Morning Prayer - January 3, 2025

Today's Readings

Psalm 68:1-35

Genesis 28:10-22

Hebrews 11:13-23

John 10:7-17

Today is the Tenth 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 68

⁽¹⁾ Let God arise, Let His enemies be scattered; Let those also who hate Him flee before Him.⁽²⁾ As smoke is driven away, So drive them away; As wax melts before the fire, So let the wicked perish at the presence of God.⁽³⁾ But let the righteous be glad; Let them rejoice before God; Yes, let them rejoice exceedingly.⁽⁴⁾ Sing to God, sing praises to His name; Extol Him who rides on the clouds, By His name YAH, And rejoice before Him.

⁽⁵⁾ A father of the fatherless, a defender of widows, Is God in His holy habitation.⁽⁶⁾ God sets the solitary in families; He brings out those who are bound into prosperity; But the rebellious dwell in a dry land.⁽⁷⁾ O God, when You went out before Your people, When You marched through the wilderness, Selah⁽⁸⁾ The earth shook; The heavens also dropped rain at the presence of God; Sinai itself was moved at the presence of God, the God of Israel.

⁽⁹⁾ You, O God, sent a plentiful rain, Whereby You confirmed Your inheritance, When it was weary.⁽¹⁰⁾ Your congregation dwelt in it; You, O God, provided from Your goodness for the poor.⁽¹¹⁾ The Lord gave the word; Great was the company of those who proclaimed it:⁽¹²⁾ Kings of armies flee, they flee, And she who remains at home divides the spoil.

⁽¹³⁾ Though you lie down among the sheepfolds, You will be like the wings of a dove covered with silver, And her feathers with yellow gold.'⁽¹⁴⁾ When the Almighty scattered kings in it, It was white as snow in Zalmon.⁽¹⁵⁾ A mountain of God is the mountain of Bashan; A mountain of many peaks is the mountain of Bashan.⁽¹⁶⁾ Why do you fume with envy, you mountains of many peaks? This is the mountain which God desires to dwell in; Yes, the LORD will dwell in it forever.

⁽¹⁷⁾ The chariots of God are twenty thousand, Even thousands of thousands; The Lord is among them as in Sinai, in the Holy Place.⁽¹⁸⁾ You have ascended on high, You have led captivity captive; You have received gifts among men, Even from the rebellious, That the LORD God might dwell there.⁽¹⁹⁾ Blessed be the Lord, Who daily loads us with benefits, The God of our salvation! Selah⁽²⁰⁾ Our God is the God of salvation; And to GOD the Lord belong escapes from death.

⁽²¹⁾ But God will wound the head of His enemies, The hairy scalp of the one who still goes on in His trespasses.⁽²²⁾ The Lord said, 'I will bring back from Bashan, I will bring them back from the depths of the sea,⁽²³⁾ That your foot may crush them in blood, And the tongues of your dogs may have their portion from your enemies.'⁽²⁴⁾ They have seen Your procession, O God, The procession of my God, my King, into the sanctuary.

⁽²⁵⁾ The singers went before, the players on instruments followed after; Among them were the maidens playing timbrels.⁽²⁶⁾ Bless God in the congregations, The Lord, from the fountain of Israel.⁽²⁷⁾ There is little Benjamin, their leader, The princes of Judah and their company, The princes of Zebulun and the princes of Naphtali.⁽²⁸⁾ Your God has commanded your strength; Strengthen, O God, what You have done for us.

⁽²⁹⁾ Because of Your temple at Jerusalem, Kings will bring presents to You.⁽³⁰⁾ Rebuke the beasts of the reeds, The herd of bulls with the calves of the peoples, Till everyone submits himself with pieces of silver. Scatter the peoples who delight in war.⁽³¹⁾ Envoys will come out of Egypt; Ethiopia will quickly stretch out her hands to God.⁽³²⁾ Sing to God, you kingdoms of the earth; Oh, sing praises to the Lord, Selah

⁽³³⁾ To Him who rides on the heaven of heavens, which were of old! Indeed, He sends out His voice, a mighty voice.⁽³⁴⁾ Ascribe strength to God; His excellence is over Israel, And His strength is in the clouds.⁽³⁵⁾ O God, You are more awesome than Your holy places. The God of Israel is He who gives strength and power to His people. Blessed be God!

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 28

⁽¹⁰⁾ Now Jacob went out from Beersheba and went toward Haran.⁽¹¹⁾ So he came to a certain place and stayed there all night, because the sun had set. And he took one of the stones of that place and put it at his head, and he lay down in that place to sleep.⁽¹²⁾ Then he dreamed, and behold, a ladder was set up on the earth, and its top reached to heaven; and there the angels of God were ascending and descending on it.⁽¹³⁾ And behold, the LORD stood above it and said: 'I am the LORD God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and your descendants.

⁽¹⁴⁾ Also your descendants shall be as the dust of the earth; you shall spread abroad to the west and the east, to the north and the south; and in you and in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed.⁽¹⁵⁾ Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have spoken to you.'⁽¹⁶⁾ Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, 'Surely the LORD is in this place, and I did not know it.'⁽¹⁷⁾ And he was afraid and said, 'How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven!'

⁽¹⁸⁾ Then Jacob rose early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put at his head, set it up as a pillar, and poured oil on top of it.⁽¹⁹⁾ And he called the name of that place Bethel; but the name of that city had been Luz previously.⁽²⁰⁾ Then Jacob made a vow, saying, 'If God will be with me, and keep me in this way that I am going, and give me bread to eat and clothing to put on,⁽²¹⁾ so that I come back to my father's house in peace, then the LORD shall be my God.

⁽²²⁾ And this stone which I have set as a pillar shall be God's house, and of all that You give me I will surely give a tenth to You.'

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Hebrews Chapter 11

⁽¹³⁾ These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.⁽¹⁴⁾ For those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland.⁽¹⁵⁾ And truly if they had called to mind that country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return.⁽¹⁶⁾ But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.

⁽¹⁷⁾ By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten son,⁽¹⁸⁾ of whom it was said, 'In Isaac your seed shall be called,'⁽¹⁹⁾ concluding that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead, from which he also received him in a figurative sense.⁽²⁰⁾ By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come.

⁽²¹⁾ By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, and worshiped, leaning on the top of his staff.⁽²²⁾ By faith Joseph, when he was dying, made mention of the departure of the children of Israel, and gave instructions concerning his bones.⁽²³⁾ By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden three months by his parents, because they saw he was a beautiful child; and they were not afraid of the king's command.

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

John Chapter 10

⁽⁷⁾ Then Jesus said to them again, 'Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.⁽⁸⁾ All who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them.⁽⁹⁾ I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.⁽¹⁰⁾ The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

⁽¹¹⁾ I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.⁽¹²⁾ But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them.⁽¹³⁾ The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep.⁽¹⁴⁾ I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own.

⁽¹⁵⁾ As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep.⁽¹⁶⁾ And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd.⁽¹⁷⁾ Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again.

The Gospel of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

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

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: Almighty God, whose most dear Son went not up to joy but first he suffered pain, and entered not into glory before he was crucified: Mercifully grant that we, walking in the way of the cross, may find it none other than the way of life and peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

A Prayer for Mission: O God, you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth, and sent your blessed Son to preach peace to those who are far off and to those who are near: Grant that people everywhere may seek after you and find you; bring the nations into your fold; pour out your Spirit upon all flesh; and hasten the coming of your kingdom; through Jesus Christ our Lord. 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

May the God of hope fill us with all joy and peace in believing through the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Romans 15:13