Friends, we hope you have found this service of Morning Prayer an encouraging and helpful practice during this past season. At the end of August, we will be concluding the weekly updates. If you'd like to continue this practice, please send Sandy a note at info@14thstreetcrc.org and she'll get back to you with information about how to do so using another online resource. Grace and peace.
Morning Prayer
The service of morning prayer provided below is adapted from the service outlined in Lift Up Your Hearts (373) with elements also drawn from morning prayer as outlined in the Book of Common Prayer (ACNA 2019). With the Psalms and Scripture readings, it should take roughly 20-30 minutes.
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be always acceptable in your sight, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer. —Psalm 19:14
Opening
Our help is in the name of the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.
O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth shall declare your praise.
The Lord’s unfailing love and mercy never cease,
fresh as the morning and sure as the sunrise.
Confession & Assurance
Let us humbly confess our sins to Almighty God.
Almighty and most merciful Father,
we have erred and strayed from your ways like lost sheep.
We have followed too much the devices and desires of our own hearts.
We have offended against your holy laws.
We have left undone those things which we ought to have done,
and we have done those things which we ought not to have done;
and apart from your grace, there is no health in us.
O Lord, have mercy upon us.
Spare all who confess their faults.
Restore all those who are penitent,
according to your promises declared in Christ Jesus our Lord.
And grant, O most merciful Father, for his sake,
that we may now live a godly, righteous, and sober life,
to the glory of your holy name. Amen.
Grant to your faithful people,
merciful Lord, pardon and peace;
that we may be cleansed from all our sins,
and serve you with a quiet mind;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
O Lord, open our lips;
And our mouth shall proclaim your praise.
O God, make speed to save us;
O Lord, make haste to help us.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit;
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
Praise the Lord.
The Lord’s Name be praised.
Psalm 95:1-7
O come, let us sing to the Lord;
let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!
Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;
let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!
For the Lord is a great God,
and a great King above all gods.
In his hand are the depths of the earth;
the heights of the mountains are his also.
The sea is his, for he made it,
and the dry land, which his hands have formed.
O come, let us worship and bow down,
let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!
For he is our God,
and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand.
Scripture Reading
The Psalms are the staple of the diet of Christian spirituality. Between morning and evening prayer, read as many of the Psalms appointed for today as you are able, finding here words to guide your own prayer. If you read all of them, you will pray the entire Psalter in one month.
For August 24 - 31:
August 24 Psalms 116, 117, 118
August 25 Psalm 119:33-72
August 26 Psalm 119:105-144
August 27 Psalms 120, 121, 122, 123, 124, 125
August 28 Psalms 132, 133, 134, 135
August 29 Psalms 139, 140
August 30 Psalms 144, 145, 146
August 31 If there is a 31st day of the month, choose Psalms from among the Songs of Ascents (120 to 134).
Morning and evening prayer involve two Scripture readings, one from the Old Testament and one from the New Testament. If you were to follow morning and evening prayer over the course of an entire year, you would read through the entire Old Testament once, and the New Testament twice.
For August 24 - 31:
Old Testament Lesson New Testament Lesson
August 24 Colossians 1:1-20
August 25 2 Samuel 12 Colossians 1:21-2:7
August 26 2 Samuel 13 Colossians 2:8-19
August 27 2 Samuel 14 Colossians 2:20-3:11
August 28 2 Samuel 15 Colossians 3:12-25
August 29 2 Samuel 16 Colossians 4
August 30 2 Samuel 17 Philemon
This is the Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Canticle
Te Deum Laudamus is a beautiful fourth-century hymn of praise to God, drawing us into the heavenly worship of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
We praise you, O God; we acclaim you as Lord;
all creation worships you, the Father everlasting.
To you all angels, all the powers of heaven,
the cherubim and seraphim, sing in endless praise:
Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of power and might,
heaven and earth are full of your glory.
The glorious company of apostles praise you.
The noble fellowship of prophets praise you.
The white-robed army of martyrs praise you.
Throughout the world the holy Church acclaims you:
Father, of majesty unbounded,
your true and only Son, worthy of all praise,
and the Holy Spirit, advocate and guide.
You, Christ, are the king of glory,
the eternal Son of the Father.
When you took our flesh to set us free
you humble chose the Virgin’s womb.
You overcame the sting of death
and opened the kingdom of heaven to all believers.
You are seated at God’s right hand in glory.
We believe that you will come to be our judge.
Come then, Lord, and help your people,
bought with the price of your own blood,
and bring us with your saints
to glory everlasting.
The Prayers
The Lord’s Prayer
Prayers of the People
Prayer for Mission
The prayers below include the Lord’s Prayer, the Prayers of the People, and a Prayer for Mission. Create space in the Prayers of the People to add your own requests and intercessions before God.
The Lord be with you.
And with your spirit.
Let us pray.
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come,
your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever.
Amen.
Gracious God, rejoicing in your blessings, trusting in your loving care for all,
we bring you our prayers for the world.
We pray for the created world:
for those who rebuild where things have been destroyed;
for those who fight hunger, poverty, and disease;
for those who have power to bring change for the better and to renew hope.
In the life of our world,
your kingdom come, your will be done
We pray for our country:
for those who frame our laws and shape our common life;
for those who keep the peace and administer justice;
for those who teach, those who heal, and all who serve the community.
In the life of our land,
your kingdom come, your will be done.
We pray for people in need:
those for whom life is a bitter struggle;
those whose lives are clouded by death and loss, by pain or disability,
by discouragement or fear, by shame or rejection.
In the lives of those in need,
your kingdom come, your will be done.
We pray for those in the circle of friendship and love around us:
children and parents; sisters and brothers; friends and neighbors;
and for those especially in our thoughts today.
In the lives of those we love,
your kingdom come, your will be done.
We pray for the church:
in its stand with the poor,
in its love for the outcast and the ashamed,
in its service to the sick and neglected,
in its proclamation of the gospel,
in this land, in this place.
In the life of your church,
your kingdom come, your will be done.
Almighty and everlasting God,
we thank you that you have brought us safely to the beginning of this new day.
Keep us from falling into sin or running into danger.
Guide us to do always what is right in your sight.
Through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
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.
The General Thanksgiving
Morning prayer ends where all worship ends, in thanksgiving to God and a desire to be sent back into our daily lives as a people transformed by God’s work for us in Christ and by the Spirit.
Almighty 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.
Closing
May we continue to grow in the grace
and knowledge of Jesus Christ,
our Lord and Savior. Amen.
Let us bless the Lord. Thanks be to God.