OPENING SENTENCES

If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us; but if we confess our sins, God who is faithful and just, will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. I John 1:8, 9

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

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.

Lord, open our lips. *
And our mouths shall proclaim your praise!

The Lord is full of compassion and mercy: Come let us adore him.

MORNING PSALM

Psalm 37:1-18

Part I

Do not fret yourself because of evildoers;*
do not be jealous of those who do wrong.

For they shall soon wither like the grass,*
and like the green grass fade away.

Put your trust in the Lord and do good;
dwell in the land and feed on its riches.

Take delight in the Lord, *
and he shall give you your heart's desire.

Commit your way to the Lord and put your trust in him, *
and he will bring it to pass.

He will make your righteousness as clear as the light*
and your just dealing as the noonday.

Be still before the Lord *
and wait patiently for him.

Do not fret yourself over the one who prospers,*
the one who succeeds in evil schemes.

Refrain from anger, leave rage alone; *
do not fret yourself; it leads only to evil.

For evildoers shall be cut off,*
but those who wait upon the Lord shall possess the land.

In a little while the wicked shall be no more;*
you shall search out their place, but they will not be there.

But the lowly shall possess the land;*
they will delight in abundance of peace.

The wicked plot against the righteous *
and gnash at them with their teeth.

The Lord laughs at the wicked,*
because he sees that their day will come.

the wicked draw their sword and bend their bow
to strike down the poor and needy,*
to slaughter those who are upright in their ways.

Their sword shall go through their own heart,*
and their bow shall be broken.

The little that the righteous has *
is better than great riches of the wicked.

For the power of the wicked shall be broken,*
but the Lord upholds the righteous.

Lord Jesus, you bless the poor with the kingdom of heaven. Teach us to put our trust in the Father and to seek his kingdom rather than to imitate the powerful or envy the rich; so may we serve you now and forever.

lory 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

We Long to See You (Psalm 24) - Wendell Kimbrough

MORNING LESSONS

For those not receiving Evening Prayer emails, the lectionary OT & NT Lessons for today are Deuteronomy 7:6-11; Titus 1:1-16.

John 1:29-34

The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him and declared, “Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks ahead of me because he was before me.’ I myself did not know him; but I came baptizing with water for this reason, that he might be revealed to Israel.” And John testified, “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ And I myself have seen and have testified that this is the Son of God.”

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 for Lent:

Almighty and everlasting God, you hate nothing you have made and forgive the sins of all who are penitent: Create and make in us new and contrite hearts, that we, worthily lamenting our sins and acknowledging our wretchedness, may obtain of you, the God of all mercy, perfect remission and forgiveness; 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!