Morning Prayer

Ordinary Time
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my strength and my redeemer. Psalm 19:14

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.

The earth is the Lord's for he made it: Come let us adore him.

The Lessons

Psalm 121

⁽¹⁾ I will lift up my eyes to the hills -- From whence comes my help? ⁽²⁾ My help comes from the LORD, Who made heaven and earth. ⁽³⁾ He will not allow your foot to be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber. ⁽⁴⁾ Behold, He who keeps Israel Shall neither slumber nor sleep.

⁽⁵⁾ The LORD is your keeper; The LORD is your shade at your right hand. ⁽⁶⁾ The sun shall not strike you by day, Nor the moon by night. ⁽⁷⁾ The LORD shall preserve you from all evil; He shall preserve your soul. ⁽⁸⁾ The LORD shall preserve your going out and your coming in From this time forth, and even forevermore.

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 122

⁽¹⁾ I was glad when they said to me, 'Let us go into the house of the LORD.' ⁽²⁾ Our feet have been standing Within your gates, O Jerusalem! ⁽³⁾ Jerusalem is built As a city that is compact together, ⁽⁴⁾ Where the tribes go up, The tribes of the LORD, To the Testimony of Israel, To give thanks to the name of the LORD.

⁽⁵⁾ For thrones are set there for judgment, The thrones of the house of David. ⁽⁶⁾ Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: 'May they prosper who love you. ⁽⁷⁾ Peace be within your walls, Prosperity within your palaces.' ⁽⁸⁾ For the sake of my brethren and companions, I will now say, 'Peace be within you.'

⁽⁹⁾ Because of the house of the LORD our God I will seek your good.

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 123

⁽¹⁾ Unto You I lift up my eyes, O You who dwell in the heavens. ⁽²⁾ Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their masters, As the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress, So our eyes look to the LORD our God, Until He has mercy on us. ⁽³⁾ Have mercy on us, O LORD, have mercy on us! For we are exceedingly filled with contempt. ⁽⁴⁾ Our soul is exceedingly filled With the scorn of those who are at ease, With the contempt of the proud.

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.

Judges Chapter 18

⁽¹⁾ In those days there was no king in Israel. And in those days the tribe of the Danites was seeking an inheritance for itself to dwell in; for until that day their inheritance among the tribes of Israel had not fallen to them. ⁽²⁾ So the children of Dan sent five men of their family from their territory, men of valor from Zorah and Eshtaol, to spy out the land and search it. They said to them, 'Go, search the land.' So they went to the mountains of Ephraim, to the house of Micah, and lodged there. ⁽³⁾ While they were at the house of Micah, they recognized the voice of the young Levite. They turned aside and said to him, 'Who brought you here? What are you doing in this place? What do you have here?' ⁽⁴⁾ He said to them, 'Thus and so Micah did for me. He has hired me, and I have become his priest.'

⁽⁵⁾ So they said to him, 'Please inquire of God, that we may know whether the journey on which we go will be prosperous.' ⁽⁶⁾ And the priest said to them, 'Go in peace. The presence of the LORD be with you on your way.' ⁽⁷⁾ So the five men departed and went to Laish. They saw the people who were there, how they dwelt safely, in the manner of the Sidonians, quiet and secure. There were no rulers in the land who might put them to shame for anything. They were far from the Sidonians, and they had no ties with anyone. ⁽⁸⁾ Then the spies came back to their brethren at Zorah and Eshtaol, and their brethren said to them, 'What is your report?'

⁽⁹⁾ So they said, 'Arise, let us go up against them. For we have seen the land, and indeed it is very good. Would you do nothing? Do not hesitate to go, and enter to possess the land. ⁽¹⁰⁾ When you go, you will come to a secure people and a large land. For God has given it into your hands, a place where there is no lack of anything that is on the earth.' ⁽¹¹⁾ And six hundred men of the family of the Danites went from there, from Zorah and Eshtaol, armed with weapons of war. ⁽¹²⁾ Then they went up and encamped in Kirjath Jearim in Judah. (Therefore they call that place Mahaneh Dan to this day. There it is, west of Kirjath Jearim.)

⁽¹³⁾ And they passed from there to the mountains of Ephraim, and came to the house of Micah. ⁽¹⁴⁾ Then the five men who had gone to spy out the country of Laish answered and said to their brethren, 'Do you know that there are in these houses an ephod, household idols, a carved image, and a molded image? Now therefore, consider what you should do.' ⁽¹⁵⁾ So they turned aside there, and came to the house of the young Levite man -- to the house of Micah -- and greeted him.

