Morning Prayer

Lent
Jesus said, 'If anyone will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.' Mark 8:34

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 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.

Jeremiah Chapter 23

⁽¹³⁾ And I have seen folly in the prophets of Samaria: They prophesied by Baal And caused My people Israel to err. ⁽¹⁴⁾ Also I have seen a horrible thing in the prophets of Jerusalem: They commit adultery and walk in lies; They also strengthen the hands of evildoers, So that no one turns back from his wickedness. All of them are like Sodom to Me, And her inhabitants like Gomorrah. ⁽¹⁵⁾ Therefore thus says the LORD of hosts concerning the prophets: 'Behold, I will feed them with wormwood, And make them drink the water of gall; For from the prophets of Jerusalem Profaneness has gone out into all the land.' ' ⁽¹⁶⁾ Thus says the LORD of hosts: 'Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you. They make you worthless; They speak a vision of their own heart, Not from the mouth of the LORD.

⁽¹⁷⁾ They continually say to those who despise Me, 'The LORD has said, 'You shall have peace' '; And to everyone who walks according to the dictates of his own heart, they say, 'No evil shall come upon you.' ' ⁽¹⁸⁾ For who has stood in the counsel of the LORD, And has perceived and heard His word? Who has marked His word and heard it? ⁽¹⁹⁾ Behold, a whirlwind of the LORD has gone forth in fury -- A violent whirlwind! It will fall violently on the head of the wicked. ⁽²⁰⁾ The anger of the LORD will not turn back Until He has executed and performed the thoughts of His heart. In the latter days you will understand it perfectly.

⁽²¹⁾ I have not sent these prophets, yet they ran. I have not spoken to them, yet they prophesied. ⁽²²⁾ But if they had stood in My counsel, And had caused My people to hear My words, Then they would have turned them from their evil way And from the evil of their doings. ⁽²³⁾ Am I a God near at hand,' says the LORD, 'And not a God afar off? ⁽²⁴⁾ Can anyone hide himself in secret places, So I shall not see him?' says the LORD; 'Do I not fill heaven and earth?' says the LORD.

⁽²⁵⁾ I have heard what the prophets have said who prophesy lies in My name, saying, 'I have dreamed, I have dreamed!' ⁽²⁶⁾ How long will this be in the heart of the prophets who prophesy lies? Indeed they are prophets of the deceit of their own heart, ⁽²⁷⁾ who try to make My people forget My name by their dreams which everyone tells his neighbor, as their fathers forgot My name for Baal. ⁽²⁸⁾ The prophet who has a dream, let him tell a dream; And he who has My word, let him speak My word faithfully. What is the chaff to the wheat?' says the LORD.

⁽²⁹⁾ Is not My word like a fire?' says the LORD, 'And like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces? ⁽³⁰⁾ Therefore behold, I am against the prophets,' says the LORD, 'who steal My words every one from his neighbor. ⁽³¹⁾ Behold, I am against the prophets,' says the LORD, 'who use their tongues and say, 'He says.' ⁽³²⁾ Behold, I am against those who prophesy false dreams,' says the LORD, 'and tell them, and cause My people to err by their lies and by their recklessness. Yet I did not send them or command them; therefore they shall not profit this people at all,' says the LORD.

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

1 Corinthians Chapter 9

⁽¹⁹⁾ For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win the more; ⁽²⁰⁾ and to the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might win Jews; to those who are under the law, as under the law, that I might win those who are under the law; ⁽²¹⁾ to those who are without law, as without law (not being without law toward God, but under law toward Christ), that I might win those who are without law; ⁽²²⁾ to the weak I became as weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.

⁽²³⁾ Now this I do for the gospel's sake, that I may be partaker of it with you. ⁽²⁴⁾ Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. ⁽²⁵⁾ And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. ⁽²⁶⁾ Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air.

⁽²⁷⁾ But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Mark Chapter 8

⁽³¹⁾ And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. ⁽³²⁾ He spoke this word openly. And Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him. ⁽³³⁾ But when He had turned around and looked at His disciples, He rebuked Peter, saying, 'Get behind Me, Satan! For you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.' ⁽³⁴⁾ When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, 'Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.

⁽³⁵⁾ For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel's will save it. ⁽³⁶⁾ For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? ⁽³⁷⁾ Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? ⁽³⁸⁾ For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.'

⁽¹⁾ And He said to them, 'Assuredly, I say to you that there are some standing here who will not taste death till they see the kingdom of God present with power.'

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.

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.



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   Traditional
Suffrages A

Seasonal Collect:  Fifth Sunday in Lent
Almighty God, you alone can bring into order the unruly wills and affections of sinners: Grant your people grace to love what you command and desire what you promise; that, among the swift and varied changes of the world, our hearts may surely there be fixed where true joys are to be found; through Jesus Christ our Lord, 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. 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