Morning Prayer

--Today is the Holy Day of the Beheading of John the Baptist--
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

Saint and Major Saints' Days
We give thanks to the Father, who has made us worthy to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. Colossians 1:12

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 137

⁽¹⁾ By the rivers of Babylon, There we sat down, yea, we wept When we remembered Zion. ⁽²⁾ We hung our harps Upon the willows in the midst of it. ⁽³⁾ For there those who carried us away captive asked of us a song, And those who plundered us requested mirth, Saying, 'Sing us one of the songs of Zion!' ⁽⁴⁾ How shall we sing the LORD's song In a foreign land?

⁽⁵⁾ If I forget you, O Jerusalem, Let my right hand forget its skill! ⁽⁶⁾ If I do not remember you, Let my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth -- If I do not exalt Jerusalem Above my chief joy.

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 144

⁽¹⁾ Blessed be the LORD my Rock, Who trains my hands for war, And my fingers for battle -- ⁽²⁾ My lovingkindness and my fortress, My high tower and my deliverer, My shield and the One in whom I take refuge, Who subdues my people under me. ⁽³⁾ LORD, what is man, that You take knowledge of him? Or the son of man, that You are mindful of him? ⁽⁴⁾ Man is like a breath; His days are like a passing shadow.

⁽⁵⁾ Bow down Your heavens, O LORD, and come down; Touch the mountains, and they shall smoke. ⁽⁶⁾ Flash forth lightning and scatter them; Shoot out Your arrows and destroy them. ⁽⁷⁾ Stretch out Your hand from above; Rescue me and deliver me out of great waters, From the hand of foreigners, ⁽⁸⁾ Whose mouth speaks vain words, And whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood.

⁽⁹⁾ I will sing a new song to You, O God; On a harp of ten strings I will sing praises to You, ⁽¹⁰⁾ The One who gives salvation to kings, Who delivers David His servant From the deadly sword. ⁽¹¹⁾ Rescue me and deliver me from the hand of foreigners, Whose mouth speaks lying words, And whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood -- ⁽¹²⁾ That our sons may be as plants grown up in their youth; That our daughters may be as pillars, Sculptured in palace style;

⁽¹³⁾ That our barns may be full, Supplying all kinds of produce; That our sheep may bring forth thousands And ten thousands in our fields; ⁽¹⁴⁾ That our oxen may be well-laden; That there be no breaking in or going out; That there be no outcry in our streets. ⁽¹⁵⁾ Happy are the people who are in such a state; Happy are the people whose God is 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.

Job Chapter 3

⁽¹⁾ After this Job opened his mouth and cursed the day of his birth. ⁽²⁾ And Job spoke, and said: ⁽³⁾ May the day perish on which I was born, And the night in which it was said, 'A male child is conceived.' ⁽⁴⁾ May that day be darkness; May God above not seek it, Nor the light shine upon it.

⁽⁵⁾ May darkness and the shadow of death claim it; May a cloud settle on it; May the blackness of the day terrify it. ⁽⁶⁾ As for that night, may darkness seize it; May it not rejoice among the days of the year, May it not come into the number of the months. ⁽⁷⁾ Oh, may that night be barren! May no joyful shout come into it! ⁽⁸⁾ May those curse it who curse the day, Those who are ready to arouse Leviathan.

⁽⁹⁾ May the stars of its morning be dark; May it look for light, but have none, And not see the dawning of the day; ⁽¹⁰⁾ Because it did not shut up the doors of my mother's womb, Nor hide sorrow from my eyes. ⁽¹¹⁾ Why did I not die at birth? Why did I not perish when I came from the womb? ⁽¹²⁾ Why did the knees receive me? Or why the breasts, that I should nurse?

⁽¹³⁾ For now I would have lain still and been quiet, I would have been asleep; Then I would have been at rest ⁽¹⁴⁾ With kings and counselors of the earth, Who built ruins for themselves, ⁽¹⁵⁾ Or with princes who had gold, Who filled their houses with silver; ⁽¹⁶⁾ Or why was I not hidden like a stillborn child, Like infants who never saw light?

