Welcome to Morning Prayer

Welcome! Consider this your invitation to join our on-line morning prayer group. We gather every Tuesday and Thursday morning at 8:30 a.m. Central Time.

If you would like to join us, simply  go to our Zoom hangout at 8:30 am (Central Time) on Tuesday or Thursday. (You will have to download something the first time you use Zoom.) We are currently using the Morning Prayer Liturgy below.

For more information about me, please see my primary blog, Spacious Faith.

Thanks for stopping by,
Joanna

Advertisements

Morning Prayer Liturgy: October 2019

Call to Worship

This is the day that our God has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it!

  Glory be to the Creator, and to the Christ, and to the Holy Spirit.
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be. Amen.

Opening Psalm (Psalm 143: 1,5-11)

Hear my prayer, O God;
give ear to my supplications in your faithfulness;
answer me in your righteousness. . . .
I think about all your deeds,
I meditate on the works of your hands.
 I stretch out my hands to you;
my soul thirsts for you like a parched land.
  Answer me quickly, O God;
my spirit fails.
Do not hide your face from me,
or I shall be like those who go down to the Pit.
 Let me hear of your steadfast love in the morning,
for in you I put my trust.
Teach me the way I should go,
for to you I lift up my soul.
 Save me, O God, from my enemies;
I have fled to you for refuge.
 Teach me to do your will,
for you are my God.
Let your good spirit lead me
on a level path.
 For your name’s sake, O God, preserve my life.
In your righteousness bring me out of trouble.

Collect

Holy Wisdom, in your loving kindness you created and restored us when we were lost: inspire us with your truth, that we may love you with our whole minds and run to you with open hearts, through Christ our Savior. Amen. (source: Alcuin of York, Mass of Wisdom)

Scripture: Matthew 5:13-20

 “You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled under foot.

¹⁴ “You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. ¹⁵ No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. ¹⁶ In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Abba in heaven.

¹⁷ “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. ¹⁸ For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one letter, not one stroke of a letter, will pass from the law until all is accomplished.   ¹⁹ Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, will be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. ²⁰ For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the reign of heaven.

Silent and/or Spoken Reflections

Meditation

“Emily Dickinson put it best: “Instead of getting to heaven at last / I am going all along.” The Reign of God is being realized on earth as in heaven—step by step. We move on pilgrimage, which is both moving with God and toward God, trusting God on a path that is mysterious and unknown in advance. The mystery of the path means that we need to stay alert, for the Holy One may appear at any time, and at any place.”

–Tilden Edwards, Living in the Presence

Offering Our Prayers (God, in your mercy . . . hear our prayer.)

Canticle: Benedictus (The Song of Zechariah, Luke 1:68-79)

Blessed are you, God of Israel,
For you have come to your people and set them free.
You have raised up for us a mighty Savior,
Born of the house of your servant David.
Through your holy prophets you promised of old
To save us from our enemies, from the hands of all who hate us,
To show mercy to our forebears, and to remember your holy covenant.
This was the oath you swore to our ancestors:
To set us free from the hands of our enemies,
Free to worship you without fear, holy and righteous before you,
All the days of our life.
And you, child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High,
For you will go before God to prepare the way,
To give God’s 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.

Benediction (From John 14:27)

Jesus says to us: Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.

Morning Prayer Liturgy: September 2019

Call to Worship

We give you thanks, O God, we give you thanks, calling upon your Name and declaring all your wonderful deeds. (Psalm 75:1)

 Glory be to the Creator, and to the Christ, and to the Holy Spirit.
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be. Amen.

 Opening Psalm (Psalm 139:1-10)

O God, you have searched me and known me.
You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
you discern my thoughts from far away.
You search out my path and my lying down,
and are acquainted with all my ways.

 Even before a word is on my tongue,
O God, you know it completely.
 You hem me in, behind and before,
and lay your hand upon me.
 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
it is so high that I cannot attain it.

 Where can I go from your spirit?
Or where can I flee from your presence?
 If I ascend to heaven, you are there;
if I make my bed in Sheol, you are there.
 If I take the wings of the morning
and settle at the farthest limits of the sea,
 even there your hand shall lead me,
and your right hand shall hold me fast.

Collect

Loving Jesus: Protect and sustain us with your hand. Open the door of your love that, sealed with your wisdom, we may be free to serve you with joy. Amen. (a prayer of St. Gertrude)

Scripture: Matthew 4:1-11

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. ² He fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was famished. ³ The tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” ⁴ But he answered, “It is written,

‘One does not live by bread alone,
    but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

⁵ Then the devil took him to the holy city and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, ⁶ saying to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down; for it is written,

‘He will command his angels concerning you,’
    and ‘On their hands they will bear you up,
so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.’”

