Opening Sentence
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my strength and my redeemer. Psalm 19:14
Morning Prayer
Oh Lord, most heavenly Father, Almighty and everlasting God, who has safely brought me to the beginning of this day; I give you thanks for my creation, preservation, and all the blessings of my life. Grant that this day I fall into no sin, neither run into any kind of danger; but that all my doings, being governed by your will, may be righteous in your sight. Through Christ our Lord, I pray. Amen.
Confession and Forgiveness
Dear Heavenly Father, we lower our heads before you and we confess that we have too often forgotten that we are yours. Sometimes we carry on our lives as if there was no God and we fall short of being a credible witness to You. For these things we ask your forgiveness and we also ask for your strength. Give us clear minds and open hearts so we may witness to You in our world. Remind us to be who You would have us to be regardless of what we are doing or who we are with. Hold us to You and build our relationship with You and with those You have given us on earth. Amen.
Today's Readings
The First Reading is taken from 1 Samuel 15:24-35
Saul said to Samuel, "I have sinned; for I have transgressed the commandment of the LORD and your words, because I feared the people and obeyed their voice. Now therefore, I pray, pardon my sin, and return with me, so that I may worship the LORD." Samuel said to Saul, "I will not return with you; for you have rejected the word of the LORD, and the LORD has rejected you from being king over Israel." As Samuel turned to go away, Saul caught hold of the hem of his robe, and it tore. And Samuel said to him, "The LORD has torn the kingdom of Israel from you this very day, and has given it to a neighbor of yours, who is better than you. Moreover the Glory of Israel will not recant or change his mind; for he is not a mortal, that he should change his mind." Then Saul said, "I have sinned; yet honor me now before the elders of my people and before Israel, and return with me, so that I may worship the LORD your God." So Samuel turned back after Saul; and Saul worshiped the LORD. Then Samuel said, "Bring Agag king of the Amalekites here to me." And Agag came to him haltingly. Agag said, "Surely this is the bitterness of death." But Samuel said, "As your sword has made women childless, so your mother shall be childless among women." And Samuel hewed Agag in pieces before the LORD in Gilgal. Then Samuel went to Ramah; and Saul went up to his house in Gibeah of Saul. Samuel did not see Saul again until the day of his death, but Samuel grieved over Saul. And the LORD was sorry that he had made Saul king over Israel.
The Second Reading is taken from Acts 9:32-43
Now as Peter went here and there among all the believers, he came down also to the saints living in Lydda. There he found a man named Aeneas, who had been bedridden for eight years, for he was paralyzed. Peter said to him, "Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you; get up and make your bed!" And immediately he got up. And all the residents of Lydda and Sharon saw him and turned to the Lord. Now in Joppa there was a disciple whose name was Tabitha, which in Greek is Dorcas. She was devoted to good works and acts of charity. At that time she became ill and died. When they had washed her, they laid her in a room upstairs. Since Lydda was near Joppa, the disciples, who heard that Peter was there, sent two men to him with the request, "Please come to us without delay." So Peter got up and went with them; and when he arrived, they took him to the room upstairs. All the widows stood beside him, weeping and showing tunics and other clothing that Dorcas had made while she was with them. Peter put all of them outside, and then he knelt down and prayed. He turned to the body and said, "Tabitha, get up." Then she opened her eyes, and seeing Peter, she sat up. He gave her his hand and helped her up. Then calling the saints and widows, he showed her to be alive. This became known throughout Joppa, and many believed in the Lord. Meanwhile he stayed in Joppa for some time with a certain Simon, a tanner.
The Holy Gospel is written in Luke 23:56-24:11
Then they returned, and prepared spices and ointments. On the sabbath they rested according to the commandment. But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb, taking the spices that they had prepared. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they went in, they did not find the body. While they were perplexed about this, suddenly two men in dazzling clothes stood beside them. The women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, "Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be handed over to sinners, and be crucified, and on the third day rise again." Then they remembered his words, and returning from the tomb, they told all this to the eleven and to all the rest. Now it was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them who told this to the apostles. But these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them.
Morning Psalms
Psalm 5 Verba mea auribus
1 Give ear to my words, O LORD; consider my meditation.
2 Hearken to my cry for help, my King and my God, for I make my prayer to you.
3 In the morning, LORD, you hear my voice; early in the morning I make my appeal and watch for you.
4 For you are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness, and evil cannot dwell with you.
5 Braggarts cannot stand in your sight; you hate all those who work wickedness.
6 You destroy those who speak lies; the bloodthirsty and deceitful, O LORD, you abhor.
7 But as for me, through the greatness of your mercy I will go into your house; I will bow down toward your holy temple in awe of you.
