Morning Prayer

--Today is the Feast Day of Saint Andrew--
Advent
The glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together. Isaiah 40:5

Saint and Major Saints' Days
We give thanks to the Father, who has made us worthy to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. Colossians 1:12

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.

Our King and Savior now draws near: Come, let us adore him.

The Lessons

Psalm 146

⁽¹⁾ Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD, O my soul! ⁽²⁾ While I live I will praise the LORD; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being. ⁽³⁾ Do not put your trust in princes, Nor in a son of man, in whom there is no help. ⁽⁴⁾ His spirit departs, he returns to his earth; In that very day his plans perish.

⁽⁵⁾ Happy is he who has the God of Jacob for his help, Whose hope is in the LORD his God, ⁽⁶⁾ Who made heaven and earth, The sea, and all that is in them; Who keeps truth forever, ⁽⁷⁾ Who executes justice for the oppressed, Who gives food to the hungry. The LORD gives freedom to the prisoners. ⁽⁸⁾ The LORD opens the eyes of the blind; The LORD raises those who are bowed down; The LORD loves the righteous.

⁽⁹⁾ The LORD watches over the strangers; He relieves the fatherless and widow; But the way of the wicked He turns upside down. ⁽¹⁰⁾ The LORD shall reign forever -- Your God, O Zion, to all generations. Praise 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.

Psalm 147

⁽¹⁾ Praise the LORD! For it is good to sing praises to our God; For it is pleasant, and praise is beautiful. ⁽²⁾ The LORD builds up Jerusalem; He gathers together the outcasts of Israel. ⁽³⁾ He heals the brokenhearted And binds up their wounds. ⁽⁴⁾ He counts the number of the stars; He calls them all by name.

⁽⁵⁾ Great is our Lord, and mighty in power; His understanding is infinite. ⁽⁶⁾ The LORD lifts up the humble; He casts the wicked down to the ground. ⁽⁷⁾ Sing to the LORD with thanksgiving; Sing praises on the harp to our God, ⁽⁸⁾ Who covers the heavens with clouds, Who prepares rain for the earth, Who makes grass to grow on the mountains.

⁽⁹⁾ He gives to the beast its food, And to the young ravens that cry. ⁽¹⁰⁾ He does not delight in the strength of the horse; He takes no pleasure in the legs of a man. ⁽¹¹⁾ The LORD takes pleasure in those who fear Him, In those who hope in His mercy. ⁽¹²⁾ Praise the LORD, O Jerusalem! Praise your God, O Zion!

⁽¹³⁾ For He has strengthened the bars of your gates; He has blessed your children within you. ⁽¹⁴⁾ He makes peace in your borders, And fills you with the finest wheat. ⁽¹⁵⁾ He sends out His command to the earth; His word runs very swiftly. ⁽¹⁶⁾ He gives snow like wool; He scatters the frost like ashes;

⁽¹⁷⁾ He casts out His hail like morsels; Who can stand before His cold? ⁽¹⁸⁾ He sends out His word and melts them; He causes His wind to blow, and the waters flow. ⁽¹⁹⁾ He declares His word to Jacob, His statutes and His judgments to Israel. ⁽²⁰⁾ He has not dealt thus with any nation; And as for His judgments, they have not known them. Praise 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.

Amos Chapter 1

⁽¹⁾ The words of Amos, who was among the sheepbreeders of Tekoa, which he saw concerning Israel in the days of Uzziah king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel, two years before the earthquake. ⁽²⁾ And he said: 'The LORD roars from Zion, And utters His voice from Jerusalem; The pastures of the shepherds mourn, And the top of Carmel withers.' ⁽³⁾ Thus says the LORD: 'For three transgressions of Damascus, and for four, I will not turn away its punishment, Because they have threshed Gilead with implements of iron. ⁽⁴⁾ But I will send a fire into the house of Hazael, Which shall devour the palaces of Ben-Hadad.

⁽⁵⁾ I will also break the gate bar of Damascus, And cut off the inhabitant from the Valley of Aven, And the one who holds the scepter from Beth Eden. The people of Syria shall go captive to Kir,' Says the LORD. ⁽¹³⁾ Thus says the LORD: 'For three transgressions of the people of Ammon, and for four, I will not turn away its punishment, Because they ripped open the women with child in Gilead, That they might enlarge their territory. ⁽¹⁴⁾ But I will kindle a fire in the wall of Rabbah, And it shall devour its palaces, Amid shouting in the day of battle, And a tempest in the day of the whirlwind. ⁽¹⁵⁾ Their king shall go into captivity, He and his princes together,' Says the LORD. ⁽¹⁾ Thus says the LORD: 'For three transgressions of Moab, and for four, I will not turn away its punishment, Because he burned the bones of the king of Edom to lime. ⁽²⁾ But I will send a fire upon Moab, And it shall devour the palaces of Kerioth; Moab shall die with tumult, With shouting and trumpet sound. ⁽³⁾ And I will cut off the judge from its midst, And slay all its princes with him,' Says the LORD. ⁽⁴⁾ Thus says the LORD: 'For three transgressions of Judah, and for four, I will not turn away its punishment, Because they have despised the law of the LORD, And have not kept His commandments. Their lies lead them astray, Lies which their fathers followed.

⁽⁵⁾ But I will send a fire upon Judah, And it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem.' ⁽⁶⁾ Thus says the LORD: 'For three transgressions of Israel, and for four, I will not turn away its punishment, Because they sell the righteous for silver, And the poor for a pair of sandals. ⁽⁷⁾ They pant after the dust of the earth which is on the head of the poor, And pervert the way of the humble. A man and his father go in to the same girl, To defile My holy name. ⁽⁸⁾ They lie down by every altar on clothes taken in pledge, And drink the wine of the condemned in the house of their god.

