Morning Prayer

--Today is the Feast of Saint Polycarp--
Lent
If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us; but if we confess our sins, God who is faithful and just, will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:8, 9

Saint and Major Saints' Days
You are no longer strangers and sojourners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God. Ephesians 2:19

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 is full of compassion and mercy: Come let us adore him.

The Lessons

Psalm 41

⁽¹⁾ Blessed is he who considers the poor; The LORD will deliver him in time of trouble. ⁽²⁾ The LORD will preserve him and keep him alive, And he will be blessed on the earth; You will not deliver him to the will of his enemies. ⁽³⁾ The LORD will strengthen him on his bed of illness; You will sustain him on his sickbed. ⁽⁴⁾ I said, 'LORD, be merciful to me; Heal my soul, for I have sinned against You.'

⁽⁵⁾ My enemies speak evil of me: 'When will he die, and his name perish?' ⁽⁶⁾ And if he comes to see me, he speaks lies; His heart gathers iniquity to itself; When he goes out, he tells it. ⁽⁷⁾ All who hate me whisper together against me; Against me they devise my hurt. ⁽⁸⁾ An evil disease,' they say, 'clings to him. And now that he lies down, he will rise up no more.'

⁽⁹⁾ Even my own familiar friend in whom I trusted, Who ate my bread, Has lifted up his heel against me. ⁽¹⁰⁾ But You, O LORD, be merciful to me, and raise me up, That I may repay them. ⁽¹¹⁾ By this I know that You are well pleased with me, Because my enemy does not triumph over me. ⁽¹²⁾ As for me, You uphold me in my integrity, And set me before Your face forever.

⁽¹³⁾ Blessed be the LORD God of Israel From everlasting to everlasting! Amen and Amen.

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 52

⁽¹⁾ Why do you boast in evil, O mighty man? The goodness of God endures continually. ⁽²⁾ Your tongue devises destruction, Like a sharp razor, working deceitfully. ⁽³⁾ You love evil more than good, Lying rather than speaking righteousness. Selah ⁽⁴⁾ You love all devouring words, You deceitful tongue.

⁽⁵⁾ God shall likewise destroy you forever; He shall take you away, and pluck you out of your dwelling place, And uproot you from the land of the living. Selah ⁽⁶⁾ The righteous also shall see and fear, And shall laugh at him, saying, ⁽⁷⁾ Here is the man who did not make God his strength, But trusted in the abundance of his riches, And strengthened himself in his wickedness.' ⁽⁸⁾ But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God; I trust in the mercy of God forever and ever.

⁽⁹⁾ I will praise You forever, Because You have done it; And in the presence of Your saints I will wait on Your name, for it is good.

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.

Genesis Chapter 37

⁽¹⁾ Now Jacob dwelt in the land where his father was a stranger, in the land of Canaan. ⁽²⁾ This is the history of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brothers. And the lad was with the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father's wives; and Joseph brought a bad report of them to his father. ⁽³⁾ Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age. Also he made him a tunic of many colors. ⁽⁴⁾ But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not speak peaceably to him.

⁽⁵⁾ Now Joseph had a dream, and he told it to his brothers; and they hated him even more. ⁽⁶⁾ So he said to them, 'Please hear this dream which I have dreamed: ⁽⁷⁾ There we were, binding sheaves in the field. Then behold, my sheaf arose and also stood upright; and indeed your sheaves stood all around and bowed down to my sheaf.' ⁽⁸⁾ And his brothers said to him, 'Shall you indeed reign over us? Or shall you indeed have dominion over us?' So they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words.

⁽⁹⁾ Then he dreamed still another dream and told it to his brothers, and said, 'Look, I have dreamed another dream. And this time, the sun, the moon, and the eleven stars bowed down to me.' ⁽¹⁰⁾ So he told it to his father and his brothers; and his father rebuked him and said to him, 'What is this dream that you have dreamed? Shall your mother and I and your brothers indeed come to bow down to the earth before you?' ⁽¹¹⁾ And his brothers envied him, but his father kept the matter in mind.

