Morning Prayer - July 16, 2025

Today's Readings

Psalm 38:1-22

1 Samuel 20:1-23

Acts 12:18-25

Mark 2:13-22

Ordinary Time
I was glad when they said to me, 'Let us go to the house of the Lord.' Psalm 122:1

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.

Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness: Come let us adore him.

The Lessons

Psalm 38

⁽¹⁾ To bring to remembrance. O LORD, do not rebuke me in Your wrath, Nor chasten me in Your hot displeasure!⁽²⁾ For Your arrows pierce me deeply, And Your hand presses me down.⁽³⁾ There is no soundness in my flesh Because of Your anger, Nor any health in my bones Because of my sin.⁽⁴⁾ For my iniquities have gone over my head; Like a heavy burden they are too heavy for me.

⁽⁵⁾ My wounds are foul and festering Because of my foolishness.⁽⁶⁾ I am troubled, I am bowed down greatly; I go mourning all the day long.⁽⁷⁾ For my loins are full of inflammation, And there is no soundness in my flesh.⁽⁸⁾ I am feeble and severely broken; I groan because of the turmoil of my heart.

⁽⁹⁾ Lord, all my desire is before You; And my sighing is not hidden from You.⁽¹⁰⁾ My heart pants, my strength fails me; As for the light of my eyes, it also has gone from me.⁽¹¹⁾ My loved ones and my friends stand aloof from my plague, And my relatives stand afar off.⁽¹²⁾ Those also who seek my life lay snares for me; Those who seek my hurt speak of destruction, And plan deception all the day long.

⁽¹³⁾ But I, like a deaf man, do not hear; And I am like a mute who does not open his mouth.⁽¹⁴⁾ Thus I am like a man who does not hear, And in whose mouth is no response.⁽¹⁵⁾ For in You, O LORD, I hope; You will hear, O Lord my God.⁽¹⁶⁾ For I said, 'Hear me, lest they rejoice over me, Lest, when my foot slips, they exalt themselves against me.'

⁽¹⁷⁾ For I am ready to fall, And my sorrow is continually before me.⁽¹⁸⁾ For I will declare my iniquity; I will be in anguish over my sin.⁽¹⁹⁾ But my enemies are vigorous, and they are strong; And those who hate me wrongfully have multiplied.⁽²⁰⁾ Those also who render evil for good, They are my adversaries, because I follow what is good.

⁽²¹⁾ Do not forsake me, O LORD; O my God, be not far from me!⁽²²⁾ Make haste to help me, O Lord, my salvation!

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.

1 Samuel Chapter 20

⁽¹⁾ Then David fled from Naioth in Ramah, and went and said to Jonathan, 'What have I done? What is my iniquity, and what is my sin before your father, that he seeks my life?'⁽²⁾ So Jonathan said to him, 'By no means! You shall not die! Indeed, my father will do nothing either great or small without first telling me. And why should my father hide this thing from me? It is not so!'⁽³⁾ Then David took an oath again, and said, 'Your father certainly knows that I have found favor in your eyes, and he has said, 'Do not let Jonathan know this, lest he be grieved.' But truly, as the LORD lives and as your soul lives, there is but a step between me and death.'⁽⁴⁾ So Jonathan said to David, 'Whatever you yourself desire, I will do it for you.'

⁽⁵⁾ And David said to Jonathan, 'Indeed tomorrow is the New Moon, and I should not fail to sit with the king to eat. But let me go, that I may hide in the field until the third day at evening.⁽⁶⁾ If your father misses me at all, then say, 'David earnestly asked permission of me that he might run over to Bethlehem, his city, for there is a yearly sacrifice there for all the family.'⁽⁷⁾ If he says thus: 'It is well,' your servant will be safe. But if he is very angry, then be sure that evil is determined by him.⁽⁸⁾ Therefore you shall deal kindly with your servant, for you have brought your servant into a covenant of the LORD with you. Nevertheless, if there is iniquity in me, kill me yourself, for why should you bring me to your father?'