⁷ Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”

⁸ Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor; ⁹ and he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” ¹⁰ Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! for it is written,

‘Worship the Lord your God,
    and serve only him.’”

¹¹ Then the devil left him, and suddenly angels came and waited on him.

Silent and/or Spoken Reflections

Meditation

“I am deeply convinced that the Christian leader of the future is called to be completely irrelevant and to stand in the world with nothing to offer but his or her own vulnerable self. . . . The great message that we have to carry, as ministers of God’s Word and followers of Jesus, is that God loves us not because of what we do or accomplish, but because God has created and redeemed us in love and has chosen to proclaim that love as the true source of all human life. . . . The leaders of the future will be those who dare to claim their irrelevance in the contemporary world as divine vocation that allows them to enter into a deep solidarity with the anguish underlying all the glitter of success, and to bring the life of Jesus there.”

-Henri Nouwen (writing about the second temptation of Jesus)

Offering Our Prayers (God, in your mercy . . . hear our prayer.)

Canticle: A Song of Christ’s Goodness (Anselm of Canterbury)

Jesus, as a mother you gather your people to you;
you are gentle with us as a mother with her children.
Often you weep over our sins and our pride,
tenderly you draw us from hatred and judgment.
You comfort us in sorrow and bind up our wounds,
in sickness you nurse us and with pure milk you feed us.
Jesus, by your dying, we are born to new life;
by your anguish and labor we come forth in joy.
Despair turns to hope through your sweet goodness;
through your gentleness, we find comfort in fear.
Your warmth gives life to the dead,
your touch makes sinners righteous.
Lord Jesus, in your mercy, heal us;
in your love and tenderness, remake us.
In your compassion, bring grace and forgiveness,
for the beauty of heaven, may your love prepare us.

Benediction (From Ephesians 3:17-19)

I pray that you, being rooted and grounded in love,
may have power together with all the saints
to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ,
and to know this love that surpasses knowledge,
that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Amen.

Morning Prayer Liturgy

Call to Worship

O God, let us hear of your steadfast love in the morning
for in you we put our trust.
Teach us the way we should go,
for to you we lift up our souls.

 Glory be to the Creator, and to the Christ, and to the Holy Spirit.
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be. Amen.

Opening Psalm (63:1-8)

O God, you are my God; eagerly I seek you;
my soul thirsts for you, my flesh faints for you,
as in a barren and dry land where there is no water.
Therefore I have gazed upon you in your holy place,
that I might behold your power and your glory.
For your loving-kindness is better than life itself;
my lips shall give you praise.
So will I bless you as long as I live
and lift up my hands in your Name.
My soul is content, as with marrow and fatness,
and my mouth praises you with joyful lips,
When I remember you upon my bed,
and meditate on you in the night watches.
For you have been my helper,
and under the shadow of your wings I will rejoice.
My soul clings to you; your right hand holds me fast.

Collect

God our rock and refuge: keep us safe in your care and strengthen us with your grace, that we may pray to you faithfully and love one another boldly, following the example of Jesus, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives for ever and ever. Amen.
(source: Veronese Sacramentary)

Scripture

Matthew 2:13-18

¹³ Now after they had left, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.” ¹⁴ Then Joseph got up, took the child and his mother by night, and went to Egypt, ¹⁵ and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet, “Out of Egypt I have called my son.”

¹⁶ When Herod saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, he was infuriated, and he sent and killed all the children in and around Bethlehem who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had learned from the wise men.¹⁷ Then was fulfilled what had been spoken through the prophet Jeremiah:

¹⁸ “A voice was heard in Ramah,
    wailing and loud lamentation,
Rachel weeping for her children;
    she refused to be consoled, because they are no more.”

 

Silent and/or Spoken Reflections

 

Meditation

“Then came the march past the victims. The two men were no longer alive. . . . But the third rope was still moving: the child, too light, was still breathing…

Behind me, I heard the . . . man asking:
“For God’s sake, where is God?”
And from within me, I heard a voice answer:
“Where [God] is? This is where–hanging here from this gallows…”

― Elie Wiesel, Night

---

Offering Our Prayers (God, in your mercy . . . hear our prayer.)

