Morning Prayer

Easter
Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 15:57

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


From Easter to Pentecost, Christ the Passover  can be used in place of the Venite or Jubilate.

Christ the Passover  1 Corinthians 5:7 to 8; Romans 6:9 to 11; 1 Corinthians 15:20 to 22
Alleluia.
Christ our Passover has been sacrificed for us;
  therefore let us keep the feast,
Not with old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil,
  but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. Alleluia.

Christ being raised from the dead will never die again;
  death no longer has dominion over him.
The death that he died, he died to sin, once for all;
  but the life he lives, he lives to God.
So also consider yourselves dead to sin,
  and alive to God in Jesus Christ our Lord. Alleluia.

  the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep.
For since by a man came death,
  by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead.
For as in Adam all die,
  so in Christ shall all be made alive. Alleluia.

Venite
The Antiphon:

ⓘ   A short, reflective sentence recited alongside a psalm to deepen our understanding of the readings.

If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Colossian 3:1

The Lessons

Psalm 25

⁽¹⁾ To You, O LORD, I lift up my soul. ⁽²⁾ O my God, I trust in You; Let me not be ashamed; Let not my enemies triumph over me. ⁽³⁾ Indeed, let no one who waits on You be ashamed; Let those be ashamed who deal treacherously without cause. ⁽⁴⁾ Show me Your ways, O LORD; Teach me Your paths.

⁽⁵⁾ Lead me in Your truth and teach me, For You are the God of my salvation; On You I wait all the day. ⁽⁶⁾ Remember, O LORD, Your tender mercies and Your lovingkindnesses, For they are from of old. ⁽⁷⁾ Do not remember the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions; According to Your mercy remember me, For Your goodness' sake, O LORD. ⁽⁸⁾ Good and upright is the LORD; Therefore He teaches sinners in the way.

⁽⁹⁾ The humble He guides in justice, And the humble He teaches His way. ⁽¹⁰⁾ All the paths of the LORD are mercy and truth, To such as keep His covenant and His testimonies. ⁽¹¹⁾ For Your name's sake, O LORD, Pardon my iniquity, for it is great. ⁽¹²⁾ Who is the man that fears the LORD? Him shall He teach in the way He chooses.

⁽¹³⁾ He himself shall dwell in prosperity, And his descendants shall inherit the earth. ⁽¹⁴⁾ The secret of the LORD is with those who fear Him, And He will show them His covenant. ⁽¹⁵⁾ My eyes are ever toward the LORD, For He shall pluck my feet out of the net. ⁽¹⁶⁾ Turn Yourself to me, and have mercy on me, For I am desolate and afflicted.

⁽¹⁷⁾ The troubles of my heart have enlarged; Bring me out of my distresses! ⁽¹⁸⁾ Look on my affliction and my pain, And forgive all my sins. ⁽¹⁹⁾ Consider my enemies, for they are many; And they hate me with cruel hatred. ⁽²⁰⁾ Keep my soul, and deliver me; Let me not be ashamed, for I put my trust in You.

⁽²¹⁾ Let integrity and uprightness preserve me, For I wait for You. ⁽²²⁾ Redeem Israel, O God, Out of all their troubles!

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.

Exodus Chapter 18

⁽¹³⁾ And so it was, on the next day, that Moses sat to judge the people; and the people stood before Moses from morning until evening. ⁽¹⁴⁾ So when Moses' father-in-law saw all that he did for the people, he said, 'What is this thing that you are doing for the people? Why do you alone sit, and all the people stand before you from morning until evening?' ⁽¹⁵⁾ And Moses said to his father-in-law, 'Because the people come to me to inquire of God. ⁽¹⁶⁾ When they have a difficulty, they come to me, and I judge between one and another; and I make known the statutes of God and His laws.'

⁽¹⁷⁾ So Moses' father-in-law said to him, 'The thing that you do is not good. ⁽¹⁸⁾ Both you and these people who are with you will surely wear yourselves out. For this thing is too much for you; you are not able to perform it by yourself. ⁽¹⁹⁾ Listen now to my voice; I will give you counsel, and God will be with you: Stand before God for the people, so that you may bring the difficulties to God. ⁽²⁰⁾ And you shall teach them the statutes and the laws, and show them the way in which they must walk and the work they must do.

⁽²¹⁾ Moreover you shall select from all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them to be rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens. ⁽²²⁾ And let them judge the people at all times. Then it will be that every great matter they shall bring to you, but every small matter they themselves shall judge. So it will be easier for you, for they will bear the burden with you. ⁽²³⁾ If you do this thing, and God so commands you, then you will be able to endure, and all this people will also go to their place in peace.' ⁽²⁴⁾ So Moses heeded the voice of his father-in-law and did all that he had said.

⁽²⁵⁾ And Moses chose able men out of all Israel, and made them heads over the people: rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens. ⁽²⁶⁾ So they judged the people at all times; the hard cases they brought to Moses, but they judged every small case themselves. ⁽²⁷⁾ Then Moses let his father-in-law depart, and he went his way to his own land.

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

1 Peter Chapter 5

⁽¹⁾ The elders who are among you I exhort, I who am a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that will be revealed: ⁽²⁾ Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly; ⁽³⁾ nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock; ⁽⁴⁾ and when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away.

⁽⁵⁾ Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for 'God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.' ⁽⁶⁾ Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, ⁽⁷⁾ casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. ⁽⁸⁾ Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.

⁽⁹⁾ Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. ⁽¹⁰⁾ But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. ⁽¹¹⁾ To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen. ⁽¹²⁾ By Silvanus, our faithful brother as I consider him, I have written to you briefly, exhorting and testifying that this is the true grace of God in which you stand.

⁽¹³⁾ She who is in Babylon, elect together with you, greets you; and so does Mark my son. ⁽¹⁴⁾ Greet one another with a kiss of love. Peace to you all who are in Christ Jesus. Amen.

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Matthew Chapter 3

⁽¹⁾ In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, ⁽²⁾ and saying, 'Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!' ⁽³⁾ For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying: 'The voice of one crying in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the LORD; Make His paths straight.' ' ⁽⁴⁾ And John himself was clothed in camel's hair, with a leather belt around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey.

⁽⁵⁾ Then Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the region around the Jordan went out to him ⁽⁶⁾ and were baptized by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins.

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:  Third Sunday of Easter
O God, whose blessed Son made himself known to his disciples in the breaking of bread: Open the eyes of our faith, that we may behold him in all his redeeming work; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of 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