Electric See Chapel
←

September 2026

→

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

September 18, 2026

Morning Prayer

Autumn Ember Friday - Day of Solemn Prayer (Violet); Day of Abstinence

Psalms: Psalm 119, Pts 14, 15

King James Version

105 Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. 106 I have sworn, and I will perform it, that I will keep thy righteous judgments. 107 I am afflicted very much: quicken me, O LORD, according unto thy word. 108 Accept, I beseech thee, the freewill offerings of my mouth, O LORD, and teach me thy judgments. 109 My soul is continually in my hand: yet do I not forget thy law. 110 The wicked have laid a snare for me: yet I erred not from thy precepts. 111 Thy testimonies have I taken as an heritage for ever: for they are the rejoicing of my heart. 112 I have inclined mine heart to perform thy statutes alway, even unto the end. 113 I hate vain thoughts: but thy law do I love. 114 Thou art my hiding place and my shield: I hope in thy word. 115 Depart from me, ye evildoers: for I will keep the commandments of my God. 116 Uphold me according unto thy word, that I may live: and let me not be ashamed of my hope. 117 Hold thou me up, and I shall be safe: and I will have respect unto thy statutes continually. 118 Thou hast trodden down all them that err from thy statutes: for their deceit is falsehood. 119 Thou puttest away all the wicked of the earth like dross: therefore I love thy testimonies. 120 My flesh trembleth for fear of thee; and I am afraid of thy judgments.

First Lesson: Jeremiah 37

King James Version

1 And king Zedekiah the son of Josiah reigned instead of Coniah the son of Jehoiakim, whom Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon made king in the land of Judah. 2 But neither he, nor his servants, nor the people of the land, did hearken unto the words of the LORD, which he spake by the prophet Jeremiah. 3 And Zedekiah the king sent Jehucal the son of Shelemiah and Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah the priest to the prophet Jeremiah, saying, Pray now unto the LORD our God for us. 4 Now Jeremiah came in and went out among the people: for they had not put him into prison. 5 Then Pharaoh’s army was come forth out of Egypt: and when the Chaldeans that besieged Jerusalem heard tidings of them, they departed from Jerusalem. 6 Then came the word of the LORD unto the prophet Jeremiah, saying, 7 Thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel; Thus shall ye say to the king of Judah, that sent you unto me to enquire of me; Behold, Pharaoh’s army, which is come forth to help you, shall return to Egypt into their own land. 8 And the Chaldeans shall come again, and fight against this city, and take it, and burn it with fire. 9 Thus saith the LORD; Deceive not yourselves, saying, The Chaldeans shall surely depart from us: for they shall not depart. 10 For though ye had smitten the whole army of the Chaldeans that fight against you, and there remained but wounded men among them, yet should they rise up every man in his tent, and burn this city with fire. 11 And it came to pass, that when the army of the Chaldeans was broken up from Jerusalem for fear of Pharaoh’s army, 12 Then Jeremiah went forth out of Jerusalem to go into the land of Benjamin, to separate himself thence in the midst of the people. 13 And when he was in the gate of Benjamin, a captain of the ward was there, whose name was Irijah, the son of Shelemiah, the son of Hananiah; and he took Jeremiah the prophet, saying, Thou fallest away to the Chaldeans. 14 Then said Jeremiah, It is false; I fall not away to the Chaldeans. But he hearkened not to him: so Irijah took Jeremiah, and brought him to the princes. 15 Wherefore the princes were wroth with Jeremiah, and smote him, and put him in prison in the house of Jonathan the scribe: for they had made that the prison. 16 When Jeremiah was entered into the dungeon, and into the cabins, and Jeremiah had remained there many days; 17 Then Zedekiah the king sent, and took him out: and the king asked him secretly in his house, and said, Is there any word from the LORD? And Jeremiah said, There is: for, said he, thou shalt be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon. 18 Moreover Jeremiah said unto king Zedekiah, What have I offended against thee, or against thy servants, or against this people, that ye have put me in prison? 19 Where are now your prophets which prophesied unto you, saying, The king of Babylon shall not come against you, nor against this land? 20 Therefore hear now, I pray thee, O my lord the king: let my supplication, I pray thee, be accepted before thee; that thou cause me not to return to the house of Jonathan the scribe, lest I die there. 21 Then Zedekiah the king commanded that they should commit Jeremiah into the court of the prison, and that they should give him daily a piece of bread out of the bakers street, until all the bread in the city were spent. Thus Jeremiah remained in the court of the prison.

