Morning Prayer

Ordinary Time
Send out your light and your truth, that they may lead me, and bring me to your holy hill and to your dwelling. Psalm 43:3

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
The Antiphon:

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

Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness: 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.

2 Kings Chapter 18

⁽⁹⁾ Now it came to pass in the fourth year of King Hezekiah, which was the seventh year of Hoshea the son of Elah, king of Israel, that Shalmaneser king of Assyria came up against Samaria and besieged it. ⁽¹⁰⁾ And at the end of three years they took it. In the sixth year of Hezekiah, that is, the ninth year of Hoshea king of Israel, Samaria was taken. ⁽¹¹⁾ Then the king of Assyria carried Israel away captive to Assyria, and put them in Halah and by the Habor, the River of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes, ⁽¹²⁾ because they did not obey the voice of the LORD their God, but transgressed His covenant and all that Moses the servant of the LORD had commanded; and they would neither hear nor do them.

⁽¹³⁾ And in the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against all the fortified cities of Judah and took them. ⁽¹⁴⁾ Then Hezekiah king of Judah sent to the king of Assyria at Lachish, saying, 'I have done wrong; turn away from me; whatever you impose on me I will pay.' And the king of Assyria assessed Hezekiah king of Judah three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold. ⁽¹⁵⁾ So Hezekiah gave him all the silver that was found in the house of the LORD and in the treasuries of the king's house. ⁽¹⁶⁾ At that time Hezekiah stripped the gold from the doors of the temple of the LORD, and from the pillars which Hezekiah king of Judah had overlaid, and gave it to the king of Assyria.

⁽¹⁷⁾ Then the king of Assyria sent the Tartan, the Rabsaris, and the Rabshakeh from Lachish, with a great army against Jerusalem, to King Hezekiah. And they went up and came to Jerusalem. When they had come up, they went and stood by the aqueduct from the upper pool, which was on the highway to the Fuller's Field. ⁽¹⁸⁾ And when they had called to the king, Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, Shebna the scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph, the recorder, came out to them. ⁽¹⁹⁾ Then the Rabshakeh said to them, 'Say now to Hezekiah, 'Thus says the great king, the king of Assyria: 'What confidence is this in which you trust? ⁽²⁰⁾ You speak of having plans and power for war; but they are mere words. And in whom do you trust, that you rebel against me?

⁽²¹⁾ Now look! You are trusting in the staff of this broken reed, Egypt, on which if a man leans, it will go into his hand and pierce it. So is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who trust in him. ⁽²²⁾ But if you say to me, 'We trust in the LORD our God,' is it not He whose high places and whose altars Hezekiah has taken away, and said to Judah and Jerusalem, 'You shall worship before this altar in Jerusalem'?' ' ⁽²³⁾ Now therefore, I urge you, give a pledge to my master the king of Assyria, and I will give you two thousand horses -- if you are able on your part to put riders on them! ⁽²⁴⁾ How then will you repel one captain of the least of my master's servants, and put your trust in Egypt for chariots and horsemen?

⁽²⁵⁾ Have I now come up without the LORD against this place to destroy it? The LORD said to me, 'Go up against this land, and destroy it.' '

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

1 Corinthians Chapter 8

⁽¹⁾ Now concerning things offered to idols: We know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies. ⁽²⁾ And if anyone thinks that he knows anything, he knows nothing yet as he ought to know. ⁽³⁾ But if anyone loves God, this one is known by Him. ⁽⁴⁾ Therefore concerning the eating of things offered to idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is no other God but one.

⁽⁵⁾ For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as there are many gods and many lords), ⁽⁶⁾ yet for us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live. ⁽⁷⁾ However, there is not in everyone that knowledge; for some, with consciousness of the idol, until now eat it as a thing offered to an idol; and their conscience, being weak, is defiled. ⁽⁸⁾ But food does not commend us to God; for neither if we eat are we the better, nor if we do not eat are we the worse.

⁽⁹⁾ But beware lest somehow this liberty of yours become a stumbling block to those who are weak. ⁽¹⁰⁾ For if anyone sees you who have knowledge eating in an idol's temple, will not the conscience of him who is weak be emboldened to eat those things offered to idols? ⁽¹¹⁾ And because of your knowledge shall the weak brother perish, for whom Christ died? ⁽¹²⁾ But when you thus sin against the brethren, and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ.

⁽¹³⁾ Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never again eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble.

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Matthew Chapter 7

⁽¹³⁾ Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. ⁽¹⁴⁾ Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it. ⁽¹⁵⁾ Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. ⁽¹⁶⁾ You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles?

⁽¹⁷⁾ Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. ⁽¹⁸⁾ A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. ⁽¹⁹⁾ Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. ⁽²⁰⁾ Therefore by their fruits you will know them.

⁽²¹⁾ Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.

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   Traditional
Suffrages A

Seasonal Collect:  Proper 21 The Sunday closest to September 28
O God, you declare your almighty power chiefly in showing mercy and pity: Grant us the fullness of your grace, that we, running to obtain your promises, may become partakers of your heavenly treasure; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. 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