Canticle: Magnificat (Luke 1: 46-55)

My soul magnifies the Lord,
 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for you have looked with favor on the lowliness of your servant.
Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
for you, O Mighty One, have done great things for me,
and holy is your name.
Your mercy is for those who fear you
from generation to generation.
You have shown strength with your arm;
you have scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.
You have brought down the powerful from their thrones,
and lifted up the lowly;
you have filled the hungry with good things,
and sent the rich away empty.
You have helped your servant Israel,
in remembrance of your mercy,
according to the promise you made to our ancestors,
to Abraham and Hagar and Sarah and to their descendants forever.

Benediction (source: from Saint Clare)

Live without fear: your Creator has made you holy, has always protected you, and loves you as a mother. Go in peace to follow the good road and may God’s blessing be with you always. Amen.

 

Morning Prayer Outline

Morning prayer liturgy parts taken from “God Our Mother: An Inclusive Morning Prayer Liturgy” by Christena Cleveland.

 

PRAISE

O God, let our mouth proclaim your praise.
And your glory all the day long.

Praise to the holy and undivided Trinity, one God: as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

The Holy One is in our midst.
O come let us worship.

SCRIPTURE

Reading from the week’s Lectionary scriptures

Time for silent and/or spoken reflection

PRAYER

Prayer offered by participant

Hear our cry, O God.
And listen to our prayer.
Let us pray.

PEOPLE OFFER THEIR OWN PRAYERS, SILENTLY OR ALOUD.
~Conclude spoken prayer with: God, in your mercy,
~We will respond: Hear our prayer.

CONCLUDING PRAYER:

Holy and everliving God,
by your power we are created
and by your love we are redeemed;
guide and strengthen us by your Spirit,
that we may give ourselves to your service
and live this day in love to one another and to you;
through Jesus Christ our Savior.
Amen.

November 29, 2018

Morning prayer liturgy adapted from “God Our Mother: An Inclusive Morning Prayer Liturgy” by Christena Cleveland.

 

OPENING SENTENCE

We give you thanks, O God, we give you thanks, calling upon your Name and declaring all your wonderful deeds. (Psalm 75:1)

______________________

PRAISE

O God, let our mouth proclaim your praise.
And your glory all the day long.

Praise to the holy and undivided Trinity, one God: as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

The Holy One is in our midst.
O come let us worship.

______________________

 

SCRIPTURE READINGS

Psalm 25:1-10

To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
O my God, in you I trust;
    do not let me be put to shame;
do not let my enemies exult over me.
Do not let those who wait for you be put to shame;
let them be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous.
Make me to know your ways, O Lord;
teach me your paths.
Lead me in your truth, and teach me,
for you are the God of my salvation;
for you I wait all day long.
Be mindful of your mercy, O God, and of your steadfast love,
    for they have been from of old.
Do not remember the sins of my youth or my transgressions;
according to your steadfast love remember me,
for your goodness’ sake, O God!
Good and upright are you;
    therefore you instruct sinners in the way.
You lead the humble in what is right,
and teach the humble your way.
All your paths are steadfast love and faithfulness,
    for those who keep your covenant and your decrees.

 Nehemiah 9:6-15; 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11

TIME FOR SILENT AND/OR SPOKEN REFLECTIONS

__________________________

PRAYERS

Hear our cry, O God.
And listen to our prayer.
Let us pray.

THE LORD’S PRAYER (CHOOSE ONE OF TWO):

The Lord’s Prayer (New Zealand Anglican Prayer Book)

Eternal Spirit, Earth-maker, Pain-bearer, Life-giver,
Source of all that is and that shall be, Father and Mother of us all,
Loving God, in whom is heaven:
The hallowing of your name echo through the universe!
The way of your justice be followed by the peoples of the world!
Your heavenly will be done by all created beings!
Your commonwealth of peace and freedom sustain our hope and come on earth.
With the bread we need for today, feed us.
In the hurts we absorb from one another, forgive us.
In times of temptation and test, strengthen us.
From trials too great to endure, spare us.
From the grip of all that is evil, free us.
For you reign in the glory of the power that is love, now and forever.
Amen.

 

PEOPLE OFFER THEIR OWN PRAYERS, SILENTLY OR ALOUD.

~Conclude spoken prayer with: God, in your mercy,
~We will respond: Hear our prayer.

CONCLUDING PRAYER:

Holy and everliving God,
by your power we are created
and by your love we are redeemed;
guide and strengthen us by your Spirit,
that we may give ourselves to your service
and live this day in love to one another and to you;
through Jesus Christ our Savior.
Amen.

November 27, 2018

Morning prayer liturgy adapted from “God Our Mother: An Inclusive Morning Prayer Liturgy” by Christena Cleveland.