Second Lesson: Philippians 2:1-11

King James Version

1 If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies, 2 Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. 3 Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. 4 Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. 5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: 7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: 8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. 9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: 10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Reflection

“Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” It is a familiar verse, but the surrounding psalm makes plain what sort of light God’s word gives. It is not merely a comforting glow by which we may continue on our chosen way. It is a light that shows us where we are, warns us of danger, exposes the snare, and teaches us the path on which we must actually walk.

That is the difficulty in Jeremiah 37. King Zedekiah sends to the prophet with a religious request: “Pray now unto the LORD our God for us.” Yet neither the king nor his servants nor the people had hearkened to the word of the Lord. They wished for prayer, but not for obedience; for deliverance, but not for repentance; for a favourable answer, but not for the truth.

When the Chaldean army temporarily withdraws, they seize upon the event as grounds for hope. Perhaps the danger has passed. Perhaps the comforting prophets were right after all. But the Lord says, “Deceive not yourselves.” The withdrawal of the enemy is not the same as the removal of judgement. Circumstances can change without the heart being changed.

That warning is needful for us. Prayer is not a way of persuading God to bless the plans we have already made. Nor is abstinence a religious token by which we purchase his favour. On this Ember Friday, as we practise self-denial and offer our prayers, we are not bargaining with heaven. We are placing ourselves beneath the searching light of God’s word. We ask not only, “Lord, remove this trouble,” but also, “Lord, show me what in me must be corrected; teach me thy judgments; incline my heart to perform thy statutes.”

Jeremiah himself suffers for speaking the truth. He is accused falsely, beaten, and confined. Even when the king consults him secretly, he does not soften the message in order to save himself. “There is” a word from the Lord, he says—and it is not the word Zedekiah wants. The true prophet is not the man who tells us what we should like to hear, but the man who remains under the authority of God’s word.

Yet the centre of today’s readings is not Jeremiah’s courage, nor even the psalmist’s resolution. It is Christ Jesus. Saint Paul says, “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.” He who was “in the form of God” made himself of no reputation, took the form of a servant, and humbled himself unto death, even the death of the cross.

Here is the obedience which Israel failed to give and which we so often withhold. Our Lord did not merely speak of submission to the Father’s will; he enacted it, in poverty, suffering, and the cross. His humility was not weakness, nor was it a decorative virtue. It was the holy shape of his love. He did not grasp at his rights, but gave himself for sinners. Therefore God has highly exalted him, and given him the name above every name.

The Christian life, then, is not an attempt to persuade God to accommodate himself to us. It is the gradual receiving of the mind of Christ. We learn to pray truthfully, to repent sincerely, to serve quietly, and to consider the good of others rather than our own advantage. We learn to distinguish God’s promises from the false assurances by which we deceive ourselves.

And there is comfort here. The Lord who commands us to walk in the light does not abandon us when we are afflicted. The psalmist cries, “Uphold me according unto thy word, that I may live.” Christ, humbled unto death, has been exalted as Lord. Therefore our prayers are not cries into emptiness. We pray beneath the rule of the crucified and risen King, trusting that his judgement is true, his mercy steadfast, and his word sufficient for the next step.

Today let us seek not merely a favourable answer, but a faithful heart: a heart willing to hear, to repent, and to obey. At the name of Jesus every knee shall bow. Blessed are those who bow now—not in terror, but in faith—and find in his service the path of life.

Evening Prayer

Autumn Ember Friday - Day of Solemn Prayer (Violet); Day of Abstinence

Psalms: Psalm 119, Pts 16, 17, 18

King James Version

121 I have done judgment and justice: leave me not to mine oppressors. 122 Be surety for thy servant for good: let not the proud oppress me. 123 Mine eyes fail for thy salvation, and for the word of thy righteousness. 124 Deal with thy servant according unto thy mercy, and teach me thy statutes. 125 I am thy servant; give me understanding, that I may know thy testimonies. 126 It is time for thee, LORD, to work: for they have made void thy law. 127 Therefore I love thy commandments above gold; yea, above fine gold. 128 Therefore I esteem all thy precepts concerning all things to be right; and I hate every false way. 129 Thy testimonies are wonderful: therefore doth my soul keep them. 130 The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple. 131 I opened my mouth, and panted: for I longed for thy commandments. 132 Look thou upon me, and be merciful unto me, as thou usest to do unto those that love thy name. 133 Order my steps in thy word: and let not any iniquity have dominion over me. 134 Deliver me from the oppression of man: so will I keep thy precepts. 135 Make thy face to shine upon thy servant; and teach me thy statutes. 136 Rivers of waters run down mine eyes, because they keep not thy law. 137 Righteous art thou, O LORD, and upright are thy judgments. 138 Thy testimonies that thou hast commanded are righteous and very faithful. 139 My zeal hath consumed me, because mine enemies have forgotten thy words. 140 Thy word is very pure: therefore thy servant loveth it. 141 I am small and despised: yet do not I forget thy precepts. 142 Thy righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and thy law is the truth. 143 Trouble and anguish have taken hold on me: yet thy commandments are my delights. 144 The righteousness of thy testimonies is everlasting: give me understanding, and I shall live.

