Morning Prayer

--Today is the Feast of Saint Perpetua--
Lent
Rend your hearts and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and repents of evil. Joel 2:13

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 75

⁽¹⁾ We give thanks to You, O God, we give thanks! For Your wondrous works declare that Your name is near. ⁽²⁾ When I choose the proper time, I will judge uprightly. ⁽³⁾ The earth and all its inhabitants are dissolved; I set up its pillars firmly. Selah ⁽⁴⁾ I said to the boastful, 'Do not deal boastfully,' And to the wicked, 'Do not lift up the horn.

⁽⁵⁾ Do not lift up your horn on high; Do not speak with a stiff neck.' ' ⁽⁶⁾ For exaltation comes neither from the east Nor from the west nor from the south. ⁽⁷⁾ But God is the Judge: He puts down one, And exalts another. ⁽⁸⁾ For in the hand of the LORD there is a cup, And the wine is red; It is fully mixed, and He pours it out; Surely its dregs shall all the wicked of the earth Drain and drink down.

⁽⁹⁾ But I will declare forever, I will sing praises to the God of Jacob. ⁽¹⁰⁾ All the horns of the wicked I will also cut off, But the horns of the righteous shall be exalted.'

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 76

⁽¹⁾ In Judah God is known; His name is great in Israel. ⁽²⁾ In Salem also is His tabernacle, And His dwelling place in Zion. ⁽³⁾ There He broke the arrows of the bow, The shield and sword of battle. Selah ⁽⁴⁾ You are more glorious and excellent Than the mountains of prey.

⁽⁵⁾ The stouthearted were plundered; They have sunk into their sleep; And none of the mighty men have found the use of their hands. ⁽⁶⁾ At Your rebuke, O God of Jacob, Both the chariot and horse were cast into a dead sleep. ⁽⁷⁾ You, Yourself, are to be feared; And who may stand in Your presence When once You are angry? ⁽⁸⁾ You caused judgment to be heard from heaven; The earth feared and was still,

⁽⁹⁾ When God arose to judgment, To deliver all the oppressed of the earth. Selah ⁽¹⁰⁾ Surely the wrath of man shall praise You; With the remainder of wrath You shall gird Yourself. ⁽¹¹⁾ Make vows to the LORD your God, and pay them; Let all who are around Him bring presents to Him who ought to be feared. ⁽¹²⁾ He shall cut off the spirit of princes; He is awesome to the kings of the earth.

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 43

⁽¹⁶⁾ When Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the steward of his house, 'Take these men to my home, and slaughter an animal and make ready; for these men will dine with me at noon.' ⁽¹⁷⁾ Then the man did as Joseph ordered, and the man brought the men into Joseph's house. ⁽¹⁸⁾ Now the men were afraid because they were brought into Joseph's house; and they said, 'It is because of the money, which was returned in our sacks the first time, that we are brought in, so that he may make a case against us and fall upon us, to take us as slaves with our donkeys.' ⁽¹⁹⁾ When they drew near to the steward of Joseph's house, they talked with him at the door of the house,

⁽²⁰⁾ and said, 'O sir, we indeed came down the first time to buy food; ⁽²¹⁾ but it happened, when we came to the encampment, that we opened our sacks, and there, each man's money was in the mouth of his sack, our money in full weight; so we have brought it back in our hand. ⁽²²⁾ And we have brought down other money in our hands to buy food. We do not know who put our money in our sacks.' ⁽²³⁾ But he said, 'Peace be with you, do not be afraid. Your God and the God of your father has given you treasure in your sacks; I had your money.' Then he brought Simeon out to them.

⁽²⁴⁾ So the man brought the men into Joseph's house and gave them water, and they washed their feet; and he gave their donkeys feed. ⁽²⁵⁾ Then they made the present ready for Joseph's coming at noon, for they heard that they would eat bread there. ⁽²⁶⁾ And when Joseph came home, they brought him the present which was in their hand into the house, and bowed down before him to the earth. ⁽²⁷⁾ Then he asked them about their well-being, and said, 'Is your father well, the old man of whom you spoke? Is he still alive?'

⁽²⁸⁾ And they answered, 'Your servant our father is in good health; he is still alive.' And they bowed their heads down and prostrated themselves. ⁽²⁹⁾ Then he lifted his eyes and saw his brother Benjamin, his mother's son, and said, 'Is this your younger brother of whom you spoke to me?' And he said, 'God be gracious to you, my son.' ⁽³⁰⁾ Now his heart yearned for his brother; so Joseph made haste and sought somewhere to weep. And he went into his chamber and wept there. ⁽³¹⁾ Then he washed his face and came out; and he restrained himself, and said, 'Serve the bread.'

⁽³²⁾ So they set him a place by himself, and them by themselves, and the Egyptians who ate with him by themselves; because the Egyptians could not eat food with the Hebrews, for that is an abomination to the Egyptians. ⁽³³⁾ And they sat before him, the firstborn according to his birthright and the youngest according to his youth; and the men looked in astonishment at one another. ⁽³⁴⁾ Then he took servings to them from before him, but Benjamin's serving was five times as much as any of theirs. So they drank and were merry with him.

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

1 Corinthians Chapter 7

⁽¹⁰⁾ Now to the married I command, yet not I but the Lord: A wife is not to depart from her husband. ⁽¹¹⁾ But even if she does depart, let her remain unmarried or be reconciled to her husband. And a husband is not to divorce his wife. ⁽¹²⁾ But to the rest I, not the Lord, say: If any brother has a wife who does not believe, and she is willing to live with him, let him not divorce her. ⁽¹³⁾ And a woman who has a husband who does not believe, if he is willing to live with her, let her not divorce him.

