Morning Prayer
Feria (Green); Eve of Trinity XVII (Green)
Psalms: Psalm 119, Pts 15, 16
King James Version
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. 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.
First Lesson: Ezekiel 3:15-end
King James Version
15 Then I came to them of the captivity at Tel-abib, that dwelt by the river of Chebar, and I sat where they sat, and remained there astonished among them seven days. 16 And it came to pass at the end of seven days, that the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 17 Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me. 18 When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand. 19 Yet if thou warn the wicked, and he turn not from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul. 20 Again, When a righteous man doth turn from his righteousness, and commit iniquity, and I lay a stumblingblock before him, he shall die: because thou hast not given him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he hath done shall not be remembered; but his blood will I require at thine hand. 21 Nevertheless if thou warn the righteous man, that the righteous sin not, and he doth not sin, he shall surely live, because he is warned; also thou hast delivered thy soul. 22 And the hand of the LORD was there upon me; and he said unto me, Arise, go forth into the plain, and I will there talk with thee. 23 Then I arose, and went forth into the plain: and, behold, the glory of the LORD stood there, as the glory which I saw by the river of Chebar: and I fell on my face. 24 Then the spirit entered into me, and set me upon my feet, and spake with me, and said unto me, Go, shut thyself within thine house. 25 But thou, O son of man, behold, they shall put bands upon thee, and shall bind thee with them, and thou shalt not go out among them: 26 And I will make thy tongue cleave to the roof of thy mouth, that thou shalt be dumb, and shalt not be to them a reprover: for they are a rebellious house. 27 But when I speak with thee, I will open thy mouth, and thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; He that heareth, let him hear; and he that forbeareth, let him forbear: for they are a rebellious house.
Second Lesson: Colossians 2:20-3:11
King James Version
20 Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances, 21 (Touch not; taste not; handle not; 22 Which all are to perish with the using;) after the commandments and doctrines of men? 23 Which things have indeed a shew of wisdom in will worship, and humility, and neglecting of the body; not in any honour to the satisfying of the flesh. 1 If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. 2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. 3 For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory. 5 Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: 6 For which things’ sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience: 7 In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them. 8 But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. 9 Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; 10 And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him: 11 Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.
Reflection
The Christian life is hidden, but it is not idle. “Ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.” That hidden life is the source of a very public faithfulness: we are to love God’s law, resist evil, speak truth, and put away the habits of the old man.
The psalmist gives us the inward shape of such a life. “I hate vain thoughts: but thy law do I love.” He does not merely admire God’s commandments as noble principles. He loves them because they belong to the God who is his hiding place and shield. The world offers many shelters: reputation, comfort, money, cleverness, and the approval of other people. But these are poor refuges. The faithful soul hides in the word of God, and finds there both safety and direction.
Yet this confidence is not complacent. “My flesh trembleth for fear of thee, and I am afraid of thy judgments.” The fear of God is not panic before a cruel master. It is the sober recognition that God is holy, that our choices matter, and that falsehood cannot finally shelter us. The psalmist therefore prays, “Deal with thy servant according unto thy mercy, and teach me thy statutes.” He joins mercy and holiness together. We do not ask God to overlook our sin; we ask him mercifully to teach us and change us.
That is also the burden laid upon Ezekiel. He is made a watchman to the house of Israel. A watchman does not create the danger, nor does he decide whether people will heed his warning. He must simply hear the word of the Lord and faithfully deliver it. If he refuses to warn the wicked, he is answerable for his silence. If he warns them and they will not turn, he has delivered his own soul.
This is a solemn word, first to those who bear responsibility for teaching and shepherding the Church. The Church of England, in her sound and sober order, has never understood pastoral care as mere pleasantness. A shepherd must comfort the troubled, but he must also trouble the comfortable. The Gospel is good news precisely because there is something from which we need saving. To conceal sin is not kindness. To speak the truth with humility, patience, and love may be the means by which God turns a sinner back to life.
But Ezekiel’s charge also reminds every Christian that silence can become a form of unfaithfulness. We are not all called to public ministry, and we must not make ourselves busybodies or judges of our neighbours. Yet there are times when love requires a gentle word: a warning against dishonesty, bitterness, impurity, greed, or a habit that is destroying a soul. We should speak neither from superiority nor irritation, but as fellow sinners who live only by mercy.
