Morning Prayer

Wednesday after the Twenty-Fifth Sunday after Pentecost

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my strength and my redeemer. Amen.Psalm 19:14

Let us confess our sins against God and our neighbor.

ost 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.

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.

Invitatory and Psalter

V:	Lord, open our lips.
R:	And our mouth shall proclaim your praise.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: *

as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

Alleluia.

Psalm 100

The earth is the Lord’s for he made it: Come let us adore him.

e joyful in the Lord, all you lands; *
serve the Lord with gladness
and come before his presence with a song.

The earth is the Lord’s for he made it: Come let us adore him.

Know this: The Lord himself is God; *
he himself has made us, and we are his;
we are his people and the sheep of his pasture.

The earth is the Lord’s for he made it: Come let us adore him.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving;
go into his courts with praise; *
give thanks to him and call upon his Name.

The earth is the Lord’s for he made it: Come let us adore him.

For the Lord is good;
his mercy is everlasting; *
and his faithfulness endures from age to age.

The earth is the Lord’s for he made it: Come let us adore him.

¹

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

²

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.

³

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

⁴

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

⁵

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

⁶

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.

⁷

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

⁸

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

¹

old not your tongue, O God of my praise; *
for the mouth of the wicked,
the mouth of the deceitful, is opened against me.

²

They speak to me with a lying tongue; *
they encompass me with hateful words
and fight against me without a cause.

³

Despite my love, they accuse me; *
but as for me, I pray for them.

⁴

They repay evil for good, *
and hatred for my love.

⁵

[Set a wicked man against him, *
and let an accuser stand at his right hand.

⁶

When he is judged, let him be found guilty, *
and let his appeal be in vain.

⁷

Let his days be few, *
and let another take his office.

⁸

Let his children be fatherless, *
and his wife become a widow.

⁹

Let his children be waifs and beggars; *
let them be driven from the ruins of their homes.

¹⁰

Let the creditor seize everything he has; *
let strangers plunder his gains.

¹¹

Let there be no one to show him kindness, *
and none to pity his fatherless children.

¹²

Let his descendants be destroyed, *
and his name be blotted out in the next generation.

¹³

Let the wickedness of his fathers be remembered before the Lord, *
and his mother’s sin not be blotted out;

¹⁴

Let their sin be always before the Lord; *
but let him root out their names from the earth;

¹⁵

Because he did not remember to show mercy, *
but persecuted the poor and needy
and sought to kill the brokenhearted.

¹⁶

He loved cursing,
let it come upon him; *
he took no delight in blessing,
let it depart from him.

¹⁷

He put on cursing like a garment, *
let it soak into his body like water
and into his bones like oil;

¹⁸

Let it be to him like the cloak which he wraps around himself, *
and like the belt that he wears continually.

¹⁹

Let this be the recompense from the Lord to my accusers, *
and to those who speak evil against me.]

²⁰

But you, O Lord my God,
oh, deal with me according to your Name; *
for your tender mercy’s sake, deliver me.

²¹

For I am poor and needy, *
and my heart is wounded within me.

²²

I have faded away like a shadow when it lengthens; *
I am shaken off like a locust.

²³

My knees are weak through fasting, *
and my flesh is wasted and gaunt.

²⁴

I have become a reproach to them; *
they see and shake their heads.

²⁵

Help me, O Lord my God; *
save me for your mercy’s sake.

²⁶

Let them know that this is your hand, *
that you, O Lord, have done it.

²⁷

They may curse, but you will bless; *
let those who rise up against me be put to shame,
and your servant will rejoice.

²⁸

Let my accusers be clothed with disgrace *
and wrap themselves in their shame as in a cloak.

²⁹

I will give great thanks to the Lord with my mouth; *
in the midst of the multitude will I praise him;

³⁰

Because he stands at the right hand of the needy, *
to save his life from those who would condemn him.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: *

as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

The Lessons

A Reading from the First Book of Maccabees.

ow Judas and his brothers saw that misfortunes had increased and that the forces were encamped in their territory. They also learned what the king had commanded to be done to the people to cause their final destruction. ⁴³But they said to one another, ‘Let us restore the ruins of our people, and fight for our people and the sanctuary.’ ⁴⁴So the congregation assembled to be ready for battle, and to pray and ask for mercy and compassion.
⁴⁵ Jerusalem was uninhabited like a wilderness;
   not one of her children went in or out.
The sanctuary was trampled down,
   and aliens held the citadel;
   it was a lodging-place for the Gentiles.
Joy was taken from Jacob;
   the flute and the harp ceased to play.

Then they gathered together and went to Mizpah, opposite Jerusalem, because Israel formerly had a place of prayer in Mizpah. ⁴⁷They fasted that day, put on sackcloth and sprinkled ashes on their heads, and tore their clothes. ⁴⁸And they opened the book of the law to inquire into those matters about which the Gentiles consulted the images of their gods. ⁴⁹They also brought the vestments of the priesthood and the first fruits and the tithes, and they stirred up the nazirites who had completed their days; ⁵⁰and they cried aloud to Heaven, saying,
‘What shall we do with these?
   Where shall we take them?
⁵¹ Your sanctuary is trampled down and profaned,
   and your priests mourn in humiliation.
⁵² Here the Gentiles are assembled against us to destroy us;
   you know what they plot against us.
⁵³ How will we be able to withstand them,
   if you do not help us?’