⁽¹⁷⁾ There the wicked cease from troubling, And there the weary are at rest. ⁽¹⁸⁾ There the prisoners rest together; They do not hear the voice of the oppressor. ⁽¹⁹⁾ The small and great are there, And the servant is free from his master. ⁽²⁰⁾ Why is light given to him who is in misery, And life to the bitter of soul,

⁽²¹⁾ Who long for death, but it does not come, And search for it more than hidden treasures; ⁽²²⁾ Who rejoice exceedingly, And are glad when they can find the grave? ⁽²³⁾ Why is light given to a man whose way is hidden, And whom God has hedged in? ⁽²⁴⁾ For my sighing comes before I eat, And my groanings pour out like water.

⁽²⁵⁾ For the thing I greatly feared has come upon me, And what I dreaded has happened to me. ⁽²⁶⁾ I am not at ease, nor am I quiet; I have no rest, for trouble comes.'

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Acts Chapter 9

⁽¹⁰⁾ Now there was a certain disciple at Damascus named Ananias; and to him the Lord said in a vision, 'Ananias.' And he said, 'Here I am, Lord.' ⁽¹¹⁾ So the Lord said to him, 'Arise and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas for one called Saul of Tarsus, for behold, he is praying. ⁽¹²⁾ And in a vision he has seen a man named Ananias coming in and putting his hand on him, so that he might receive his sight.' ⁽¹³⁾ Then Ananias answered, 'Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much harm he has done to Your saints in Jerusalem.

⁽¹⁴⁾ And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on Your name.' ⁽¹⁵⁾ But the Lord said to him, 'Go, for he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel. ⁽¹⁶⁾ For I will show him how many things he must suffer for My name's sake.' ⁽¹⁷⁾ And Ananias went his way and entered the house; and laying his hands on him he said, 'Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you came, has sent me that you may receive your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.'

⁽¹⁸⁾ Immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he received his sight at once; and he arose and was baptized. ⁽¹⁹⁾ So when he had received food, he was strengthened. Then Saul spent some days with the disciples at Damascus.

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

John Chapter 6

⁽⁴¹⁾ The Jews then complained about Him, because He said, 'I am the bread which came down from heaven.' ⁽⁴²⁾ And they said, 'Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How is it then that He says, 'I have come down from heaven'?' ⁽⁴³⁾ Jesus therefore answered and said to them, 'Do not murmur among yourselves. ⁽⁴⁴⁾ No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.

⁽⁴⁵⁾ It is written in the prophets, 'And they shall all be taught by God.' Therefore everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me. ⁽⁴⁶⁾ Not that anyone has seen the Father, except He who is from God; He has seen the Father. ⁽⁴⁷⁾ Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life. ⁽⁴⁸⁾ I am the bread of life.

⁽⁴⁹⁾ Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and are dead. ⁽⁵⁰⁾ This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that one may eat of it and not die. ⁽⁵¹⁾ I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world.'

The Gospel of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

A Song of Creation   Prayer of Manasseh 1 to 2, 4, 6 to 7, 11 to 15
Invocation
Glorify the Lord,
all you works of the Lord,
praise him and highly exalt him forever.
In the firmament of his power, glorify the Lord,
praise him and highly exalt him forever.

The Earth and its Creatures .

Let the earth glorify the Lord,
praise him and highly exalt him forever.
Glorify the Lord, O mountains and hills,
and all that grows upon the earth,
praise him and highly exalt him forever.
Glorify the Lord,
O springs of water, seas, and streams,
O whales and all that move in the waters.
All birds of the air, glorify the Lord,
praise him and highly exalt him forever.

Glorify the Lord,
O beasts of the wild,
and all you flocks and herds.
O men and women everywhere, glorify the Lord,
praise him and highly exalt him forever.

Doxology
Let us glorify the Lord:
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit;
praise him and highly exalt him forever.
In the firmament of his power, glorify the Lord,
praise him and highly exalt him forever.

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: Almighty God, who after the creation of the world rested from all your works and sanctified a day of rest for all your creatures: Grant that we, putting away all earthly anxieties, may be duly prepared for the service of your sanctuary, and that our rest here upon earth may be a preparation for the eternal rest promised to your people in heaven; 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