Morning Prayer - February 25, 2026

Today's Readings

Psalm 119:145-176

Proverbs 6:1-19

1 John 5:1-12

John 11:45-54

Epiphany
From the rising of the sun to its setting my Name shall be great among the nations, and in every place incense shall be offered to my Name, and a pure offering: for my Name shall be great among the nations, says the Lord of hosts. Malachi 1:11

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 Lord has shown forth his glory: Come let us adore him.

The Lessons

Psalm 119

⁽¹⁴⁵⁾ I cry out with my whole heart; Hear me, O LORD! I will keep Your statutes.⁽¹⁴⁶⁾ I cry out to You; Save me, and I will keep Your testimonies.⁽¹⁴⁷⁾ I rise before the dawning of the morning, And cry for help; I hope in Your word.⁽¹⁴⁸⁾ My eyes are awake through the night watches, That I may meditate on Your word.

⁽¹⁴⁹⁾ Hear my voice according to Your lovingkindness; O LORD, revive me according to Your justice.⁽¹⁵⁰⁾ They draw near who follow after wickedness; They are far from Your law.⁽¹⁵¹⁾ You are near, O LORD, And all Your commandments are truth.⁽¹⁵²⁾ Concerning Your testimonies, I have known of old that You have founded them forever.

⁽¹⁵³⁾ Consider my affliction and deliver me, For I do not forget Your law.⁽¹⁵⁴⁾ Plead my cause and redeem me; Revive me according to Your word.⁽¹⁵⁵⁾ Salvation is far from the wicked, For they do not seek Your statutes.⁽¹⁵⁶⁾ Great are Your tender mercies, O LORD; Revive me according to Your judgments.

⁽¹⁵⁷⁾ Many are my persecutors and my enemies, Yet I do not turn from Your testimonies.⁽¹⁵⁸⁾ I see the treacherous, and am disgusted, Because they do not keep Your word.⁽¹⁵⁹⁾ Consider how I love Your precepts; Revive me, O LORD, according to Your lovingkindness.⁽¹⁶⁰⁾ The entirety of Your word is truth, And every one of Your righteous judgments endures forever.

⁽¹⁶¹⁾ Princes persecute me without a cause, But my heart stands in awe of Your word.⁽¹⁶²⁾ I rejoice at Your word As one who finds great treasure.⁽¹⁶³⁾ I hate and abhor lying, But I love Your law.⁽¹⁶⁴⁾ Seven times a day I praise You, Because of Your righteous judgments.

⁽¹⁶⁵⁾ Great peace have those who love Your law, And nothing causes them to stumble.⁽¹⁶⁶⁾ LORD, I hope for Your salvation, And I do Your commandments.⁽¹⁶⁷⁾ My soul keeps Your testimonies, And I love them exceedingly.⁽¹⁶⁸⁾ I keep Your precepts and Your testimonies, For all my ways are before You.

⁽¹⁶⁹⁾ Let my cry come before You, O LORD; Give me understanding according to Your word.⁽¹⁷⁰⁾ Let my supplication come before You; Deliver me according to Your word.⁽¹⁷¹⁾ My lips shall utter praise, For You teach me Your statutes.⁽¹⁷²⁾ My tongue shall speak of Your word, For all Your commandments are righteousness.

⁽¹⁷³⁾ Let Your hand become my help, For I have chosen Your precepts.⁽¹⁷⁴⁾ I long for Your salvation, O LORD, And Your law is my delight.⁽¹⁷⁵⁾ Let my soul live, and it shall praise You; And let Your judgments help me.⁽¹⁷⁶⁾ I have gone astray like a lost sheep; Seek Your servant, For I do not forget Your commandments.

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.

Proverbs Chapter 6

⁽¹⁾ My son, if you become surety for your friend, If you have shaken hands in pledge for a stranger,⁽²⁾ You are snared by the words of your mouth; You are taken by the words of your mouth.⁽³⁾ So do this, my son, and deliver yourself; For you have come into the hand of your friend: Go and humble yourself; Plead with your friend.⁽⁴⁾ Give no sleep to your eyes, Nor slumber to your eyelids.

⁽⁵⁾ Deliver yourself like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter, And like a bird from the hand of the fowler.⁽⁶⁾ Go to the ant, you sluggard! Consider her ways and be wise,⁽⁷⁾ Which, having no captain, Overseer or ruler,⁽⁸⁾ Provides her supplies in the summer, And gathers her food in the harvest.

⁽⁹⁾ How long will you slumber, O sluggard? When will you rise from your sleep?⁽¹⁰⁾ A little sleep, a little slumber, A little folding of the hands to sleep --⁽¹¹⁾ So shall your poverty come on you like a prowler, And your need like an armed man.⁽¹²⁾ A worthless person, a wicked man, Walks with a perverse mouth;

⁽¹³⁾ He winks with his eyes, He shuffles his feet, He points with his fingers;⁽¹⁴⁾ Perversity is in his heart, He devises evil continually, He sows discord.⁽¹⁵⁾ Therefore his calamity shall come suddenly; Suddenly he shall be broken without remedy.⁽¹⁶⁾ These six things the LORD hates, Yes, seven are an abomination to Him:

⁽¹⁷⁾ A proud look, A lying tongue, Hands that shed innocent blood,⁽¹⁸⁾ A heart that devises wicked plans, Feet that are swift in running to evil,⁽¹⁹⁾ A false witness who speaks lies, And one who sows discord among brethren.

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

1 John Chapter 5

⁽¹⁾ Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves Him who begot also loves him who is begotten of Him.⁽²⁾ By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments.⁽³⁾ For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome.⁽⁴⁾ For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world -- our faith.

⁽⁵⁾ Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?⁽⁶⁾ This is He who came by water and blood -- Jesus Christ; not only by water, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit who bears witness, because the Spirit is truth.⁽⁷⁾ For there are three that bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one.⁽⁸⁾ And there are three that bear witness on earth: the Spirit, the water, and the blood; and these three agree as one.

⁽⁹⁾ If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater; for this is the witness of God which He has testified of His Son.⁽¹⁰⁾ He who believes in the Son of God has the witness in himself; he who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed the testimony that God has given of His Son.⁽¹¹⁾ And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.⁽¹²⁾ He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

John Chapter 11

⁽⁴⁵⁾ Then many of the Jews who had come to Mary, and had seen the things Jesus did, believed in Him.⁽⁴⁶⁾ But some of them went away to the Pharisees and told them the things Jesus did.⁽⁴⁷⁾ Then the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered a council and said, 'What shall we do? For this Man works many signs.⁽⁴⁸⁾ If we let Him alone like this, everyone will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and nation.'

⁽⁴⁹⁾ And one of them, Caiaphas, being high priest that year, said to them, 'You know nothing at all,⁽⁵⁰⁾ nor do you consider that it is expedient for us that one man should die for the people, and not that the whole nation should perish.'⁽⁵¹⁾ Now this he did not say on his own authority; but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation,⁽⁵²⁾ and not for that nation only, but also that He would gather together in one the children of God who were scattered abroad.

⁽⁵³⁾ Then, from that day on, they plotted to put Him to death.⁽⁵⁴⁾ Therefore Jesus no longer walked openly among the Jews, but went from there into the country near the wilderness, to a city called Ephraim, and there remained with His disciples.

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

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: Seventh Sunday after the Epiphany
O Lord, you have taught us that without love whatever we do is worth nothing: Send your Holy Spirit and pour into our hearts your greatest gift, which is love, the true bond of peace and of all virtue, without which whoever lives is accounted dead before you. Grant this for the sake of your only Son Jesus Christ, 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.

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

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