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 89

⁽¹⁾ I will sing of the mercies of the LORD forever; With my mouth will I make known Your faithfulness to all generations. ⁽²⁾ For I have said, 'Mercy shall be built up forever; Your faithfulness You shall establish in the very heavens.' ⁽³⁾ I have made a covenant with My chosen, I have sworn to My servant David: ⁽⁴⁾ Your seed I will establish forever, And build up your throne to all generations.' ' Selah

⁽⁵⁾ And the heavens will praise Your wonders, O LORD; Your faithfulness also in the assembly of the saints. ⁽⁶⁾ For who in the heavens can be compared to the LORD? Who among the sons of the mighty can be likened to the LORD? ⁽⁷⁾ God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, And to be held in reverence by all those around Him. ⁽⁸⁾ O LORD God of hosts, Who is mighty like You, O LORD? Your faithfulness also surrounds You.

⁽⁹⁾ You rule the raging of the sea; When its waves rise, You still them. ⁽¹⁰⁾ You have broken Rahab in pieces, as one who is slain; You have scattered Your enemies with Your mighty arm. ⁽¹¹⁾ The heavens are Yours, the earth also is Yours; The world and all its fullness, You have founded them. ⁽¹²⁾ The north and the south, You have created them; Tabor and Hermon rejoice in Your name.

⁽¹³⁾ You have a mighty arm; Strong is Your hand, and high is Your right hand. ⁽¹⁴⁾ Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; Mercy and truth go before Your face. ⁽¹⁵⁾ Blessed are the people who know the joyful sound! They walk, O LORD, in the light of Your countenance. ⁽¹⁶⁾ In Your name they rejoice all day long, And in Your righteousness they are exalted.

⁽¹⁷⁾ For You are the glory of their strength, And in Your favor our horn is exalted. ⁽¹⁸⁾ For our shield belongs to the LORD, And our king to the Holy One of Israel.

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.

Genesis Chapter 49

⁽¹⁾ And Jacob called his sons and said, 'Gather together, that I may tell you what shall befall you in the last days: ⁽²⁾ Gather together and hear, you sons of Jacob, And listen to Israel your father. ⁽³⁾ Reuben, you are my firstborn, My might and the beginning of my strength, The excellency of dignity and the excellency of power. ⁽⁴⁾ Unstable as water, you shall not excel, Because you went up to your father's bed; Then you defiled it -- He went up to my couch.

⁽⁵⁾ Simeon and Levi are brothers; Instruments of cruelty are in their dwelling place. ⁽⁶⁾ Let not my soul enter their council; Let not my honor be united to their assembly; For in their anger they slew a man, And in their self-will they hamstrung an ox. ⁽⁷⁾ Cursed be their anger, for it is fierce; And their wrath, for it is cruel! I will divide them in Jacob And scatter them in Israel. ⁽⁸⁾ Judah, you are he whom your brothers shall praise; Your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; Your father's children shall bow down before you.

⁽⁹⁾ Judah is a lion's whelp; From the prey, my son, you have gone up. He bows down, he lies down as a lion; And as a lion, who shall rouse him? ⁽¹⁰⁾ The scepter shall not depart from Judah, Nor a lawgiver from between his feet, Until Shiloh comes; And to Him shall be the obedience of the people. ⁽¹¹⁾ Binding his donkey to the vine, And his donkey's colt to the choice vine, He washed his garments in wine, And his clothes in the blood of grapes. ⁽¹²⁾ His eyes are darker than wine, And his teeth whiter than milk.

⁽¹³⁾ Zebulun shall dwell by the haven of the sea; He shall become a haven for ships, And his border shall adjoin Sidon. ⁽¹⁴⁾ Issachar is a strong donkey, Lying down between two burdens; ⁽¹⁵⁾ He saw that rest was good, And that the land was pleasant; He bowed his shoulder to bear a burden, And became a band of slaves. ⁽¹⁶⁾ Dan shall judge his people As one of the tribes of Israel.

⁽¹⁷⁾ Dan shall be a serpent by the way, A viper by the path, That bites the horse's heels So that its rider shall fall backward. ⁽¹⁸⁾ I have waited for your salvation, O LORD! ⁽¹⁹⁾ Gad, a troop shall tramp upon him, But he shall triumph at last. ⁽²⁰⁾ Bread from Asher shall be rich, And he shall yield royal dainties.

⁽²¹⁾ Naphtali is a deer let loose; He uses beautiful words. ⁽²²⁾ Joseph is a fruitful bough, A fruitful bough by a well; His branches run over the wall. ⁽²³⁾ The archers have bitterly grieved him, Shot at him and hated him. ⁽²⁴⁾ But his bow remained in strength, And the arms of his hands were made strong By the hands of the Mighty God of Jacob (From there is the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel),

⁽²⁵⁾ By the God of your father who will help you, And by the Almighty who will bless you With blessings of heaven above, Blessings of the deep that lies beneath, Blessings of the breasts and of the womb. ⁽²⁶⁾ The blessings of your father Have excelled the blessings of my ancestors, Up to the utmost bound of the everlasting hills. They shall be on the head of Joseph, And on the crown of the head of him who was separate from his brothers. ⁽²⁷⁾ Benjamin is a ravenous wolf; In the morning he shall devour the prey, And at night he shall divide the spoil.' ⁽²⁸⁾ All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father spoke to them. And he blessed them; he blessed each one according to his own blessing.