Then they sounded the trumpets and gave a loud shout. ⁵⁵After this Judas appointed leaders of the people, in charge of thousands and hundreds and fifties and tens. ⁵⁶Those who were building houses, or were about to be married, or were planting a vineyard, or were faint-hearted, he told to go home again, in accordance with the law. ⁵⁷Then the army marched out and encamped to the south of Emmaus.

And Judas said, ‘Arm yourselves and be courageous. Be ready early in the morning to fight with these Gentiles who have assembled against us to destroy us and our sanctuary. ⁵⁹It is better for us to die in battle than to see the misfortunes of our nation and of the sanctuary. ⁶⁰But as his will in heaven may be, so shall he do.’

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Isaiah 60:1-3, 11a, 14c, 18-19

rise, shine, for your light has come, *
and the glory of the Lord has dawned upon you.

For behold, darkness covers the land; *
deep gloom enshrouds the peoples.

But over you the Lord will rise, *
and his glory will appear upon you.

Nations will stream to your light, *
and kings to the brightness of your dawning.

Your gates will always be open; *
by day or night they will never be shut.

They will call you, The City of the Lord, *
The Zion of the Holy One of Israel.

Violence will no more be heard in your land, *
ruin or destruction within your borders.

You will call your walls, Salvation, *
and all your portals, Praise.

The sun will no more be your light by day; *
by night you will not need the brightness of the moon.

The Lord will be your everlasting light, *
and your God will be your glory.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: *

as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

A Reading from the Gospel According to Matthew.

s they were gathering in Galilee, Jesus said to them, “The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into human hands, ²³and they will kill him, and on the third day he will be raised.” And they were greatly distressed.

When they reached Capernaum, the collectors of the temple tax came to Peter and said, “Does your teacher not pay the temple tax?” ²⁵He said, “Yes, he does.” And when he came home, Jesus spoke of it first, asking, “What do you think, Simon? From whom do kings of the earth take toll or tribute? From their children or from others?” ²⁶When Peter said, “From others,” Jesus said to him, “Then the children are free. ²⁷However, so that we do not give offense to them, go to the sea and cast a hook; take the first fish that comes up; and when you open its mouth, you will find a coin; take that and give it to them for you and me.”

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Revelation 15:3-4

ruler of the universe, Lord God,
great deeds are they that you have done, *
surpassing human understanding.

Your ways are ways of righteousness and truth, *
O King of all the ages.

Who can fail to do you homage, Lord,
and sing the praises of your Name? *
for you only are the Holy One.

All nations will draw near and fall down before you, *
because your just and holy works have been revealed.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: *

as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only son, our Lord.
He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit
and born of the Virgin Mary.
He suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose again.
He ascended into heaven,
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.

The Prayers

Officiant	The Lord be with you.
People	And also with you.
Officiant	Let us pray.

ur Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy Name,
thy kingdom come,
thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those
who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
and the power, and the glory,
for ever and ever. Amen.

V.	Show us your mercy, O Lord;
R.	And grant us your salvation.
V.	Clothe your ministers with righteousness;
R.	Let your people sing with joy.
V.	Give peace, O Lord, in all the world;
R.	For only in you can we live in safety.
V.	Lord, keep this nation under your care;
R.	And guide us in the way of justice and truth.
V.	Let your way be known upon earth;
R.	Your saving health among all nations.
V.	Let not the needy, O Lord, be forgotten;
R.	Nor the hope of the poor be taken away.
V.	Create in us clean hearts, O God;
R.	And sustain us with your Holy Spirit.

lessed Lord, who caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning: Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them, that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life, which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

eavenly Father, in you we live and move and have our being: We humbly pray you so to guide and govern us by your Holy Spirit, that in all the cares and occupations of our life we may not forget you, but may remember that we are ever walking in your sight; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

ord Jesus Christ, you stretched out your arms of love on the hard wood of the cross that everyone might come within the reach of your saving embrace: So clothe us in your Spirit that we, reaching forth our hands in love, may bring those who do not know you to the knowledge and love of you; for the honor of your Name. Amen.

lmighty God, Father of all mercies,
we your unworthy servants give you humble thanks
for all your goodness and loving-kindness
to us and to all whom you have made.
We bless you for our creation, preservation,
and all the blessings of this life;
but above all for your immeasurable love
in the redemption of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ;
for the means of grace, and for the hope of glory.

And, we pray, give us such an awareness of your mercies,
that with truly thankful hearts we may show forth your praise,
not only with our lips, but in our lives,
by giving up our selves to your service,
and by walking before you
in holiness and righteousness all our days;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit,
be honor and glory throughout all ages. Amen.

lmighty God, you have given us grace at this time with one accord to make our common supplication to you; and you have promised through your well-beloved Son that when two or three are gathered together in his Name you will be in the midst of them: Fulfill now, O Lord, our desires and petitions as may be best for us; granting us in this world knowledge of your truth, and in the age to come life everlasting. Amen.

Let us bless the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Glory to God whose power, working in us, can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine: Glory to him from generation to generation in the Church, and in Christ Jesus for ever and ever. Amen.Ephesians 3:20,21

Sponsored by Forward Movement.