Electric See Chapel
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October 2026

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

October 8, 2026

Morning Prayer

Feria (Green)

Psalms: Psalm 40

King James Version

1 I waited patiently for the LORD; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry. 2 He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings. 3 And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD. 4 Blessed is that man that maketh the LORD his trust, and respecteth not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies. 5 Many, O LORD my God, are thy wonderful works which thou hast done, and thy thoughts which are to us-ward: they cannot be reckoned up in order unto thee: if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered. 6 Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; mine ears hast thou opened: burnt offering and sin offering hast thou not required. 7 Then said I, Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of me, 8 I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart. 9 I have preached righteousness in the great congregation: lo, I have not refrained my lips, O LORD, thou knowest. 10 I have not hid thy righteousness within my heart; I have declared thy faithfulness and thy salvation: I have not concealed thy lovingkindness and thy truth from the great congregation. 11 Withhold not thou thy tender mercies from me, O LORD: let thy lovingkindness and thy truth continually preserve me. 12 For innumerable evils have compassed me about: mine iniquities have taken hold upon me, so that I am not able to look up; they are more than the hairs of mine head: therefore my heart faileth me. 13 Be pleased, O LORD, to deliver me: O LORD, make haste to help me. 14 Let them be ashamed and confounded together that seek after my soul to destroy it; let them be driven backward and put to shame that wish me evil. 15 Let them be desolate for a reward of their shame that say unto me, Aha, aha. 16 Let all those that seek thee rejoice and be glad in thee: let such as love thy salvation say continually, The LORD be magnified. 17 But I am poor and needy; yet the Lord thinketh upon me: thou art my help and my deliverer; make no tarrying, O my God.

First Lesson: Ezra 1

King James Version

1 Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying, 2 Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, The LORD God of heaven hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth; and he hath charged me to build him an house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. 3 Who is there among you of all his people? his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and build the house of the LORD God of Israel, (he is the God,) which is in Jerusalem. 4 And whosoever remaineth in any place where he sojourneth, let the men of his place help him with silver, and with gold, and with goods, and with beasts, beside the freewill offering for the house of God that is in Jerusalem. 5 Then rose up the chief of the fathers of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests, and the Levites, with all them whose spirit God had raised, to go up to build the house of the LORD which is in Jerusalem. 6 And all they that were about them strengthened their hands with vessels of silver, with gold, with goods, and with beasts, and with precious things, beside all that was willingly offered. 7 Also Cyrus the king brought forth the vessels of the house of the LORD, which Nebuchadnezzar had brought forth out of Jerusalem, and had put them in the house of his gods; 8 Even those did Cyrus king of Persia bring forth by the hand of Mithredath the treasurer, and numbered them unto Sheshbazzar, the prince of Judah. 9 And this is the number of them: thirty chargers of gold, a thousand chargers of silver, nine and twenty knives, 10 Thirty basons of gold, silver basons of a second sort four hundred and ten, and other vessels a thousand. 11 All the vessels of gold and of silver were five thousand and four hundred. All these did Sheshbazzar bring up with them of the captivity that were brought up from Babylon unto Jerusalem.

Second Lesson: 2 Thessalonians 1

King James Version

1 Paul, and Silvanus, and Timotheus, unto the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: 2 Grace unto you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 3 We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is meet, because that your faith groweth exceedingly, and the charity of every one of you all toward each other aboundeth; 4 So that we ourselves glory in you in the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that ye endure: 5 Which is a manifest token of the righteous judgment of God, that ye may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which ye also suffer: 6 Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you; 7 And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, 8 In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: 9 Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power; 10 When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day. 11 Wherefore also we pray always for you, that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfil all the good pleasure of his goodness, and the work of faith with power: 12 That the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and ye in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Reflection

“I waited patiently for the LORD; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry.”

There are seasons in which the chief work of faith is waiting. We pray, but the answer does not immediately appear. We look for the Church’s renewal, for peace in troubled circumstances, for strength to do what is required of us, and still the way forward seems hidden. Psalm 40 does not pretend that such waiting is easy. The psalmist has been in “an horrible pit” and “the miry clay”. Yet he can testify that the Lord has not forgotten him. God has drawn him out, set his feet upon a rock, and established his goings.

The book of Ezra shows what this looks like on a larger scale. Jerusalem had been ruined, the Temple destroyed, and the people carried away into captivity. Yet the word of the Lord had not fallen to the ground. “The LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia.” Through an unexpected instrument—a heathen king—the Lord began to restore his worship in Jerusalem. Cyrus issued the decree; the exiles returned; the holy vessels were brought back; and those whose spirits God had raised began to build.

It is a useful reminder that the Lord is never at a loss for means. His purposes do not depend upon the apparent strength of his servants, nor are they defeated by the power of kings. He can move the heart of a ruler, strengthen the hands of the faint, and bring his people home after a long chastening. What looks to us like delay is not forgetfulness in God. His promises ripen in his own appointed season.

