OPENING SENTENCES

Behold, the dwelling of God is with mankind. He will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself will be with them, and be their God. Revelation 21:3

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

Almighty God have mercy on you, forgive you all your sins through our Lord Jesus Christ, strengthen you in all goodness, and by the power of the Holy Spirit keep you in eternal life. Amen.

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

Alleluia. To us a child is born: O come, let us adore him. Alleluia.

MORNING PSALM
PSALM 34

I will bless the Lord at all times; *
his praise shall continually be in my mouth.

My soul makes its boast in the Lord; *
let the humble hear and be glad.

O magnify the Lord with me, *
and let us exalt his name together.

I sought the Lord, and he answered me, *
and delivered me from all my fears.

Look to him, and be radiant; *
so your faces shall never be ashamed.

This poor soul cried, and was heard by the Lord, *
and was saved from every trouble.

The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, *
and delivers them.

O taste and see that the Lord is good; *
happy are those who take refuge in him.

O fear the Lord, you his holy ones, *
for those who fear him have no want.

The young lions suffer want and hunger, *
but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.

Come, O children, listen to me; *
I will teach you the fear of the Lord.

Which of you desires life, *
and covets many days to enjoy good?

Keep your tongue from evil, *
and your lips from speaking deceit.

Depart from evil, and do good; *
seek peace, and pursue it.

The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, *
and his ears are open to their cry.

The face of the Lord is against evildoers, *
to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.

When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears, *
and rescues them from all their troubles.

The Lord is near to the brokenhearted, *
and saves the crushed in spirit.

Many are the afflictions of the righteous, *
but the Lord rescues them from them all.

He keeps all their bones; *
not one of them will be broken.

Evil brings death to the wicked, *
and those who hate the righteous will be condemned.

The Lord redeems the life of his servants; *
none of those who take refuge in him will be condemned.

Send your holy angels to watch over us, O God, that on our lips will be found your truth and in our hearts your love; so we may ever taste your goodness in the land of the living; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

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

All Things New - Red Mountain Music

MORNING LESSONS

For those not receiving Evening Prayer emails, the lectionary OT & NT Lessons for today are 1 Kings 19:1-8; Ephesians 4:1-16.

JOHN 6:1-14

After this Jesus went to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, also called the Sea of Tiberias. A large crowd kept following him, because they saw the signs that he was doing for the sick. Jesus went up the mountain and sat down there with his disciples. Now the Passover, the festival of the Jews, was near. When he looked up and saw a large crowd coming toward him, Jesus said to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread for these people to eat?” He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he was going to do. Philip answered him, “Six months’ wages would not buy enough bread for each of them to get a little.” One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to him, “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish. But what are they among so many people?” Jesus said, “Make the people sit down.” Now there was a great deal of grass in the place; so they sat down, about five thousand in all. Then Jesus took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated; so also the fish, as much as they wanted. When they were satisfied, he told his disciples, “Gather up the fragments left over, so that nothing may be lost.” So they gathered them up, and from the fragments of the five barley loaves, left by those who had eaten, they filled twelve baskets. When the people saw the sign that he had done, they began to say, “This is indeed the prophet who is to come into the world.”

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 the Week of the First Sunday after Christmas:

Almighty God, you have poured upon us the new light of your incarnate Word: Grant that this light, enkindled in our hearts, may shine forth in our lives; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Let us bless the Lord. *
Thanks be to God!