⁽¹⁴⁾ For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband; otherwise your children would be unclean, but now they are holy. ⁽¹⁵⁾ But if the unbeliever departs, let him depart; a brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases. But God has called us to peace. ⁽¹⁶⁾ For how do you know, O wife, whether you will save your husband? Or how do you know, O husband, whether you will save your wife? ⁽¹⁷⁾ But as God has distributed to each one, as the Lord has called each one, so let him walk. And so I ordain in all the churches.

⁽¹⁸⁾ Was anyone called while circumcised? Let him not become uncircumcised. Was anyone called while uncircumcised? Let him not be circumcised. ⁽¹⁹⁾ Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing, but keeping the commandments of God is what matters. ⁽²⁰⁾ Let each one remain in the same calling in which he was called. ⁽²¹⁾ Were you called while a slave? Do not be concerned about it; but if you can be made free, rather use it.

⁽²²⁾ For he who is called in the Lord while a slave is the Lord's freedman. Likewise he who is called while free is Christ's slave. ⁽²³⁾ You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men. ⁽²⁴⁾ Brethren, let each one remain with God in that state in which he was called.

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Mark Chapter 5

⁽¹⁾ Then they came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gadarenes. ⁽²⁾ And when He had come out of the boat, immediately there met Him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, ⁽³⁾ who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no one could bind him, not even with chains, ⁽⁴⁾ because he had often been bound with shackles and chains. And the chains had been pulled apart by him, and the shackles broken in pieces; neither could anyone tame him.

⁽⁵⁾ And always, night and day, he was in the mountains and in the tombs, crying out and cutting himself with stones. ⁽⁶⁾ When he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and worshiped Him. ⁽⁷⁾ And he cried out with a loud voice and said, 'What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I implore You by God that You do not torment me.' ⁽⁸⁾ For He said to him, 'Come out of the man, unclean spirit!'

⁽⁹⁾ Then He asked him, 'What is your name?' And he answered, saying, 'My name is Legion; for we are many.' ⁽¹⁰⁾ Also he begged Him earnestly that He would not send them out of the country. ⁽¹¹⁾ Now a large herd of swine was feeding there near the mountains. ⁽¹²⁾ So all the demons begged Him, saying, 'Send us to the swine, that we may enter them.'

⁽¹³⁾ And at once Jesus gave them permission. Then the unclean spirits went out and entered the swine (there were about two thousand); and the herd ran violently down the steep place into the sea, and drowned in the sea. ⁽¹⁴⁾ So those who fed the swine fled, and they told it in the city and in the country. And they went out to see what it was that had happened. ⁽¹⁵⁾ Then they came to Jesus, and saw the one who had been demon-possessed and had the legion, sitting and clothed and in his right mind. And they were afraid. ⁽¹⁶⁾ And those who saw it told them how it happened to him who had been demon-possessed, and about the swine.

⁽¹⁷⁾ Then they began to plead with Him to depart from their region. ⁽¹⁸⁾ And when He got into the boat, he who had been demon-possessed begged Him that he might be with Him. ⁽¹⁹⁾ However, Jesus did not permit him, but said to him, 'Go home to your friends, and tell them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He has had compassion on you.' ⁽²⁰⁾ And he departed and began to proclaim in Decapolis all that Jesus had done for him; and all marveled.

The Gospel of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

A Song of Creation     Prayer of Manasseh 1 to 2, 4, 6 to 7, 11 to 15
Invocation
Glorify the Lord,
all you works of the Lord,
praise him and highly exalt him forever.
In the firmament of his power, glorify the Lord,
praise him and highly exalt him forever.

The Cosmic Order
Glorify the Lord,
you angels and all powers of the Lord,
O heavens and all waters above the heavens.
Sun and moon and stars of the sky,
glorify the Lord,
praise him and highly exalt him forever.
Glorify the Lord,
every shower of rain and fall of dew,
all winds and fire and heat.
Winter and Summer, glorify the Lord,
praise him and highly exalt him forever.

Glorify the Lord, O chill and cold,
drops of dew and flakes of snow.
Frost and cold, ice and sleet,
glorify the Lord,
praise him and highly exalt him forever.

Glorify the Lord,
O nights and days,
O shining light and enfolding dark.
Storm clouds and thunderbolts, glorify the Lord,
praise him and highly exalt him forever.

Glorify the Lord,
O spirits and souls of the righteous,
praise him and highly exalt him forever.
You that are holy and humble of heart,
glorify the Lord,
praise him and highly exalt him forever.

Doxology
Let us glorify the Lord:
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit;
praise him and highly exalt him forever.
In the firmament of his power, glorify the Lord,
praise him and highly exalt him forever.

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:  Second Sunday in Lent
O God, whose glory it is always to have mercy: Be gracious to all who have gone astray from your ways, and bring them again with penitent hearts and steadfast faith to embrace and hold fast the unchangeable truth of your Word, Jesus Christ your Son; who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, forever and ever. Amen.

Collect of the Day: Almighty God, who after the creation of the world rested from all your works and sanctified a day of rest for all your creatures: Grant that we, putting away all earthly anxieties, may be duly prepared for the service of your sanctuary, and that our rest here upon earth may be a preparation for the eternal rest promised to your people in heaven; 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. When you lack the words


Closing Prayers   Thanksgiving

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