Morning Prayer - July 8, 2026

Today's Readings

Psalm 119:145-176

Numbers 22:41,23:1-12

Romans 7:13-25

Matthew 21:33-46

Ordinary Time
I was glad when they said to me, 'Let us go to the house of the Lord.' Psalm 122:1

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.

Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness: Come let us adore him.

The Lessons

Psalm 119

⁽¹⁴⁵⁾ I cry out with my whole heart; Hear me, O LORD! I will keep Your statutes.⁽¹⁴⁶⁾ I cry out to You; Save me, and I will keep Your testimonies.⁽¹⁴⁷⁾ I rise before the dawning of the morning, And cry for help; I hope in Your word.⁽¹⁴⁸⁾ My eyes are awake through the night watches, That I may meditate on Your word.

⁽¹⁴⁹⁾ Hear my voice according to Your lovingkindness; O LORD, revive me according to Your justice.⁽¹⁵⁰⁾ They draw near who follow after wickedness; They are far from Your law.⁽¹⁵¹⁾ You are near, O LORD, And all Your commandments are truth.⁽¹⁵²⁾ Concerning Your testimonies, I have known of old that You have founded them forever.

⁽¹⁵³⁾ Consider my affliction and deliver me, For I do not forget Your law.⁽¹⁵⁴⁾ Plead my cause and redeem me; Revive me according to Your word.⁽¹⁵⁵⁾ Salvation is far from the wicked, For they do not seek Your statutes.⁽¹⁵⁶⁾ Great are Your tender mercies, O LORD; Revive me according to Your judgments.

⁽¹⁵⁷⁾ Many are my persecutors and my enemies, Yet I do not turn from Your testimonies.⁽¹⁵⁸⁾ I see the treacherous, and am disgusted, Because they do not keep Your word.⁽¹⁵⁹⁾ Consider how I love Your precepts; Revive me, O LORD, according to Your lovingkindness.⁽¹⁶⁰⁾ The entirety of Your word is truth, And every one of Your righteous judgments endures forever.

⁽¹⁶¹⁾ Princes persecute me without a cause, But my heart stands in awe of Your word.⁽¹⁶²⁾ I rejoice at Your word As one who finds great treasure.⁽¹⁶³⁾ I hate and abhor lying, But I love Your law.⁽¹⁶⁴⁾ Seven times a day I praise You, Because of Your righteous judgments.

⁽¹⁶⁵⁾ Great peace have those who love Your law, And nothing causes them to stumble.⁽¹⁶⁶⁾ LORD, I hope for Your salvation, And I do Your commandments.⁽¹⁶⁷⁾ My soul keeps Your testimonies, And I love them exceedingly.⁽¹⁶⁸⁾ I keep Your precepts and Your testimonies, For all my ways are before You.

⁽¹⁶⁹⁾ Let my cry come before You, O LORD; Give me understanding according to Your word.⁽¹⁷⁰⁾ Let my supplication come before You; Deliver me according to Your word.⁽¹⁷¹⁾ My lips shall utter praise, For You teach me Your statutes.⁽¹⁷²⁾ My tongue shall speak of Your word, For all Your commandments are righteousness.

⁽¹⁷³⁾ Let Your hand become my help, For I have chosen Your precepts.⁽¹⁷⁴⁾ I long for Your salvation, O LORD, And Your law is my delight.⁽¹⁷⁵⁾ Let my soul live, and it shall praise You; And let Your judgments help me.⁽¹⁷⁶⁾ I have gone astray like a lost sheep; Seek Your servant, For I do not forget Your commandments.

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.

Numbers Chapter 22

⁽⁴¹⁾ So it was the next day, that Balak took Balaam and brought him up to the high places of Baal, that from there he might observe the extent of the people.⁽¹⁾ Then Balaam said to Balak, 'Build seven altars for me here, and prepare for me here seven bulls and seven rams.'⁽²⁾ And Balak did just as Balaam had spoken, and Balak and Balaam offered a bull and a ram on each altar.⁽³⁾ Then Balaam said to Balak, 'Stand by your burnt offering, and I will go; perhaps the LORD will come to meet me, and whatever He shows me I will tell you.' So he went to a desolate height.⁽⁴⁾ And God met Balaam, and he said to Him, 'I have prepared the seven altars, and I have offered on each altar a bull and a ram.'

