Morning Prayer

Ash Wednesday
To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, because we have rebelled against him and have not obeyed the voice of the Lord our God by following his laws which he set before us. Daniel 9:9, 10

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

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 95

⁽¹⁾ Oh come, let us sing to the LORD! Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation. ⁽²⁾ Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving; Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms. ⁽³⁾ For the LORD is the great God, And the great King above all gods. ⁽⁴⁾ In His hand are the deep places of the earth; The heights of the hills are His also.

⁽⁵⁾ The sea is His, for He made it; And His hands formed the dry land. ⁽⁶⁾ Oh come, let us worship and bow down; Let us kneel before the LORD our Maker. ⁽⁷⁾ For He is our God, And we are the people of His pasture, And the sheep of His hand. Today, if you will hear His voice: ⁽⁸⁾ Do not harden your hearts, as in the rebellion, As in the day of trial in the wilderness,

⁽⁹⁾ When your fathers tested Me; They tried Me, though they saw My work. ⁽¹⁰⁾ For forty years I was grieved with that generation, And said, 'It is a people who go astray in their hearts, And they do not know My ways.' ⁽¹¹⁾ So I swore in My wrath, 'They shall not enter My rest.' '

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 32

⁽¹⁾ Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, Whose sin is covered. ⁽²⁾ Blessed is the man to whom the LORD does not impute iniquity, And in whose spirit there is no deceit. ⁽³⁾ When I kept silent, my bones grew old Through my groaning all the day long. ⁽⁴⁾ For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; My vitality was turned into the drought of summer. Selah

⁽⁵⁾ I acknowledged my sin to You, And my iniquity I have not hidden. I said, 'I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,' And You forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah ⁽⁶⁾ For this cause everyone who is godly shall pray to You In a time when You may be found; Surely in a flood of great waters They shall not come near him. ⁽⁷⁾ You are my hiding place; You shall preserve me from trouble; You shall surround me with songs of deliverance. Selah ⁽⁸⁾ I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye.

⁽⁹⁾ Do not be like the horse or like the mule, Which have no understanding, Which must be harnessed with bit and bridle, Else they will not come near you. ⁽¹⁰⁾ Many sorrows shall be to the wicked; But he who trusts in the LORD, mercy shall surround him. ⁽¹¹⁾ Be glad in the LORD and rejoice, you righteous; And shout for joy, all you upright in heart!

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 143

⁽¹⁾ Hear my prayer, O LORD, Give ear to my supplications! In Your faithfulness answer me, And in Your righteousness. ⁽²⁾ Do not enter into judgment with Your servant, For in Your sight no one living is righteous. ⁽³⁾ For the enemy has persecuted my soul; He has crushed my life to the ground; He has made me dwell in darkness, Like those who have long been dead. ⁽⁴⁾ Therefore my spirit is overwhelmed within me; My heart within me is distressed.

⁽⁵⁾ I remember the days of old; I meditate on all Your works; I muse on the work of Your hands. ⁽⁶⁾ I spread out my hands to You; My soul longs for You like a thirsty land. Selah ⁽⁷⁾ Answer me speedily, O LORD; My spirit fails! Do not hide Your face from me, Lest I be like those who go down into the pit. ⁽⁸⁾ Cause me to hear Your lovingkindness in the morning, For in You do I trust; Cause me to know the way in which I should walk, For I lift up my soul to You.

⁽⁹⁾ Deliver me, O LORD, from my enemies; In You I take shelter. ⁽¹⁰⁾ Teach me to do Your will, For You are my God; Your Spirit is good. Lead me in the land of uprightness. ⁽¹¹⁾ Revive me, O LORD, for Your name's sake! For Your righteousness' sake bring my soul out of trouble. ⁽¹²⁾ In Your mercy cut off my enemies, And destroy all those who afflict my soul; For I am Your servant.

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.

Jonah Chapter 3

⁽¹⁾ Now the word of the LORD came to Jonah the second time, saying, ⁽²⁾ Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and preach to it the message that I tell you.' ⁽³⁾ So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the LORD. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, a three-day journey in extent. ⁽⁴⁾ And Jonah began to enter the city on the first day's walk. Then he cried out and said, 'Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!'