First Lesson: Jeremiah 38:1-13

King James Version

1 Then Shephatiah the son of Mattan, and Gedaliah the son of Pashur, and Jucal the son of Shelemiah, and Pashur the son of Malchiah, heard the words that Jeremiah had spoken unto all the people, saying, 2 Thus saith the LORD, He that remaineth in this city shall die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence: but he that goeth forth to the Chaldeans shall live; for he shall have his life for a prey, and shall live. 3 Thus saith the LORD, This city shall surely be given into the hand of the king of Babylon’s army, which shall take it. 4 Therefore the princes said unto the king, We beseech thee, let this man be put to death: for thus he weakeneth the hands of the men of war that remain in this city, and the hands of all the people, in speaking such words unto them: for this man seeketh not the welfare of this people, but the hurt. 5 Then Zedekiah the king said, Behold, he is in your hand: for the king is not he that can do any thing against you. 6 Then took they Jeremiah, and cast him into the dungeon of Malchiah the son of Hammelech, that was in the court of the prison: and they let down Jeremiah with cords. And in the dungeon there was no water, but mire: so Jeremiah sunk in the mire. 7 Now when Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, one of the eunuchs which was in the king’s house, heard that they had put Jeremiah in the dungeon; the king then sitting in the gate of Benjamin; 8 Ebed-melech went forth out of the king’s house, and spake to the king, saying, 9 My lord the king, these men have done evil in all that they have done to Jeremiah the prophet, whom they have cast into the dungeon; and he is like to die for hunger in the place where he is: for there is no more bread in the city. 10 Then the king commanded Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, saying, Take from hence thirty men with thee, and take up Jeremiah the prophet out of the dungeon, before he die. 11 So Ebed-melech took the men with him, and went into the house of the king under the treasury, and took thence old cast clouts and old rotten rags, and let them down by cords into the dungeon to Jeremiah. 12 And Ebed-melech the Ethiopian said unto Jeremiah, Put now these old cast clouts and rotten rags under thine armholes under the cords. And Jeremiah did so. 13 So they drew up Jeremiah with cords, and took him up out of the dungeon: and Jeremiah remained in the court of the prison.

Second Lesson: John 11:1-44

King James Version

1 Now a certain man was sick, named Lazarus, of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha. 2 (It was that Mary which anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.) 3 Therefore his sisters sent unto him, saying, Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick. 4 When Jesus heard that, he said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby. 5 Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus. 6 When he had heard therefore that he was sick, he abode two days still in the same place where he was. 7 Then after that saith he to his disciples, Let us go into Judaea again. 8 His disciples say unto him, Master, the Jews of late sought to stone thee; and goest thou thither again? 9 Jesus answered, Are there not twelve hours in the day? If any man walk in the day, he stumbleth not, because he seeth the light of this world. 10 But if a man walk in the night, he stumbleth, because there is no light in him. 11 These things said he: and after that he saith unto them, Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep. 12 Then said his disciples, Lord, if he sleep, he shall do well. 13 Howbeit Jesus spake of his death: but they thought that he had spoken of taking of rest in sleep. 14 Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead. 15 And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, to the intent ye may believe; nevertheless let us go unto him. 16 Then said Thomas, which is called Didymus, unto his fellowdisciples, Let us also go, that we may die with him. 17 Then when Jesus came, he found that he had lain in the grave four days already. 18 Now Bethany was nigh unto Jerusalem, about fifteen furlongs off: 19 And many of the Jews came to Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning their brother. 20 Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met him: but Mary sat still in the house. 21 Then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died. 22 But I know, that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee. 23 Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise again. 24 Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day. 25 Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: 26 And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this? 27 She saith unto him, Yea, Lord: I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world. 28 And when she had so said, she went her way, and called Mary her sister secretly, saying, The Master is come, and calleth for thee. 29 As soon as she heard that, she arose quickly, and came unto him. 30 Now Jesus was not yet come into the town, but was in that place where Martha met him. 31 The Jews then which were with her in the house, and comforted her, when they saw Mary, that she rose up hastily and went out, followed her, saying, She goeth unto the grave to weep there. 32 Then when Mary was come where Jesus was, and saw him, she fell down at his feet, saying unto him, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died. 33 When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews also weeping which came with her, he groaned in the spirit, and was troubled, 34 And said, Where have ye laid him? They said unto him, Lord, come and see. 35 Jesus wept. 36 Then said the Jews, Behold how he loved him! 37 And some of them said, Could not this man, which opened the eyes of the blind, have caused that even this man should not have died? 38 Jesus therefore again groaning in himself cometh to the grave. It was a cave, and a stone lay upon it. 39 Jesus said, Take ye away the stone. Martha, the sister of him that was dead, saith unto him, Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he hath been dead four days. 40 Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God? 41 Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me. 42 And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me. 43 And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. 44 And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go.

