OPENING SENTENCES

Nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising. Isaiah 60:3

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 has shown forth his glory: Come let us adore him.

MORNING PSALM
PSALM 56

Have mercy on me, O God,
for my enemies are hounding me; *
all day long they assault and oppress me.

They hound me all the day long; *
truly there are many who fight against me, O Most High.

Whenever I am afraid, *
I will put my trust in you.

In God, whose word I praise,
in God I trust and will not be afraid, *
for what can flesh do to me?

All day long they damage my cause; *
their only thought is to do me evil.

They band together; they lie in wait; *
they spy upon my footsteps;
because they seek my life.

Shall they escape despite their wickedness? *
O God, in your anger, cast down the peoples.

You have noted my lamentation;
put my tears into your bottle; *
are they not recorded in your book?

Whenever I call upon you, my enemies will be put to flight; *
this I know, for God is on my side.

In God the LORD, whose word I praise,
in God I trust and will not be afraid, *
for what can mortals do to me?

I am bound by the vow I made to you, O God; *
I will present to you thank-offerings;

For you have rescued my soul from death and my feet
from stumbling, *
that I may walk before God in the light of the living.

Lord Jesus Christ, victim for our sins, you trusted in your Father's protection and kept silent when you were tormented. Give us that same confidence, that we may gladly suffer with you and for you, offering the Father our sacrifice of praise and walking before him in the light of the living; and to you be the glory 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

O Taste and See - Ralph Vaughan Williams

MORNING LESSONS

For those not receiving Evening Prayer emails, the lectionary OT & NT Lessons for today are Genesis 19:1-29; Hebrews 11:1-12.

JOHN 6:27-40

Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For it is on him that God the Father has set his seal.”

Then they said to him, “What must we do to perform the works of God?”Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.” So they said to him, “What sign are you going to give us then, so that we may see it and believe you? What work are you performing? Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’” Then Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.”Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. Everything that the Father gives me will come to me, and anyone who comes to me I will never drive away; for I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. This is indeed the will of my Father, that all who see the Son and believe in him may have eternal life; and I will raise them up on the last day.”

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 Fourth Week of Epiphany:

Almighty and everlasting God, you govern all things both in heaven and on earth: Mercifully hear the supplications of your people, and in our time grant us your peace; 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!