Morning

I was glad when they said unto me, "We will go into the house of the LORD."

PSALM 122:1

The Officiant says to the People

Dearly beloved, the Scriptures teach us to acknowledge our many sins and offenses, not concealing them from our heavenly Father, but confessing them with humble and obedient hearts that we may obtain forgiveness by his infinite goodness and mercy. We ought at all times humbly to acknowledge our sins before Almighty God, but especially when we come together in his presence to give thanks for the great benefits we have received at his hands, to declare his most worthy praise, to hear his holy Word, and to ask, for ourselves and on behalf of others, those things which are necessary for our life and our salvation. Therefore, draw near with me to the throne of heavenly grace.

Silence is kept. All kneeling.

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 those who confess their faults. Restore all those who are penitent, according to your promises declared to all people 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.

A Deacon or layperson remains kneeling and prays

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 come, let us sing unto the Lord; * let us heartily rejoice in the strength of our salvation. Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving * and show ourselves glad in him with psalms. For the Lord is a great God * and a great King above all gods. In his hand are all the depths of the earth, * and the heights of the hills are his also. The sea is his, for he made it, * and his hands prepared the dry land. O come, let us worship and fall down, * and 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.

Today, if you will hear his voice, harden not your hearts * as in the provocation, and as in the day of temptation in the wilderness, When your fathers tested me, * and put me to the proof, though they had seen my works. Forty years long was I grieved with this generation and said, * “It is a people that err in their hearts, for they have not known my ways,” Of whom I swore in my wrath * that they should not enter into my rest.

PSALMS APPOINTED

15, 16, 17

¹O LORD, who shall sojourn in your tent? Who shall dwell on your holy hill?

²He who walks blamelessly and does what is right and speaks truth in his heart;

³who does not slander with his tongue and does no evil to his neighbor, nor takes up a reproach against his friend;

⁴in whose eyes a vile person is despised, but who honors those who fear the LORD; who swears to his own hurt and does not change;

⁵who does not put out his money at interest and does not take a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things shall never be moved.

¹Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge.

²I say to the LORD, “You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you.”

³As for the saints in the land, they are the excellent ones, in whom is all my delight.

⁴The sorrows of those who run after another god shall multiply; their drink offerings of blood I will not pour out or take their names on my lips.

⁵The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot.

⁶The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.

⁷I bless the LORD who gives me counsel; in the night also my heart instructs me.

⁸I have set the LORD always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.

⁹Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices; my flesh also dwells secure.

¹⁰For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption.

¹¹You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

¹Hear a just cause, O LORD; attend to my cry! Give ear to my prayer from lips free of deceit!

²From your presence let my vindication come! Let your eyes behold the right!

³You have tried my heart, you have visited me by night, you have tested me, and you will find nothing; I have purposed that my mouth will not transgress.

⁴With regard to the works of man, by the word of your lips I have avoided the ways of the violent.

⁵My steps have held fast to your paths; my feet have not slipped.

⁶I call upon you, for you will answer me, O God; incline your ear to me; hear my words.

⁷Wondrously show your steadfast love, O Savior of those who seek refuge from their adversaries at your right hand.

⁸Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings,

⁹from the wicked who do me violence, my deadly enemies who surround me.

¹⁰They close their hearts to pity; with their mouths they speak arrogantly.

¹¹They have now surrounded our steps; they set their eyes to cast us to the ground.

¹²He is like a lion eager to tear, as a young lion lurking in ambush.

¹³Arise, O LORD! Confront him, subdue him! Deliver my soul from the wicked by your sword,

¹⁴from men by your hand, O LORD, from men of the world whose portion is in this life. You fill their womb with treasure; they are satisfied with children, and they leave their abundance to their infants.

¹⁵As for me, I shall behold your face in righteousness; when I awake, I shall be satisfied with your likeness.

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.

¹Now Elijah the Tishbite, of Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the LORD, the God of Israel, lives, before whom I stand, there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word.”

²And the word of the LORD came to him:

³“Depart from here and turn eastward and hide yourself by the brook Cherith, which is east of the Jordan.

⁴You shall drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there.”

⁵So he went and did according to the word of the LORD. He went and lived by the brook Cherith that is east of the Jordan.

⁶And the ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the brook.

⁷And after a while the brook dried up, because there was no rain in the land.

⁸Then the word of the LORD came to him,

⁹“Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and dwell there. Behold, I have commanded a widow there to feed you.”

¹⁰So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, behold, a widow was there gathering sticks. And he called to her and said, “Bring me a little water in a vessel, that I may drink.”

