do wondrous things; You alone are God.⁽¹¹⁾ Teach me Your way, O LORD; I will walk in Your truth; Unite my heart to fear Your name.⁽¹²⁾ I will praise You, O Lord my God, with all my heart, And I will glorify Your name forevermore.

⁽¹³⁾ For great is Your mercy toward me, And You have delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol.⁽¹⁴⁾ O God, the proud have risen against me, And a mob of violent men have sought my life, And have not set You before them.⁽¹⁵⁾ But You, O Lord, are a God full of compassion, and gracious, Longsuffering and abundant in mercy and truth.⁽¹⁶⁾ Oh, turn to me, and have mercy on me! Give Your strength to Your servant, And save the son of Your maidservant.

⁽¹⁷⁾ Show me a sign for good, That those who hate me may see it and be ashamed, Because You, LORD, have helped me and comforted me.

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.

Genesis Chapter 28

⁽¹⁰⁾ Now Jacob went out from Beersheba and went toward Haran.⁽¹¹⁾ So he came to a certain place and stayed there all night, because the sun had set. And he took one of the stones of that place and put it at his head, and he lay down in that place to sleep.⁽¹²⁾ Then he dreamed, and behold, a ladder was set up on the earth, and its top reached to heaven; and there the angels of God were ascending and descending on it.⁽¹³⁾ And behold, the LORD stood above it and said: 'I am the LORD God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and your descendants.

⁽¹⁴⁾ Also your descendants shall be as the dust of the earth; you shall spread abroad to the west and the east, to the north and the south; and in you and in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed.⁽¹⁵⁾ Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have spoken to you.'⁽¹⁶⁾ Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, 'Surely the LORD is in this place, and I did not know it.'⁽¹⁷⁾ And he was afraid and said, 'How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven!'

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 Bartholomew August 24
Almighty and everlasting God, who gave to your apostle Bartholomew grace truly to believe and to preach your Word: Grant that your Church may love what he believed and preach what he taught; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.

Collect of the Day: O God, the King eternal, whose light divides the day from the night and turns the shadow of death into the morning: Drive far from us all wrong desires, incline our hearts to keep your law, and guide our feet into the way of peace; that, having done your will with cheerfulness while it was day, we may, when night comes, rejoice to give you thanks; 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