But notice also that the people had to rise and go. Divine providence did not make them passive. “Then rose up the chief of the fathers ... with all them whose spirit God had raised, to go up to build the house of the LORD.” God stirred their spirits, and they answered his stirring with obedience. The Lord gives the grace, but he also calls for the response. We are not saved into idleness, but into the service of God.

That service is seen in the New Testament reading, where St Paul gives thanks that the faith of the Thessalonians was growing exceedingly, and that their charity toward one another was abounding. This was no comfortable growth, untouched by difficulty. They endured persecutions and tribulations. Their patience was not evidence that God had abandoned them, but a sign of his sustaining grace. They were being formed for the kingdom through steadfastness.

St Paul speaks plainly, too, of the righteous judgment of God. The Lord Jesus will be revealed from heaven, and all things will be brought into the light. Those who trouble the faithful will not have the last word; nor will those who refuse the gospel escape accountability. This is solemn teaching, but it is also good news for the afflicted. The injustices of this age are not the final measure of reality. The Judge is coming, and his judgment is righteous.

Therefore Paul does not merely congratulate the Thessalonians. He prays for them: that God would count them worthy of their calling, fulfil every good purpose of goodness in them, and perfect the work of faith with power. That is a prayer we may make for ourselves. It is not enough to have begun well. We need the Lord continually to establish our goings, to strengthen our hands, and to make the name of Jesus Christ glorious in us.

The psalm ends with a humble confession: “I am poor and needy; yet the Lord thinketh upon me.” That is the proper posture of the Christian soul. We are not self-sufficient builders of the kingdom. We are poor and needy servants, upheld by grace. Yet we are remembered by God. He hears the cry, raises the fallen, restores what has been lost, and gives his people a new song.

So let us wait without despair, work without presumption, and endure without bitterness. The Lord who restored Jerusalem, sustained the Thessalonians, and raised Christ from the dead is still faithful. In due time he will establish his people, and the name of our Lord Jesus Christ will be glorified in us, and we in him.

Evening Prayer

Feria (Green)

Psalms: Psalm 42, 43

King James Version

1 As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. 2 My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God? 3 My tears have been my meat day and night, while they continually say unto me, Where is thy God? 4 When I remember these things, I pour out my soul in me: for I had gone with the multitude, I went with them to the house of God, with the voice of joy and praise, with a multitude that kept holyday. 5 Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance. 6 O my God, my soul is cast down within me: therefore will I remember thee from the land of Jordan, and of the Hermonites, from the hill Mizar. 7 Deep calleth unto deep at the noise of thy waterspouts: all thy waves and thy billows are gone over me. 8 Yet the LORD will command his lovingkindness in the daytime, and in the night his song shall be with me, and my prayer unto the God of my life. 9 I will say unto God my rock, Why hast thou forgotten me? why go I mourning because of the oppression of the enemy? 10 As with a sword in my bones, mine enemies reproach me; while they say daily unto me, Where is thy God? 11 Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God. 1 Judge me, O God, and plead my cause against an ungodly nation: O deliver me from the deceitful and unjust man. 2 For thou art the God of my strength: why dost thou cast me off? why go I mourning because of the oppression of the enemy? 3 O send out thy light and thy truth: let them lead me; let them bring me unto thy holy hill, and to thy tabernacles. 4 Then will I go unto the altar of God, unto God my exceeding joy: yea, upon the harp will I praise thee, O God my God. 5 Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God.

First Lesson: Ezra 3

King James Version

1 And when the seventh month was come, and the children of Israel were in the cities, the people gathered themselves together as one man to Jerusalem. 2 Then stood up Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and his brethren the priests, and Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and his brethren, and builded the altar of the God of Israel, to offer burnt offerings thereon, as it is written in the law of Moses the man of God. 3 And they set the altar upon his bases; for fear was upon them because of the people of those countries: and they offered burnt offerings thereon unto the LORD, even burnt offerings morning and evening. 4 They kept also the feast of tabernacles, as it is written, and offered the daily burnt offerings by number, according to the custom, as the duty of every day required; 5 And afterward offered the continual burnt offering, both of the new moons, and of all the set feasts of the LORD that were consecrated, and of every one that willingly offered a freewill offering unto the LORD. 6 From the first day of the seventh month began they to offer burnt offerings unto the LORD. But the foundation of the temple of the LORD was not yet laid. 7 They gave money also unto the masons, and to the carpenters; and meat, and drink, and oil, unto them of Zidon, and to them of Tyre, to bring cedar trees from Lebanon to the sea of Joppa, according to the grant that they had of Cyrus king of Persia. 8 Now in the second year of their coming unto the house of God at Jerusalem, in the second month, began Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and the remnant of their brethren the priests and the Levites, and all they that were come out of the captivity unto Jerusalem; and appointed the Levites, from twenty years old and upward, to set forward the work of the house of the LORD. 9 Then stood Jeshua with his sons and his brethren, Kadmiel and his sons, the sons of Judah, together, to set forward the workmen in the house of God: the sons of Henadad, with their sons and their brethren the Levites. 10 And when the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the LORD, they set the priests in their apparel with trumpets, and the Levites the sons of Asaph with cymbals, to praise the LORD, after the ordinance of David king of Israel. 11 And they sang together by course in praising and giving thanks unto the LORD; because he is good, for his mercy endureth for ever toward Israel. And all the people shouted with a great shout, when they praised the LORD, because the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid. 12 But many of the priests and Levites and chief of the fathers, who were ancient men, that had seen the first house, when the foundation of this house was laid before their eyes, wept with a loud voice; and many shouted aloud for joy: 13 So that the people could not discern the noise of the shout of joy from the noise of the weeping of the people: for the people shouted with a loud shout, and the noise was heard afar off.