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

1 Corinthians Chapter 1

⁽¹⁾ Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother, ⁽²⁾ To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all who in every place call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours: ⁽³⁾ Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. ⁽⁴⁾ I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given to you by Christ Jesus,

⁽⁵⁾ that you were enriched in everything by Him in all utterance and all knowledge, ⁽⁶⁾ even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you, ⁽⁷⁾ so that you come short in no gift, eagerly waiting for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ, ⁽⁸⁾ who will also confirm you to the end, that you may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.

⁽⁹⁾ God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. ⁽¹⁰⁾ Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. ⁽¹¹⁾ For it has been declared to me concerning you, my brethren, by those of Chloe's household, that there are contentions among you. ⁽¹²⁾ Now I say this, that each of you says, 'I am of Paul,' or 'I am of Apollos,' or 'I am of Cephas,' or 'I am of Christ.'

⁽¹³⁾ Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? ⁽¹⁴⁾ I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, ⁽¹⁵⁾ lest anyone should say that I had baptized in my own name. ⁽¹⁶⁾ Yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas. Besides, I do not know whether I baptized any other.

⁽¹⁷⁾ For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of no effect. ⁽¹⁸⁾ For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. ⁽¹⁹⁾ For it is written: 'I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, And bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.'

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Mark Chapter 1

⁽¹⁾ The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. ⁽²⁾ As it is written in the Prophets: 'Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, Who will prepare Your way before You.' ⁽³⁾ The voice of one crying in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the LORD; Make His paths straight.' ' ⁽⁴⁾ John came baptizing in the wilderness and preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.

⁽⁵⁾ Then all the land of Judea, and those from Jerusalem, went out to him and were all baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins. ⁽⁶⁾ Now John was clothed with camel's hair and with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. ⁽⁷⁾ And he preached, saying, 'There comes One after me who is mightier than I, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to stoop down and loose. ⁽⁸⁾ I indeed baptized you with water, but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.'

⁽⁹⁾ It came to pass in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized by John in the Jordan. ⁽¹⁰⁾ And immediately, coming up from the water, He saw the heavens parting and the Spirit descending upon Him like a dove. ⁽¹¹⁾ Then a voice came from heaven, 'You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.' ⁽¹²⁾ Immediately the Spirit drove Him into the wilderness.

⁽¹³⁾ And He was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan, and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered to Him.

The Gospel of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

The Song of the Redeemed       Revelation 15:3 to 4  
O ruler of the universe, Lord God,
great deeds are they that you have done,
  surpassing human understanding.
Your ways are ways of righteousness and truth,
 O King of all the ages.

Who can fail to do you homage, Lord,
and sing the praises of your Name?
  for you only are the Holy One.
All nations will draw near
and fall down before you,
  because your just and holy works have been revealed.
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 First Song of Isaiah       Isaiah 12:2 to 6
 
Surely, it is God who saves me;
  I will trust in him and not be afraid.
For the Lord is my stronghold
and my sure defense,
  and he will be my Savior.
Therefore you shall draw water with rejoicing
  from the springs of salvation.
And on that day you shall say,
  Give thanks to the Lord and call upon his Name;
Make his deeds known among the peoples;
  see that they remember that his Name is exalted.
Sing the praises of the Lord,
for he has done great things,
  and this is known in all the world.
Cry aloud, inhabitants of Zion, ring out your joy,
  for the great one in the midst of you is the Holy One of Israel.
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 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 in Lent
Almighty God, whose blessed Son was led by the Spirit to be tempted by Satan: Come quickly to help us who are assaulted by many temptations; and, as you know the weaknesses of each of us, let each one find you mighty to save; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Collect of the Day: O God, the King eternal, whose light divides the day from the night and turns the shadow of death into the morning: Drive far from us all wrong desires, incline our hearts to keep your law, and guide our feet into the way of peace; that, having done your will with cheerfulness while it was day, we may, when night comes, rejoice to give you thanks; 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