Morning Prayer - February 23, 2025

Today's Readings

Psalm 118:1-29

Isaiah 66:7-14

1 John 3:4-10

John 10:7-16

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 118

⁽¹⁾ Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.⁽²⁾ Let Israel now say, 'His mercy endures forever.'⁽³⁾ Let the house of Aaron now say, 'His mercy endures forever.'⁽⁴⁾ Let those who fear the LORD now say, 'His mercy endures forever.'

⁽⁵⁾ I called on the LORD in distress; The LORD answered me and set me in a broad place.⁽⁶⁾ The LORD is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me?⁽⁷⁾ The LORD is for me among those who help me; Therefore I shall see my desire on those who hate me.⁽⁸⁾ It is better to trust in the LORD Than to put confidence in man.

⁽⁹⁾ It is better to trust in the LORD Than to put confidence in princes.⁽¹⁰⁾ All nations surrounded me, But in the name of the LORD I will destroy them.⁽¹¹⁾ They surrounded me, Yes, they surrounded me; But in the name of the LORD I will destroy them.⁽¹²⁾ They surrounded me like bees; They were quenched like a fire of thorns; For in the name of the LORD I will destroy them.

⁽¹³⁾ You pushed me violently, that I might fall, But the LORD helped me.⁽¹⁴⁾ The LORD is my strength and song, And He has become my salvation.⁽¹⁵⁾ The voice of rejoicing and salvation Is in the tents of the righteous; The right hand of the LORD does valiantly.⁽¹⁶⁾ The right hand of the LORD is exalted; The right hand of the LORD does valiantly.

⁽¹⁷⁾ I shall not die, but live, And declare the works of the LORD.⁽¹⁸⁾ The LORD has chastened me severely, But He has not given me over to death.⁽¹⁹⁾ Open to me the gates of righteousness; I will go through them, And I will praise the LORD.⁽²⁰⁾ This is the gate of the LORD, Through which the righteous shall enter.

⁽²¹⁾ I will praise You, For You have answered me, And have become my salvation.⁽²²⁾ The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone.⁽²³⁾ This was the LORD's doing; It is marvelous in our eyes.⁽²⁴⁾ This is the day the LORD has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it.

⁽²⁵⁾ Save now, I pray, O LORD; O LORD, I pray, send now prosperity.⁽²⁶⁾ Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD! We have blessed you from the house of the LORD.⁽²⁷⁾ God is the LORD, And He has given us light; Bind the sacrifice with cords to the horns of the altar.⁽²⁸⁾ You are my God, and I will praise You; You are my God, I will exalt You.

⁽²⁹⁾ Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.

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 66

⁽⁷⁾ Before she was in labor, she gave birth; Before her pain came, She delivered a male child.⁽⁸⁾ Who has heard such a thing? Who has seen such things? Shall the earth be made to give birth in one day? Or shall a nation be born at once? For as soon as Zion was in labor, She gave birth to her children.⁽⁹⁾ Shall I bring to the time of birth, and not cause delivery?' says the LORD. 'Shall I who cause delivery shut up the womb?' says your God.⁽¹⁰⁾ Rejoice with Jerusalem, And be glad with her, all you who love her; Rejoice for joy with her, all you who mourn for her;

⁽¹¹⁾ That you may feed and be satisfied With the consolation of her bosom, That you may drink deeply and be delighted With the abundance of her glory.'⁽¹²⁾ For thus says the LORD: 'Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river, And the glory of the Gentiles like a flowing stream. Then you shall feed; On her sides shall you be carried, And be dandled on her knees.⁽¹³⁾ As one whom his mother comforts, So I will comfort you; And you shall be comforted in Jerusalem.'⁽¹⁴⁾ When you see this, your heart shall rejoice, And your bones shall flourish like grass; The hand of the LORD shall be known to His servants, And His indignation to His enemies.

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

1 John Chapter 3

⁽⁴⁾ Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness.⁽⁵⁾ And you know that He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin.⁽⁶⁾ Whoever abides in Him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him.⁽⁷⁾ Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous.

⁽⁸⁾ He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.⁽⁹⁾ Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God.⁽¹⁰⁾ In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother.

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.

The Gospel of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

The Song of Zechariah Luke 1: 68 to 79
Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel;
he has come to his people and set them free.
He has raised up for us a mighty savior,
born of the house of his servant David.
Through his holy prophets he promised of old,
that he would save us from our enemies,
from the hands of all who hate us.
He promised to show mercy to our fathers
and to remember his holy covenant.
This was the oath he swore to our father Abraham,
to set us free from the hands of our enemies,
Free to worship him without fear,
holy and righteous in his sight
all the days of our life.
You, my child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High,
for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way,
To give his people knowledge of salvation
by the forgiveness of their sins.
In the tender compassion of our God
the dawn from on high shall break upon us,
To shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death,
and to guide our feet into the way of peace.
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.

You are God
You are God: we praise you;
You are the Lord; we acclaim you;
You are the eternal Father:
All creation worships you.
To you all angels, all the powers of heaven,
Cherubim and Seraphim, sing in endless praise:
Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might,
heaven and earth are full of your glory.
The glorious company of apostles praise you.
The noble fellowship of prophets praise you.
The white-robed army of martyrs praise you.
Throughout the world the holy Church acclaims you;
Father, of majesty unbounded,
your true and only Son, worthy of all worship,
and the Holy Spirit, advocate and guide.
You, Christ, are the king of glory,
the eternal Son of the Father.
When you became man to set us free
you did not shun the Virgin's womb.
You overcame the sting of death
and opened the kingdom of heaven to all believers.
You are seated at God's right hand in glory.
We believe that you will come and be our judge.
Come then, Lord, and help your people,
bought with the price of your own blood,
and bring us with your saints
to glory everlasting.

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: Seventh Sunday after the Epiphany
O Lord, you have taught us that without love whatever we do is worth nothing: Send your Holy Spirit and pour into our hearts your greatest gift, which is love, the true bond of peace and of all virtue, without which whoever lives is accounted dead before you. Grant this for the sake of your only Son Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Collect of the Day: O God, you make us glad with the weekly remembrance of the glorious resurrection of your Son our Lord: Give us this day such blessing through our worship of you, that the week to come may be spent in your favor; 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.

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

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