Second Lesson: Hebrews 3

King James Version

1 Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus; 2 Who was faithful to him that appointed him, as also Moses was faithful in all his house. 3 For this man was counted worthy of more glory than Moses, inasmuch as he who hath builded the house hath more honour than the house. 4 For every house is builded by some man; but he that built all things is God. 5 And Moses verily was faithful in all his house, as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken after; 6 But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end. 7 Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, To day if ye will hear his voice, 8 Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness: 9 When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years. 10 Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do alway err in their heart; and they have not known my ways. 11 So I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest.) 12 Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. 13 But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. 14 For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end; 15 While it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation. 16 For some, when they had heard, did provoke: howbeit not all that came out of Egypt by Moses. 17 But with whom was he grieved forty years? was it not with them that had sinned, whose carcases fell in the wilderness? 18 And to whom sware he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that believed not? 19 So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.

Reflection

“As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God.” The Psalmist gives us a picture of faith which is both beautiful and honest. He does not pretend that the life of faith is always peaceful. His soul is cast down; his tears have been his meat day and night; enemies ask him, “Where is thy God?” Yet beneath the distress there remains a deep thirst—not merely for relief, but for God himself.

That distinction matters. We may quite properly ask God to change our circumstances, to deliver us from oppression, sorrow, or fear. But the deepest need of the soul is not simply that trouble should cease. It is that we should come again into the presence of the living God. “O send out thy light and thy truth,” the Psalmist prays; “let them lead me.” And where do they lead him? “Unto thine holy hill, and to thy tabernacles”; then “unto the altar of God, unto God my exceeding joy.”

The longing of the Psalm finds a visible expression in Ezra. The people have returned from captivity, but their work is not complete. The foundation of the temple has not yet been laid. Nevertheless, they gather as one man, rebuild the altar, offer the appointed sacrifices, and keep the feast. Before the temple is restored, worship is restored. Before the whole work is finished, they begin with the duty that lies before them.

There is a lesson here for all who feel that their lives are unfinished, or that the Church’s work is too broken and difficult for joy. The returned exiles had fear upon them because of the surrounding peoples. They had much to rebuild. They possessed neither the former glory nor the comfort of settled circumstances. But they did not wait until everything was perfect before approaching God. They worshipped amid uncertainty. They gave thanks because “he is good, for his mercy endureth for ever toward Israel.”

And yet, when the foundation was laid, the sound was mixed. Some shouted for joy; the ancient men who remembered the first house wept aloud. The noise of rejoicing and lamentation could not be separated. Scripture does not rebuke either response. In the people of God, joy and grief may rightly stand together. We may rejoice in what God is beginning while mourning what has been lost. We may give thanks for the foundation even when the building is not yet complete.

Hebrews directs our eyes beyond the temple and beyond Moses to Christ. Moses was faithful as a servant in God’s house; Christ is faithful as a Son over his own house. “Whose house are we,” the writer says, “if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end.” The true house is not finally a structure of stone, nor even an arrangement of human labour. It is the people gathered under the lordship of Christ, the great Apostle and High Priest of our profession.

But the exhortation is serious: “To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts.” A heart is hardened not only by open rebellion, but by the slow deceitfulness of sin—by hearing God’s word repeatedly and postponing obedience, by allowing disappointment to become unbelief, or by treating yesterday’s faithfulness as sufficient for today. Therefore Christians are to exhort one another daily. We are not meant to persevere alone. A brother or sister’s encouragement may be one of the means by which God keeps us from drifting away from the living God.

So today, let the Psalmist teach us to name our thirst honestly. Let Ezra teach us to worship and serve even while the work remains unfinished. Let Hebrews teach us to hear Christ’s voice now, and to hold fast our confidence in him. The God for whom our souls thirst is not distant or unknown. In Jesus Christ he is the faithful Son, the builder and ruler of the house, and he leads his people at last into his rest. Therefore, even with tears, we may hope in God; and, by his grace, we shall yet praise him.