Morning Prayer - May 23, 2025

Today's Readings

Psalm 106:1-18

Wisdom 16:15-29,17:1

Romans 14:13-23

Luke 8:40-56

Easter
If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Colossians 3:1

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

From Easter to Pentecost, Christ the Passover can be used in place of the Venite or Jubilate.

Christ the Passover 1 Corinthians 5:7 to 8; Romans 6:9 to 11; 1 Corinthians 15:20 to 22
Alleluia.
Christ our Passover has been sacrificed for us;
therefore let us keep the feast,
Not with old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil,
but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. Alleluia.

Christ being raised from the dead will never die again;
death no longer has dominion over him.
The death that he died, he died to sin, once for all;
but the life he lives, he lives to God.
So also consider yourselves dead to sin,
and alive to God in Jesus Christ our Lord. Alleluia.

the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep.
For since by a man came death,
by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead.
For as in Adam all die,
so in Christ shall all be made alive. 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.

Christ has entered, not a sanctuary made with hands, a copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. Hebrews 9:24

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.

Wisdom Chapter 16

⁽¹⁵⁾ No one can possibly escape from you.⁽¹⁶⁾ Look at those ungodly people: they refused to recognize you as God, so you punished them with your great power. They were overtaken by terrible storms of rain and hail and were completely destroyed by fire.⁽¹⁷⁾ The most amazing thing was that the fire burned all the more fiercely in the water, which usually puts fire out. All the forces of nature fight to defend those who are righteous.⁽¹⁸⁾ At one point the flames died down, so that they wouldn't destroy the creatures sent to punish the ungodly. Those people had to learn that they were being overtaken by your judgment.

⁽¹⁹⁾ But at another point, when surrounded by water, the flames burned more fiercely than fire had ever burned before, and so destroyed the crops on the land where those unrighteous people lived.⁽²⁰⁾ But this disaster did not strike your people. Instead, you gave them the food of angels. From heaven you sent down bread that was ready to eat, and they did not have to prepare it. The food you gave delighted everyone, no matter what his taste.⁽²¹⁾ All this showed how lovingly you care for your children. That food satisfied the desire of everyone who ate it; it was changed to suit each person's taste.⁽²²⁾ It was food that under normal circumstances would vanish away like snow or ice, but now it did not melt even in the fire. This was meant to teach your people that the same fire that was destroying their enemies' crops during the heavy downpour of rain and hail

⁽²³⁾ held back its power, so that your own righteous people might have food.⁽²⁴⁾ You created the universe; it is at your command. All creation uses its power to punish unrighteous people, but it becomes mild and kind to those who put their trust in you.⁽²⁵⁾ Creation assumed all kinds of forms to show how you provide generously for all who pray to you.⁽²⁶⁾ This happened so that the people whom you loved, O Lord, might learn that they are not fed by what they can grow. It is your word that maintains those who put their trust in you.

⁽²⁷⁾ The food that was not destroyed by the fire melted when the first ray of sunlight warmed it.⁽²⁸⁾ This was to teach us that we must get up before daybreak to give you thanks, and pray as the sun comes up.⁽²⁹⁾ But an ungrateful person's hope will melt away like frost, and drain away like water that is not being used.⁽¹⁾ O Lord, your acts of judgment are marvelous and hard to explain; that is why people who had not been taught about them went astray.

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Romans Chapter 14

⁽¹³⁾ Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather resolve this, not to put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in our brother's way.⁽¹⁴⁾ I know and am convinced by the Lord Jesus that there is nothing unclean of itself; but to him who considers anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean.⁽¹⁵⁾ Yet if your brother is grieved because of your food, you are no longer walking in love. Do not destroy with your food the one for whom Christ died.⁽¹⁶⁾ Therefore do not let your good be spoken of as evil;

⁽¹⁷⁾ for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.⁽¹⁸⁾ For he who serves Christ in these things is acceptable to God and approved by men.⁽¹⁹⁾ Therefore let us pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which one may edify another.⁽²⁰⁾ Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All things indeed are pure, but it is evil for the man who eats with offense.

