Morning Prayer - March 2, 2025

Today's Readings

Psalm 146:1-10

Deuteronomy 4:1-9

2 Timothy 4:1-8

John 12:1-8

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 Lessons

Psalm 146

⁽¹⁾ Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD, O my soul!⁽²⁾ While I live I will praise the LORD; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.⁽³⁾ Do not put your trust in princes, Nor in a son of man, in whom there is no help.⁽⁴⁾ His spirit departs, he returns to his earth; In that very day his plans perish.

⁽⁵⁾ Happy is he who has the God of Jacob for his help, Whose hope is in the LORD his God,⁽⁶⁾ Who made heaven and earth, The sea, and all that is in them; Who keeps truth forever,⁽⁷⁾ Who executes justice for the oppressed, Who gives food to the hungry. The LORD gives freedom to the prisoners.⁽⁸⁾ The LORD opens the eyes of the blind; The LORD raises those who are bowed down; The LORD loves the righteous.

⁽⁹⁾ The LORD watches over the strangers; He relieves the fatherless and widow; But the way of the wicked He turns upside down.⁽¹⁰⁾ The LORD shall reign forever -- Your God, O Zion, to all generations. Praise the LORD!⁽¹⁾ Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD, O my soul!⁽²⁾ While I live I will praise the LORD; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.⁽³⁾ Do not put your trust in princes, Nor in a son of man, in whom there is no help.⁽⁴⁾ His spirit departs, he returns to his earth; In that very day his plans perish.

⁽⁵⁾ Happy is he who has the God of Jacob for his help, Whose hope is in the LORD his God,⁽⁶⁾ Who made heaven and earth, The sea, and all that is in them; Who keeps truth forever,⁽⁷⁾ Who executes justice for the oppressed, Who gives food to the hungry. The LORD gives freedom to the prisoners.⁽⁸⁾ The LORD opens the eyes of the blind; The LORD raises those who are bowed down; The LORD loves the righteous.

⁽⁹⁾ The LORD watches over the strangers; He relieves the fatherless and widow; But the way of the wicked He turns upside down.⁽¹⁰⁾ The LORD shall reign forever -- Your God, O Zion, to all generations. Praise the LORD!

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.

Deuteronomy Chapter 4

⁽¹⁾ Now, O Israel, listen to the statutes and the judgments which I teach you to observe, that you may live, and go in and possess the land which the LORD God of your fathers is giving you.⁽²⁾ You shall not add to the word which I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you.⁽³⁾ Your eyes have seen what the LORD did at Baal Peor; for the LORD your God has destroyed from among you all the men who followed Baal of Peor.⁽⁴⁾ But you who held fast to the LORD your God are alive today, every one of you.

⁽⁵⁾ Surely I have taught you statutes and judgments, just as the LORD my God commanded me, that you should act according to them in the land which you go to possess.⁽⁶⁾ Therefore be careful to observe them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples who will hear all these statutes, and say, 'Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.'⁽⁷⁾ For what great nation is there that has God so near to it, as the LORD our God is to us, for whatever reason we may call upon Him?⁽⁸⁾ And what great nation is there that has such statutes and righteous judgments as are in all this law which I set before you this day?

⁽⁹⁾ Only take heed to yourself, and diligently keep yourself, lest you forget the things your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. And teach them to your children and your grandchildren,

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

2 Timothy Chapter 4

⁽¹⁾ I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom:⁽²⁾ Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.⁽³⁾ For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers;⁽⁴⁾ and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.

⁽⁵⁾ But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.⁽⁶⁾ For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand.⁽⁷⁾ I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.⁽⁸⁾ Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

John Chapter 12

⁽¹⁾ Then, six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was who had been dead, whom He had raised from the dead.⁽²⁾ There they made Him a supper; and Martha served, but Lazarus was one of those who sat at the table with Him.⁽³⁾ Then Mary took a pound of very costly oil of spikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil.⁽⁴⁾ Then one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, who would betray Him, said,

⁽⁵⁾ Why was this fragrant oil not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?'⁽⁶⁾ This he said, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and had the money box; and he used to take what was put in it.⁽⁷⁾ But Jesus said, 'Let her alone; she has kept this for the day of My burial.⁽⁸⁾ For the poor you have with you always, but Me you do not have always.'

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: Eighth Sunday after the Epiphany
Most loving Father, whose will it is for us to give thanks for all things, to fear nothing but the loss of you, and to cast all our care on you who care for us: Preserve us from faithless fears and worldly anxieties, that no clouds of this mortal life may hide from us the light of that love which is immortal, and which you have manifested to us in your Son Jesus Christ our Lord; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of 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