⁽⁵⁾ So the people of Nineveh believed God, proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest to the least of them. ⁽⁶⁾ Then word came to the king of Nineveh; and he arose from his throne and laid aside his robe, covered himself with sackcloth and sat in ashes. ⁽⁷⁾ And he caused it to be proclaimed and published throughout Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying, Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything; do not let them eat, or drink water. ⁽⁸⁾ But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily to God; yes, let every one turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands.

⁽⁹⁾ Who can tell if God will turn and relent, and turn away from His fierce anger, so that we may not perish? ⁽¹⁰⁾ Then God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God relented from the disaster that He had said He would bring upon them, and He did not do it. ⁽¹⁾ But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he became angry. ⁽²⁾ So he prayed to the LORD, and said, 'Ah, LORD, was not this what I said when I was still in my country? Therefore I fled previously to Tarshish; for I know that You are a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, One who relents from doing harm. ⁽³⁾ Therefore now, O LORD, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live!' ⁽⁴⁾ Then the LORD said, 'Is it right for you to be angry?'

⁽⁵⁾ So Jonah went out of the city and sat on the east side of the city. There he made himself a shelter and sat under it in the shade, till he might see what would become of the city. ⁽⁶⁾ And the LORD God prepared a plant and made it come up over Jonah, that it might be shade for his head to deliver him from his misery. So Jonah was very grateful for the plant. ⁽⁷⁾ But as morning dawned the next day God prepared a worm, and it so damaged the plant that it withered. ⁽⁸⁾ And it happened, when the sun arose, that God prepared a vehement east wind; and the sun beat on Jonah's head, so that he grew faint. Then he wished death for himself, and said, 'It is better for me to die than to live.'

⁽⁹⁾ Then God said to Jonah, 'Is it right for you to be angry about the plant?' And he said, 'It is right for me to be angry, even to death!' ⁽¹⁰⁾ But the LORD said, 'You have had pity on the plant for which you have not labored, nor made it grow, which came up in a night and perished in a night. ⁽¹¹⁾ And should I not pity Nineveh, that great city, in which are more than one hundred and twenty thousand persons who cannot discern between their right hand and their left -- and much livestock?'

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Hebrews Chapter 12

⁽¹⁾ Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, ⁽²⁾ looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. ⁽³⁾ For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls. ⁽⁴⁾ You have not yet resisted to bloodshed, striving against sin.

⁽⁵⁾ And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons: 'My son, do not despise the chastening of the LORD, Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; ⁽⁶⁾ For whom the LORD loves He chastens, And scourges every son whom He receives.' ⁽⁷⁾ If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten? ⁽⁸⁾ But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons.

⁽⁹⁾ Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live? ⁽¹⁰⁾ For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed best to them, but He for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness. ⁽¹¹⁾ Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. ⁽¹²⁾ Therefore strengthen the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees,

⁽¹³⁾ and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be dislocated, but rather be healed. ⁽¹⁴⁾ Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord:

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Luke Chapter 18

⁽⁹⁾ Also He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: ⁽¹⁰⁾ Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. ⁽¹¹⁾ The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, 'God, I thank You that I am not like other men -- extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. ⁽¹²⁾ I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.'

⁽¹³⁾ And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me a sinner!' ⁽¹⁴⁾ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.'

The Gospel of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.


Glory to God        
Glory to God in the highest,
and peace to his people on earth.

Lord God, heavenly King,
almighty God and Father,
we worship you, we give you thanks,
we praise you for your glory.

Lord Jesus Christ, only Son of the Father,
Lord God, Lamb of God,
you take away the sin of the world:
have mercy on us;
you are seated at the right hand of the Father:
receive our prayer.

For you alone are the Holy One,
you alone are the Lord,
you alone are the Most High,
Jesus Christ,
with the Holy Spirit,
in the glory of God the Father. Amen.


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:  Ash Wednesday, First week of Lent
Almighty and everlasting God, you hate nothing you have made and forgive the sins of all who are penitent: Create and make in us new and contrite hearts, that we, worthily lamenting our sins and acknowledging our wretchedness, may obtain of you, the God of all mercy, perfect remission and forgiveness; 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: Lord God, almighty and everlasting Father, you have brought us in safety to this new day: Preserve us with your mighty power, that we may not fall into sin, nor be overcome by adversity; and in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose; 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