Morning Prayer

Epiphany
From the rising of the sun to its setting my Name shall be great among the nations, and in every place incense shall be offered to my Name, and a pure offering: for my Name shall be great among the nations, says the Lord of hosts. Malachi 1:11

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
The Antiphon:

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

The Lord has shown forth his glory: Come let us adore him.

The Lessons

Psalm 120

⁽¹⁾ In my distress I cried to the LORD, And He heard me. ⁽²⁾ Deliver my soul, O LORD, from lying lips And from a deceitful tongue. ⁽³⁾ What shall be given to you, Or what shall be done to you, You false tongue? ⁽⁴⁾ Sharp arrows of the warrior, With coals of the broom tree!

⁽⁵⁾ Woe is me, that I dwell in Meshech, That I dwell among the tents of Kedar! ⁽⁶⁾ My soul has dwelt too long With one who hates peace. ⁽⁷⁾ I am for peace; But when I speak, they are for war.

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.

Psalm 121

⁽¹⁾ I will lift up my eyes to the hills -- From whence comes my help? ⁽²⁾ My help comes from the LORD, Who made heaven and earth. ⁽³⁾ He will not allow your foot to be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber. ⁽⁴⁾ Behold, He who keeps Israel Shall neither slumber nor sleep.

⁽⁵⁾ The LORD is your keeper; The LORD is your shade at your right hand. ⁽⁶⁾ The sun shall not strike you by day, Nor the moon by night. ⁽⁷⁾ The LORD shall preserve you from all evil; He shall preserve your soul. ⁽⁸⁾ The LORD shall preserve your going out and your coming in From this time forth, and even forevermore.

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.

Psalm 122

⁽¹⁾ I was glad when they said to me, 'Let us go into the house of the LORD.' ⁽²⁾ Our feet have been standing Within your gates, O Jerusalem! ⁽³⁾ Jerusalem is built As a city that is compact together, ⁽⁴⁾ Where the tribes go up, The tribes of the LORD, To the Testimony of Israel, To give thanks to the name of the LORD.

⁽⁵⁾ For thrones are set there for judgment, The thrones of the house of David. ⁽⁶⁾ Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: 'May they prosper who love you. ⁽⁷⁾ Peace be within your walls, Prosperity within your palaces.' ⁽⁸⁾ For the sake of my brethren and companions, I will now say, 'Peace be within you.'

⁽⁹⁾ Because of the house of the LORD our God I will seek your good.

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.

Psalm 123

⁽¹⁾ Unto You I lift up my eyes, O You who dwell in the heavens. ⁽²⁾ Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their masters, As the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress, So our eyes look to the LORD our God, Until He has mercy on us. ⁽³⁾ Have mercy on us, O LORD, have mercy on us! For we are exceedingly filled with contempt. ⁽⁴⁾ Our soul is exceedingly filled With the scorn of those who are at ease, With the contempt of the proud.

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.

Ruth Chapter 1

⁽¹⁵⁾ And she said, 'Look, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods; return after your sister-in-law.' ⁽¹⁶⁾ But Ruth said: 'Entreat me not to leave you, Or to turn back from following after you; For wherever you go, I will go; And wherever you lodge, I will lodge; Your people shall be my people, And your God, my God. ⁽¹⁷⁾ Where you die, I will die, And there will I be buried. The LORD do so to me, and more also, If anything but death parts you and me.' ⁽¹⁸⁾ When she saw that she was determined to go with her, she stopped speaking to her.

⁽¹⁹⁾ Now the two of them went until they came to Bethlehem. And it happened, when they had come to Bethlehem, that all the city was excited because of them; and the women said, 'Is this Naomi?' ⁽²⁰⁾ But she said to them, 'Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. ⁽²¹⁾ I went out full, and the LORD has brought me home again empty. Why do you call me Naomi, since the LORD has testified against me, and the Almighty has afflicted me?' ⁽²²⁾ So Naomi returned, and Ruth the Moabitess her daughter-in-law with her, who returned from the country of Moab. Now they came to Bethlehem at the beginning of barley harvest.

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

2 Corinthians Chapter 1

⁽¹²⁾ For our boasting is this: the testimony of our conscience that we conducted ourselves in the world in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom but by the grace of God, and more abundantly toward you. ⁽¹³⁾ For we are not writing any other things to you than what you read or understand. Now I trust you will understand, even to the end ⁽¹⁴⁾ (as also you have understood us in part), that we are your boast as you also are ours, in the day of the Lord Jesus. ⁽¹⁵⁾ And in this confidence I intended to come to you before, that you might have a second benefit --

⁽¹⁶⁾ to pass by way of you to Macedonia, to come again from Macedonia to you, and be helped by you on my way to Judea. ⁽¹⁷⁾ Therefore, when I was planning this, did I do it lightly? Or the things I plan, do I plan according to the flesh, that with me there should be Yes, Yes, and No, No? ⁽¹⁸⁾ But as God is faithful, our word to you was not Yes and No. ⁽¹⁹⁾ For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us -- by me, Silvanus, and Timothy -- was not Yes and No, but in Him was Yes.

⁽²⁰⁾ For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us. ⁽²¹⁾ Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us is God, ⁽²²⁾ who also has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Matthew Chapter 5

⁽¹³⁾ You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. ⁽¹⁴⁾ You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. ⁽¹⁵⁾ Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. ⁽¹⁶⁾ Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

⁽¹⁷⁾ Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. ⁽¹⁸⁾ For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. ⁽¹⁹⁾ Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. ⁽²⁰⁾ For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.

The Gospel of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

A Song to the Lamb       Revelation 4:11, 5:9 to 10, 13

Splendor and honor and kingly power
are yours by right, O Lord our God,
For you created everything that is,
and by your will they were created
  and have their being;
And yours by right, O Lamb that was slain,
for with your blood you have redeemed for God,
From every family, language, people, and nation,
a kingdom of priests to serve our God.
And so, to him who sits upon the throne,
and to Christ the Lamb,
Be worship and praise, dominion and splendor,
forever and forevermore.

The Song of Zechariah Luke 1: 68 to 79

Glory to you, Lord God of our fathers;
you are worthy of praise; glory to you.
Glory to you for the radiance of your holy Name;
we will praise you and highly exalt you forever.

Glory to you in the splendor of your temple;
on the throne of your majesty, glory to you.
Glory to you, seated between the Cherubim;
we will praise you and highly exalt you forever.

Glory to you, beholding the depths;
in the high vault of heaven, glory to you.
Glory to you, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit;
we will praise you and highly exalt you forever.



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   Traditional
Suffrages A

Seasonal Collect:  Seventh Sunday after the Epiphany
O Lord, you have taught us that without love whatever we do is worth nothing: Send your Holy Spirit and pour into our hearts your greatest gift, which is love, the true bond of peace and of all virtue, without which whoever lives is accounted dead before you. Grant this for the sake of your only Son Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Collect of the Day: O God, the author of peace and lover of concord, to know you is eternal life and to serve you is perfect freedom: Defend us, your humble servants, in all assaults of our enemies; that we, surely trusting in your defense, may not fear the power of any adversaries; through the might of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

A Prayer for Mission: O God, you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth, and sent your blessed Son to preach peace to those who are far off and to those who are near: Grant that people everywhere may seek after you and find you; bring the nations into your fold; pour out your Spirit upon all flesh; and hasten the coming of your kingdom; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Personal Prayers and Reflection

This is a time to pause, consider and listen. Pray for yourself and others. When you lack the words


Closing Prayers   Thanksgiving

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

May the God of hope fill us with all joy and peace in believing through the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Romans 15:13