St. John's
Morning Prayer, Rite II (Sunday, April 18, 2021)
The Prelude: Berceuse, Vierne
The Entrance Hymn: Trust and Obey, Daniel B. Towner
Welcome
The Confession
Dearly beloved, we have come together in the presence of Almighty God our heavenly Father, to set forth his praise, to hear his holy Word, and to ask, for ourselves and on behalf of others, those things that are necessary for our life and our salvation. And so that we may prepare ourselves in heart and mind to worship him, let us be in silence, and with penitent and obedient hearts confess our sins, that we may obtain forgiveness by his infinite goodness and mercy.
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 neighbours 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.
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
The Invitatory and Psalter
Lord, open our lips.
And our mouth shall proclaim your praise. 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 Venite: Psalm 95: 1-7
The earth is the Lord’s for he made it: Come let us adore him. Alleluia.
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!
The Jubilate: Psalm 100
Be joyful in the Lord, all you lands; *
serve the Lord with gladness and come before his presence with a song.
Know this: The Lord himself is God; *
he himself has made us, and we are his; we are his people and the sheep of his pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise; *
give thanks to him and call upon his Name.
For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; *
and his faithfulness endures from age to age.
The Appointed Psalm and lessons
The Psalm 148, 149 150, (responsively)
1 Hallelujah! Praise the LORD from the heavens; * praise him in the heights.
2 Praise him, all you angels of his; * praise him, all his host.
3 Praise him, sun and moon; * praise him, all you shining stars.
4 Praise him, heaven of heavens, * and you waters above the heavens.
5 Let them praise the Name of the LORD; * for he commanded, and they were created.
6 He made them stand fast for ever and ever; *
he gave them a law which shall not pass away.
7 Praise the LORD from the earth, * you sea-monsters and all deeps;
8 Fire and hail, snow and fog, * tempestuous wind, doing his will;
9 Mountains and all hills, * fruit trees and all cedars;
10 Wild beasts and all cattle, * creeping things and wingèd birds;
11 Kings of the earth and all peoples, * princes and all rulers of the world;
12 Young men and maidens, * old and young together.
13 Let them praise the Name of the LORD, *
for his Name only is exalted, his splendour is over earth and heaven.
14 He has raised up strength for his people and praise for all his loyal servants,*
the children of Israel, a people who are near him. Hallelujah!
1 Hallelujah! Sing to the LORD a new song; *
sing his praise in the congregation of the faithful.
2 Let Israel rejoice in his Maker; * let the children of Zion be joyful in their King.
3 Let them praise his Name in the dance; *
let them sing praise to him with timbrel and harp.
4 For the LORD takes pleasure in his people * and adorns the poor with victory.
5 Let the faithful rejoice in triumph; * let them be joyful on their beds.
6 Let the praises of God be in their throat * and a two-edged sword in their hand;
7 To wreak vengeance on the nations * and punishment on the peoples;
8 To bind their kings in chains * and their nobles with links of iron;
9 To inflict on them the judgment decreed; *
this is glory for all his faithful people. Hallelujah!
1 Hallelujah! Praise God in his holy temple; * praise him in the firmament of his power.
2 Praise him for his mighty acts; * praise him for his excellent greatness.
3 Praise him with the blast of the ram's horn; * Praise him with lyre and harp.
4 Praise him with timbrel and dance; * praise him with strings and pipe.
5 Praise him with resounding cymbals; * praise him with loud-clanging cymbals.
6 Let everything that has breath * praise the Lord. Hallelujah!
Glory to The Father and to The Son and to The Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now and will be forever. Amen.
