Morning Prayer
Feria (Green); Eve of Michaelmas (White)
Psalms: Psalm 132, 133
King James Version
1 LORD, remember David, and all his afflictions: 2 How he sware unto the LORD, and vowed unto the mighty God of Jacob; 3 Surely I will not come into the tabernacle of my house, nor go up into my bed; 4 I will not give sleep to mine eyes, or slumber to mine eyelids, 5 Until I find out a place for the LORD, an habitation for the mighty God of Jacob. 6 Lo, we heard of it at Ephratah: we found it in the fields of the wood. 7 We will go into his tabernacles: we will worship at his footstool. 8 Arise, O LORD, into thy rest; thou, and the ark of thy strength. 9 Let thy priests be clothed with righteousness; and let thy saints shout for joy. 10 For thy servant David’s sake turn not away the face of thine anointed. 11 The LORD hath sworn in truth unto David; he will not turn from it; Of the fruit of thy body will I set upon thy throne. 12 If thy children will keep my covenant and my testimony that I shall teach them, their children shall also sit upon thy throne for evermore. 13 For the LORD hath chosen Zion; he hath desired it for his habitation. 14 This is my rest for ever: here will I dwell; for I have desired it. 15 I will abundantly bless her provision: I will satisfy her poor with bread. 16 I will also clothe her priests with salvation: and her saints shall shout aloud for joy. 17 There will I make the horn of David to bud: I have ordained a lamp for mine anointed. 18 His enemies will I clothe with shame: but upon himself shall his crown flourish. 1 Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! 2 It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron’s beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments; 3 As the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for there the LORD commanded the blessing, even life for evermore.
First Lesson: Ezekiel 9
King James Version
1 He cried also in mine ears with a loud voice, saying, Cause them that have charge over the city to draw near, even every man with his destroying weapon in his hand. 2 And, behold, six men came from the way of the higher gate, which lieth toward the north, and every man a slaughter weapon in his hand; and one man among them was clothed with linen, with a writer’s inkhorn by his side: and they went in, and stood beside the brasen altar. 3 And the glory of the God of Israel was gone up from the cherub, whereupon he was, to the threshold of the house. And he called to the man clothed with linen, which had the writer’s inkhorn by his side; 4 And the LORD said unto him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof. 5 And to the others he said in mine hearing, Go ye after him through the city, and smite: let not your eye spare, neither have ye pity: 6 Slay utterly old and young, both maids, and little children, and women: but come not near any man upon whom is the mark; and begin at my sanctuary. Then they began at the ancient men which were before the house. 7 And he said unto them, Defile the house, and fill the courts with the slain: go ye forth. And they went forth, and slew in the city. 8 And it came to pass, while they were slaying them, and I was left, that I fell upon my face, and cried, and said, Ah Lord GOD! wilt thou destroy all the residue of Israel in thy pouring out of thy fury upon Jerusalem? 9 Then said he unto me, The iniquity of the house of Israel and Judah is exceeding great, and the land is full of blood, and the city full of perverseness: for they say, The LORD hath forsaken the earth, and the LORD seeth not. 10 And as for me also, mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity, but I will recompense their way upon their head. 11 And, behold, the man clothed with linen, which had the inkhorn by his side, reported the matter, saying, I have done as thou hast commanded me.
Second Lesson: Colossians 3:12-4:1
King James Version
12 Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; 13 Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. 14 And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness. 15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. 17 And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him. 18 Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as it is fit in the Lord. 19 Husbands, love your wives, and be not bitter against them. 20 Children, obey your parents in all things: for this is well pleasing unto the Lord. 21 Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged. 22 Servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh; not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but in singleness of heart, fearing God: 23 And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; 24 Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ. 25 But he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he hath done: and there is no respect of persons. 1 Masters, give unto your servants that which is just and equal; knowing that ye also have a Master in heaven.
Reflection
The readings appointed for this day hold together two truths which we are often tempted to separate: God is merciful, and God judges. The vision of Ezekiel is not comfortable reading. Jerusalem has become a city of violence and perversity, and even those who worship in the temple have not escaped the corruption around them. The judgement begins at the sanctuary.
