OPENING SENTENCES
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, 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
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.
Lord, open our lips. *
And our mouths shall proclaim your praise!
The Lord is full of compassion and mercy: Come let us adore him.
MORNING PSALM
Psalm 144
Blessed be the LORD my rock! *
who trains my hands to fight and my fingers to battle;
My help and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer, *
my shield in whom I trust,
who subdues the peoples under me.
O LORD, what are we that you should care for us? *
mere mortals that you should think of us?
We are like a puff of wind; *
our days are like a passing shadow.
Bow your heavens, O LORD, and come down; *
touch the mountains, and they shall smoke.
Hurl the lightning and scatter them; *
shoot out your arrows and rout them.
Stretch out your hand from on high; *
rescue me and deliver me from the great waters,
from the hand of foreign peoples,
Whose mouths speak deceitfully *
and whose right hand is raised in falsehood.
O God, I will sing to you a new song; *
I will play to you on a ten-stringed lyre.
You give victory to kings *
and have rescued David your servant.
Rescue me from the hurtful sword *
and deliver me from the hand of foreign peoples,
Whose mouths speak deceitfully *
and whose right hand is raised in falsehood.
May our sons be like plants well nurtured from their youth, *
and our daughters like sculptured corners of a palace.
May our barns be filled to overflowing with all manner
of crops; *
may the flocks in our pastures increase by thousands
and tens of thousands;
may our cattle be fat and sleek.
May there be no breaching of the walls, no going into exile, *
no wailing in the public squares.
Happy are the people of whom this is so! *
happy are the people whose God is the LORD!
Lord God of strength, you gave your Son victory over death. Direct your Church's fight against evil in the world; clothe us with the weapons of light; and unite us under the banner of love, that after the battle of earthly life we may rejoice in your presence now and 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
Morning Star - the innocence mission
MORNING LESSONS
For those not receiving Evening Prayer emails, the lectionary OT & NT Lessons for today are Exodus 10:21-11:8; 2 Corinthians 4:13-18.
Mark 10:46-52
They came to Jericho. As he and his disciples and a large crowd were leaving Jericho, Bartimaeus son of Timaeus, a blind beggar, was sitting by the roadside. When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” Many sternly ordered him to be quiet, but he cried out even more loudly, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” Jesus stood still and said, “Call him here.” And they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take heart; get up, he is calling you.” So throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus.Then Jesus said to him, “What do you want me to do for you?” The blind man said to him, “My teacher, let me see again.” Jesus said to him, “Go; your faith has made you well.” Immediately he regained his sight and followed him on the way.
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 for the fifth week of Lent:
Almighty God, you alone can bring into order the unruly wills and affections of sinners: Grant your people grace to love what you command and desire what you promise; that, among the swift and varied changes of the world, our hearts may surely there be fixed where true joys are to be found; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Let us bless the Lord. *
Thanks be to God!