Morning Prayer

--Today is the Feast of Saint David of Wales--
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

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
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 137

⁽¹⁾ By the rivers of Babylon, There we sat down, yea, we wept When we remembered Zion. ⁽²⁾ We hung our harps Upon the willows in the midst of it. ⁽³⁾ For there those who carried us away captive asked of us a song, And those who plundered us requested mirth, Saying, 'Sing us one of the songs of Zion!' ⁽⁴⁾ How shall we sing the LORD's song In a foreign land?

⁽⁵⁾ If I forget you, O Jerusalem, Let my right hand forget its skill! ⁽⁶⁾ If I do not remember you, Let my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth -- If I do not exalt Jerusalem Above my chief joy. ⁽⁷⁾ Remember, O LORD, against the sons of Edom The day of Jerusalem, Who said, 'Raze it, raze it, To its very foundation!' ⁽⁸⁾ O daughter of Babylon, who are to be destroyed, Happy the one who repays you as you have served us!

⁽⁹⁾ Happy the one who takes and dashes Your little ones against the rock!

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 144

⁽¹⁾ Blessed be the LORD my Rock, Who trains my hands for war, And my fingers for battle -- ⁽²⁾ My lovingkindness and my fortress, My high tower and my deliverer, My shield and the One in whom I take refuge, Who subdues my people under me. ⁽³⁾ LORD, what is man, that You take knowledge of him? Or the son of man, that You are mindful of him? ⁽⁴⁾ Man is like a breath; His days are like a passing shadow.

⁽⁵⁾ Bow down Your heavens, O LORD, and come down; Touch the mountains, and they shall smoke. ⁽⁶⁾ Flash forth lightning and scatter them; Shoot out Your arrows and destroy them. ⁽⁷⁾ Stretch out Your hand from above; Rescue me and deliver me out of great waters, From the hand of foreigners, ⁽⁸⁾ Whose mouth speaks vain words, And whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood.

⁽⁹⁾ I will sing a new song to You, O God; On a harp of ten strings I will sing praises to You, ⁽¹⁰⁾ The One who gives salvation to kings, Who delivers David His servant From the deadly sword. ⁽¹¹⁾ Rescue me and deliver me from the hand of foreigners, Whose mouth speaks lying words, And whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood -- ⁽¹²⁾ That our sons may be as plants grown up in their youth; That our daughters may be as pillars, Sculptured in palace style;

⁽¹³⁾ That our barns may be full, Supplying all kinds of produce; That our sheep may bring forth thousands And ten thousands in our fields; ⁽¹⁴⁾ That our oxen may be well-laden; That there be no breaking in or going out; That there be no outcry in our streets. ⁽¹⁵⁾ Happy are the people who are in such a state; Happy are the people whose God is the LORD!

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 4

⁽¹⁾ Now Boaz went up to the gate and sat down there; and behold, the close relative of whom Boaz had spoken came by. So Boaz said, 'Come aside, friend, sit down here.' So he came aside and sat down. ⁽²⁾ And he took ten men of the elders of the city, and said, 'Sit down here.' So they sat down. ⁽³⁾ Then he said to the close relative, 'Naomi, who has come back from the country of Moab, sold the piece of land which belonged to our brother Elimelech. ⁽⁴⁾ And I thought to inform you, saying, 'Buy it back in the presence of the inhabitants and the elders of my people. If you will redeem it, redeem it; but if you will not redeem it, then tell me, that I may know; for there is no one but you to redeem it, and I am next after you.' ' And he said, 'I will redeem it.'

⁽⁵⁾ Then Boaz said, 'On the day you buy the field from the hand of Naomi, you must also buy it from Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of the dead, to perpetuate the name of the dead through his inheritance.' ⁽⁶⁾ And the close relative said, 'I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I ruin my own inheritance. You redeem my right of redemption for yourself, for I cannot redeem it.' ⁽⁷⁾ Now this was the custom in former times in Israel concerning redeeming and exchanging, to confirm anything: one man took off his sandal and gave it to the other, and this was a confirmation in Israel.

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

2 Corinthians Chapter 4

⁽¹³⁾ And since we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, 'I believed and therefore I spoke,' we also believe and therefore speak, ⁽¹⁴⁾ knowing that He who raised up the Lord Jesus will also raise us up with Jesus, and will present us with you. ⁽¹⁵⁾ For all things are for your sakes, that grace, having spread through the many, may cause thanksgiving to abound to the glory of God. ⁽¹⁶⁾ Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day.

⁽¹⁷⁾ For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, ⁽¹⁸⁾ while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal. ⁽¹⁾ For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. ⁽²⁾ For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed with our habitation which is from heaven, ⁽³⁾ if indeed, having been clothed, we shall not be found naked. ⁽⁴⁾ For we who are in this tent groan, being burdened, not because we want to be unclothed, but further clothed, that mortality may be swallowed up by life.

⁽⁵⁾ Now He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who also has given us the Spirit as a guarantee. ⁽⁶⁾ So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord. ⁽⁷⁾ For we walk by faith, not by sight. ⁽⁸⁾ We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.

⁽⁹⁾ Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him. ⁽¹⁰⁾ For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Matthew Chapter 6

⁽¹⁾ Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven. ⁽²⁾ Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. ⁽³⁾ But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, ⁽⁴⁾ that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly.

⁽⁵⁾ And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. ⁽⁶⁾ But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.

The Gospel of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

A Song of Creation     Prayer of Manasseh 1 to 2, 4, 6 to 7, 11 to 15
Invocation
Glorify the Lord,
all you works of the Lord,
praise him and highly exalt him forever.
In the firmament of his power, glorify the Lord,
praise him and highly exalt him forever.

The Cosmic Order
Glorify the Lord,
you angels and all powers of the Lord,
O heavens and all waters above the heavens.
Sun and moon and stars of the sky,
glorify the Lord,
praise him and highly exalt him forever.
Glorify the Lord,
every shower of rain and fall of dew,
all winds and fire and heat.
Winter and Summer, glorify the Lord,
praise him and highly exalt him forever.

Glorify the Lord, O chill and cold,
drops of dew and flakes of snow.
Frost and cold, ice and sleet,
glorify the Lord,
praise him and highly exalt him forever.

Glorify the Lord,
O nights and days,
O shining light and enfolding dark.
Storm clouds and thunderbolts, glorify the Lord,
praise him and highly exalt him forever.

Glorify the Lord,
O spirits and souls of the righteous,
praise him and highly exalt him forever.
You that are holy and humble of heart,
glorify the Lord,
praise him and highly exalt him forever.

Doxology
Let us glorify the Lord:
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit;
praise him and highly exalt him forever.
In the firmament of his power, glorify the Lord,
praise him and highly exalt him 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: Almighty God, who after the creation of the world rested from all your works and sanctified a day of rest for all your creatures: Grant that we, putting away all earthly anxieties, may be duly prepared for the service of your sanctuary, and that our rest here upon earth may be a preparation for the eternal rest promised to your people in heaven; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

A Prayer for Mission: Lord Jesus Christ, you stretched out your arms of love on the hard wood of the cross that everyone might come within the reach of your saving embrace: So clothe us in your Spirit that we, reaching forth our hands in love, may bring those who do not know you to the knowledge and love of you; for the honor of your Name. 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

Glory to God whose power, working in us, can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine: Glory to him from generation to generation in the Church, and in Christ Jesus for ever and ever. Amen. Ephesians 3:20,21