Morning Prayer, the Tuesday after First Sunday in Lent — March 7, 2017

Opening

O Lord, open my lips,
and my 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 forever. Amen.

Invitatory

The Sun of righteousness will arise with healing in his wings.
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 32:7-11

You are my hiding-place; you preserve me from trouble;
you surround me with shouts of deliverance.
“I will instruct you and teach you in the way that you should go;
I will guide you with my eye.
Do not be like horse or mule, which have no understanding;
who must be fitted with bit and bridle, or else they will not stay near you.”
Great are the tribulations of the wicked;
but mercy embraces those who trust in the Lord.
Be glad, you righteous, and rejoice in the Lord;
shout for joy, all who are true of heart.

Lord God, our strength, the struggle between good and evil rages within and around us, and the devil and all the forces that defy you tempt us with empty promises. Keep us steadfast in your word, and when we fall, raise us again and restore us 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 “Tree of Life and Awesome Mystery”  (ELW 334)

1    Tree of Life and awesome mystery,
in your death we are reborn;
though you die in all of hist'ry,
still you rise with every morn,
still you rise with every morn.

2    We remember truth once spoken,
love passed on through act and word;
every person lost and broken
wears the body of our Lord,
wears the body of our Lord.

3    Christ, you lead and we shall follow,
stumbling though our steps may be;
one with you in joy and sorrow,
we the river, you the sea,
we the river, you the sea.

4    From the dawning of creation
you have loved us as your own;
stay with us through all temptation,
make us turn to you alone.
make us turn to you alone.

Genesis 4:1-16

Now the man knew his wife Eve, and she conceived and bore Cain, saying, "I have produced a man with the help of the LORD." Next she bore his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, and Cain a tiller of the ground. In the course of time Cain brought to the LORD an offering of the fruit of the ground, and Abel for his part brought of the firstlings of his flock, their fat portions. And the LORD had regard for Abel and his offering, but for Cain and his offering he had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell. The LORD said to Cain, "Why are you angry, and why has your countenance fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is lurking at the door; its desire is for you, but you must master it.” Cain said to his brother Abel, "Let us go out to the field." And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel, and killed him. Then the LORD said to Cain, "Where is your brother Abel?" He said, "I do not know; am I my brother's keeper?" And the LORD said, "What have you done? Listen; your brother's blood is crying out to me from the ground! And now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand. When you till the ground, it will no longer yield to you its strength; you will be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth." Cain said to the LORD, "My punishment is greater than I can bear! Today you have driven me away from the soil, and I shall be hidden from your face; I shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth, and anyone who meets me may kill me." Then the LORD said to him, "Not so! Whoever kills Cain will suffer a sevenfold vengeance." And the LORD put a mark on Cain, so that no one who came upon him would kill him. Then Cain went away from the presence of the LORD, and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden.

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

Reflection  “Here On Earth,” by Dierks Bentley

Standing here on this cold ground
Tears falling down in the dirt
This world keeps spinning round and round but
You're lying still in the earth

Don't wanna swim in this darkness
Drown in a whiskey sea
But there's no making sense of the senseless while this
Pain is killing me

There's not a stone in my heart I've left unturned
Not a piece of my soul that I ain't searched
The only answer I found for all this hurt
Is there ain't no answer here on earth

I ain't the best of believers
Ain't at the front of the church
I've read the words of the teacher but I
Still struggle with what it's all worth cause

There's not a stone in my heart I've left unturned
Not a piece of my soul that I ain't searched
The only answer I found for all this hurt
Is there ain't no answer here on earth

I wish that I could be stronger
I wanna have that kind of faith
But even if I did, I still wonder cause
Nothing would change

You're gone, you're gone, you're gone, you're gone, you're gone, mhmm
Cause you're gone, you're gone, you're gone, you're gone, you're gone, mhmm
Please, help me believe
I'm on my knees
Help me believe

There's not a stone in my heart I've left unturned
Not a piece of my soul that I ain't searched
The only answer I found for all this hurt
Is there ain't no answers here on earth
Down here on earth
There's no answers here on earth
Here on earth

Scriptural Dialogue

One does not live by bread alone,
but by every word that comes from the mouth of God. (Matt. 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. “Tree of Life and Awesome Mystery” (ELW 334) Text: Marty Haugen © 1984 GIA Publications, Inc. “Here On Earth,” written by Ryan Tyndell, Dierks Bentley, Ross Copperman 2014 (Capitol Nashville)