Electric See Chapel
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September 2026

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The Chapel archive contains Daily Office readings and reflections that have already been delivered.

September 14, 2026

Morning Prayer

Holy Cross Day (Red)

Psalms: Psalm 71

King James Version

1 In thee, O LORD, do I put my trust: let me never be put to confusion. 2 Deliver me in thy righteousness, and cause me to escape: incline thine ear unto me, and save me. 3 Be thou my strong habitation, whereunto I may continually resort: thou hast given commandment to save me; for thou art my rock and my fortress. 4 Deliver me, O my God, out of the hand of the wicked, out of the hand of the unrighteous and cruel man. 5 For thou art my hope, O Lord GOD: thou art my trust from my youth. 6 By thee have I been holden up from the womb: thou art he that took me out of my mother’s bowels: my praise shall be continually of thee. 7 I am as a wonder unto many; but thou art my strong refuge. 8 Let my mouth be filled with thy praise and with thy honour all the day. 9 Cast me not off in the time of old age; forsake me not when my strength faileth. 10 For mine enemies speak against me; and they that lay wait for my soul take counsel together, 11 Saying, God hath forsaken him: persecute and take him; for there is none to deliver him. 12 O God, be not far from me: O my God, make haste for my help. 13 Let them be confounded and consumed that are adversaries to my soul; let them be covered with reproach and dishonour that seek my hurt. 14 But I will hope continually, and will yet praise thee more and more. 15 My mouth shall shew forth thy righteousness and thy salvation all the day; for I know not the numbers thereof. 16 I will go in the strength of the Lord GOD: I will make mention of thy righteousness, even of thine only. 17 O God, thou hast taught me from my youth: and hitherto have I declared thy wondrous works. 18 Now also when I am old and greyheaded, O God, forsake me not; until I have shewed thy strength unto this generation, and thy power to every one that is to come. 19 Thy righteousness also, O God, is very high, who hast done great things: O God, who is like unto thee! 20 Thou, which hast shewed me great and sore troubles, shalt quicken me again, and shalt bring me up again from the depths of the earth. 21 Thou shalt increase my greatness, and comfort me on every side. 22 I will also praise thee with the psaltery, even thy truth, O my God: unto thee will I sing with the harp, O thou Holy One of Israel. 23 My lips shall greatly rejoice when I sing unto thee; and my soul, which thou hast redeemed. 24 My tongue also shall talk of thy righteousness all the day long: for they are confounded, for they are brought unto shame, that seek my hurt.

First Lesson: Jeremiah 28

King James Version

1 And it came to pass the same year, in the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the fourth year, and in the fifth month, that Hananiah the son of Azur the prophet, which was of Gibeon, spake unto me in the house of the LORD, in the presence of the priests and of all the people, saying, 2 Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, saying, I have broken the yoke of the king of Babylon. 3 Within two full years will I bring again into this place all the vessels of the LORD’S house, that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon took away from this place, and carried them to Babylon: 4 And I will bring again to this place Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah, with all the captives of Judah, that went into Babylon, saith the LORD: for I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon. 5 Then the prophet Jeremiah said unto the prophet Hananiah in the presence of the priests, and in the presence of all the people that stood in the house of the LORD, 6 Even the prophet Jeremiah said, Amen: the LORD do so: the LORD perform thy words which thou hast prophesied, to bring again the vessels of the LORD’S house, and all that is carried away captive, from Babylon into this place. 7 Nevertheless hear thou now this word that I speak in thine ears, and in the ears of all the people; 8 The prophets that have been before me and before thee of old prophesied both against many countries, and against great kingdoms, of war, and of evil, and of pestilence. 9 The prophet which prophesieth of peace, when the word of the prophet shall come to pass, then shall the prophet be known, that the LORD hath truly sent him. 10 Then Hananiah the prophet took the yoke from off the prophet Jeremiah’s neck, and brake it. 11 And Hananiah spake in the presence of all the people, saying, Thus saith the LORD; Even so will I break the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon from the neck of all nations within the space of two full years. And the prophet Jeremiah went his way. 12 Then the word of the LORD came unto Jeremiah the prophet, after that Hananiah the prophet had broken the yoke from off the neck of the prophet Jeremiah, saying, 13 Go and tell Hananiah, saying, Thus saith the LORD; Thou hast broken the yokes of wood; but thou shalt make for them yokes of iron. 14 For thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; I have put a yoke of iron upon the neck of all these nations, that they may serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; and they shall serve him: and I have given him the beasts of the field also. 15 Then said the prophet Jeremiah unto Hananiah the prophet, Hear now, Hananiah; The LORD hath not sent thee; but thou makest this people to trust in a lie. 16 Therefore thus saith the LORD; Behold, I will cast thee from off the face of the earth: this year thou shalt die, because thou hast taught rebellion against the LORD. 17 So Hananiah the prophet died the same year in the seventh month.

