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Wednesday, December 8, 2027

Morning Prayer

Advent

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Prayer Guidance

OFFICIANT

Watch, for you know not when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or in the morning; lest he come suddenly and find you asleep.

Mark 13:35, 36

OFFICIANT

Watch ye, for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cock-crowing, or in the morning; lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping.

Mark 13:35, 36

Confession of Sin

OFFICIANT

Let us confess our sins against God and our neighbor.

OFFICIANT

Let us humbly confess our sins unto Almighty God.

Silence may be kept.

Officiant and People together, all kneeling

ALL

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.

ALL

Almighty and most merciful Father, we have erred and strayed from thy ways like lost sheep, we have followed too much the devices and desires of our own hearts, we have offended against thy 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. But thou, O Lord, have mercy upon us, spare thou those who confess their faults, restore thou those who are penitent, according to thy promises declared unto mankind in Christ Jesus our Lord; and grant, O most merciful Father, for his sake, that we may hereafter live a godly, righteous, and sober life, to the glory of thy holy Name. Amen.

Remain kneeling for the concluding prayer.

OFFICIANT

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.

OFFICIANT

The Almighty and merciful Lord grant us absolution and remission of all our sins, true repentance, amendment of life, and the grace and consolation of his Holy Spirit. Amen.

The Invitatory and Psalter

All stand

OFFICIANT

Lord, open our lips.

PEOPLE

And our mouth shall proclaim your praise.

ALL

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

ALL

Alleluia.

OFFICIANT

O Lord, open thou our lips.

PEOPLE

And our mouth shall show forth thy praise.

ALL

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

ALL

Alleluia

Venite

ALL

Our King and Savior now draws near: Come, let us adore him.

ALL

Our King and Savior draweth nigh: O come, let us adore him.

Come, let us sing to the Lord; *

let us shout for joy to the Rock of our salvation.

Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving *

and raise a loud shout to him with psalms.

For the Lord is a great God, *

and a great King above all gods.

In his hand are the caverns of the earth, *

and the heights of the hills are his also.

The sea is his, for he made it, *

and his hands have molded the dry land.

Come, let us bow down, and bend the knee, *

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. *

Oh, that today you would hearken to his voice!

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 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.

O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness; *

let the whole earth stand in awe of him.

For he cometh, for he cometh to judge the earth, *

and with righteousness to judge the world and the peoples with his truth.

ALL

Our King and Savior now draws near: Come, let us adore him.

ALL

Our King and Savior draweth nigh: O come, let us adore him.

Psalm 38Domine, ne in furore

1

O LORD, do not rebuke me in your anger; *

do not punish me in your wrath.

2

For your arrows have already pierced me, *

and your hand presses hard upon me.

3

There is no health in my flesh,

because of your indignation; *

there is no soundness in my body, because of my sin.

4

For my iniquities overwhelm me; *

like a heavy burden they are too much for me to bear.

5

My wounds stink and fester *

by reason of my foolishness.

6

I am utterly bowed down and prostrate; *

I go about in mourning all the day long.

7

My loins are filled with searing pain; *

there is no health in my body.

8

I am utterly numb and crushed; *

I wail, because of the groaning of my heart.

9

O Lord, you know all my desires, *

and my sighing is not hidden from you.

10

My heart is pounding, my strength has failed me, *

and the brightness of my eyes is gone from me.

11

My friends and companions draw back from my affliction; *

my neighbors stand afar off.

12

Those who seek after my life lay snares for me; *

those who strive to hurt me speak of my ruin

and plot treachery all the day long.

13

But I am like the deaf who do not hear, *

like those who are mute and who do not open their mouth.

14

I have become like one who does not hear *

and from whose mouth comes no defense.

15

For in you, O LORD, have I fixed my hope; *

you will answer me, O Lord my God.

16

For I said, "Do not let them rejoice at my expense, *

those who gloat over me when my foot slips."

17

Truly, I am on the verge of falling, *

and my pain is always with me.

18

I will confess my iniquity *

and be sorry for my sin.

19

Those who are my enemies without cause are mighty, *

and many in number are those who wrongfully hate me.

20

Those who repay evil for good slander me, *

because I follow the course that is right.

21

O LORD, do not forsake me; *

be not far from me, O my God.

22

Make haste to help me, *

O Lord of my salvation.

ALL

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: *

as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

The Lessons

The First Lesson

1This is what the Lord GOD showed me: I saw a basket of summer fruit.

2“Amos, what do you see?” He asked.

“A basket of summer fruit,” I replied.

So the LORD said to me, “The end has come for My people Israel; I will no longer spare them.”

3“In that day,” declares the Lord GOD, “the songs of the temple will turn to wailing. Many will be the corpses, strewn in silence everywhere!”

4Hear this, you who trample the needy,

who do away with the poor of the land,

5asking, “When will the New Moon be over,

that we may sell grain?

When will the Sabbath end,

that we may market wheat?

Let us reduce the ephah and increase the shekel;

let us cheat with dishonest scales.

6Let us buy the poor with silver

and the needy for a pair of sandals,

selling even the chaff with the wheat!”