That is a solemn warning to the Church. We must never imagine that belonging to the visible people of God is a substitute for faithfulness to God. The Lord does not overlook sin because it is found among religious people, or because it is defended by custom, dignity, or position. “There is no respect of persons,” says St Paul. The Lord sees truly, and judges truly.
Yet Ezekiel’s vision also speaks of mercy. Before the destroying servants pass through the city, one clothed in linen is sent to mark those who “sigh and cry for all the abominations” committed there. The mark is not placed upon those who are proud of their own righteousness, nor upon those who have made their peace with evil. It is placed upon those who grieve over sin.
This grief is not mere irritation at other people’s faults. It begins with a heart that has been awakened by God: a heart which knows that evil is evil, that sin wounds both neighbour and sinner, and that the Lord’s honour matters. Such sorrow is already a work of grace. It turns us away from complacency and towards repentance.
But Christian repentance is not simply wearing sackcloth inwardly. St Paul gives us the proper clothing of the people of God: “bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering.” We are to put these things on as a man puts on a garment. The Christian life is visible in conduct. We are to forbear one another and forgive one another, “even as Christ forgave you.” Above all, we are to put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.
Here is a useful distinction. We are called to lament sin, but not to delight in condemnation. We are to take evil seriously, beginning with the evil in ourselves; and yet we are to deal with our brethren in mercy. The mark upon the forehead in Ezekiel belongs with the garment of compassion in Colossians. Those who belong to God are known not by self-righteous severity, but by a holy sorrow joined to humble love.
The result is peace. “Let the peace of God rule in your hearts,” writes St Paul, “to the which also ye are called in one body.” Psalm 133 gives us the same vision: “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!” That unity is not merely the absence of arguments. It is the blessing of God flowing through his people, like the precious ointment upon Aaron’s head and the dew upon the mountains.
Such unity cannot be manufactured by pretending that nothing matters. It comes when the word of Christ dwells richly among us, teaching, admonishing, singing, forgiving, and giving thanks. The Church is not held together by everyone having the same temperament or by avoiding every difficult truth. She is held together by Christ, whose word rules her, and whose forgiveness makes peace possible.
St Paul then brings this calling into the ordinary duties of life. Husbands and wives, children and parents, servants and masters are all addressed. Whatever our station, we are to act “as to the Lord, and not unto men.” Even the master has a Master in heaven. No one stands outside Christ’s authority, and no one is beneath Christ’s notice.
On the eve of Michaelmas, as the Church remembers Michael and all angels, we are reminded that the world is not governed by human appearances. God’s servants obey his command; God’s judgement is real; God’s protection is sure. But our confidence is not in an angelic mark upon us. It is in Jesus Christ, who forgives sinners and clothes his people with salvation.
Therefore let us ask for the grace to grieve over sin without becoming bitter, to speak truth without pride, to forgive as we have been forgiven, and to let the peace of Christ rule among us. Then, in the household of faith and in the duties of every day, we shall serve not men only, but the Lord Christ.
Evening Prayer
Feria (Green); Eve of Michaelmas (White)
Psalms: Psalm 89, Pt 1
King James Version
1 I will sing of the mercies of the LORD for ever: with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations. 2 For I have said, Mercy shall be built up for ever: thy faithfulness shalt thou establish in the very heavens. 3 I have made a covenant with my chosen, I have sworn unto David my servant, 4 Thy seed will I establish for ever, and build up thy throne to all generations. Selah. 5 And the heavens shall praise thy wonders, O LORD: thy faithfulness also in the congregation of the saints. 6 For who in the heaven can be compared unto the LORD? who among the sons of the mighty can be likened unto the LORD? 7 God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be had in reverence of all them that are about him. 8 O LORD God of hosts, who is a strong LORD like unto thee? or to thy faithfulness round about thee? 9 Thou rulest the raging of the sea: when the waves thereof arise, thou stillest them. 10 Thou hast broken Rahab in pieces, as one that is slain; thou hast scattered thine enemies with thy strong arm. 11 The heavens are thine, the earth also is thine: as for the world and the fulness thereof, thou hast founded them. 12 The north and the south thou hast created them: Tabor and Hermon shall rejoice in thy name. 13 Thou hast a mighty arm: strong is thy hand, and high is thy right hand. 14 Justice and judgment are the habitation of thy throne: mercy and truth shall go before thy face. 15 Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound: they shall walk, O LORD, in the light of thy countenance. 16 In thy name shall they rejoice all the day: and in thy righteousness shall they be exalted. 17 For thou art the glory of their strength: and in thy favour our horn shall be exalted. 18 For the LORD is our defence; and the Holy One of Israel is our king.
