Morning Prayer

Lent
To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, because we have rebelled against him and have not obeyed the voice of the Lord our God by following his laws which he set before us. Daniel 9:9, 10

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

Venite
The Antiphon:

ⓘ   A short, reflective sentence recited alongside a psalm to deepen our understanding of the readings.

The Lord is full of compassion and mercy: Come let us adore him.

The Lessons

Psalm 101

⁽¹⁾ I will sing of mercy and justice; To You, O LORD, I will sing praises. ⁽²⁾ I will behave wisely in a perfect way. Oh, when will You come to me? I will walk within my house with a perfect heart. ⁽³⁾ I will set nothing wicked before my eyes; I hate the work of those who fall away; It shall not cling to me. ⁽⁴⁾ A perverse heart shall depart from me; I will not know wickedness.

⁽⁵⁾ Whoever secretly slanders his neighbor, Him I will destroy; The one who has a haughty look and a proud heart, Him I will not endure. ⁽⁶⁾ My eyes shall be on the faithful of the land, That they may dwell with me; He who walks in a perfect way, He shall serve me. ⁽⁷⁾ He who works deceit shall not dwell within my house; He who tells lies shall not continue in my presence. ⁽⁸⁾ Early I will destroy all the wicked of the land, That I may cut off all the evildoers from the city of 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.

Psalm 109

⁽¹⁾ Do not keep silent, O God of my praise! ⁽²⁾ For the mouth of the wicked and the mouth of the deceitful Have opened against me; They have spoken against me with a lying tongue. ⁽³⁾ They have also surrounded me with words of hatred, And fought against me without a cause. ⁽⁴⁾ In return for my love they are my accusers, But I give myself to prayer.

⁽⁵⁾ Thus they have rewarded me evil for good, And hatred for my love. ⁽⁶⁾ Set a wicked man over him, And let an accuser stand at his right hand. ⁽⁷⁾ When he is judged, let him be found guilty, And let his prayer become sin. ⁽⁸⁾ Let his days be few, And let another take his office.

⁽⁹⁾ Let his children be fatherless, And his wife a widow. ⁽¹⁰⁾ Let his children continually be vagabonds, and beg; Let them seek their bread also from their desolate places. ⁽¹¹⁾ Let the creditor seize all that he has, And let strangers plunder his labor. ⁽¹²⁾ Let there be none to extend mercy to him, Nor let there be any to favor his fatherless children.

⁽¹³⁾ Let his posterity be cut off, And in the generation following let their name be blotted out. ⁽¹⁴⁾ Let the iniquity of his fathers be remembered before the LORD, And let not the sin of his mother be blotted out. ⁽¹⁵⁾ Let them be continually before the LORD, That He may cut off the memory of them from the earth; ⁽¹⁶⁾ Because he did not remember to show mercy, But persecuted the poor and needy man, That he might even slay the broken in heart.

⁽¹⁷⁾ As he loved cursing, so let it come to him; As he did not delight in blessing, so let it be far from him. ⁽¹⁸⁾ As he clothed himself with cursing as with his garment, So let it enter his body like water, And like oil into his bones. ⁽¹⁹⁾ Let it be to him like the garment which covers him, And for a belt with which he girds himself continually. ⁽²⁰⁾ Let this be the LORD's reward to my accusers, And to those who speak evil against my person.

⁽²¹⁾ But You, O GOD the Lord, Deal with me for Your name's sake; Because Your mercy is good, deliver me. ⁽²²⁾ For I am poor and needy, And my heart is wounded within me. ⁽²³⁾ I am gone like a shadow when it lengthens; I am shaken off like a locust. ⁽²⁴⁾ My knees are weak through fasting, And my flesh is feeble from lack of fatness.

⁽²⁵⁾ I also have become a reproach to them; When they look at me, they shake their heads. ⁽²⁶⁾ Help me, O LORD my God! Oh, save me according to Your mercy, ⁽²⁷⁾ That they may know that this is Your hand -- That You, LORD, have done it! ⁽²⁸⁾ Let them curse, but You bless; When they arise, let them be ashamed, But let Your servant rejoice.

