Morning Prayer

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
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 106

⁽¹⁾ Praise the LORD! Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever. ⁽²⁾ Who can utter the mighty acts of the LORD? Who can declare all His praise? ⁽³⁾ Blessed are those who keep justice, And he who does righteousness at all times! ⁽⁴⁾ Remember me, O LORD, with the favor You have toward Your people; Oh, visit me with Your salvation,

⁽⁵⁾ That I may see the benefit of Your chosen ones, That I may rejoice in the gladness of Your nation, That I may glory with Your inheritance. ⁽⁶⁾ We have sinned with our fathers, We have committed iniquity, We have done wickedly. ⁽⁷⁾ Our fathers in Egypt did not understand Your wonders; They did not remember the multitude of Your mercies, But rebelled by the sea -- the Red Sea. ⁽⁸⁾ Nevertheless He saved them for His name's sake, That He might make His mighty power known.

⁽⁹⁾ He rebuked the Red Sea also, and it dried up; So He led them through the depths, As through the wilderness. ⁽¹⁰⁾ He saved them from the hand of him who hated them, And redeemed them from the hand of the enemy. ⁽¹¹⁾ The waters covered their enemies; There was not one of them left. ⁽¹²⁾ Then they believed His words; They sang His praise.

⁽¹³⁾ They soon forgot His works; They did not wait for His counsel, ⁽¹⁴⁾ But lusted exceedingly in the wilderness, And tested God in the desert. ⁽¹⁵⁾ And He gave them their request, But sent leanness into their soul. ⁽¹⁶⁾ When they envied Moses in the camp, And Aaron the saint of the LORD,

⁽¹⁷⁾ The earth opened up and swallowed Dathan, And covered the faction of Abiram. ⁽¹⁸⁾ A fire was kindled in their company; The flame burned up the wicked.

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.

Ruth Chapter 1

⁽¹⁾ Now it came to pass, in the days when the judges ruled, that there was a famine in the land. And a certain man of Bethlehem, Judah, went to dwell in the country of Moab, he and his wife and his two sons. ⁽²⁾ The name of the man was Elimelech, the name of his wife was Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion -- Ephrathites of Bethlehem, Judah. And they went to the country of Moab and remained there. ⁽³⁾ Then Elimelech, Naomi's husband, died; and she was left, and her two sons. ⁽⁴⁾ Now they took wives of the women of Moab: the name of the one was Orpah, and the name of the other Ruth. And they dwelt there about ten years.

⁽⁵⁾ Then both Mahlon and Chilion also died; so the woman survived her two sons and her husband. ⁽⁶⁾ Then she arose with her daughters-in-law that she might return from the country of Moab, for she had heard in the country of Moab that the LORD had visited His people by giving them bread. ⁽⁷⁾ Therefore she went out from the place where she was, and her two daughters-in-law with her; and they went on the way to return to the land of Judah. ⁽⁸⁾ And Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, 'Go, return each to her mother's house. The LORD deal kindly with you, as you have dealt with the dead and with me.

⁽⁹⁾ The LORD grant that you may find rest, each in the house of her husband.' Then she kissed them, and they lifted up their voices and wept. ⁽¹⁰⁾ And they said to her, 'Surely we will return with you to your people.' ⁽¹¹⁾ But Naomi said, 'Turn back, my daughters; why will you go with me? Are there still sons in my womb, that they may be your husbands? ⁽¹²⁾ Turn back, my daughters, go -- for I am too old to have a husband. If I should say I have hope, if I should have a husband tonight and should also bear sons,

⁽¹³⁾ would you wait for them till they were grown? Would you restrain yourselves from having husbands? No, my daughters; for it grieves me very much for your sakes that the hand of the LORD has gone out against me!' ⁽¹⁴⁾ Then they lifted up their voices and wept again; and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her.

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

2 Corinthians Chapter 1

⁽¹⁾ Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, To the church of God which is at Corinth, with all the saints who are in all Achaia: ⁽²⁾ Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. ⁽³⁾ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, ⁽⁴⁾ who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.

⁽⁵⁾ For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also abounds through Christ. ⁽⁶⁾ Now if we are afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effective for enduring the same sufferings which we also suffer. Or if we are comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation. ⁽⁷⁾ And our hope for you is steadfast, because we know that as you are partakers of the sufferings, so also you will partake of the consolation. ⁽⁸⁾ For we do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, of our trouble which came to us in Asia: that we were burdened beyond measure, above strength, so that we despaired even of life.

⁽⁹⁾ Yes, we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead, ⁽¹⁰⁾ who delivered us from so great a death, and does deliver us; in whom we trust that He will still deliver us, ⁽¹¹⁾ you also helping together in prayer for us, that thanks may be given by many persons on our behalf for the gift granted to us through many.

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Matthew Chapter 5

⁽¹⁾ And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him. ⁽²⁾ Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying: ⁽³⁾ Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. ⁽⁴⁾ Blessed are those who mourn, For they shall be comforted.

⁽⁵⁾ Blessed are the meek, For they shall inherit the earth. ⁽⁶⁾ Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled. ⁽⁷⁾ Blessed are the merciful, For they shall obtain mercy. ⁽⁸⁾ Blessed are the pure in heart, For they shall see God.

⁽⁹⁾ Blessed are the peacemakers, For they shall be called sons of God. ⁽¹⁰⁾ Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. ⁽¹¹⁾ Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. ⁽¹²⁾ Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

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:  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, 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