Morning Prayer
William Tyndale, Translator of the Scriptures into English, Martyr 1536 (Red or Green)
Psalms: Psalm 33
King James Version
1 Rejoice in the LORD, O ye righteous: for praise is comely for the upright. 2 Praise the LORD with harp: sing unto him with the psaltery and an instrument of ten strings. 3 Sing unto him a new song; play skilfully with a loud noise. 4 For the word of the LORD is right; and all his works are done in truth. 5 He loveth righteousness and judgment: the earth is full of the goodness of the LORD. 6 By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth. 7 He gathereth the waters of the sea together as an heap: he layeth up the depth in storehouses. 8 Let all the earth fear the LORD: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him. 9 For he spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast. 10 The LORD bringeth the counsel of the heathen to nought: he maketh the devices of the people of none effect. 11 The counsel of the LORD standeth for ever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations. 12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD: and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance. 13 The LORD looketh from heaven; he beholdeth all the sons of men. 14 From the place of his habitation he looketh upon all the inhabitants of the earth. 15 He fashioneth their hearts alike; he considereth all their works. 16 There is no king saved by the multitude of an host: a mighty man is not delivered by much strength. 17 An horse is a vain thing for safety: neither shall he deliver any by his great strength. 18 Behold, the eye of the LORD is upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy; 19 To deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine. 20 Our soul waiteth for the LORD: he is our help and our shield. 21 For our heart shall rejoice in him, because we have trusted in his holy name. 22 Let thy mercy, O LORD, be upon us, according as we hope in thee.
First Lesson: Ezekiel 34:17-end
King James Version
17 And as for you, O my flock, thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I judge between cattle and cattle, between the rams and the he goats. 18 Seemeth it a small thing unto you to have eaten up the good pasture, but ye must tread down with your feet the residue of your pastures? and to have drunk of the deep waters, but ye must foul the residue with your feet? 19 And as for my flock, they eat that which ye have trodden with your feet; and they drink that which ye have fouled with your feet. 20 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD unto them; Behold, I, even I, will judge between the fat cattle and between the lean cattle. 21 Because ye have thrust with side and with shoulder, and pushed all the diseased with your horns, till ye have scattered them abroad; 22 Therefore will I save my flock, and they shall no more be a prey; and I will judge between cattle and cattle. 23 And I will set up one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them, even my servant David; he shall feed them, and he shall be their shepherd. 24 And I the LORD will be their God, and my servant David a prince among them; I the LORD have spoken it. 25 And I will make with them a covenant of peace, and will cause the evil beasts to cease out of the land: and they shall dwell safely in the wilderness, and sleep in the woods. 26 And I will make them and the places round about my hill a blessing; and I will cause the shower to come down in his season; there shall be showers of blessing. 27 And the tree of the field shall yield her fruit, and the earth shall yield her increase, and they shall be safe in their land, and shall know that I am the LORD, when I have broken the bands of their yoke, and delivered them out of the hand of those that served themselves of them. 28 And they shall no more be a prey to the heathen, neither shall the beast of the land devour them; but they shall dwell safely, and none shall make them afraid. 29 And I will raise up for them a plant of renown, and they shall be no more consumed with hunger in the land, neither bear the shame of the heathen any more. 30 Thus shall they know that I the LORD their God am with them, and that they, even the house of Israel, are my people, saith the Lord GOD. 31 And ye my flock, the flock of my pasture, are men, and I am your God, saith the Lord GOD.
Second Lesson: 1 Thessalonians 4:13-5:11
King James Version
13 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. 15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. 16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. 18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words. 1 But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. 2 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. 3 For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. 4 But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. 5 Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. 6 Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober. 7 For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night. 8 But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation. 9 For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, 10 Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him. 11 Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.
Reflection
“By the word of the LORD were the heavens made.” The psalm begins with the mighty power of God’s Word: he speaks, and it is done; he commands, and it stands fast. The same Word which called the heavens into being is the Word by which God gathers, judges, comforts, and saves his people.
Today we remember William Tyndale, translator of the Scriptures into English and martyr in 1536. His work was not to offer the Church some novelty, nor to set private opinion above the Church’s faith. It was to make the written Word of God available to Englishmen in their own tongue, so that the people might hear what God has spoken. We may thank God that, in his providence, the Church of England has received and preserved the Scriptures in the language of our common prayer and worship. The Bible is not a possession for scholars alone, but the bread of the whole household of faith.