⁽²¹⁾ It is good neither to eat meat nor drink wine nor do anything by which your brother stumbles or is offended or is made weak.⁽²²⁾ Do you have faith? Have it to yourself before God. Happy is he who does not condemn himself in what he approves.⁽²³⁾ But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because he does not eat from faith; for whatever is not from faith is sin.

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Luke Chapter 8

⁽⁴⁰⁾ So it was, when Jesus returned, that the multitude welcomed Him, for they were all waiting for Him.⁽⁴¹⁾ And behold, there came a man named Jairus, and he was a ruler of the synagogue. And he fell down at Jesus' feet and begged Him to come to his house,⁽⁴²⁾ for he had an only daughter about twelve years of age, and she was dying. But as He went, the multitudes thronged Him.⁽⁴³⁾ Now a woman, having a flow of blood for twelve years, who had spent all her livelihood on physicians and could not be healed by any,

⁽⁴⁴⁾ came from behind and touched the border of His garment. And immediately her flow of blood stopped.⁽⁴⁵⁾ And Jesus said, 'Who touched Me?' When all denied it, Peter and those with him said, 'Master, the multitudes throng and press You, and You say, 'Who touched Me?' '⁽⁴⁶⁾ But Jesus said, 'Somebody touched Me, for I perceived power going out from Me.'⁽⁴⁷⁾ Now when the woman saw that she was not hidden, she came trembling; and falling down before Him, she declared to Him in the presence of all the people the reason she had touched Him and how she was healed immediately.

⁽⁴⁸⁾ And He said to her, 'Daughter, be of good cheer; your faith has made you well. Go in peace.'⁽⁴⁹⁾ While He was still speaking, someone came from the ruler of the synagogue's house, saying to him, 'Your daughter is dead. Do not trouble the Teacher.'⁽⁵⁰⁾ But when Jesus heard it, He answered him, saying, 'Do not be afraid; only believe, and she will be made well.'⁽⁵¹⁾ When He came into the house, He permitted no one to go in except Peter, James, and John, and the father and mother of the girl.

⁽⁵²⁾ Now all wept and mourned for her; but He said, 'Do not weep; she is not dead, but sleeping.'⁽⁵³⁾ And they ridiculed Him, knowing that she was dead.⁽⁵⁴⁾ But He put them all outside, took her by the hand and called, saying, 'Little girl, arise.'⁽⁵⁵⁾ Then her spirit returned, and she arose immediately. And He commanded that she be given something to eat.

⁽⁵⁶⁾ And her parents were astonished, but He charged them to tell no one what had happened.

The Gospel of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

The Second Song of Isaiah Isaiah 55:6 to 11

Seek the Lord while he wills to be found;
call upon him when he draws near.
Let the wicked forsake their ways
and the evil ones their thoughts;
And let them turn to the Lord, and he will have compassion,
and to our God, for he will richly pardon.
For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
nor your ways my ways, says the Lord.
For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways,
and my thoughts than your thoughts.
For as rain and snow fall from the heavens
and return not again, but water the earth,
Bringing forth life and giving growth,
seed for sowing and bread for eating,
So is my word that goes forth from my mouth;
it will not return to me empty;
But it will accomplish that which I have purposed,
and prosper in that for which I sent it.
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

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: Fifth Sunday of Easter
Almighty God, whom truly to know is everlasting life: Grant us so perfectly to know your Son Jesus Christ to be the way, the truth, and the life, that we may steadfastly follow his steps in the way that leads to eternal life; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.

Collect of the Day: Almighty God, whose most dear Son went not up to joy but first he suffered pain, and entered not into glory before he was crucified: Mercifully grant that we, walking in the way of the cross, may find it none other than the way of life and peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

A Prayer for Mission: O God, you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth, and sent your blessed Son to preach peace to those who are far off and to those who are near: Grant that people everywhere may seek after you and find you; bring the nations into your fold; pour out your Spirit upon all flesh; and hasten the coming of your kingdom; through Jesus Christ our Lord. 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

May the God of hope fill us with all joy and peace in believing through the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Romans 15:13