OPENING SENTENCES
I was glad when they said to me, "Let us go to the house of the Lord." Psalm 122:1
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
As far as the east is from the west, so far he removes our transgressions from us. Amen.
Lord, open our lips. *
And our mouths shall proclaim your praise!
MORNING PSALM
Psalm 45
My heart is stirring with a noble song;
let me recite what I have fashioned for the king; *
my tongue shall be the pen of a skilled writer.
You are the fairest of men; *
grace flows from your lips,
because God has blessed you for ever.
Strap your sword upon your thigh, O mighty warrior, *
in your pride and in your majesty.
Ride out and conquer in the cause of truth *
and for the sake of justice.
Your right hand will show you marvelous things; *
your arrows are very sharp, O mighty warrior.
The peoples are falling at your feet, *
and the king's enemies are losing heart.
Your throne, O God, endures for ever and ever, *
a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of your kingdom;
you love righteousness and hate iniquity.
Therefore God, your God, has anointed you *
with the oil of gladness above your fellows.
All your garments are fragrant with myrrh, aloes, and cassia, *
and the music of strings from ivory palaces makes you glad.
Kings' daughters stand among the ladies of the court; *
on your right hand is the queen,
adorned with the gold of Ophir.
"Hear, O daughter; consider and listen closely; *
forget your people and your father's house.
The king will have pleasure in your beauty; *
he is your master; therefore do him honor.
The people of Tyre are here with a gift; *
the rich among the people seek your favor."
All glorious is the princess as she enters; *
her gown is cloth-of-gold.
In embroidered apparel she is brought to the king; *
after her the bridesmaids follow in procession.
With joy and gladness they are brought, *
and enter into the palace of the king.
"In place of fathers, O king, you shall have sons; *
you shall make them princes over all the earth.
I will make your name to be remembered
from one generation to another; *
therefore nations will praise you for ever and ever."
Lord God, you have formed the holy Church to be the bride of Christ. Grant to your Church the faith and peace she will need to do your will and to show your glory, through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
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
For the Beauty of the Earth - Midwestern Hymnal
MORNING LESSONS
For those not receiving Evening Prayer emails, the lectionary OT & NT Lessons for today are 1 Samuel 25:1-22; Acts 14:1-18
Mark 4:21-34
He said to them, “Is a lamp brought in to be put under the bushel basket, or under the bed, and not on the lampstand? For there is nothing hidden, except to be disclosed; nor is anything secret, except to come to light. Let anyone with ears to hear listen!” And he said to them, “Pay attention to what you hear; the measure you give will be the measure you get, and still more will be given you. For to those who have, more will be given; and from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away.”
He also said, “The kingdom of God is as if someone would scatter seed on the ground, and would sleep and rise night and day, and the seed would sprout and grow, he does not know how. The earth produces of itself, first the stalk, then the head, then the full grain in the head. But when the grain is ripe, at once he goes in with his sickle, because the harvest has come.”
He also said, “With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable will we use for it? It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth; yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes the greatest of all shrubs, and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade.”
With many such parables he spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear it; he did not speak to them except in parables, but he explained everything in private to his disciples.
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, the fountain of all wisdom, you know our necessities before we ask and our ignorance in asking: Have compassion on our weakness, and mercifully give us those things which for our unworthiness we dare not, and for our blindness we cannot ask; through the worthiness of your Son 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!