The First Lesson: Daniel 4: 1-18
King Nebuchadnezzar to all peoples, nations, and languages that live throughout the earth: May you have abundant prosperity! The signs and wonders that the Most High God has worked for me I am pleased to recount. How great are his signs, how mighty his wonders! His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and his sovereignty is from generation to generation. I, Nebuchadnezzar, was living at ease in my home and prospering in my palace. I saw a dream that frightened me; my fantasies in bed and the visions of my head terrified me. So I made a decree that all the wise men of Babylon should be brought before me, in order that they might tell me the interpretation of the dream. Then the magicians, the enchanters, the Chaldeans, and the diviners came in, and I told them the dream, but they could not tell me its interpretation. At last Daniel came in before me-- he who was named Belteshazzar after the name of my god, and who is endowed with a spirit of the holy gods-- and I told him the dream: "O Belteshazzar, chief of the magicians, I know that you are endowed with a spirit of the holy gods and that no mystery is too difficult for you. Hear the dream that I saw; tell me its interpretation. Upon my bed this is what I saw; there was a tree at the centre of the earth, and its height was great. The tree grew great and strong, its top reached to heaven, and it was visible to the ends of the whole earth. Its foliage was beautiful, its fruit abundant, and it provided food for all. The animals of the field found shade under it, the birds of the air nested in its branches, and from it all living beings were fed. "I continued looking, in the visions of my head as I lay in bed, and there was a holy watcher, coming down from heaven. He cried aloud and said: 'Cut down the tree and chop off its branches, strip off its foliage and scatter its fruit. Let the animals flee from beneath it and the birds from its branches. But leave its stump and roots in the ground, with a band of iron and bronze, in the tender grass of the field. Let him be bathed with the dew of heaven, and let his lot be with the animals of the field in the grass of the earth. Let his mind be changed from that of a human, and let the mind of an animal be given to him. And let seven times pass over him. The sentence is rendered by decree of the watchers, the decision is given by order of the holy ones, in order that all who live may know that the Most High is sovereign over the kingdom of mortals; he gives it to whom he will and sets over it the lowliest of human beings.' "This is the dream that I, King Nebuchadnezzar, saw. Now you, Belteshazzar, declare the interpretation since all the wise men of my kingdom are unable to tell me the interpretation. You are able, however, for you are endowed with a spirit of the holy gods."
The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Canticle 9: The First Song of Isaiah: Ecce, Deus, Isaiah 12 :2-6
Surely, it is God who saves me; * I will trust in him and not be afraid.
For the Lord is my stronghold and my sure defense, * and he will be my Savior.
Therefore you shall draw water with rejoicing * from the springs of salvation.
And on that day you shall say, * Give thanks to the Lord and call upon his Name;
Make his deeds known among the peoples; *
see that they remember that his Name is exalted.
Sing the praises of the Lord, for he has done great things, *
and this is known in all the world.
Cry aloud, inhabitants of Zion, ring out your joy, *
for the great one in the midst of you is the Holy One of Israel.
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 Second Reading: Peter 4: 7-11
The end of all things is near; therefore be serious and discipline yourselves for the sake of your prayers. Above all, maintain constant love for one another, for love covers a multitude of sins. Be hospitable to one another without complaining. Like good stewards of the manifold grace of God, serve one another with whatever gift each of you has received. Whoever speaks must do so as one speaking the very words of God; whoever serves must do so with the strength that God supplies, so that God may be glorified in all things through Jesus Christ. To him belong the glory and the power forever and ever.
The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
The Song of Mary Magnificat, Luke 1:46-55
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, my spirit rejoices in God my Savior; *
for he has looked with favour on his lowly servant.
From this day all generations will call me blessed: *
the Almighty has done great things for me, and holy is his Name.
He has mercy on those who fear him * in every generation.
He has shown the strength of his arm, *
he has scattered the proud in their conceit.
He has cast down the mighty from their thrones, * and has lifted up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things, * and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has come to the help of his servant Israel, *
for he has remembered his promise of mercy,
The promise he made to our fathers, * to Abraham and his children for ever.
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 Third Reading: John 21: 15-25
When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?’ He said to him, ‘Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Feed my lambs.’ A second time he said to him, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me?’ He said to him, ‘Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Tend my sheep.’ He said to him the third time, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me?’ Peter felt hurt because he said to him the third time, ‘Do you love me?’ And he said to him, ‘Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Feed my sheep. Very truly, I tell you, when you were younger, you used to fasten your own belt and to go wherever you wished. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will fasten a belt around you and take you where you do not wish to go.’ (He said this to indicate the kind of death by which he would glorify God.) After this he said to him, ‘Follow me.’
Peter turned and saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them; he was the one who had reclined next to Jesus at the supper and had said, ‘Lord, who is it that is going to betray you?’ When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, ‘Lord, what about