Morning Prayer - April 22, 2026

Today's Readings

Psalm 38:1-22

Exodus 19:16-25

Colossians 1:15-23

Matthew 3:13-17

Easter
Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 15:57

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.

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

The Lessons

Psalm 38

⁽¹⁾ To bring to remembrance. O LORD, do not rebuke me in Your wrath, Nor chasten me in Your hot displeasure!⁽²⁾ For Your arrows pierce me deeply, And Your hand presses me down.⁽³⁾ There is no soundness in my flesh Because of Your anger, Nor any health in my bones Because of my sin.⁽⁴⁾ For my iniquities have gone over my head; Like a heavy burden they are too heavy for me.

⁽⁵⁾ My wounds are foul and festering Because of my foolishness.⁽⁶⁾ I am troubled, I am bowed down greatly; I go mourning all the day long.⁽⁷⁾ For my loins are full of inflammation, And there is no soundness in my flesh.⁽⁸⁾ I am feeble and severely broken; I groan because of the turmoil of my heart.

⁽⁹⁾ Lord, all my desire is before You; And my sighing is not hidden from You.⁽¹⁰⁾ My heart pants, my strength fails me; As for the light of my eyes, it also has gone from me.⁽¹¹⁾ My loved ones and my friends stand aloof from my plague, And my relatives stand afar off.⁽¹²⁾ Those also who seek my life lay snares for me; Those who seek my hurt speak of destruction, And plan deception all the day long.

⁽¹³⁾ But I, like a deaf man, do not hear; And I am like a mute who does not open his mouth.⁽¹⁴⁾ Thus I am like a man who does not hear, And in whose mouth is no response.⁽¹⁵⁾ For in You, O LORD, I hope; You will hear, O Lord my God.⁽¹⁶⁾ For I said, 'Hear me, lest they rejoice over me, Lest, when my foot slips, they exalt themselves against me.'

⁽¹⁷⁾ For I am ready to fall, And my sorrow is continually before me.⁽¹⁸⁾ For I will declare my iniquity; I will be in anguish over my sin.⁽¹⁹⁾ But my enemies are vigorous, and they are strong; And those who hate me wrongfully have multiplied.⁽²⁰⁾ Those also who render evil for good, They are my adversaries, because I follow what is good.

⁽²¹⁾ Do not forsake me, O LORD; O my God, be not far from me!⁽²²⁾ Make haste to help me, O Lord, my salvation!

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.

Exodus Chapter 19

⁽¹⁶⁾ Then it came to pass on the third day, in the morning, that there were thunderings and lightnings, and a thick cloud on the mountain; and the sound of the trumpet was very loud, so that all the people who were in the camp trembled.⁽¹⁷⁾ And Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain.⁽¹⁸⁾ Now Mount Sinai was completely in smoke, because the LORD descended upon it in fire. Its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain quaked greatly.⁽¹⁹⁾ And when the blast of the trumpet sounded long and became louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God answered him by voice.

⁽²⁰⁾ Then the LORD came down upon Mount Sinai, on the top of the mountain. And the LORD called Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up.⁽²¹⁾ And the LORD said to Moses, 'Go down and warn the people, lest they break through to gaze at the LORD, and many of them perish.⁽²²⁾ Also let the priests who come near the LORD consecrate themselves, lest the LORD break out against them.'⁽²³⁾ But Moses said to the LORD, 'The people cannot come up to Mount Sinai; for You warned us, saying, 'Set bounds around the mountain and consecrate it.' '

⁽²⁴⁾ Then the LORD said to him, 'Away! Get down and then come up, you and Aaron with you. But do not let the priests and the people break through to come up to the LORD, lest He break out against them.'⁽²⁵⁾ So Moses went down to the people and spoke to them.

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Colossians Chapter 1

⁽¹⁵⁾ He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.⁽¹⁶⁾ For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him.⁽¹⁷⁾ And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.⁽¹⁸⁾ And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.

⁽¹⁹⁾ For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell,⁽²⁰⁾ and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.⁽²¹⁾ And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled⁽²²⁾ in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight --

⁽²³⁾ if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which was preached to every creature under heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister.

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Matthew Chapter 3

⁽¹³⁾ Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him.⁽¹⁴⁾ And John tried to prevent Him, saying, 'I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?'⁽¹⁵⁾ But Jesus answered and said to him, 'Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.' Then he allowed Him.⁽¹⁶⁾ When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him.

⁽¹⁷⁾ And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, 'This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.'

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: Third Sunday of Easter
O God, whose blessed Son made himself known to his disciples in the breaking of bread: Open the eyes of our faith, that we may behold him in all his redeeming work; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of 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