Morning Prayer - February 21, 2025

Today's Readings

Psalm 102:1-28

Isaiah 65:17-25

1 Timothy 5:17-25

Mark 12:28-34

Epiphany
From the rising of the sun to its setting my Name shall be great among the nations, and in every place incense shall be offered to my Name, and a pure offering: for my Name shall be great among the nations, says the Lord of hosts. Malachi 1:11

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.

The Lord has shown forth his glory: Come let us adore him.

The Lessons

Psalm 102

⁽¹⁾ Hear my prayer, O LORD, And let my cry come to You.⁽²⁾ Do not hide Your face from me in the day of my trouble; Incline Your ear to me; In the day that I call, answer me speedily.⁽³⁾ For my days are consumed like smoke, And my bones are burned like a hearth.⁽⁴⁾ My heart is stricken and withered like grass, So that I forget to eat my bread.

⁽⁵⁾ Because of the sound of my groaning My bones cling to my skin.⁽⁶⁾ I am like a pelican of the wilderness; I am like an owl of the desert.⁽⁷⁾ I lie awake, And am like a sparrow alone on the housetop.⁽⁸⁾ My enemies reproach me all day long, Those who deride me swear an oath against me.

⁽⁹⁾ For I have eaten ashes like bread, And mingled my drink with weeping,⁽¹⁰⁾ Because of Your indignation and Your wrath; For You have lifted me up and cast me away.⁽¹¹⁾ My days are like a shadow that lengthens, And I wither away like grass.⁽¹²⁾ But You, O LORD, shall endure forever, And the remembrance of Your name to all generations.

⁽¹³⁾ You will arise and have mercy on Zion; For the time to favor her, Yes, the set time, has come.⁽¹⁴⁾ For Your servants take pleasure in her stones, And show favor to her dust.⁽¹⁵⁾ So the nations shall fear the name of the LORD, And all the kings of the earth Your glory.⁽¹⁶⁾ For the LORD shall build up Zion; He shall appear in His glory.

⁽¹⁷⁾ He shall regard the prayer of the destitute, And shall not despise their prayer.⁽¹⁸⁾ This will be written for the generation to come, That a people yet to be created may praise the LORD.⁽¹⁹⁾ For He looked down from the height of His sanctuary; From heaven the LORD viewed the earth,⁽²⁰⁾ To hear the groaning of the prisoner, To release those appointed to death,

⁽²¹⁾ To declare the name of the LORD in Zion, And His praise in Jerusalem,⁽²²⁾ When the peoples are gathered together, And the kingdoms, to serve the LORD.⁽²³⁾ He weakened my strength in the way; He shortened my days.⁽²⁴⁾ I said, 'O my God, Do not take me away in the midst of my days; Your years are throughout all generations.

⁽²⁵⁾ Of old You laid the foundation of the earth, And the heavens are the work of Your hands.⁽²⁶⁾ They will perish, but You will endure; Yes, they will all grow old like a garment; Like a cloak You will change them, And they will be changed.⁽²⁷⁾ But You are the same, And Your years will have no end.⁽²⁸⁾ The children of Your servants will continue, And their descendants will be established before You.'

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.

Isaiah Chapter 65

⁽¹⁷⁾ For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; And the former shall not be remembered or come to mind.⁽¹⁸⁾ But be glad and rejoice forever in what I create; For behold, I create Jerusalem as a rejoicing, And her people a joy.⁽¹⁹⁾ I will rejoice in Jerusalem, And joy in My people; The voice of weeping shall no longer be heard in her, Nor the voice of crying.⁽²⁰⁾ No more shall an infant from there live but a few days, Nor an old man who has not fulfilled his days; For the child shall die one hundred years old, But the sinner being one hundred years old shall be accursed.

⁽²¹⁾ They shall build houses and inhabit them; They shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit.⁽²²⁾ They shall not build and another inhabit; They shall not plant and another eat; For as the days of a tree, so shall be the days of My people, And My elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands.⁽²³⁾ They shall not labor in vain, Nor bring forth children for trouble; For they shall be the descendants of the blessed of the LORD, And their offspring with them.⁽²⁴⁾ It shall come to pass That before they call, I will answer; And while they are still speaking, I will hear.

⁽²⁵⁾ The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, The lion shall eat straw like the ox, And dust shall be the serpent's food. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain,' Says the LORD.

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

1 Timothy Chapter 5

⁽¹⁷⁾ Let the elders who rule well be counted worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in the word and doctrine.⁽¹⁸⁾ For the Scripture says, 'You shall not muzzle an ox while it treads out the grain,' and, 'The laborer is worthy of his wages.'⁽¹⁹⁾ Do not receive an accusation against an elder except from two or three witnesses.⁽²⁰⁾ Those who are sinning rebuke in the presence of all, that the rest also may fear.

⁽²¹⁾ I charge you before God and the Lord Jesus Christ and the elect angels that you observe these things without prejudice, doing nothing with partiality.⁽²²⁾ Do not lay hands on anyone hastily, nor share in other people's sins; keep yourself pure.⁽²³⁾ No longer drink only water, but use a little wine for your stomach's sake and your frequent infirmities.⁽²⁴⁾ Some men's sins are clearly evident, preceding them to judgment, but those of some men follow later.

⁽²⁵⁾ Likewise, the good works of some are clearly evident, and those that are otherwise cannot be hidden.

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Mark Chapter 12

⁽²⁸⁾ Then one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, perceiving that He had answered them well, asked Him, 'Which is the first commandment of all?'⁽²⁹⁾ Jesus answered him, 'The first of all the commandments is: 'Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one.⁽³⁰⁾ And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.' This is the first commandment.⁽³¹⁾ And the second, like it, is this: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these.'

⁽³²⁾ So the scribe said to Him, 'Well said, Teacher. You have spoken the truth, for there is one God, and there is no other but He.⁽³³⁾ And to love Him with all the heart, with all the understanding, with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love one's neighbor as oneself, is more than all the whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.'⁽³⁴⁾ Now when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, He said to him, 'You are not far from the kingdom of God.' But after that no one dared question Him.

The Gospel of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

The Second Song of Isaiah Isaiah 55:6 to 11

Seek the Lord while he wills to be found;
call upon him when he draws near.
Let the wicked forsake their ways
and the evil ones their thoughts;
And let them turn to the Lord, and he will have compassion,
and to our God, for he will richly pardon.
For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
nor your ways my ways, says the Lord.
For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways,
and my thoughts than your thoughts.
For as rain and snow fall from the heavens
and return not again, but water the earth,
Bringing forth life and giving growth,
seed for sowing and bread for eating,
So is my word that goes forth from my mouth;
it will not return to me empty;
But it will accomplish that which I have purposed,
and prosper in that for which I sent it.
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: Sixth Sunday after the Epiphany
O God, the strength of all who put their trust in you: Mercifully accept our prayers; and because in our weakness we can do nothing good without you, give us the help of your grace, that in keeping your commandments we may please you both in will and deed; 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: 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