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Acts Chapter 8

⁽¹⁾ Now Saul was consenting to his death. At that time a great persecution arose against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. ⁽²⁾ And devout men carried Stephen to his burial, and made great lamentation over him. ⁽³⁾ As for Saul, he made havoc of the church, entering every house, and dragging off men and women, committing them to prison. ⁽⁴⁾ Therefore those who were scattered went everywhere preaching the word.

⁽⁵⁾ Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria and preached Christ to them. ⁽⁶⁾ And the multitudes with one accord heeded the things spoken by Philip, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did. ⁽⁷⁾ For unclean spirits, crying with a loud voice, came out of many who were possessed; and many who were paralyzed and lame were healed. ⁽⁸⁾ And there was great joy in that city.

⁽⁹⁾ But there was a certain man called Simon, who previously practiced sorcery in the city and astonished the people of Samaria, claiming that he was someone great, ⁽¹⁰⁾ to whom they all gave heed, from the least to the greatest, saying, 'This man is the great power of God.' ⁽¹¹⁾ And they heeded him because he had astonished them with his sorceries for a long time. ⁽¹²⁾ But when they believed Philip as he preached the things concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, both men and women were baptized.

⁽¹³⁾ Then Simon himself also believed; and when he was baptized he continued with Philip, and was amazed, seeing the miracles and signs which were done.

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

John Chapter 5

⁽³⁰⁾ I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me. ⁽³¹⁾ If I bear witness of Myself, My witness is not true. ⁽³²⁾ There is another who bears witness of Me, and I know that the witness which He witnesses of Me is true. ⁽³³⁾ You have sent to John, and he has borne witness to the truth.

⁽³⁴⁾ Yet I do not receive testimony from man, but I say these things that you may be saved. ⁽³⁵⁾ He was the burning and shining lamp, and you were willing for a time to rejoice in his light. ⁽³⁶⁾ But I have a greater witness than John's; for the works which the Father has given Me to finish -- the very works that I do -- bear witness of Me, that the Father has sent Me. ⁽³⁷⁾ And the Father Himself, who sent Me, has testified of Me. You have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His form.

⁽³⁸⁾ But you do not have His word abiding in you, because whom He sent, Him you do not believe. ⁽³⁹⁾ You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. ⁽⁴⁰⁾ But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life. ⁽⁴¹⁾ I do not receive honor from men.

⁽⁴²⁾ But I know you, that you do not have the love of God in you. ⁽⁴³⁾ I have come in My Father's name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, him you will receive. ⁽⁴⁴⁾ How can you believe, who receive honor from one another, and do not seek the honor that comes from the only God? ⁽⁴⁵⁾ Do not think that I shall accuse you to the Father; there is one who accuses you -- Moses, in whom you trust.

⁽⁴⁶⁾ For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote about Me. ⁽⁴⁷⁾ But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?'

The Gospel of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

A Song to the Lamb       Revelation 4:11, 5:9 to 10, 13

Splendor and honor and kingly power
are yours by right, O Lord our God,
For you created everything that is,
and by your will they were created
  and have their being;
And yours by right, O Lamb that was slain,
for with your blood you have redeemed for God,
From every family, language, people, and nation,
a kingdom of priests to serve our God.
And so, to him who sits upon the throne,
and to Christ the Lamb,
Be worship and praise, dominion and splendor,
forever and forevermore.

The Song of Zechariah Luke 1: 68 to 79

Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel;
he has come to his people and set them free.
He has raised up for us a mighty savior,
born of the house of his servant David.

Through his holy prophets he promised of old,
that he would save us from our enemies,
from the hands of all who hate us.
He promised to show mercy to our fathers
and to remember his holy covenant.

This was the oath he swore to our father Abraham,
to set us free from the hands of our enemies,
Free to worship him without fear,
holy and righteous in his sight
all the days of our life.

You, my child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High,
for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way,
To give his people knowledge of salvation
by the forgiveness of their sins.

In the tender compassion of our God
the dawn from on high shall break upon us,
To shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death,
and to guide our feet into the way of peace.

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:  Proper 15 The Sunday closest to August 17
Almighty God, you have given your only Son to be for us a sacrifice for sin, and also an example of godly life: Give us grace to receive thankfully the fruits of his redeeming work, and to follow daily in the blessed steps of his most holy life; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Collect of the Day: O God, the author of peace and lover of concord, to know you is eternal life and to serve you is perfect freedom: Defend us, your humble servants, in all assaults of our enemies; that we, surely trusting in your defense, may not fear the power of any adversaries; through the might of 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. When you lack the words


Closing Prayers   Thanksgiving

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