Reflection

There are days when the word of God seems to lead us into a dungeon, a grave, and the long silence before deliverance. This Ember Friday is such a day: a day of solemn prayer, of abstinence, and of searching our hearts before God. The appointed readings do not offer us an easy religion. They show us a world in which the faithful suffer, the righteous are opposed, and even those whom Christ loves may lie in a tomb. Yet they also show us where hope is to be found—not in our ability to control events, but in the steadfast word and living presence of God.

Jeremiah has spoken the truth entrusted to him. It is not the word the princes wish to hear, and so they accuse him of weakening the people. In fact, the opposite is true. False comfort weakens a people; truth, even painful truth, gives them a path by which they may live. Jeremiah is thrown into a muddy dungeon, left to sink in the mire. But the Lord does not abandon his servant. Deliverance comes through Ebed-melech, a man who sees what has been done, speaks plainly to the king, and then puts compassion into action. He does not merely deplore Jeremiah’s plight. He goes to the dungeon, gathers men, finds rags to protect the prophet, and draws him out.

There is a lesson here for our own prayers. Prayer is not an escape from obedience. When we ask God to work, we must be ready to become instruments of his work. The psalmist cries, “It is time for thee, LORD, to work: for they have made void thy law.” Yet the same psalmist says, “Order my steps in thy word.” We cannot ask God to restore what is right while refusing to take the next right step ourselves. Abstinence, rightly kept, teaches precisely this: that our appetites are not our masters, and that what we deny ourselves should make us more attentive to God and more ready to serve our neighbour.

Then we come to Bethany. Mary and Martha send word to Jesus: “Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick.” The words are both a prayer and an appeal. They do not tell him what he must do; they place before him the one whom he loves. But Jesus remains where he is for two days. His delay is not indifference. John tells us explicitly, “Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus.” Divine love is not measured by the speed with which our wishes are fulfilled.

When Jesus arrives, Lazarus has been dead four days. Martha knows the doctrine of the resurrection at the last day, but Jesus gives her more than a doctrine. He gives her himself: “I am the resurrection, and the life.” Christian hope is not confidence in a vague improvement, nor a denial of death. It is trust in the Son of God, who enters the place of mourning and possesses authority over the grave.

And notice that Jesus does not stand at a safe distance from human grief. He is “groaned in the spirit,” he is troubled, and he weeps. “Jesus wept.” The shortest verse in Scripture is also among the most consoling. The Lord who knows that Lazarus will come forth nevertheless weeps with those who weep. He is not untouched by the sorrow which sin and death have brought into his world.

Then comes the command: “Take ye away the stone.” And after Lazarus is called forth, Jesus says, “Loose him, and let him go.” The Lord gives life, but he also gives his people work to do. They must remove the stone; they must unbind the graveclothes. So the Church, in her ordained ministry and in the common service of all the baptised, is called to cooperate with Christ’s liberating work: to speak the truth, to practise mercy, to bring the burdened out of the mire, and to help those whom Christ has raised to live as free men.

On this solemn day, therefore, let our prayer be honest, our fasting humble, and our obedience practical. We may be in a dungeon, or standing beside a grave, but Christ is not absent. He is the Resurrection and the Life. His word still reaches the places where we cannot see a way out: “Come forth.” And his grace still gives us one another, that the bonds of sin and sorrow may be loosened, until the day when death itself is swallowed up in life.