8 Lead me, O LORD, in your righteousness, because of those who lie in wait for me; make your way straight before me.
9 For there is no truth in their mouth; there is destruction in their heart;
10 Their throat is an open grave; they flatter with their tongue.
11 Declare them guilty, O God; let them fall, because of their schemes.
12 Because of their many transgressions cast them out, for they have rebelled against you.
13 But all who take refuge in you will be glad; they will sing out their joy for ever.
14 You will shelter them, so that those who love your Name may exult in you.
15 For you, O LORD, will bless the righteous; you will defend them with your favor as with a shield.
Psalm 6 Domine, ne in furore
1 LORD, do not rebuke me in your anger; do not punish me in your wrath.
2 Have pity on me, LORD, for I am weak; heal me, LORD, for my bones are racked.
3 My spirit shakes with terror; how long, O LORD, how long?
4 Turn, O LORD, and deliver me; save me for your mercy's sake.
5 For in death no one remembers you; and who will give you thanks in the grave?
6 I grow weary because of my groaning; every night I drench my bed and flood my couch with tears.
7 My eyes are wasted with grief and worn away because of all my enemies.
8 Depart from me, all evildoers, for the LORD has heard the sound of my weeping.
9 The LORD has heard my supplication; the LORD accepts my prayer.
10 All my enemies shall be confounded and quake with fear; they shall turn back and suddenly be put to shame.
Evening Psalms
Psalm 10 Ut quid, Domine?
1 Why do you stand so far off, O LORD, and hide yourself in time of trouble?
2 The wicked arrogantly persecute the poor, but they are trapped in the schemes they have devised.
3 The wicked boast of their heart's desire; the covetous curse and revile the LORD.
4 The wicked are so proud that they care not for God; their only thought is, "God does not matter."
5 Their ways are devious at all times; your judgments are far above out of their sight; they defy all their enemies.
6 They say in their heart, "I shall not be shaken; no harm shall happen to me ever."
7 Their mouth is full of cursing, deceit, and oppression; under their tongue are mischief and wrong.
8 They lurk in ambush in public squares and in secret places they murder the innocent; they spy out the helpless.
9 They lie in wait, like a lion in a covert; they lie in wait to seize upon the lowly; they seize the lowly and drag them away in their net.
10 The innocent are broken and humbled before them; the helpless fall before their power.
11 They say in their heart, "God has forgotten; he hides his face; he will never notice."
12 Rise up, O LORD; lift up your hand, O God; do not forget the afflicted.
13 Why should the wicked revile God? why should they say in their heart, "You do not care"?
14 Surely, you behold trouble and misery; you see it and take it into your own hand.
15 The helpless commit themselves to you, for you are the helper of orphans.
16 Break the power of the wicked and evil; search out their wickedness until you find none.
17 The LORD is King for ever and ever; the ungodly shall perish from his land.
18 The LORD will hear the desire of the humble; you will strengthen their heart and your ears shall hear;
19 To give justice to the orphan and oppressed, so that mere mortals may strike terror no more.
Psalm 11 In Domino confido
1 In the LORD have I taken refuge; how then can you say to me, "Fly away like a bird to the hilltop;
2 For see how the wicked bend the bow and fit their arrows to the string, to shoot from ambush at the true of heart.
3 When the foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do?"
4 The LORD is in his holy temple; the LORD'S throne is in heaven.
5 His eyes behold the inhabited world; his piercing eye weighs our worth.
6 The LORD weighs the righteous as well as the wicked, but those who delight in violence he abhors.
7 Upon the wicked he shall rain coals of fire and burning sulphur; a scorching wind shall be their lot.
8 For the LORD is righteous; he delights in righteous deeds; and the just shall see his face.
The Nicene Creed
We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father. Through him all things were made. For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven: by the power of the Holy Spirit he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary, and was made man. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried. On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures; he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son. With the Father and the Son he is worshiped and glorified. He has spoken through the Prophets. We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.
Prayer of the Day
Dear Lord, I am trying to do better and better each day; I am trying to walk with you and do your will, but sometimes it seems like I am slipping backwards no matter how hard I try. And I get confused sometimes; even if I want to do the right thing, I don't always know what it is.
So this is my prayer, heavenly Lord, for your help in straightening out my mind and straightening out my life. Lead me, Lord, and let your Holy Spirit guide me. Even if the correction is painful, help me to keep my mind open to your truth. Let me do your will in my every action, and know your will, that I might do it. Help me not be deceived by false assertions or glib intelligence, by those who would excuse or promote sinful actions, by those who simply do not know; and above all, help me not to deceive myself. Guide me away from excuses and rationalizations when I have sinned, but into your holy truth, that I might know my sin, and correct what I can, and ask forgiveness for what I cannot. By the grace and mercy of holy Christ, I ask this, Amen.
A Prayer for Peace
O God, the author of peace and lover of concord, to know you is eternal life and to serve you is perfect freedom: Defend us, your humble servants, in all assaults of our enemies; that we, surely trusting in your defense, may not fear the power of any adversaries; through the might of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
A Prayer for Mission
Lord 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.
Alleluia! Christ has risen.
Christ has risen indeed. Alleluia!
Christ has risen indeed. Alleluia!
Closing Prayer
As I travel through the rest of my day, may the God of hope fill me with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit I may abound in hope. Amen.
New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. The New Revised Standard Version Bible may be quoted and/or reprinted up to and inclusive of five hundred (500) verses without express written permission of the publisher, provided the verses quoted do not amount to a complete book of the Bible or account for fifty percent (50%) of the total work in which they are quoted.
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