The apostle shows us what this turning looks like. Because we have died and risen with Christ, we are to “seek those things which are above.” This does not mean despising the ordinary duties of earthly life. It means bringing those duties under the rule of heaven. Our work, households, speech, money, and friendships are all to be governed by the fact that Christ is our life.
Therefore, “mortify” what belongs to the old life: uncleanness, covetousness, anger, malice, filthy speech, and lies. These are not harmless private preferences. They deform the image of God in us and damage our neighbours. But the command is not merely to strip off the old garment. We are to put on the new man, “renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him.” Christian holiness is not an empty self-denial. It is Christ remaking us into what we were created to be.
And where Christ is all and in all, earthly distinctions lose their power to boast. The Church is gathered not by shared status or temperament, but by the one Lord who saves sinners and renews them. So let us receive the warning, seek the things above, and trust the mercy of God. Our life is hidden with Christ; therefore it is secure. But because it is secure, it may also be surrendered—openly, truthfully, and wholly—to him.
Evening Prayer
Feria (Green); Eve of Trinity XVII (Green)
Psalms: Psalm 119, Pts 17, 18
King James Version
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: Ezekiel 8
King James Version
1 And it came to pass in the sixth year, in the sixth month, in the fifth day of the month, as I sat in mine house, and the elders of Judah sat before me, that the hand of the Lord GOD fell there upon me. 2 Then I beheld, and lo a likeness as the appearance of fire: from the appearance of his loins even downward, fire; and from his loins even upward, as the appearance of brightness, as the colour of amber. 3 And he put forth the form of an hand, and took me by a lock of mine head; and the spirit lifted me up between the earth and the heaven, and brought me in the visions of God to Jerusalem, to the door of the inner gate that looketh toward the north; where was the seat of the image of jealousy, which provoketh to jealousy. 4 And, behold, the glory of the God of Israel was there, according to the vision that I saw in the plain. 5 Then said he unto me, Son of man, lift up thine eyes now the way toward the north. So I lifted up mine eyes the way toward the north, and behold northward at the gate of the altar this image of jealousy in the entry. 6 He said furthermore unto me, Son of man, seest thou what they do? even the great abominations that the house of Israel committeth here, that I should go far off from my sanctuary? but turn thee yet again, and thou shalt see greater abominations. 7 And he brought me to the door of the court; and when I looked, behold a hole in the wall. 8 Then said he unto me, Son of man, dig now in the wall: and when I had digged in the wall, behold a door. 9 And he said unto me, Go in, and behold the wicked abominations that they do here. 10 So I went in and saw; and behold every form of creeping things, and abominable beasts, and all the idols of the house of Israel, pourtrayed upon the wall round about. 11 And there stood before them seventy men of the ancients of the house of Israel, and in the midst of them stood Jaazaniah the son of Shaphan, with every man his censer in his hand; and a thick cloud of incense went up. 12 Then said he unto me, Son of man, hast thou seen what the ancients of the house of Israel do in the dark, every man in the chambers of his imagery? for they say, The LORD seeth us not; the LORD hath forsaken the earth. 13 He said also unto me, Turn thee yet again, and thou shalt see greater abominations that they do. 14 Then he brought me to the door of the gate of the LORD’S house which was toward the north; and, behold, there sat women weeping for Tammuz. 15 Then said he unto me, Hast thou seen this, O son of man? turn thee yet again, and thou shalt see greater abominations than these. 16 And he brought me into the inner court of the LORD’S house, and, behold, at the door of the temple of the LORD, between the porch and the altar, were about five and twenty men, with their backs toward the temple of the LORD, and their faces toward the east; and they worshipped the sun toward the east. 17 Then he said unto me, Hast thou seen this, O son of man? Is it a light thing to the house of Judah that they commit the abominations which they commit here? for they have filled the land with violence, and have returned to provoke me to anger: and, lo, they put the branch to their nose. 18 Therefore will I also deal in fury: mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity: and though they cry in mine ears with a loud voice, yet will I not hear them.
