Morning Prayer

Friday after the Fifth Sunday in Lent

Rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the Lord your God; for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil.

Joel 2:13



Invitatory and Psalter

BCP p. 42

Officiant O Lord, open thou our lips.
People
And our mouth shall show forth thy praise.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost: *

As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Psalm 95

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 shew 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 corners of the earth *
and the strength of the hills is his also.

The sea is his, and 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 the Lord our God *
and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand.

To-day if ye 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 tempted me *
proved me, and saw my works.

Forty years long was I grieved with this generation, and said *
It is a people that do err in their hearts, for they have not known my ways;

Unto whom I sware in my wrath *
that they should not enter into my rest.

Psalm 22

My God, my God, look upon me; why hast thou forsaken me *
and art so far from my health, and from the words of my complaint?

O my God, I cry in the day-time, but thou hearest not *
and in the night-season also I take no rest.

And thou continuest holy *
O thou worship of Israel.

Our fathers hoped in thee *
they trusted in thee, and thou didst deliver them.

They called upon thee, and were holpen *
they put their trust in thee, and were not confounded.

But as for me, I am a worm, and no man *
a very scorn of men, and the out-cast of the people.

All they that see me laugh me to scorn *
they shoot out their lips, and shake their heads, saying,

He trusted in God, that he would deliver him *
let him deliver him, if he will have him.

But thou art he that took me out of my mother’s womb *
thou wast my hope, when I hanged yet upon my mother’s breasts.

I have been left unto thee ever since I was born *
thou art my God even from my mother’s womb.

O go not from me, for trouble is hard at hand *
and there is none to help me.

Many oxen are come about me *
fat bulls of Basan close me in on every side.

They gape upon me with their mouths *
as it were a ramping and a roaring lion.

I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint *
my heart also in the midst of my body is even like melting wax.

My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue cleaveth to my gums *
and thou shalt bring me into the dust of death.

For many dogs are come about me *
and the council of the wicked layeth siege against me.

They pierced my hands and my feet; I may tell all my bones *
they stand staring and looking upon me.

They part my garments among them *
and cast lots upon my vesture.

But be not thou far from me, O Lord *
thou art my succour, haste thee to help me.

Deliver my soul from the sword *
my darling from the power of the dog.

Save me from the lion’s mouth *
thou hast heard me also from among the horns of the unicorns.

I will declare thy Name unto my brethren *
in the midst of the congregation will I praise thee.

O praise the Lord, ye that fear him *
magnify him, all ye of the seed of Jacob, and fear him, all ye seed of Israel;

For he hath not despised, nor abhorred, the low estate of the poor *
he hath not hid his face from him, but when he called unto him he heard him.

My praise is of thee in the great congregation *
my vows will I perform in the sight of them that fear him.

The poor shall eat, and be satisfied *
they that seek after the Lord shall praise him; your heart shall live for ever.

All the ends of the world shall remember themselves, and be turned unto the Lord *
and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before him.

For the kingdom is the Lord’s *
and he is the Governor among the people.

All such as be fat upon earth *
have eaten, and worshipped.

All they that go down into the dust shall kneel before him *
and no man hath quickened his own soul.

My seed shall serve him *
they shall be counted unto the Lord for a generation.

They shall come, and the heavens shall declare his righteousness *
unto a people that shall be born, whom the Lord hath made.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost: *

As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

The Lessons

The First Lesson Jeremiah 29:1,4-13

A Reading from the Book of the Prophet Jeremiah.

These are the words of the letter that the prophet Jeremiah sent from Jerusalem to the remaining elders among the exiles, and to the priests, the prophets, and all the people, whom Nebuchadnezzar had taken into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon. Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat what they produce. Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease. But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.

For thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Do not let the prophets and the diviners who are among you deceive you, and do not listen to the dreams that they dream, for it is a lie that they are prophesying to you in my name; I did not send them, says the LORD. For thus says the LORD: Only when Babylon’s seventy years are completed will I visit you, and I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to this place. For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the LORD, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope. Then when you call upon me and come and pray to me, I will hear you. When you search for me, you will find me; if you seek me with all your heart,

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

14. A Song of Penitence Prayer of Manasseh 1-2, 4, 6-7, 11-15

O Lord and Ruler of the hosts of heaven, *
God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,
and of all their righteous offspring:

You made the heavens and the earth, *
with all their vast array.

All things quake with fear at your presence; *
they tremble because of your power.

But your merciful promise is beyond all measure; *
it surpasses all that our minds can fathom.

O Lord, you are full of compassion, *
long-suffering, and abounding in mercy.

You hold back your hand; *
you do not punish as we deserve.

In your great goodness, Lord,
you have promised forgiveness to sinners, *
that they may repent of their sin and be saved.

And now, O Lord, I bend the knee of my heart, *
and make my appeal, sure of your gracious goodness.

