Morning Prayer - September 10, 2025

Today's Readings

Psalm 119:49-72

1 Kings 17:1-24

Philippians 2:1-11

Matthew 2:1-12

Ordinary Time
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my strength and my redeemer. Psalm 19:14

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 earth is the Lord's for he made it: Come let us adore him.

The Lessons

Psalm 119

⁽⁴⁹⁾ Remember the word to Your servant, Upon which You have caused me to hope.⁽⁵⁰⁾ This is my comfort in my affliction, For Your word has given me life.⁽⁵¹⁾ The proud have me in great derision, Yet I do not turn aside from Your law.⁽⁵²⁾ I remembered Your judgments of old, O LORD, And have comforted myself.

⁽⁵³⁾ Indignation has taken hold of me Because of the wicked, who forsake Your law.⁽⁵⁴⁾ Your statutes have been my songs In the house of my pilgrimage.⁽⁵⁵⁾ I remember Your name in the night, O LORD, And I keep Your law.⁽⁵⁶⁾ This has become mine, Because I kept Your precepts.

⁽⁵⁷⁾ You are my portion, O LORD; I have said that I would keep Your words.⁽⁵⁸⁾ I entreated Your favor with my whole heart; Be merciful to me according to Your word.⁽⁵⁹⁾ I thought about my ways, And turned my feet to Your testimonies.⁽⁶⁰⁾ I made haste, and did not delay To keep Your commandments.

⁽⁶¹⁾ The cords of the wicked have bound me, But I have not forgotten Your law.⁽⁶²⁾ At midnight I will rise to give thanks to You, Because of Your righteous judgments.⁽⁶³⁾ I am a companion of all who fear You, And of those who keep Your precepts.⁽⁶⁴⁾ The earth, O LORD, is full of Your mercy; Teach me Your statutes.

⁽⁶⁵⁾ You have dealt well with Your servant, O LORD, according to Your word.⁽⁶⁶⁾ Teach me good judgment and knowledge, For I believe Your commandments.⁽⁶⁷⁾ Before I was afflicted I went astray, But now I keep Your word.⁽⁶⁸⁾ You are good, and do good; Teach me Your statutes.

⁽⁶⁹⁾ The proud have forged a lie against me, But I will keep Your precepts with my whole heart.⁽⁷⁰⁾ Their heart is as fat as grease, But I delight in Your law.⁽⁷¹⁾ It is good for me that I have been afflicted, That I may learn Your statutes.⁽⁷²⁾ The law of Your mouth is better to me Than thousands of coins of gold and silver.

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 Kings Chapter 17

⁽¹⁾ And Elijah the Tishbite, of the inhabitants of Gilead, said to Ahab, 'As the LORD God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, except at my word.'⁽²⁾ Then the word of the LORD came to him, saying,⁽³⁾ Get away from here and turn eastward, and hide by the Brook Cherith, which flows into the Jordan.⁽⁴⁾ And it will be that you shall drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there.'

⁽⁵⁾ So he went and did according to the word of the LORD, for he went and stayed by the Brook Cherith, which flows into the Jordan.⁽⁶⁾ The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening; and he drank from the brook.⁽⁷⁾ And it happened after a while that the brook dried up, because there had been no rain in the land.⁽⁸⁾ Then the word of the LORD came to him, saying,

⁽⁹⁾ Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and dwell there. See, I have commanded a widow there to provide for you.'⁽¹⁰⁾ So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, indeed a widow was there gathering sticks. And he called to her and said, 'Please bring me a little water in a cup, that I may drink.'⁽¹¹⁾ And as she was going to get it, he called to her and said, 'Please bring me a morsel of bread in your hand.'⁽¹²⁾ So she said, 'As the LORD your God lives, I do not have bread, only a handful of flour in a bin, and a little oil in a jar; and see, I am gathering a couple of sticks that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it, and die.'

⁽¹³⁾ And Elijah said to her, 'Do not fear; go and do as you have said, but make me a small cake from it first, and bring it to me; and afterward make some for yourself and your son.⁽¹⁴⁾ For thus says the LORD God of Israel: 'The bin of flour shall not be used up, nor shall the jar of oil run dry, until the day the LORD sends rain on the earth.' '⁽¹⁵⁾ So she went away and did according to the word of Elijah; and she and he and her household ate for many days.⁽¹⁶⁾ The bin of flour was not used up, nor did the jar of oil run dry, according to the word of the LORD which He spoke by Elijah.

⁽¹⁷⁾ Now it happened after these things that the son of the woman who owned the house became sick. And his sickness was so serious that there was no breath left in him.⁽¹⁸⁾ So she said to Elijah, 'What have I to do with you, O man of God? Have you come to me to bring my sin to remembrance, and to kill my son?'⁽¹⁹⁾ And he said to her, 'Give me your son.' So he took him out of her arms and carried him to the upper room where he was staying, and laid him on his own bed.⁽²⁰⁾ Then he cried out to the LORD and said, 'O LORD my God, have You also brought tragedy on the widow with whom I lodge, by killing her son?'

⁽²¹⁾ And he stretched himself out on the child three times, and cried out to the LORD and said, 'O LORD my God, I pray, let this child's soul come back to him.'⁽²²⁾ Then the LORD heard the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child came back to him, and he revived.⁽²³⁾ And Elijah took the child and brought him down from the upper room into the house, and gave him to his mother. And Elijah said, 'See, your son lives!'⁽²⁴⁾ Then the woman said to Elijah, 'Now by this I know that you are a man of God, and that the word of the LORD in your mouth is the truth.'

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Philippians Chapter 2

⁽¹⁾ Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy,⁽²⁾ fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.⁽³⁾ Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.⁽⁴⁾ Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.

⁽⁵⁾ Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus,⁽⁶⁾ who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God,⁽⁷⁾ but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.⁽⁸⁾ And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.

⁽⁹⁾ Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name,⁽¹⁰⁾ that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth,⁽¹¹⁾ and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Matthew Chapter 2

⁽¹⁾ Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem,⁽²⁾ saying, 'Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.'⁽³⁾ When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.⁽⁴⁾ And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.

⁽⁵⁾ So they said to him, 'In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet:⁽⁶⁾ But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, Are not the least among the rulers of Judah; For out of you shall come a Ruler Who will shepherd My people Israel.' '⁽⁷⁾ Then Herod, when he had secretly called the wise men, determined from them what time the star appeared.⁽⁸⁾ And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, 'Go and search carefully for the young Child, and when you have found Him, bring back word to me, that I may come and worship Him also.'

⁽⁹⁾ When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was.⁽¹⁰⁾ When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy.⁽¹¹⁾ And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.⁽¹²⁾ Then, being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way.

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 18 The Sunday closest to September 7
Grant us, O Lord, to trust in you with all our hearts; for, as you always resist the proud who confide in their own strength, so you never forsake those who make their boast of your mercy; 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