⁽⁵⁾ Then the LORD put a word in Balaam's mouth, and said, 'Return to Balak, and thus you shall speak.'⁽⁶⁾ So he returned to him, and there he was, standing by his burnt offering, he and all the princes of Moab.⁽⁷⁾ And he took up his oracle and said: 'Balak the king of Moab has brought me from Aram, From the mountains of the east. 'Come, curse Jacob for me, And come, denounce Israel!'⁽⁸⁾ How shall I curse whom God has not cursed? And how shall I denounce whom the LORD has not denounced?

⁽⁹⁾ For from the top of the rocks I see him, And from the hills I behold him; There! A people dwelling alone, Not reckoning itself among the nations.⁽¹⁰⁾ Who can count the dust of Jacob, Or number one-fourth of Israel? Let me die the death of the righteous, And let my end be like his!'⁽¹¹⁾ Then Balak said to Balaam, 'What have you done to me? I took you to curse my enemies, and look, you have blessed them bountifully!'⁽¹²⁾ So he answered and said, 'Must I not take heed to speak what the LORD has put in my mouth?'

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Romans Chapter 7

⁽¹³⁾ Has then what is good become death to me? Certainly not! But sin, that it might appear sin, was producing death in me through what is good, so that sin through the commandment might become exceedingly sinful.⁽¹⁴⁾ For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin.⁽¹⁵⁾ For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do.⁽¹⁶⁾ If, then, I do what I will not to do, I agree with the law that it is good.

⁽¹⁷⁾ But now, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me.⁽¹⁸⁾ For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find.⁽¹⁹⁾ For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice.⁽²⁰⁾ Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me.

⁽²¹⁾ I find then a law, that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good.⁽²²⁾ For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man.⁽²³⁾ But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.⁽²⁴⁾ O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?

⁽²⁵⁾ I thank God -- through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin.

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Matthew Chapter 21

⁽³³⁾ Hear another parable: There was a certain landowner who planted a vineyard and set a hedge around it, dug a winepress in it and built a tower. And he leased it to vinedressers and went into a far country.⁽³⁴⁾ Now when vintage-time drew near, he sent his servants to the vinedressers, that they might receive its fruit.⁽³⁵⁾ And the vinedressers took his servants, beat one, killed one, and stoned another.⁽³⁶⁾ Again he sent other servants, more than the first, and they did likewise to them.

⁽³⁷⁾ Then last of all he sent his son to them, saying, 'They will respect my son.'⁽³⁸⁾ But when the vinedressers saw the son, they said among themselves, 'This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and seize his inheritance.'⁽³⁹⁾ So they took him and cast him out of the vineyard and killed him.⁽⁴⁰⁾ Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those vinedressers?'

⁽⁴¹⁾ They said to Him, 'He will destroy those wicked men miserably, and lease his vineyard to other vinedressers who will render to him the fruits in their seasons.'⁽⁴²⁾ Jesus said to them, 'Have you never read in the Scriptures: 'The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone. This was the LORD's doing, And it is marvelous in our eyes'?⁽⁴³⁾ Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it.⁽⁴⁴⁾ And whoever falls on this stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder.'

⁽⁴⁵⁾ Now when the chief priests and Pharisees heard His parables, they perceived that He was speaking of them.⁽⁴⁶⁾ But when they sought to lay hands on Him, they feared the multitudes, because they took Him for a prophet.

The Gospel of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Glory to God
Glory to God in the highest,
and peace to his people on earth.

Lord God, heavenly King,
almighty God and Father,
we worship you, we give you thanks,
we praise you for your glory.

Lord Jesus Christ, only Son of the Father,
Lord God, Lamb of God,
you take away the sin of the world:
have mercy on us;
you are seated at the right hand of the Father:
receive our prayer.

For you alone are the Holy One,
you alone are the Lord,
you alone are the Most High,
Jesus Christ,
with the Holy Spirit,
in the glory of God the Father. 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

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: Proper 8 The Sunday closest to June 29
Almighty God, you have built your Church upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone: Grant us so to be joined together in unity of spirit by their teaching, that we may be made a holy temple acceptable to you; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.

Collect of the Day: Lord God, almighty and everlasting Father, you have brought us in safety to this new day: Preserve us with your mighty power, that we may not fall into sin, nor be overcome by adversity; and in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose; 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.

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

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