I have sinned, O Lord, I have sinned, *
and I know my wickedness only too well.

Therefore I make this prayer to you: *
Forgive me, Lord, forgive me.

Do not let me perish in my sin, *
nor condemn me to the depths of the earth.

For you, O Lord, are the God of those who repent, *
and in me you will show forth your goodness.

Unworthy as I am, you will save me,
in accordance with your great mercy, *
and I will praise you without ceasing all the days of my life.

For all the powers of heaven sing your praises, *
and yours is the glory to ages of ages. Amen.

The Second Lesson Rom. 11:13-24

A Reading from the Letter to the Romans.

Now I am speaking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch then as I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I glorify my ministry in order to make my own people jealous, and thus save some of them. For if their rejection is the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead! If the part of the dough offered as first fruits is holy, then the whole batch is holy; and if the root is holy, then the branches also are holy. But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, a wild olive shoot, were grafted in their place to share the rich root of the olive tree, do not boast over the branches. If you do boast, remember that it is not you that support the root, but the root that supports you. You will say, “Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.” That is true. They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you stand only through faith. So do not become proud, but stand in awe. For if God did not spare the natural branches, perhaps he will not spare you. Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God’s kindness toward you, provided you continue in his kindness; otherwise you also will be cut off. And even those of Israel, if they do not persist in unbelief, will be grafted in, for God has the power to graft them in again. For if you have been cut from what is by nature a wild olive tree and grafted, contrary to nature, into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these natural branches be grafted back into their own olive tree.

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

18. A Song to the Lamb Revelation 4:11, 5:9-10, 13

Splendor and honor and kingly power *
are yours by right, O Lord our God,

For you created everything that is, *
and by your will they were created and have their being;

And yours by right, O Lamb that was slain, *
for with your blood you have redeemed for God,

From every family, language, people, and nation, *
a kingdom of priests to serve our God.

And so, to him who sits upon the throne, *
and to Christ the Lamb,

Be worship and praise, dominion and splendor, *
for ever and for evermore.

The Apostles’ Creed BCP p. 53

I believe in God, the Father almighty,
maker of heaven and earth;
And in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord;
who was conceived by the Holy Ghost,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, dead, and buried.
He descended into hell.
The third day he rose again from the dead.
He ascended into heaven,
and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father almighty.
From thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Ghost,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.

The Prayers BCP p. 54



Officiant The Lord be with you.
People
And with thy spirit.
Officiant
Let us pray.

The Lord’s Prayer

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.

Suffrages A

V. O Lord, show thy mercy upon us;
R.
And grant us thy salvation.
V.
Endue thy ministers with righteousness;
R.
And make thy chosen people joyful.
V.
Give peace, O Lord, in all the world;
R.
For only in thee can we live in safety.
V.
Lord, keep this nation under thy care;
R.
And guide us in the way of justice and truth.
V.
Let thy way be known upon earth;
R.
Thy saving health among all nations.
V.
Let not the needy, O Lord, be forgotten;
R.
Nor the hope of the poor be taken away.
V.
Create in us clean hearts, O God;
R.
And sustain us with thy Holy Spirit.

The Collect of the Day

O Almighty God, who alone canst order the unruly wills and affections of sinful men: Grant unto thy people that they may love the thing which thou commandest, and desire that which thou dost promise; that so, among the sundry and manifold changes of the world, our hearts may surely there be fixed where true joys are to be found; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

The Collect of the Day

Almighty and everlasting God, who hatest nothing that thou hast made and dost forgive the sins of all those 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 thee, the God of all mercy, perfect remission and forgiveness; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

A Collect for Fridays

Almighty God, whose most dear Son went not up to joy but first he suffered pain, and entered not into glory before he was crucified: Mercifully grant that we, walking in the way of the cross, may find it none other than the way of life and peace; through the same thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

A Prayer for Mission

Lord Jesus Christ, who didst stretch out thine arms of love on the hard wood of the cross that everyone might come within the reach of thy saving embrace: So clothe us in thy Spirit that we, reaching forth our hands in love, may bring those who do not know thee to the knowledge and love of thee; for the honor of thy Name. Amen.

Let us pray now for our own needs and those of others.





The General Thanksgiving BCP p. 58

Almighty God, Father of all mercies,
we thine unworthy servants
do give thee most humble and hearty thanks
for all thy goodness and loving-kindness
to us and to all men.
We bless thee for our creation, preservation,
and all the blessings of this life;
but above all for thine inestimable 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 beseech thee,
give us that due sense of all thy mercies,
that our hearts may be unfeignedly thankful;
and that we show forth thy praise,
not only with our lips, but in our lives,
by giving up our selves to thy service,
and by walking before thee
in holiness and righteousness all our days;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
to whom, with thee and the Holy Ghost,
be all honor and glory, world without end. Amen.


Let us bless the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

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

2 Corinthians 13:14