7The LORD has sworn by the Pride of Jacob:

“I will never forget any of their deeds.

8Will not the land quake for this,

and all its dwellers mourn?

All of it will swell like the Nile;

it will surge and then subside

like the Nile in Egypt.

9And in that day,

declares the Lord GOD,

I will make the sun go down at noon,

and I will darken the earth in the daytime.

10I will turn your feasts into mourning

and all your songs into lamentation.

I will cause everyone to wear sackcloth

and every head to be shaved.

I will make it like a time of mourning for an only son,

and its outcome like a bitter day.

11Behold, the days are coming,

declares the Lord GOD,

when I will send a famine on the land —

not a famine of bread or a thirst for water,

but a famine of hearing the words of the LORD.

12People will stagger from sea to sea

and roam from north to east,

seeking the word of the LORD,

but they will not find it.

13In that day the lovely young women —

the young men as well —

will faint from thirst.

14Those who swear by the guilt of Samaria

and say, ‘As surely as your god lives, O Dan,’

or, ‘As surely as the way of Beersheba lives’—

they will fall, never to rise again.”

Silence may be kept after each Reading.

The Third Song of Isaiah

A Song of Praise

Arise, shine, for your light has come, *

and the glory of the Lord has dawned upon you.

For behold, darkness covers the land; *

deep gloom enshrouds the peoples.

But over you the Lord will rise, *

and his glory will appear upon you.

Nations will stream to your light, *

and kings to the brightness of your dawning.

Your gates will always be open; *

by day or night they will never be shut.

They will call you, The City of the Lord, *

The Zion of the Holy One of Israel.

Violence will no more be heard in your land, *

ruin or destruction within your borders.

You will call your walls, Salvation, *

and all your portals, Praise.

The sun will no more be your light by day; *

by night you will not need the brightness of the moon.

The Lord will be your everlasting light, *

and your God will be your glory.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: *

as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

Blessed art thou, O Lord God of our fathers; *

praised and exalted above all for ever.

Blessed art thou for the Name of thy Majesty; *

praised and exalted above all for ever.

Blessed art thou in the temple of thy holiness; *

praised and exalted above all for ever.

Blessed art thou that beholdest the depths, and dwellest between the Cherubim; *

praised and exalted above all for ever.

Blessed art thou on the glorious throne of thy kingdom; *

praised and exalted above all for ever.

Blessed art thou in the firmament of heaven; *

praised and exalted above all for ever.

Blessed art thou, O Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; *

praised and exalted above all for ever.

The Second Lesson

1Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to His disciples: 2“The scribes and Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. 3So practice and observe everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. 4They tie up heavy, burdensome loads and lay them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.

5All their deeds are done for men to see. They broaden their phylacteries and lengthen their tassels. 6They love the places of honor at banquets, the chief seats in the synagogues, 7the greetings in the marketplaces, and the title of ‘Rabbi’ by which they are addressed.

8But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers. 9And do not call anyone on earth your father, for you have one Father, who is in heaven. 10Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one Instructor, the Christ. 11The greatest among you shall be your servant. 12For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

Silence may be kept after each Reading.

The Song of Zechariah

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 the shadow of death, *

and to guide our feet into the way of peace.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: *

as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, *

for he hath visited and redeemed his people;

And hath raised up a mighty salvation for us *

in the house of his servant David,

As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, *

which have been since the world began:

That we should be saved from our enemies, *

and from the hand of all that hate us;

To perform the mercy promised to our forefathers, *

and to remember his holy covenant;

To perform the oath which he sware to our forefather Abraham, *

that he would give us,

That we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies *

might serve him without fear,

In holiness and righteousness before him, *

all the days of our life.

And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest, *

for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways;

To give knowledge of salvation unto his people *

for the remission of their sins,

Through the tender mercy of our God, *

whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us;

To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, *

and to guide our feet into the way of peace.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: *

as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

The Apostles’ Creed

Officiant and People together, all standing

ALL

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 power of 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.

ALL

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

The People stand or kneel

OFFICIANT

The Lord be with you.

PEOPLE

And also with you.

OFFICIANT

Let us pray.

OFFICIANT

The Lord be with you.

PEOPLE

And with thy spirit.

OFFICIANT

Let us pray.

ALL

Our Father in heaven,

hallowed be your Name,

your kingdom come,

your will be done,

on earth as in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread.

Forgive us our sins

as we forgive those

who sin against us.

Save us from the time of trial,

and deliver us from evil.

For the kingdom, the power,

and the glory are yours,

now and for ever. Amen.

ALL

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.

OFFICIANT

Show us your mercy, O Lord;

PEOPLE

And grant us your salvation.

OFFICIANT

Clothe your ministers with righteousness;

PEOPLE

Let your people sing with joy.

OFFICIANT

Give peace, O Lord, in all the world;

PEOPLE

For only in you can we live in safety.

OFFICIANT

Lord, keep this nation under your care;

PEOPLE

And guide us in the way of justice and truth.

OFFICIANT

Let your way be known upon earth;

PEOPLE

Your saving health among all nations.