Second Lesson: Ephesians 6:1-9

King James Version

1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. 2 Honour thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise;) 3 That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth. 4 And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. 5 Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ; 6 Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart; 7 With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men: 8 Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free. 9 And, ye masters, do the same things unto them, forbearing threatening: knowing that your Master also is in heaven; neither is there respect of persons with him.

Reflection

The Holy Cross is not merely a sign by which Christians identify themselves. It is the place where the truth about God, and the truth about ourselves, is revealed. At the cross we see the seriousness of sin, the cost of redemption, and the obedience of the Son who trusted his Father even unto death.

That truth is needed in the readings appointed today. Jeremiah stands before Hananiah, who offers the people a pleasing message: the yoke of Babylon will soon be broken, the sacred vessels will return, and all will be well within two years. Hananiah even makes his prophecy look convincing by breaking the wooden yoke from Jeremiah’s neck. It is a dramatic sign, and doubtless a welcome one. But it is not the word of the Lord.

Jeremiah’s answer is remarkably sober. He does not delight in contradicting a hopeful message. “Amen: the LORD do so,” he says. He would gladly see peace and restoration. But the prophet must not confuse what he wishes were true with what God has actually said. A promise is not made true merely because it is comforting.

The cross teaches us the same lesson. The Christian faith is not a religion of optimistic appearances. We do not proclaim that the world’s yokes are imaginary, or that suffering can be dismissed with a pleasant phrase. We proclaim that God has entered into the world’s sorrow in the person of Jesus Christ. The Son bears the true weight of sin, hatred, death, and judgment—and, bearing them, overcomes them.

The cross is therefore both an instrument of shame and the throne of glory. It tells us that salvation is not achieved by evading the truth, but by passing through it with God. The false prophet breaks a wooden yoke; the Lord takes upon himself the burden that no human being could bear. He does not save us by pretending that evil is harmless. He saves us by conquering it through sacrificial love and righteous obedience.

This is also the thread running through Saint Paul’s words to the Ephesians. “Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right.” Fathers are warned not to provoke their children, but to bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Those who serve are told to serve “as unto Christ”; and those who hold authority are reminded that they too have a Master in heaven, with whom there is “no respect of persons.”

The passage speaks into the ordered relationships of its own society, but it does not leave power unquestioned. Every earthly authority stands beneath the authority of Christ. No parent, master, employer, or office-holder is absolute. The cross judges every abuse of power, because the One who is Lord of all chose not to dominate, but to give himself for others. And the cross dignifies every humble act of faithful service, because work done “as to the Lord” is never unseen by him.

We should therefore be cautious of easy religious promises: promises that discipleship will remove every burden, that faith will spare us every trial, or that obedience to Christ will always make us admired. Jeremiah tells us to test such words. The psalmist gives us a sounder confidence: “In thee, O LORD, do I put my trust”; “thou art my strong habitation”; “I will hope continually, and will yet praise thee more and more.”

That is Christian hope—not the denial of trouble, but trust in God within it. The cross remains before us, not as a decoration only, but as the pattern of the Christian life: truth rather than illusion, obedience rather than self-will, service rather than self-display, and hope that rests upon the faithfulness of God.

Let us then glory in the Holy Cross of Christ. For there the world’s false promises are exposed, and there the true promise is fulfilled: that the crucified Lord is our refuge, our redeemer, and our everlasting hope.