First Lesson: Daniel 12:1-4
King James Version
1 And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book. 2 And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. 3 And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever. 4 But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.
Second Lesson: Revelation 8:1-6
King James Version
1 And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour. 2 And I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to them were given seven trumpets. 3 And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. 4 And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel’s hand. 5 And the angel took the censer, and filled it with fire of the altar, and cast it into the earth: and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake. 6 And the seven angels which had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound.
Reflection
On the eve of Michaelmas, the readings place before us a world larger than the one we can see. Daniel sees Michael, “the great prince,” standing for God’s people. Revelation opens heaven’s worship to us: angels stand before the throne, trumpets in readiness, and an angel offers the prayers of the saints upon the golden altar. The Psalm gathers earth and heaven into one confession: “I will sing of the mercies of the LORD for ever.”
There is something salutary in this enlargement of our vision. We are very easily imprisoned within the limits of immediate things: the news, our anxieties, our duties, our failures, and the particular troubles of the day. Yet Scripture tells us that the visible world is not the whole world. Heaven is not empty. God is not remote. His servants are not idle. His purposes are moving towards their appointed end, even when we cannot discern the movement.
But the readings do not offer a childish escape from earthly trouble. Daniel speaks plainly of “a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation.” Revelation gives us silence in heaven, followed by thunderings, lightnings, and an earthquake. The Bible does not promise that the faithful will be spared every storm. It promises something better: that the storm does not have the final word, because the Lord reigns over it.
The Psalm declares that God rules “the raging of the sea”; justice and judgment are the habitation of his throne, while mercy and truth go before his face. Here is the Christian confidence. God’s rule is neither arbitrary power nor sentimental indulgence. His throne is founded upon justice, but his presence comes to us with mercy and truth. He sees evil more clearly than we do, judges it more truly than we can, and yet remains the God whose covenant faithfulness endures from generation to generation.
Daniel therefore speaks of a book, and of people found written in it. The image is one of divine knowledge and gracious belonging. Our salvation does not rest upon our ability to establish ourselves before God, as though heaven were a prize for the sufficiently impressive. We are known by God, and delivered by his mercy. Yet the passage also speaks of everlasting life and of shame and everlasting contempt. Christian hope is not vague optimism. There will be a resurrection, and therefore there will be judgment. What we do, and what we become, matters eternally.
That is why Daniel adds: “they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.” The wise are not merely those who possess information. They are those who fear God, trust his promises, and live accordingly. Their light is not self-generated brilliance. It is the reflected glory of the Lord. And their calling is not to keep that light to themselves, but to turn others towards righteousness.
Revelation gives us one of the most consoling pictures in all Scripture: the prayers of the saints rising before God. No faithful prayer is lost. The prayers may seem weak to us—halting words, repeated requests, silence before God—but they are received in heaven. The golden altar tells us that prayer belongs in the very centre of God’s purposes. The trumpet judgments that follow are not detached from the prayers of the saints; heaven hears, and heaven acts.
So let us pray with confidence, not because we control events, but because the Lord does. Let us remember that the holy angels are servants of God, not objects of worship; and that their ministry directs our attention away from themselves to the King whom they obey. On earth, as in heaven, our proper response is reverence, steadfastness, and praise.
The day may bring trouble, but the people of God are not abandoned. Our names are known, our prayers are heard, Christ’s kingdom shall prevail, and the faithful shall shine in the life of the resurrection. Therefore, with angels and archangels, and with all the company of heaven, let us sing of the mercies of the Lord for ever.
Electric See Chapel