OPENING SENTENCES

Send out your light and your truth, that they may lead me, and bring me to your holy hill and to your dwelling. Psalm 43:3

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

Come now, let us argue it out, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be like snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool. Amen.

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

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.

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

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 Ezra 1:1-11; 1 Corinthians 16:1-9.

MATTHEW 12:15-21

When Jesus became aware of this, he departed. Many crowds followed him, and he cured all of them, and he ordered them not to make him known. This was to fulfill what had been spoken through the prophet Isaiah: “Here is my servant, whom I have chosen, my beloved, with whom my soul is well pleased. I will put my Spirit upon him, and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles. He will not wrangle or cry aloud, nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets. He will not break a bruised reed or quench a smoldering wick until he brings justice to victory. And in his name the Gentiles will hope.”

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 and everlasting God, in Christ you have revealed your glory among the nations: Preserve the works of your mercy, that your Church throughout the world may persevere with steadfast faith in the confession of your Name; 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!