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

1 Thessalonians Chapter 5

⁽¹⁾ But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you. ⁽²⁾ For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. ⁽³⁾ For when they say, 'Peace and safety!' then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape. ⁽⁴⁾ But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief.

⁽⁵⁾ You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness. ⁽⁶⁾ Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober. ⁽⁷⁾ For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk are drunk at night. ⁽⁸⁾ But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation.

⁽⁹⁾ For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, ⁽¹⁰⁾ who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him. ⁽¹¹⁾ Therefore comfort each other and edify one another, just as you also are doing.

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Luke Chapter 21

⁽⁵⁾ Then, as some spoke of the temple, how it was adorned with beautiful stones and donations, He said, ⁽⁶⁾ These things which you see -- the days will come in which not one stone shall be left upon another that shall not be thrown down.' ⁽⁷⁾ So they asked Him, saying, 'Teacher, but when will these things be? And what sign will there be when these things are about to take place?' ⁽⁸⁾ And He said: 'Take heed that you not be deceived. For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am He,' and, 'The time has drawn near.' Therefore do not go after them.

⁽⁹⁾ But when you hear of wars and commotions, do not be terrified; for these things must come to pass first, but the end will not come immediately.' ⁽¹⁰⁾ Then He said to them, 'Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. ⁽¹¹⁾ And there will be great earthquakes in various places, and famines and pestilences; and there will be fearful sights and great signs from heaven. ⁽¹²⁾ But before all these things, they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons. You will be brought before kings and rulers for My name's sake.

⁽¹³⁾ But it will turn out for you as an occasion for testimony. ⁽¹⁴⁾ Therefore settle it in your hearts not to meditate beforehand on what you will answer; ⁽¹⁵⁾ for I will give you a mouth and wisdom which all your adversaries will not be able to contradict or resist. ⁽¹⁶⁾ You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, relatives and friends; and they will put some of you to death.

⁽¹⁷⁾ And you will be hated by all for My name's sake. ⁽¹⁸⁾ But not a hair of your head shall be lost. ⁽¹⁹⁾ By your patience possess your souls.

The Gospel of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.


The Song of Zechariah Luke 1: 68 to 79
Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel;
he has come to his people and set them free.
He has raised up for us a mighty savior,
born of the house of his servant David.
Through his holy prophets he promised of old,
that he would save us from our enemies,
from the hands of all who hate us.
He promised to show mercy to our fathers
and to remember his holy covenant.
This was the oath he swore to our father Abraham,
to set us free from the hands of our enemies,
Free to worship him without fear,
holy and righteous in his sight
all the days of our life.
You, my child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High,
for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way,
To give his people knowledge of salvation
by the forgiveness of their sins.
In the tender compassion of our God
the dawn from on high shall break upon us,
To shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death,
and to guide our feet into the way of peace.
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.

The Third Song of Isaiah       Isaiah 60:1 to 3, 11a, 14c, 18 to 19
Arise, shine, for your light has come,
and the glory of the Lord has dawned upon you.
For behold, darkness covers the land;
deep gloom enshrouds the peoples.
But over you the Lord will rise,
and his glory will appear upon you.
Nations will stream to your light,
and kings to the brightness of your dawning.
Your gates will always be open;
by day or night they will never be shut.
They will call you, The City of the Lord,
The Zion of the Holy One of Israel.
Violence will no more be heard in your land,
ruin or destruction within your borders.
You will call your walls, Salvation,
and all your portals, Praise.
The sun will no more be your light by day;
by night you will not need the brightness of the moon.
The Lord will be your everlasting light,
and your God will be your glory.
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.


You are God        
You are God: we praise you;
You are the Lord; we acclaim you;
You are the eternal Father:
All creation worships you.
To you all angels, all the powers of heaven,
Cherubim and Seraphim, sing in endless praise:
Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might,
heaven and earth are full of your glory.
The glorious company of apostles praise you.
The noble fellowship of prophets praise you.
The white-robed army of martyrs praise you.
Throughout the world the holy Church acclaims you;
Father, of majesty unbounded,
your true and only Son, worthy of all worship,
and the Holy Spirit, advocate and guide.
You, Christ, are the king of glory,
the eternal Son of the Father.
When you became man to set us free
you did not shun the Virgin's womb.
You overcame the sting of death
and opened the kingdom of heaven to all believers.
You are seated at God's right hand in glory.
We believe that you will come and be our judge.
Come then, Lord, and help your people,
bought with the price of your own blood,
and bring us with your saints
to glory everlasting.


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:  First Sunday of Advent
Almighty God, give us grace to cast away the works of darkness, and put on the armor of light, now in the time of this mortal life in which your Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility; that in the last day, when he shall come again in his glorious majesty to judge both the living and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal; through him who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Collect of the Day: O God, you make us glad with the weekly remembrance of the glorious resurrection of your Son our Lord: Give us this day such blessing through our worship of you, that the week to come may be spent in your favor; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

A Prayer for Mission: Almighty and everlasting God, by whose Spirit the whole body of your faithful people is governed and sanctified: Receive our supplications and prayers which we offer before you for all members of your holy Church, that in their vocation and ministry they may truly and devoutly serve you; through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 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

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us all evermore. Amen. 2 Corinthians 13:14