That Word speaks plainly in Ezekiel. The Lord judges between the sheep, and even between sheep and sheep. Some have eaten the good pasture and trampled what remained; some have drunk the clear water and fouled it for others. The strong have thrust and scattered the weak. This is a searching picture of religious life when those entrusted with God’s gifts begin to treat them as private property. The pasture belongs to the Lord. The flock belongs to the Lord. Those who are strong are not permitted to make the weak their prey.
But the judgment of God is not merely destruction. “I will save my flock,” he says. “I will set up one shepherd over them.” The promise points forward to Christ, the true Shepherd and Son of David, who gathers the scattered, feeds the hungry, and gives himself for the life of the sheep. Under his rule there is a covenant of peace, safety instead of fear, and showers of blessing. The Lord’s judgment exposes false shepherding in order to deliver his flock into the care of the true Shepherd.
This is why the Scriptures must be heard. They do not merely provide information about God; they bring us under the judgment and mercy of God. They show us where we have trampled another’s pasture or fouled another’s stream. They teach us to repent of pride, cruelty, and carelessness. They also declare the Shepherd’s promise to the broken and fearful: “Ye are my flock… and I am your God.”
Paul gives the same Word in the midst of sorrow. The Christians at Thessalonica grieved for those who had died, and the apostle does not rebuke their sorrow. He says that Christians do grieve, but not as those who have no hope. Our hope rests on an event, not on a mood: Jesus died and rose again. Therefore those who sleep in Jesus will not be forgotten. At his coming, the dead in Christ shall rise, and his people shall be gathered to be with him for ever.
Then Paul turns from comfort to watchfulness. The day of the Lord comes as a thief in the night. We are not given the times and seasons so that we may satisfy curiosity; we are given the promise so that we may live faithfully. We are children of light and of the day. Therefore we are to be sober, clothed with faith and love, and wearing the hope of salvation as a helmet.
William Tyndale’s witness reminds us that the Word of God is worth labour, suffering, and even life itself. Yet the Word is not given to make us admire a martyr from a safe distance. It is given to make us ready for the Shepherd’s appearing: repentant where we have harmed others, steadfast in trial, generous with the pasture entrusted to us, and hopeful in the face of death.
“Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another.” The Lord who spoke creation into being has spoken salvation in Christ. His Word stands fast. Let us hear it, obey it, and rest upon it, until the day when the Shepherd gathers all his flock, and we are ever with the Lord.
Evening Prayer
William Tyndale, Translator of the Scriptures into English, Martyr 1536 (Red or Green)
Psalms: Psalm 34
King James Version
1 I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth. 2 My soul shall make her boast in the LORD: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad. 3 O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together. 4 I sought the LORD, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears. 5 They looked unto him, and were lightened: and their faces were not ashamed. 6 This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles. 7 The angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them. 8 O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him. 9 O fear the LORD, ye his saints: for there is no want to them that fear him. 10 The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the LORD shall not want any good thing. 11 Come, ye children, hearken unto me: I will teach you the fear of the LORD. 12 What man is he that desireth life, and loveth many days, that he may see good? 13 Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile. 14 Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it. 15 The eyes of the LORD are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry. 16 The face of the LORD is against them that do evil, to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth. 17 The righteous cry, and the LORD heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles. 18 The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit. 19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all. 20 He keepeth all his bones: not one of them is broken. 21 Evil shall slay the wicked: and they that hate the righteous shall be desolate. 22 The LORD redeemeth the soul of his servants: and none of them that trust in him shall be desolate.