⁽²⁹⁾ Let my accusers be clothed with shame, And let them cover themselves with their own disgrace as with a mantle. ⁽³⁰⁾ I will greatly praise the LORD with my mouth; Yes, I will praise Him among the multitude.

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.

Jeremiah Chapter 18

⁽¹⁾ The word which came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying: ⁽²⁾ Arise and go down to the potter's house, and there I will cause you to hear My words.' ⁽³⁾ Then I went down to the potter's house, and there he was, making something at the wheel. ⁽⁴⁾ And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter; so he made it again into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to make.

⁽⁵⁾ Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying: ⁽⁶⁾ O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter?' says the LORD. 'Look, as the clay is in the potter's hand, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel! ⁽⁷⁾ The instant I speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, to pull down, and to destroy it, ⁽⁸⁾ if that nation against whom I have spoken turns from its evil, I will relent of the disaster that I thought to bring upon it.

⁽⁹⁾ And the instant I speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it, ⁽¹⁰⁾ if it does evil in My sight so that it does not obey My voice, then I will relent concerning the good with which I said I would benefit it. ⁽¹¹⁾ Now therefore, speak to the men of Judah and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying, 'Thus says the LORD: 'Behold, I am fashioning a disaster and devising a plan against you. Return now every one from his evil way, and make your ways and your doings good.' ' '

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Romans Chapter 8

⁽¹⁾ There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. ⁽²⁾ For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. ⁽³⁾ For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, ⁽⁴⁾ that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

⁽⁵⁾ For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. ⁽⁶⁾ For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. ⁽⁷⁾ Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. ⁽⁸⁾ So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

⁽⁹⁾ But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. ⁽¹⁰⁾ And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. ⁽¹¹⁾ But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

John Chapter 6

⁽²⁷⁾ Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him.' ⁽²⁸⁾ Then they said to Him, 'What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?' ⁽²⁹⁾ Jesus answered and said to them, 'This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.' ⁽³⁰⁾ Therefore they said to Him, 'What sign will You perform then, that we may see it and believe You? What work will You do?

⁽³¹⁾ Our fathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written, 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.' ' ⁽³²⁾ Then Jesus said to them, 'Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven. ⁽³³⁾ For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.' ⁽³⁴⁾ Then they said to Him, 'Lord, give us this bread always.'

⁽³⁵⁾ And Jesus said to them, 'I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst. ⁽³⁶⁾ But I said to you that you have seen Me and yet do not believe. ⁽³⁷⁾ All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out. ⁽³⁸⁾ For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.

⁽³⁹⁾ This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day. ⁽⁴⁰⁾ And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day.'

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.


A Song of Penitence Prayer of Manasseh 1 to 2, 4, 6 to 7, 11 to 15
O Lord and Ruler of the hosts of heaven,
God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,
and of all their righteous offspring:
You made the heavens and the earth,
with all their vast array.
All things quake with fear at your presence;
they tremble because of your power.
But your merciful promise is beyond all measure;
it surpasses all that our minds can fathom.
O Lord, you are full of compassion,
long-suffering, and abounding in mercy.
You hold back your hand;
you do not punish as we deserve.
In your great goodness, Lord,
you have promised forgiveness to sinners,
that they may repent of their sin and be saved.
And now, O Lord, I bend the knee of my heart,
and make my appeal, sure of your gracious goodness.
I have sinned, O Lord, I have sinned,
and I know my wickedness only too well.
Therefore I make this prayer to you:
Forgive me, Lord, forgive me.
Do not let me perish in my sin,
nor condemn me to the depths of the earth.
For you, O Lord, are the God of those who repent,
and in me you will show forth your goodness.
Unworthy as I am, you will save me,
in accordance with your great mercy,
and I will praise you without ceasing all the days of my life.
For all the powers of heaven sing your praises,
and yours is the glory to ages of ages. 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:  Fourth Sunday in Lent
Gracious Father, whose blessed Son Jesus Christ came down from heaven to be the true bread which gives life to the world: Evermore give us this bread, that he may live in us, and we in him; 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. When you lack the words


Closing Prayers   Thanksgiving

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