Morning Prayer - January 4, 2026

Today's Readings

Psalm 66:1-20

Psalm 67:1-7

Wisdom 7:3-14

Colossians 3:12-17

John 6:41-47

Today is the Eleventh day of Christmas
Behold, the dwelling of God is with mankind. He will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself will be with them, and be their God. Revelation 21:3

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.

Alleluia. To us a child is born: O come, let us adore him. Alleluia.

The Lessons

Psalm 66

⁽¹⁾ Make a joyful shout to God, all the earth!⁽²⁾ Sing out the honor of His name; Make His praise glorious.⁽³⁾ Say to God, 'How awesome are Your works! Through the greatness of Your power Your enemies shall submit themselves to You.⁽⁴⁾ All the earth shall worship You And sing praises to You; They shall sing praises to Your name.' Selah

⁽⁵⁾ Come and see the works of God; He is awesome in His doing toward the sons of men.⁽⁶⁾ He turned the sea into dry land; They went through the river on foot. There we will rejoice in Him.⁽⁷⁾ He rules by His power forever; His eyes observe the nations; Do not let the rebellious exalt themselves. Selah⁽⁸⁾ Oh, bless our God, you peoples! And make the voice of His praise to be heard,

⁽⁹⁾ Who keeps our soul among the living, And does not allow our feet to be moved.⁽¹⁰⁾ For You, O God, have tested us; You have refined us as silver is refined.⁽¹¹⁾ You brought us into the net; You laid affliction on our backs.⁽¹²⁾ You have caused men to ride over our heads; We went through fire and through water; But You brought us out to rich fulfillment.

⁽¹³⁾ I will go into Your house with burnt offerings; I will pay You my vows,⁽¹⁴⁾ Which my lips have uttered And my mouth has spoken when I was in trouble.⁽¹⁵⁾ I will offer You burnt sacrifices of fat animals, With the sweet aroma of rams; I will offer bulls with goats. Selah⁽¹⁶⁾ Come and hear, all you who fear God, And I will declare what He has done for my soul.

⁽¹⁷⁾ I cried to Him with my mouth, And He was extolled with my tongue.⁽¹⁸⁾ If I regard iniquity in my heart, The Lord will not hear.⁽¹⁹⁾ But certainly God has heard me; He has attended to the voice of my prayer.⁽²⁰⁾ Blessed be God, Who has not turned away my prayer, Nor His mercy from me!

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 67

⁽¹⁾ God be merciful to us and bless us, And cause His face to shine upon us. Selah⁽²⁾ That Your way may be known on earth, Your salvation among all nations.⁽³⁾ Let the peoples praise You, O God; Let all the peoples praise You.⁽⁴⁾ Oh, let the nations be glad and sing for joy! For You shall judge the people righteously, And govern the nations on earth. Selah

⁽⁵⁾ Let the peoples praise You, O God; Let all the peoples praise You.⁽⁶⁾ Then the earth shall yield her increase; God, our own God, shall bless us.⁽⁷⁾ God shall bless us, And all the ends of the earth shall fear Him.

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.

Wisdom Chapter 7

⁽³⁾ When I was born, I came into the world like anyone else. I began to breathe the same air we all breathe; and like everyone else, the first sound I made was a cry.⁽⁴⁾ I was wrapped in cloths and cared for.⁽⁵⁾ No king ever began life differently.⁽⁶⁾ For all of us, there is one way into life, and there is one way out.

⁽⁷⁾ Realizing that I was only human, I prayed and was given understanding. The spirit of Wisdom came to me.⁽⁸⁾ I regarded her more highly than any throne or crown. Wealth was nothing compared to her.⁽⁹⁾ Precious jewels could not equal her worth; beside Wisdom all the gold in the world is a handful of sand, and silver is nothing more than clay.⁽¹⁰⁾ I valued her more than health and good looks. Hers is a brightness that never grows dim, and I preferred it to any other light.

⁽¹¹⁾ When Wisdom came to me, all good things came with her. She brought me untold riches.⁽¹²⁾ I was happy with them all, because Wisdom had brought them to me. I had not realized before that she was the source of all these things.⁽¹³⁾ I was sincere in learning from her, and now I am glad to share what I learned.⁽¹⁴⁾ No one can ever exhaust the treasures of Wisdom. Use those treasures and you are God's friends; he approves of what you learn from her.

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Colossians Chapter 3

⁽¹²⁾ Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering;⁽¹³⁾ bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do.⁽¹⁴⁾ But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection.⁽¹⁵⁾ And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful.

⁽¹⁶⁾ Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.⁽¹⁷⁾ And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

John Chapter 6

⁽⁴¹⁾ The Jews then complained about Him, because He said, 'I am the bread which came down from heaven.'⁽⁴²⁾ And they said, 'Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How is it then that He says, 'I have come down from heaven'?'⁽⁴³⁾ Jesus therefore answered and said to them, 'Do not murmur among yourselves.⁽⁴⁴⁾ No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.

⁽⁴⁵⁾ It is written in the prophets, 'And they shall all be taught by God.' Therefore everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me.⁽⁴⁶⁾ Not that anyone has seen the Father, except He who is from God; He has seen the Father.⁽⁴⁷⁾ Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life.

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.

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

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: Second Sunday after Christmas Day
O God, who wonderfully created, and yet more wonderfully restored, the dignity of human nature: Grant that we may share the divine life of him who humbled himself to share our humanity, your Son Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. 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.

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

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