¹¹And as she was going to bring it, he called to her and said, “Bring me a morsel of bread in your hand.”

¹²And she said, “As the LORD your God lives, I have nothing baked, only a handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a jug. And now I am gathering a couple of sticks that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it and die.”

¹³And Elijah said to her, “Do not fear; go and do as you have said. But first make me a little cake of it and bring it to me, and afterward make something for yourself and your son.

¹⁴For thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, ‘The jar of flour shall not be spent, and the jug of oil shall not be empty, until the day that the LORD sends rain upon the earth.’”

¹⁵And she went and did as Elijah said. And she and he and her household ate for many days.

¹⁶The jar of flour was not spent, neither did the jug of oil become empty, according to the word of the LORD that he spoke by Elijah.

¹⁷After this the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, became ill. And his illness was so severe that there was no breath left in him.

¹⁸And she said to Elijah, “What have you against me, O man of God? You have come to me to bring my sin to remembrance and to cause the death of my son!”

¹⁹And he said to her, “Give me your son.” And he took him from her arms and carried him up into the upper chamber where he lodged, and laid him on his own bed.

²⁰And he cried to the LORD, “O LORD my God, have you brought calamity even upon the widow with whom I sojourn, by killing her son?”

²¹Then he stretched himself upon the child three times and cried to the LORD, “O LORD my God, let this child's life come into him again.”

²²And the LORD listened to the voice of Elijah. And the life of the child came into him again, and he revived.

²³And Elijah took the child and brought him down from the upper chamber into the house and delivered him to his mother. And Elijah said, “See, your son lives.”

²⁴And the woman said to Elijah, “Now I know that you are a man of God, and that the word of the LORD in your mouth is truth.”

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 humbly 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.

Save your people, Lord, and bless your inheritance; * govern and uphold them now and always. Day by day we bless you; * we praise your Name for ever. Keep us today, Lord, from all sin; * have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy. Lord, show us your love and mercy, * for we have put our trust in you. In you, Lord, is our hope; * let us never be put to shame.

²²Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart,

²³since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God;

²⁴for “All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls,

²⁵but the word of the Lord remains forever.” And this word is the good news that was preached to you.

¹So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander.

²Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation —

³if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.

⁴As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious,

⁵you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

⁶For it stands in Scripture: “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious, and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.”

⁷So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe, “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,”

⁸and “A stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense.” They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do.

⁹But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

¹⁰Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; * he has come to his people and set them free. He has raised up for us a mighty savior, * born of the house of his servant David. Through his holy prophets he promised of old that he would save us from our enemies, * from the hands of all who hate us. He promised to show mercy to our fathers * and to remember his holy covenant. This was the oath he swore to our father Abraham, * to set us free from the hands of our enemies, Free to worship him without fear, * holy and righteous in his sight all the days of our life. You, my child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High, * for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way, To give his people knowledge of salvation * by the forgiveness of their sins. In the tender compassion of our God * the dawn from on high shall break upon us, To shine on those who dwell in darkness and in the shadow of death, * and to guide our feet into the way of peace. 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.

Officiant and People together, all standing

I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again. He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.

COLLECT OF THE DAY

Saturday after the 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time

O merciful Lord, grant to your faithful people pardon and peace, that we may be cleansed from all our sins and serve you with a quiet mind; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

COLLECT OF THE DAY

George Bell, Advocate for the Confessing Church, Bishop and Ecumenist, 1958

O God, our heavenly Father, you raised up your faithful servant George Bell to be a Bishop and pastor in your Church and to feed your flock: Give abundantly to all pastors the gifts of your Holy Spirit, that they may minister in your household as true servants of Christ and stewards of your divine mysteries; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

A COLLECT FOR SABBATH REST

Saturday

Almighty God, who after the creation of the world rested from all your works and sanctified a day of rest for all your creatures: Grant that we, putting away all earthly anxieties, may be duly prepared for the service of your sanctuary, and that our rest here upon earth may be a preparation for the eternal rest promised to your people in heaven; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Almighty and everlasting God, who alone works great marvels: Send down upon our clergy and the congregations committed to their charge the life-giving Spirit of your grace, shower them with the continual dew of your blessing, and ignite in them a zealous love of your Gospel; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Officiant and People

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.

Almighty God, you have given us grace at this time, with one accord to make our common supplications to you; and you have promised through your well-beloved Son that when two or three are gathered together in his Name you will grant their requests: Fulfill now, O Lord, our desires and petitions as may be best for us; granting us in this world knowledge of your truth, and in the age to come life everlasting. Amen.

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us all evermore. Amen.

2 CORINTHIANS 13:14