OPENING SENTENCES

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, we confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done, and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We are truly sorry and we humbly repent. For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and forgive us; that we may delight in your will, and walk in your ways, to the glory of your Name. Amen.

Silence for reflection

If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Amen.

Lord, open our lips. *
And our mouths shall proclaim your praise!

MORNING PSALM

Psalm 101

I will sing of mercy and justice; *
to you, O LORD, will I sing praises.

I will strive to follow a blameless course;
oh, when will you come to me? *
I will walk with sincerity of heart within my house.

I will set no worthless thing before my eyes; *
I hate the doers of evil deeds;
they shall not remain with me.

A crooked heart shall be far from me; *
I will not know evil.

Those who in secret slander their neighbors I will destroy; *
those who have a haughty look and a proud
heart I cannot abide.

My eyes are upon the faithful in the land, that they may
dwell with me, *
and only those who lead a blameless life shall
be my servants.

Those who act deceitfully shall not dwell in my house, *
and those who tell lies shall not continue in my sight.

I will soon destroy all the wicked in the land, *
that I may root out all evildoers from the city of the LORD.

Lord Jesus, you came to us so that your people might walk in innocence, and you taught us to be holy as your Father is holy. Help us, your children, to love what is truly perfect, so that we may neither speak what is evil nor do what is wrong. Then let us stand in your sight and celebrate with you the Father's love and justice forever.

Glory to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit; *
as it was in the beginning
is now and shall be for ever. Amen.

MORNING SONG

Come Light - Bifrost Arts

MORNING LESSONS

For those not receiving Evening Prayer emails, the lectionary OT & NT Lessons for today are Numbers 16:36-50; Romans 4:13-25.

Matthew 20:1-16

“For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. After agreeing with the laborers for the usual daily wage, he sent them into his vineyard. When he went out about nine o’clock, he saw others standing idle in the marketplace;and he said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.’ So they went. When he went out again about noon and about three o’clock, he did the same. And about five o’clock he went out and found others standing around; and he said to them, ‘Why are you standing here idle all day?’ They said to him, ‘Because no one has hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard.’ When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his manager, ‘Call the laborers and give them their pay, beginning with the last and then going to the first.’ When those hired about five o’clock came, each of them received the usual daily wage. Now when the first came, they thought they would receive more; but each of them also received the usual daily wage. And when they received it, they grumbled against the landowner, saying, ‘These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.’ But he replied to one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage? Take what belongs to you and go; I choose to give to this last the same as I give to you. Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or are you envious because I am generous?’ So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”

Silence for reflection

CONCLUDING PRAYER

In the morning, pray for:

the day and its tasks
the world and its needs
the Church and her life

Conclude with the Lord's Prayer and/or the following Collect:

O Lord, make us have perpetual love and reverence for your holy Name, for you never fail to help and govern those whom you have set upon the sure foundation of your loving-kindness; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Let us bless the Lord. *
Thanks be to God!