Evening Prayer

Holy Cross Day (Red)

Psalms: Psalm 72

King James Version

1 Give the king thy judgments, O God, and thy righteousness unto the king’s son. 2 He shall judge thy people with righteousness, and thy poor with judgment. 3 The mountains shall bring peace to the people, and the little hills, by righteousness. 4 He shall judge the poor of the people, he shall save the children of the needy, and shall break in pieces the oppressor. 5 They shall fear thee as long as the sun and moon endure, throughout all generations. 6 He shall come down like rain upon the mown grass: as showers that water the earth. 7 In his days shall the righteous flourish; and abundance of peace so long as the moon endureth. 8 He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth. 9 They that dwell in the wilderness shall bow before him; and his enemies shall lick the dust. 10 The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall bring presents: the kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts. 11 Yea, all kings shall fall down before him: all nations shall serve him. 12 For he shall deliver the needy when he crieth; the poor also, and him that hath no helper. 13 He shall spare the poor and needy, and shall save the souls of the needy. 14 He shall redeem their soul from deceit and violence: and precious shall their blood be in his sight. 15 And he shall live, and to him shall be given of the gold of Sheba: prayer also shall be made for him continually; and daily shall he be praised. 16 There shall be an handful of corn in the earth upon the top of the mountains; the fruit thereof shall shake like Lebanon: and they of the city shall flourish like grass of the earth. 17 His name shall endure for ever: his name shall be continued as long as the sun: and men shall be blessed in him: all nations shall call him blessed. 18 Blessed be the LORD God, the God of Israel, who only doeth wondrous things. 19 And blessed be his glorious name for ever: and let the whole earth be filled with his glory; Amen, and Amen. 20 The prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended.

First Lesson: Jeremiah 29:1-20

King James Version

1 Now these are the words of the letter that Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem unto the residue of the elders which were carried away captives, and to the priests, and to the prophets, and to all the people whom Nebuchadnezzar had carried away captive from Jerusalem to Babylon; 2 (After that Jeconiah the king, and the queen, and the eunuchs, the princes of Judah and Jerusalem, and the carpenters, and the smiths, were departed from Jerusalem;) 3 By the hand of Elasah the son of Shaphan, and Gemariah the son of Hilkiah, (whom Zedekiah king of Judah sent unto Babylon to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon) saying, 4 Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, unto all that are carried away captives, whom I have caused to be carried away from Jerusalem unto Babylon; 5 Build ye houses, and dwell in them; and plant gardens, and eat the fruit of them; 6 Take ye wives, and beget sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons, and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters; that ye may be increased there, and not diminished. 7 And seek the peace of the city whither I have caused you to be carried away captives, and pray unto the LORD for it: for in the peace thereof shall ye have peace. 8 For thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Let not your prophets and your diviners, that be in the midst of you, deceive you, neither hearken to your dreams which ye cause to be dreamed. 9 For they prophesy falsely unto you in my name: I have not sent them, saith the LORD. 10 For thus saith the LORD, That after seventy years be accomplished at Babylon I will visit you, and perform my good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place. 11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. 12 Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. 13 And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart. 14 And I will be found of you, saith the LORD: and I will turn away your captivity, and I will gather you from all the nations, and from all the places whither I have driven you, saith the LORD; and I will bring you again into the place whence I caused you to be carried away captive. 15 Because ye have said, The LORD hath raised us up prophets in Babylon; 16 Know that thus saith the LORD of the king that sitteth upon the throne of David, and of all the people that dwelleth in this city, and of your brethren that are not gone forth with you into captivity; 17 Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Behold, I will send upon them the sword, the famine, and the pestilence, and will make them like vile figs, that cannot be eaten, they are so evil. 18 And I will persecute them with the sword, with the famine, and with the pestilence, and will deliver them to be removed to all the kingdoms of the earth, to be a curse, and an astonishment, and an hissing, and a reproach, among all the nations whither I have driven them: 19 Because they have not hearkened to my words, saith the LORD, which I sent unto them by my servants the prophets, rising up early and sending them; but ye would not hear, saith the LORD. 20 Hear ye therefore the word of the LORD, all ye of the captivity, whom I have sent from Jerusalem to Babylon:

Second Lesson: John 8:31-end

King James Version

31 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; 32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. 33 They answered him, We be Abraham’s seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free? 34 Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. 35 And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever. 36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed. 37 I know that ye are Abraham’s seed; but ye seek to kill me, because my word hath no place in you. 38 I speak that which I have seen with my Father: and ye do that which ye have seen with your father. 39 They answered and said unto him, Abraham is our father. Jesus saith unto them, If ye were Abraham’s children, ye would do the works of Abraham. 40 But now ye seek to kill me, a man that hath told you the truth, which I have heard of God: this did not Abraham. 41 Ye do the deeds of your father. Then said they to him, We be not born of fornication; we have one Father, even God. 42 Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me. 43 Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word. 44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. 45 And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not. 46 Which of you convinceth me of sin? And if I say the truth, why do ye not believe me? 47 He that is of God heareth God’s words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God. 48 Then answered the Jews, and said unto him, Say we not well that thou art a Samaritan, and hast a devil? 49 Jesus answered, I have not a devil; but I honour my Father, and ye do dishonour me. 50 And I seek not mine own glory: there is one that seeketh and judgeth. 51 Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death. 52 Then said the Jews unto him, Now we know that thou hast a devil. Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and thou sayest, If a man keep my saying, he shall never taste of death. 53 Art thou greater than our father Abraham, which is dead? and the prophets are dead: whom makest thou thyself? 54 Jesus answered, If I honour myself, my honour is nothing: it is my Father that honoureth me; of whom ye say, that he is your God: 55 Yet ye have not known him; but I know him: and if I should say, I know him not, I shall be a liar like unto you: but I know him, and keep his saying. 56 Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad. 57 Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham? 58 Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am. 59 Then took they up stones to cast at him: but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.

Reflection

The cross is not merely a sign of suffering, nor a religious ornament by which Christians identify themselves. It is the place where the truth about God, and the truth about ourselves, is made impossible to evade. On Holy Cross Day we are called to look upon Christ crucified and to ask what sort of freedom he gives, and what sort of discipleship he requires.

In the Gospel, our Lord says, “If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” We commonly welcome the last part of that sentence, but we are apt to neglect the first. Christian freedom does not mean the liberty to make ourselves the measure of all things. It does not mean freedom from command, or from responsibility, or from the uncomfortable judgement of God. It means freedom from the tyranny of sin; and that freedom is found by continuing in Christ’s word.

The people speaking with Jesus claimed freedom already. “We be Abraham’s seed, and were never in bondage to any man.” Their words were plainly contradicted by history, but more deeply by their hearts. They could imagine bondage only as something imposed from outside. Jesus speaks of a more searching bondage: “Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.” A man may appear independent and yet be governed by pride, resentment, appetite, fear, or the desire to be praised. He may insist that he is free precisely because he cannot bear to be told that he is enslaved.

The cross exposes this false freedom. There we see what human sin does: it rejects the truth, dishonours the Son, and attempts to silence him. Yet we also see what divine love does. The Son does not save us by pretending that sin is harmless. He saves us by bearing its judgement, breaking its power, and opening the Father’s house to those who could never claim it as their right. “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.”

That freedom is not a vague feeling of release. It is belonging to the Son. “The servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever.” The free man, in the Christian sense, is not the man who has no master, but the man who has been brought into the household of the Son and made secure there. To be Christ’s servant is better than to be sin’s servant while calling oneself one’s own master.

Jeremiah’s letter gives us a picture of faithful life in an unchosen place. The people of Judah had been carried into Babylon because they had not hearkened to the word of the Lord. Yet even in judgement, God did not abandon them. They were to build houses, plant gardens, marry, raise families, and “seek the peace of the city” where they lived. They were not to listen to false prophets promising an immediate escape. They were to trust the promise of God in the long obedience of ordinary days: “I know the thoughts that I think toward you, thoughts of peace, and not of evil.”

The cross teaches the same patience. God’s purposes are not measured by our preferred timetable. The way of salvation passes through apparent defeat, and the life of discipleship often passes through unremarkable faithfulness. We continue in Christ’s word. We pray. We labour honestly. We seek the good of those among whom God has placed us. We refuse the easy consolations of falsehood. We wait upon the Lord.

Psalm 72 sings of the king who judges with righteousness, delivers the needy, and whose dominion reaches to the ends of the earth. Its fullest meaning is found in Jesus Christ: the King whose throne is the cross, whose victory is hidden beneath suffering, and whose kingdom brings peace because it is founded upon righteousness. At the cross, the King does not crush the weak; he gives himself for them. He does not save by force; he redeems by love obedient unto death.

So let us not merely wear the sign of the cross. Let us live beneath it. Let us allow Christ’s word to correct our self-deceptions, to loosen sin’s grip, and to teach us the freedom of obedience. For the crucified King is also the risen Son, and those whom the Son makes free are free indeed.