OFFICIANT

Let not the needy, O Lord, be forgotten;

PEOPLE

Nor the hope of the poor be taken away.

OFFICIANT

Create in us clean hearts, O God;

PEOPLE

And sustain us with your Holy Spirit.

OFFICIANT

O Lord, show thy mercy upon us;

PEOPLE

And grant us thy salvation.

OFFICIANT

Endue thy ministers with righteousness;

PEOPLE

And make thy chosen people joyful.

OFFICIANT

Give peace, O Lord, in all the world;

PEOPLE

For only in thee can we live in safety.

OFFICIANT

Lord, keep this nation under thy care;

PEOPLE

And guide us in the way of justice and truth.

OFFICIANT

Let thy way be known upon earth;

PEOPLE

Thy saving health among all nations.

OFFICIANT

Let not the needy, O Lord, be forgotten;

PEOPLE

Nor the hope of the poor be taken away.

OFFICIANT

Create in us clean hearts, O God;

PEOPLE

And sustain us with thy Holy Spirit.

The Collect of the Day

Merciful God, who sent your messengers the prophets to preach repentance and prepare the way for our salvation: Give us grace to heed their warnings and forsake our sins, that we may greet with joy the coming of Jesus Christ our Redeemer; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Merciful God, who didst send thy messengers the prophets to preach repentance and prepare the way for our salvation: Give us grace to heed their warnings and forsake our sins, that we may greet with joy the coming of Jesus Christ our Redeemer; who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

A Collect for Grace

OFFICIANT

Lord God, almighty and everlasting Father, you have brought us in safety to this new day: Preserve us with your mighty power, that we may not fall into sin, nor be overcome by adversity; and in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

OFFICIANT

O Lord, our heavenly Father, almighty and everlasting God, who hast safely brought us to the beginning of this day: Defend us in the same with thy mighty power; and grant that this day we fall into no sin, neither run into any kind of danger; but that we, being ordered by thy governance, may do always what is righteous in thy sight; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

A Prayer for Mission

OFFICIANT

O God, you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth, and sent your blessed Son to preach peace to those who are far off and to those who are near: Grant that people everywhere may seek after you and find you; bring the nations into your fold; pour out your Spirit upon all flesh; and hasten the coming of your kingdom; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

OFFICIANT

O God, who hast made of one blood all the peoples of the earth, and didst send thy blessed Son to preach peace to those who are far off and to those who are near: Grant that people everywhere may seek after thee and find thee; bring the nations into thy fold; pour out thy Spirit upon all flesh; and hasten the coming of thy kingdom; through the same thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Here may be sung a hymn or anthem.

Authorized intercessions and thanksgivings may follow.

The General Thanksgiving

ALL

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.

ALL

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.

Dismissal

OFFICIANT

Let us bless the Lord.

PEOPLE

Thanks be to God.

OFFICIANT

Let us bless the Lord.

PEOPLE

Thanks be to God.

OFFICIANT

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.

OFFICIANT

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.

Text from the Book of Common Prayer (1979), The Episcopal Church.

The Psalter from the Book of Common Prayer (1979), The Episcopal Church.

Berean Standard Bible (BSB), public domain.

Why this Morning Prayer has these texts

The order is the same every day. Year Two of the lectionary appoints the psalms and lessons; the season, the weekday, and the app’s defaults choose the rest.

This explains the Contemporary (Rite II) office. Traditional (Rite I) has the same psalms and lessons, with traditional-language canticles from those Rite I allows (pp. 47 and 65).

Today’s parts in order, each sized by its word count.
Words in the office by how often they change
The same every day26%644 words
Follows the season or feast13%315 words
Follows the weekday, or rotates22%552 words
Appointed for the day by the lectionary40%1,002 words
Opening sentence
Mark 13:35, 36 A sentence for Advent, taken in turn.
Lord, open our lips
With “Alleluia,” as in every season but Lent.
Invitatory antiphon
Our King and Savior now draws near: Come, let us adore him. The antiphon appointed “in Advent.”
Invitatory psalm
Venite The usual invitatory psalm. The Jubilate may be used instead.
The Psalms
Psalm 38 Appointed for this day in Year Two.
The First Lesson
Amos 8:1-14 The day’s Old Testament reading, Year Two.
Canticle after the first lesson
The Third Song of Isaiah The table’s canticle for Wednesdays.
The Second Lesson
Matthew 23:1-12 The Gospel is read in the morning in Year Two.
Canticle after the second lesson
The Song of Zechariah The table’s canticle for Wednesdays.
The Collect of the Day
The Collect for Second Sunday of Advent The collect of the Sunday before, said through the week.
A collect for the day
A Collect for Grace The app’s collect for Wednesdays.
A prayer for mission
O God, you have made of one blood all the peoples of the… One of the three, taken in turn.
Dismissal
Without Alleluias, which are added only in Easter Season.

Praying the Psalter by the month instead? Day 8 of the 30-day Psalter appoints Psalms 38, 39, 40.

Every part of Morning Prayer, and the choices it allows

Every office, on your phone

Noonday Prayer, Evening Prayer, and Compline are in the app too.

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