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

1 Corinthians Chapter 10

⁽¹¹⁾ Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come. ⁽¹²⁾ Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. ⁽¹³⁾ No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it. ⁽¹⁴⁾ Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.

⁽¹⁵⁾ I speak as to wise men; judge for yourselves what I say. ⁽¹⁶⁾ The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? ⁽¹⁷⁾ For we, though many, are one bread and one body; for we all partake of that one bread. ⁽¹⁸⁾ Observe Israel after the flesh: Are not those who eat of the sacrifices partakers of the altar?

⁽¹⁹⁾ What am I saying then? That an idol is anything, or what is offered to idols is anything? ⁽²⁰⁾ Rather, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice they sacrifice to demons and not to God, and I do not want you to have fellowship with demons. ⁽²¹⁾ You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the Lord's table and of the table of demons. ⁽²²⁾ Or do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than He?

⁽²³⁾ All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful; all things are lawful for me, but not all things edify. ⁽²⁴⁾ Let no one seek his own, but each one the other's well-being. ⁽²⁵⁾ Eat whatever is sold in the meat market, asking no questions for conscience' sake; ⁽²⁶⁾ for 'the earth is the LORD's, and all its fullness.'

⁽²⁷⁾ If any of those who do not believe invites you to dinner, and you desire to go, eat whatever is set before you, asking no question for conscience' sake. ⁽²⁸⁾ But if anyone says to you, 'This was offered to idols,' do not eat it for the sake of the one who told you, and for conscience' sake; for 'the earth is the LORD's, and all its fullness.' ⁽²⁹⁾ Conscience,' I say, not your own, but that of the other. For why is my liberty judged by another man's conscience? ⁽³⁰⁾ But if I partake with thanks, why am I evil spoken of for the food over which I give thanks?

⁽³¹⁾ Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. ⁽³²⁾ Give no offense, either to the Jews or to the Greeks or to the church of God, ⁽³³⁾ just as I also please all men in all things, not seeking my own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved. ⁽¹⁾ Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ.

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Mark Chapter 7

⁽²⁴⁾ From there He arose and went to the region of Tyre and Sidon. And He entered a house and wanted no one to know it, but He could not be hidden. ⁽²⁵⁾ For a woman whose young daughter had an unclean spirit heard about Him, and she came and fell at His feet. ⁽²⁶⁾ The woman was a Greek, a Syro-Phoenician by birth, and she kept asking Him to cast the demon out of her daughter. ⁽²⁷⁾ But Jesus said to her, 'Let the children be filled first, for it is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the little dogs.'

⁽²⁸⁾ And she answered and said to Him, 'Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs under the table eat from the children's crumbs.' ⁽²⁹⁾ Then He said to her, 'For this saying go your way; the demon has gone out of your daughter.' ⁽³⁰⁾ And when she had come to her house, she found the demon gone out, and her daughter lying on the bed. ⁽³¹⁾ Again, departing from the region of Tyre and Sidon, He came through the midst of the region of Decapolis to the Sea of Galilee.

⁽³²⁾ Then they brought to Him one who was deaf and had an impediment in his speech, and they begged Him to put His hand on him. ⁽³³⁾ And He took him aside from the multitude, and put His fingers in his ears, and He spat and touched his tongue. ⁽³⁴⁾ Then, looking up to heaven, He sighed, and said to him, 'Ephphatha,' that is, 'Be opened.' ⁽³⁵⁾ Immediately his ears were opened, and the impediment of his tongue was loosed, and he spoke plainly.

⁽³⁶⁾ Then He commanded them that they should tell no one; but the more He commanded them, the more widely they proclaimed it. ⁽³⁷⁾ And they were astonished beyond measure, saying, 'He has done all things well. He makes both the deaf to hear and the mute to speak.'

The Gospel of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

The Song of the Redeemed       Revelation 15:3 to 4  
O ruler of the universe, Lord God,
great deeds are they that you have done,
  surpassing human understanding.
Your ways are ways of righteousness and truth,
 O King of all the ages.

Who can fail to do you homage, Lord,
and sing the praises of your Name?
  for you only are the Holy One.
All nations will draw near
and fall down before you,
  because your just and holy works have been revealed.
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 First Song of Isaiah       Isaiah 12:2 to 6
 
Surely, it is God who saves me;
  I will trust in him and not be afraid.
For the Lord is my stronghold
and my sure defense,
  and he will be my Savior.
Therefore you shall draw water with rejoicing
  from the springs of salvation.
And on that day you shall say,
  Give thanks to the Lord and call upon his Name;
Make his deeds known among the peoples;
  see that they remember that his Name is exalted.
Sing the praises of the Lord,
for he has done great things,
  and this is known in all the world.
Cry aloud, inhabitants of Zion, ring out your joy,
  for the great one in the midst of you is the Holy One of Israel.
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   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: O God, the King eternal, whose light divides the day from the night and turns the shadow of death into the morning: Drive far from us all wrong desires, incline our hearts to keep your law, and guide our feet into the way of peace; that, having done your will with cheerfulness while it was day, we may, when night comes, rejoice to give you thanks; 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