⁽⁹⁾ But Jonathan said, 'Far be it from you! For if I knew certainly that evil was determined by my father to come upon you, then would I not tell you?'⁽¹⁰⁾ Then David said to Jonathan, 'Who will tell me, or what if your father answers you roughly?'⁽¹¹⁾ And Jonathan said to David, 'Come, and let us go out into the field.' So both of them went out into the field.⁽¹²⁾ Then Jonathan said to David: 'The LORD God of Israel is witness! When I have sounded out my father sometime tomorrow, or the third day, and indeed there is good toward David, and I do not send to you and tell you,

⁽¹³⁾ may the LORD do so and much more to Jonathan. But if it pleases my father to do you evil, then I will report it to you and send you away, that you may go in safety. And the LORD be with you as He has been with my father.⁽¹⁴⁾ And you shall not only show me the kindness of the LORD while I still live, that I may not die;⁽¹⁵⁾ but you shall not cut off your kindness from my house forever, no, not when the LORD has cut off every one of the enemies of David from the face of the earth.'⁽¹⁶⁾ So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, 'Let the LORD require it at the hand of David's enemies.'

⁽¹⁷⁾ Now Jonathan again caused David to vow, because he loved him; for he loved him as he loved his own soul.⁽¹⁸⁾ Then Jonathan said to David, 'Tomorrow is the New Moon; and you will be missed, because your seat will be empty.⁽¹⁹⁾ And when you have stayed three days, go down quickly and come to the place where you hid on the day of the deed; and remain by the stone Ezel.⁽²⁰⁾ Then I will shoot three arrows to the side, as though I shot at a target;

⁽²¹⁾ and there I will send a lad, saying, 'Go, find the arrows.' If I expressly say to him, 'Look, the arrows are on this side of you; get them and come' -- then, as the LORD lives, there is safety for you and no harm.⁽²²⁾ But if I say thus to the young man, 'Look, the arrows are beyond you' -- go your way, for the LORD has sent you away.⁽²³⁾ And as for the matter which you and I have spoken of, indeed the LORD be between you and me forever.'

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Acts Chapter 12

⁽¹⁸⁾ Then, as soon as it was day, there was no small stir among the soldiers about what had become of Peter.⁽¹⁹⁾ But when Herod had searched for him and not found him, he examined the guards and commanded that they should be put to death. And he went down from Judea to Caesarea, and stayed there.⁽²⁰⁾ Now Herod had been very angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon; but they came to him with one accord, and having made Blastus the king's personal aide their friend, they asked for peace, because their country was supplied with food by the king's country.⁽²¹⁾ So on a set day Herod, arrayed in royal apparel, sat on his throne and gave an oration to them.

⁽²²⁾ And the people kept shouting, 'The voice of a god and not of a man!'⁽²³⁾ Then immediately an angel of the Lord struck him, because he did not give glory to God. And he was eaten by worms and died.⁽²⁴⁾ But the word of God grew and multiplied.⁽²⁵⁾ And Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem when they had fulfilled their ministry, and they also took with them John whose surname was Mark.

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Mark Chapter 2

⁽¹³⁾ Then He went out again by the sea; and all the multitude came to Him, and He taught them.⁽¹⁴⁾ As He passed by, He saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, 'Follow Me.' So he arose and followed Him.⁽¹⁵⁾ Now it happened, as He was dining in Levi's house, that many tax collectors and sinners also sat together with Jesus and His disciples; for there were many, and they followed Him.⁽¹⁶⁾ And when the scribes and Pharisees saw Him eating with the tax collectors and sinners, they said to His disciples, 'How is it that He eats and drinks with tax collectors and sinners?'

⁽¹⁷⁾ When Jesus heard it, He said to them, 'Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.'⁽¹⁸⁾ The disciples of John and of the Pharisees were fasting. Then they came and said to Him, 'Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast, but Your disciples do not fast?'⁽¹⁹⁾ And Jesus said to them, 'Can the friends of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them they cannot fast.⁽²⁰⁾ But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast in those days.

⁽²¹⁾ No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; or else the new piece pulls away from the old, and the tear is made worse.⁽²²⁾ And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine bursts the wineskins, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But new wine must be put into new wineskins.'

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

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.

Seasonal Collect: Proper 10 The Sunday closest to July 13
O Lord, mercifully receive the prayers of your people who call upon you, and grant that they may know and understand what things they ought to do, and also may have grace and power faithfully to accomplish them; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. 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.

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

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