OPENING SENTENCES
The Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth keep silence before him. Habakkuk 2:20
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
He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that, free from sins, we might live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. Amen.
Lord, open our lips. *
And our mouths shall proclaim your praise!
MORNING PSALM
Psalm 140
Deliver me, O LORD, from evildoers; *
protect me from the violent,
Who devise evil in their hearts *
and stir up strife all day long.
They have sharpened their tongues like a serpent; *
adder's poison is under their lips.
Keep me, O LORD, from the hands of the wicked; *
protect me from the violent,
who are determined to trip me up.
The proud have hidden a snare for me
and stretched out a net of cords; *
they have set traps for me along the path.
I have said to the LORD, "You are my God; *
listen, O LORD, to my supplication.
O Lord GOD, the strength of my salvation, *
you have covered my head in the day of battle.
Do not grant the desires of the wicked, O LORD, *
nor let their evil plans prosper.
Let not those who surround me lift up their heads; *
let the evil of their lips overwhelm them.
Let hot burning coals fall upon them; *
let them be cast into the mire, never to rise up again."
A slanderer shall not be established on the earth, *
and evil shall hunt down the lawless.
I know that the LORD will maintain the cause of the poor *
and render justice to the needy.
Surely, the righteous will give thanks to your Name, *
and the upright shall continue in your sight.
Lord, you keep constant guard over your faithful people. Protect us from hidden snares, deliver us from those who would seek to do us harm, and make us holy; that we may praise and bless your name and live in righteousness before you 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
Draw Near (Psalm 69) - Wendell Kimbrough
MORNING LESSONS
For those not receiving Evening Prayer emails, the lectionary OT & NT Lessons for today are 1 Samuel 13:19-14:15; Acts 9:1-9.
Luke 23:26-31
As they led him away, they seized a man, Simon of Cyrene, who was coming from the country, and they laid the cross on him, and made him carry it behind Jesus. A great number of the people followed him, and among them were women who were beating their breasts and wailing for him. But Jesus turned to them and said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. For the days are surely coming when they will say, ‘Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bore, and the breasts that never nursed.’ Then they will begin to say to the mountains, ‘Fall on us’; and to the hills, ‘Cover us.’For if they do this when the wood is green, what will happen when it is dry?”
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:
Almighty God, you have built your Church upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone: Grant us so to be joined together in unity of spirit by their teaching, that we may be made a holy temple acceptable to you; 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!