Morning Prayer - February 26, 2025

Today's Readings

Psalm 119:145-176

Ruth 2:1-13

2 Corinthians 1:23-24,2:1-17

Matthew 5:21-26

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 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.

Ruth Chapter 2

⁽¹⁾ There was a relative of Naomi's husband, a man of great wealth, of the family of Elimelech. His name was Boaz.⁽²⁾ So Ruth the Moabitess said to Naomi, 'Please let me go to the field, and glean heads of grain after him in whose sight I may find favor.' And she said to her, 'Go, my daughter.'⁽³⁾ Then she left, and went and gleaned in the field after the reapers. And she happened to come to the part of the field belonging to Boaz, who was of the family of Elimelech.⁽⁴⁾ Now behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem, and said to the reapers, 'The LORD be with you!' And they answered him, 'The LORD bless you!'

⁽⁵⁾ Then Boaz said to his servant who was in charge of the reapers, 'Whose young woman is this?'⁽⁶⁾ So the servant who was in charge of the reapers answered and said, 'It is the young Moabite woman who came back with Naomi from the country of Moab.⁽⁷⁾ And she said, 'Please let me glean and gather after the reapers among the sheaves.' So she came and has continued from morning until now, though she rested a little in the house.'⁽⁸⁾ Then Boaz said to Ruth, 'You will listen, my daughter, will you not? Do not go to glean in another field, nor go from here, but stay close by my young women.

⁽⁹⁾ Let your eyes be on the field which they reap, and go after them. Have I not commanded the young men not to touch you? And when you are thirsty, go to the vessels and drink from what the young men have drawn.'⁽¹⁰⁾ So she fell on her face, bowed down to the ground, and said to him, 'Why have I found favor in your eyes, that you should take notice of me, since I am a foreigner?'⁽¹¹⁾ And Boaz answered and said to her, 'It has been fully reported to me, all that you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband, and how you have left your father and your mother and the land of your birth, and have come to a people whom you did not know before.⁽¹²⁾ The LORD repay your work, and a full reward be given you by the LORD God of Israel, under whose wings you have come for refuge.'

⁽¹³⁾ Then she said, 'Let me find favor in your sight, my lord; for you have comforted me, and have spoken kindly to your maidservant, though I am not like one of your maidservants.'

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

2 Corinthians Chapter 1

⁽²³⁾ Moreover I call God as witness against my soul, that to spare you I came no more to Corinth.⁽²⁴⁾ Not that we have dominion over your faith, but are fellow workers for your joy; for by faith you stand.⁽¹⁾ But I determined this within myself, that I would not come again to you in sorrow.⁽²⁾ For if I make you sorrowful, then who is he who makes me glad but the one who is made sorrowful by me?⁽³⁾ And I wrote this very thing to you, lest, when I came, I should have sorrow over those from whom I ought to have joy, having confidence in you all that my joy is the joy of you all.⁽⁴⁾ For out of much affliction and anguish of heart I wrote to you, with many tears, not that you should be grieved, but that you might know the love which I have so abundantly for you.

⁽⁵⁾ But if anyone has caused grief, he has not grieved me, but all of you to some extent -- not to be too severe.⁽⁶⁾ This punishment which was inflicted by the majority is sufficient for such a man,⁽⁷⁾ so that, on the contrary, you ought rather to forgive and comfort him, lest perhaps such a one be swallowed up with too much sorrow.⁽⁸⁾ Therefore I urge you to reaffirm your love to him.

⁽⁹⁾ For to this end I also wrote, that I might put you to the test, whether you are obedient in all things.⁽¹⁰⁾ Now whom you forgive anything, I also forgive. For if indeed I have forgiven anything, I have forgiven that one for your sakes in the presence of Christ,⁽¹¹⁾ lest Satan should take advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices.⁽¹²⁾ Furthermore, when I came to Troas to preach Christ's gospel, and a door was opened to me by the Lord,

⁽¹³⁾ I had no rest in my spirit, because I did not find Titus my brother; but taking my leave of them, I departed for Macedonia.⁽¹⁴⁾ Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place.⁽¹⁵⁾ For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing.⁽¹⁶⁾ To the one we are the aroma of death leading to death, and to the other the aroma of life leading to life. And who is sufficient for these things?

⁽¹⁷⁾ For we are not, as so many, peddling the word of God; but as of sincerity, but as from God, we speak in the sight of God in Christ.

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Matthew Chapter 5

⁽²¹⁾ You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.'⁽²²⁾ But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, 'Raca!' shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, 'You fool!' shall be in danger of hell fire.⁽²³⁾ Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you,⁽²⁴⁾ leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.

⁽²⁵⁾ Agree with your adversary quickly, while you are on the way with him, lest your adversary deliver you to the judge, the judge hand you over to the officer, and you be thrown into prison.⁽²⁶⁾ Assuredly, I say to you, you will by no means get out of there till you have paid the last penny.

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: 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: 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