Second Lesson: John 16
King James Version
1 These things have I spoken unto you, that ye should not be offended. 2 They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service. 3 And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor me. 4 But these things have I told you, that when the time shall come, ye may remember that I told you of them. And these things I said not unto you at the beginning, because I was with you. 5 But now I go my way to him that sent me; and none of you asketh me, Whither goest thou? 6 But because I have said these things unto you, sorrow hath filled your heart. 7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. 8 And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: 9 Of sin, because they believe not on me; 10 Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more; 11 Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged. 12 I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. 13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. 14 He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you. 15 All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall shew it unto you. 16 A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see me, because I go to the Father. 17 Then said some of his disciples among themselves, What is this that he saith unto us, A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see me: and, Because I go to the Father? 18 They said therefore, What is this that he saith, A little while? we cannot tell what he saith. 19 Now Jesus knew that they were desirous to ask him, and said unto them, Do ye enquire among yourselves of that I said, A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see me? 20 Verily, verily, I say unto you, That ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice: and ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy. 21 A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow, because her hour is come: but as soon as she is delivered of the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born into the world. 22 And ye now therefore have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you. 23 And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you. 24 Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full. 25 These things have I spoken unto you in proverbs: but the time cometh, when I shall no more speak unto you in proverbs, but I shall shew you plainly of the Father. 26 At that day ye shall ask in my name: and I say not unto you, that I will pray the Father for you: 27 For the Father himself loveth you, because ye have loved me, and have believed that I came out from God. 28 I came forth from the Father, and am come into the world: again, I leave the world, and go to the Father. 29 His disciples said unto him, Lo, now speakest thou plainly, and speakest no proverb. 30 Now are we sure that thou knowest all things, and needest not that any man should ask thee: by this we believe that thou camest forth from God. 31 Jesus answered them, Do ye now believe? 32 Behold, the hour cometh, yea, is now come, that ye shall be scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave me alone: and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me. 33 These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.
Reflection
There is a great difference between being troubled and being abandoned. The disciples in the upper room were troubled. Jesus had told them that he was going away; that they would sorrow; that they would be opposed and even cast out of the synagogues. Yet he also told them the truth: “I am not alone, because the Father is with me.” And, more than that, he promised that his people would not be left comfortless. The Comforter would come.
That promise stands at the heart of today’s Gospel. The Holy Ghost is not an optional addition to the Christian life, nor merely a source of private religious feeling. He is the Spirit of truth, sent by the Father through the Son. He reproves the world of sin, righteousness, and judgement; he guides Christ’s people into truth; and, above all, he glorifies Christ. He does not draw attention away from our Lord, but takes of Christ’s and shows it to us.
This matters because there are many voices competing to tell us what is true. Some speak loudly; some speak attractively; some promise freedom while leading us into bondage. The Church therefore does not live by novelty or by the spirit of the age. She lives by the truth once delivered, proclaimed in Holy Scripture, confessed in the Creeds, and ministered through the ordered worship of the Church. The Spirit who guides us into truth is the same Spirit who causes us to hear, receive, and love the word of Christ.
The Psalm gives us the right posture before that word: “The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple.” The psalmist does not claim to possess wisdom by nature. He asks God to teach him. He longs for the commandments of God; he asks that his steps may be ordered in the divine word; and even in trouble he says, “Thy commandments are my delights.” This is not a cold submission to regulations. It is the glad confidence that God’s commands are good because God himself is righteous and faithful.
Ezekiel shows us what happens when that confidence is lost. The temple of the Lord had become crowded with idols. There was an image of jealousy at the gate, secret chambers filled with abominations, false worship practised in the darkness, and men turning their backs upon the temple to worship the sun. The tragedy was not simply that other things were being worshipped. It was that the people imagined God did not see: “The LORD seeth us not; the LORD hath forsaken the earth.”
That is always the lie behind idolatry. We put something else in God’s place, and then persuade ourselves that God is distant, indifferent, or absent. But the living God sees both the public worship and the secret chamber. He sees what we honour, what we fear, what we desire, and what we excuse. His judgement is not arbitrary; it is the revelation of what we have chosen.
Yet the Gospel gives us more than a warning. It gives us the remedy and the hope. “Be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” Christ does not promise that his disciples will have no tribulation. He promises peace in the midst of it. The world may rejoice while the Church weeps; Christ’s servants may feel confused, opposed, or alone. But the sorrow of his people is not the final word. Like the travailing woman whose anguish is turned into joy, the resurrection will transform the whole meaning of our present grief.
So let us ask the Father in Christ’s name—not as a formula, but as those who belong to the Son. Let us ask for the Spirit’s light to expose the idols we have hidden, for grace to repent of them, and for courage to remain faithful when faithfulness is costly. The Father himself loves those who love Christ and believe that he came from God.
We are not abandoned. The Spirit is with the Church, Christ has overcome the world, and the Father’s face is turned towards his servants. Therefore, even in trouble, we may say with the psalmist: “Thy testimonies are wonderful: therefore doth my soul keep them.”