First Lesson: Ezekiel 36:22-end
King James Version
22 Therefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord GOD; I do not this for your sakes, O house of Israel, but for mine holy name’s sake, which ye have profaned among the heathen, whither ye went. 23 And I will sanctify my great name, which was profaned among the heathen, which ye have profaned in the midst of them; and the heathen shall know that I am the LORD, saith the Lord GOD, when I shall be sanctified in you before their eyes. 24 For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land. 25 Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. 26 A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them. 28 And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and ye shall be my people, and I will be your God. 29 I will also save you from all your uncleannesses: and I will call for the corn, and will increase it, and lay no famine upon you. 30 And I will multiply the fruit of the tree, and the increase of the field, that ye shall receive no more reproach of famine among the heathen. 31 Then shall ye remember your own evil ways, and your doings that were not good, and shall lothe yourselves in your own sight for your iniquities and for your abominations. 32 Not for your sakes do I this, saith the Lord GOD, be it known unto you: be ashamed and confounded for your own ways, O house of Israel. 33 Thus saith the Lord GOD; In the day that I shall have cleansed you from all your iniquities I will also cause you to dwell in the cities, and the wastes shall be builded. 34 And the desolate land shall be tilled, whereas it lay desolate in the sight of all that passed by. 35 And they shall say, This land that was desolate is become like the garden of Eden; and the waste and desolate and ruined cities are become fenced, and are inhabited. 36 Then the heathen that are left round about you shall know that I the LORD build the ruined places, and plant that that was desolate: I the LORD have spoken it, and I will do it. 37 Thus saith the Lord GOD; I will yet for this be enquired of by the house of Israel, to do it for them; I will increase them with men like a flock. 38 As the holy flock, as the flock of Jerusalem in her solemn feasts; so shall the waste cities be filled with flocks of men: and they shall know that I am the LORD.
Second Lesson: Hebrews 1
King James Version
1 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, 2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; 3 Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high; 4 Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. 5 For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son? 6 And again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him. 7 And of the angels he saith, Who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire. 8 But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom. 9 Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows. 10 And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands: 11 They shall perish; but thou remainest; and they all shall wax old as doth a garment; 12 And as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed: but thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail. 13 But to which of the angels said he at any time, Sit on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool? 14 Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?
Reflection
“God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son.”
That is the proper beginning for remembering William Tyndale. We do not first celebrate a gifted scholar, or a brave controversialist, or even a translator of unusual power. We give thanks to God because God speaks. And he has spoken finally and perfectly in Jesus Christ, the brightness of his glory and the express image of his person.
Tyndale’s work mattered because the Scriptures matter. The Bible is not a private possession for the learned few, nor a religious ornament to be kept closed upon a shelf. Through the Scriptures, the Church hears the voice of her Lord. The prophets, the apostles, and above all the Son himself are brought before us in the reading of the word. To translate the Bible faithfully is therefore a work of service: making available, in the language of the people, the testimony by which the Church is taught, corrected, comforted, and brought to Christ.
Yet Hebrews guards us from putting the Bible in the place of Christ. God has spoken by his Son. The written word does not draw attention to itself as an end, but leads us to the living Word, who by himself purged our sins and now sits at the right hand of the Majesty on high. The purpose of Scripture is not merely that we should possess information about God, but that we should know and worship the Son of God, and receive the salvation he has accomplished.
Ezekiel gives us the language of that salvation. “Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean.” “A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you.” The Lord does not merely offer advice to people whose hearts are already sound. He cleanses the unclean; he removes the heart of stone; he gives what he commands. And he is at pains to say that he does this not because Israel has earned it, but for his holy name’s sake. Grace begins in God’s faithfulness, not in our deserving.
That grace produces a changed life. “I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes.” The new heart is not a religious feeling detached from conduct. It is a heart made alive to God, a heart that learns to love what God commands. The word read and heard becomes the word obeyed—not in order to purchase mercy, but because mercy has already begun its gracious work within us.
Psalm 34 speaks with the voice of one who has discovered this faithfulness in trouble: “This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him.” It does not promise that the righteous will have no afflictions. Indeed, it says plainly, “Many are the afflictions of the righteous.” But it does promise that the Lord is near to the broken-hearted, and that he redeems the soul of his servants. Tyndale’s martyrdom reminds us that faithfulness may be costly. The servant is not promised an easy path; he is promised the presence and keeping of God.
So let us remember him neither as a hero detached from the Church nor as a mere name in a history book. Let us give thanks for the providence by which the Scriptures have been handed down and made audible in our own tongue, and for the ministry of the English Church in preserving, reading, and proclaiming them. Let us also examine ourselves. Do we hear the word only, or do we receive it? Do we admire the Bible, or do we come through it to Christ? Has the Spirit softened what was hard in us?
The Son remains when all earthly things grow old. His years do not fail, his kingdom is righteous, and his word is sure. Therefore, with humble hearts, let us seek him in the Scriptures, trust him in affliction, and praise him for the cleansing mercy that makes his people new.
Electric See Chapel