OPENING SENTENCE

We give you thanks, O God, we give you thanks, calling upon your Name and declaring all your wonderful deeds. (Psalm 75:1)

______________________

PRAISE

O God, let our mouth proclaim your praise.
And your glory all the day long.

Praise to the holy and undivided Trinity, one God: as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

The Holy One is in our midst.
O come let us worship.

______________________

SCRIPTURE READINGS

Psalm 63:1-8

O God, you are my God, I seek you,
my soul thirsts for you;
my flesh faints for you,
as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.
So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary,
beholding your power and glory.
Because your steadfast love is better than life,
my lips will praise you.
So I will bless you as long as I live;
I will lift up my hands and call on your name.
My soul is satisfied as with a rich feast,
and my mouth praises you with joyful lips
when I think of you on my bed,
and meditate on you in the watches of the night;
for you have been my help,
and in the shadow of your wings I sing for joy.
My soul clings to you;
your right hand upholds me.

1 Samuel 17:55-18:5; Revelation 11:15-19

TIME FOR SILENT AND/OR SPOKEN REFLECTIONS

__________________________

PRAYERS

Hear our cry, O God.
And listen to our prayer.
Let us pray.

THE LORD’S PRAYER By Parker Palmer

Heavenly Father, heavenly Mother,
Holy and blessed is your true name.
We pray for your reign of peace to come,
We pray that your good will be done,
Let heaven and earth become one.
Give us this day the bread we need,
Give it to those who have none.
Let forgiveness flow like a river between us,
From each one to each one.
Lead us to holy innocence
Beyond the evil of our days —
Come swiftly Mother, Father, come.
For yours is the power and the glory and the mercy:
Forever your name is All in One.

PEOPLE OFFER THEIR OWN PRAYERS, SILENTLY OR ALOUD.

~Conclude spoken prayer with: God, in your mercy,
~We will respond: Hear our prayer.

CONCLUDING PRAYER:

Holy and everliving God,
by your power we are created
and by your love we are redeemed;
guide and strengthen us by your Spirit,
that we may give ourselves to your service
and live this day in love to one another and to you; through Jesus Christ our Savior.
Amen.

November 20, 2018

Morning prayer liturgy adapted from “God Our Mother: An Inclusive Morning Prayer Liturgy” by Christena Cleveland.

OPENING SENTENCE

We give you thanks, O God, we give you thanks, calling upon your Name and declaring all your wonderful deeds. (Psalm 75:1)

______________________

PRAISE

O God, let our mouth proclaim your praise.
And your glory all the day long.

Praise to the holy and undivided Trinity, one God: as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

The Holy One is in our midst.
O come let us worship.

______________________

 

SCRIPTURE READINGS AND CANTICLES

Psalm 13

How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face from me?
 How long must I bear pain in my soul,
and have sorrow in my heart all day long?
How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?
Consider and answer me, O Lord my God!
Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep the sleep of death,
 and my enemy will say, “I have prevailed”;
my foes will rejoice because I am shaken.
 But I trusted in your steadfast love;
    my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.
I will sing to the Lord,
because God has dealt bountifully with me.

Daniel 8:15-27; Hebrews 10:32-39

TIME FOR SILENT AND/OR SPOKEN REFLECTIONS

__________________________

PRAYERS

Hear our cry, O God.
And listen to our prayer.
Let us pray.

THE LORD’S PRAYER (New Zealand Anglican Prayer Book)

 Eternal Spirit, Earth-maker, Pain-bearer, Life-giver,
Source of all that is and that shall be, Father and Mother of us all,
Loving God, in whom is heaven:
The hallowing of your name echo through the universe!
The way of your justice be followed by the peoples of the world!
Your heavenly will be done by all created beings!
Your commonwealth of peace and freedom sustain our hope and come on earth.
With the bread we need for today, feed us.
In the hurts we absorb from one another, forgive us.
In times of temptation and test, strengthen us.
From trials too great to endure, spare us.
From the grip of all that is evil, free us.
For you reign in the glory of the power that is love, now and forever.
Amen.

PEOPLE OFFER THEIR OWN PRAYERS, SILENTLY OR ALOUD.

~Conclude spoken prayer with: God, in your mercy,
~We will respond: Hear our prayer.

CONCLUDING PRAYER:

Holy and everliving God,
by your power we are created
and by your love we are redeemed;
guide and strengthen us by your Spirit,
that we may give ourselves to your service
and live this day in love to one another and to you;
through Jesus Christ our Savior.
Amen.