Morning Prayer, Second Sunday in Lent — March 12, 2017

Opening

O Lord, open my lips,
     and my mouth shall proclaim your praise. (Psalm 51:15)
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.

Invitatory

The Sun of righteousness will arise with healing in his wings. (Malachi 4:2)
Oh, come, let us worship and praise.

Psalm 95:1-7

Come, let us sing to the Lord:
     let us shout for joy to the rock of our salvation.
Let us come before God’s presence with thanksgiving
     and raise a loud shout to the Lord with psalms.
For you, Lord, are a great God,
     and a great ruler above all gods.
Come, let us sing to the Lord:
     let us shout for joy to the rock of our salvation.
In your hand are the caverns of the earth;
     the heights of the hills are also yours.
The sea is yours, for you made it;
     and your hands have molded the dry land.
Come, let us sing to the Lord:
     let us shout for joy to the rock of our salvation.
Come, let us worship and bow down;
     let us kneel before the Lord our maker.
For the Lord is our God,
and we are the people of God’s pasture
and the sheep of God’s hand.
Come, let us sing to the Lord:
     let us shout for joy to the rock of our salvation.

Invitatory

The Sun of righteousness will arise with healing in his wings.
Oh, come, let us worship and praise.

Psalm 121:4-8

Behold, the keeper of Israel
     will neither slumber nor sleep;
the Lord watches over you;
     the Lord is your shade at your right hand;
the sun will not strike you by day,
     nor the moon by night.
The Lord will preserve you from all evil
     and will keep your life.
The Lord will watch over your going out and your coming in,
     from this time forth forevermore.

O God, our leader and guide, in the waters of baptism you bring us to new birth to live as your children. Strengthen our faith in your promises, that by your Spirit we may lift up your life to all the world through your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Song “O Living Breath of God” (ELW 407)

1  O living Breath of God, wind at the beginning upon the waters;
    O living Breath of God, bearing the creation to wondrous birth;
   
2  O living Breath of God, by whose pow'r the Son came to birth among us;
    O living Breath of God, who to the creation gives life a new;

3  O living Breath of God, bearing us to life through baptismal waters;
    O living Breath of God, sighing with creation for freedom's birth;

Refrain
    Come now, and fill our spirits; pour out your gifts abundant.
    O living Breath of God, Holy Spirit, breathe in us as we pray.

Romans 4:1-5, 13-17
In the person and example of Abraham we discover that a right relationship with God does not involve earning a reward from God but entails trusting God’s promises. Abraham is the forebear and model for both Jews and Gentiles, because we too trust that ours is a God who gives life to the dead.

What are we to say was gained by Abraham, our ancestor according to the flesh? For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. For what does the scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness.” Now to one who works, wages are not reckoned as a gift but as something due. But to one who without works trusts God who justifies the ungodly, such faith is reckoned as righteousness.

For the promise that he would inherit the world did not come to Abraham or to his descendants through the law but through the righteousness of faith. If it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. For the law brings wrath; but where there is no law, neither is there violation. For this reason it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all Abraham’s descendants, not only to the adherents of the law but also to those who share the faith of Abraham (for he is the father of all of us, as it is written, “I have made you the father of many nations”)—in the presence of the God in whom Abraham believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist.

Word of God, word of life. Thanks be to God.

Reflection  “The Way you Believe in me,” Lauren Redpath

Jesus,
its the way you believe in me (hmm)
when i am lost
when i’m afraid
your love will save me
you never turn me away
when i am down
when i am out
you wrap me in your arms
and i know what it’s about

it’s about your love
it’s about your grace
it’s the way you see in me
like nobody does
it’s about your love
it’s about your faith
the way you believe in me
Jesus.

believe in me
believe in me (the way you believe)
believe in me

when the world
has turned on me
your Holy Spirit
has set me free.
and there will be
mountains to climb
but with every step I take
you bring me higher

it’s about your love
it’s about your grace
it’s the way you see in me
like nobody does
it’s about your love
it’s about your faith
the way you believe in me
Jesus.

believe in me
believe in me (the way you believe)
believe in me, oh

it’s about your love (your love for me)
it’s about your grace (the way you see)
it’s the way you see in me
like nobody does
it’s about your love (your faith in me)
it’s about your faith (the way)
the way you believe in me

it’s about your love (your love for me)
it’s about your grace (the way you see)
it’s the way you see in me
like nobody does
it’s about your love (your faith in me)
it’s about your faith (the way you believe)
the way you believe in me
Jesus

believe in me (it’s about your grace)
believe in me (it’s the way you believe)
in me, you believe,
it’s the way you believe (it’s about your love)
the way you believe (it’s about your faith)
the way you believe
Jesus

Scriptural Dialogue

One does not live by bread alone,
     but by every word that comes from the mouth of God. (Matthew 4:4)

Gospel Canticle “Song of Zechariah”

In the tender compassion of our God
     the dawn from on high shall break upon us.

Blessed are you, Lord, the God of Israel,
     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.
In the tender compassion of our God
     the dawn from on high shall break upon us.

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 father Abraham:
     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.
In the tender compassion of our God
     the dawn from on high shall break upon us.

And you, child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High,
     for you will go before the Lord 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.
In the tender compassion of our God
     the dawn from on high shall break upon us.

Prayers

The Lord be with you. And also with you.
Let us pray. We give thanks to you, heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ your dear Son, that you have protected us through the night from all harm and danger. We ask that you would also protect us today from sin and all evil, so that our life and actions may please you. Into your hands we commend ourselves: our bodies, our souls, and all that is ours. Let your holy angels be with us, so that the wicked foe may have no power over us. Amen.

Lord’s Prayer

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 forever. Amen.

Blessing

May God who has called us forth from the dust of the earth, and claimed us as children of the light, strengthen you on your journey into life renewed. The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord’s face shine upon you with grace and mercy. The Lord look upon you with favor
and give you + peace. Amen.

A greeting of peace may be shared by all.

Copyright © 2017 Augsburg Fortress. All rights reserved. Reprinted by permission under Augsburg Fortress Liturgies Annual License #SAS011448. New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. “O Living Breath of God” (ELW 407) Text: Osvaldo Catena, tr. Gerhard M. Cartford, © 1998 Augsburg Fortress. “The Way you Believe in me,” Lauren Redpath, from album “New” (2006) © 2005 Lauren Redpath.