Morning Prayer
Paulinus, Missionary, Archbishop of York, 644 (White or Green); Eve of Trinity XIX (Green); or Eve of Harvest Thanksgiving (White)
Psalms: Psalm 53, 54
King James Version
1 The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. Corrupt are they, and have done abominable iniquity: there is none that doeth good. 2 God looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, that did seek God. 3 Every one of them is gone back: they are altogether become filthy; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. 4 Have the workers of iniquity no knowledge? who eat up my people as they eat bread: they have not called upon God. 5 There were they in great fear, where no fear was: for God hath scattered the bones of him that encampeth against thee: thou hast put them to shame, because God hath despised them. 6 Oh that the salvation of Israel were come out of Zion! When God bringeth back the captivity of his people, Jacob shall rejoice, and Israel shall be glad. 1 Save me, O God, by thy name, and judge me by thy strength. 2 Hear my prayer, O God; give ear to the words of my mouth. 3 For strangers are risen up against me, and oppressors seek after my soul: they have not set God before them. Selah. 4 Behold, God is mine helper: the Lord is with them that uphold my soul. 5 He shall reward evil unto mine enemies: cut them off in thy truth. 6 I will freely sacrifice unto thee: I will praise thy name, O LORD; for it is good. 7 For he hath delivered me out of all trouble: and mine eye hath seen his desire upon mine enemies.
First Lesson: Zechariah 1:1-17
King James Version
1 In the eighth month, in the second year of Darius, came the word of the LORD unto Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo the prophet, saying, 2 The LORD hath been sore displeased with your fathers. 3 Therefore say thou unto them, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Turn ye unto me, saith the LORD of hosts, and I will turn unto you, saith the LORD of hosts. 4 Be ye not as your fathers, unto whom the former prophets have cried, saying, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Turn ye now from your evil ways, and from your evil doings: but they did not hear, nor hearken unto me, saith the LORD. 5 Your fathers, where are they? and the prophets, do they live for ever? 6 But my words and my statutes, which I commanded my servants the prophets, did they not take hold of your fathers? and they returned and said, Like as the LORD of hosts thought to do unto us, according to our ways, and according to our doings, so hath he dealt with us. 7 Upon the four and twentieth day of the eleventh month, which is the month Sebat, in the second year of Darius, came the word of the LORD unto Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo the prophet, saying, 8 I saw by night, and behold a man riding upon a red horse, and he stood among the myrtle trees that were in the bottom; and behind him were there red horses, speckled, and white. 9 Then said I, O my lord, what are these? And the angel that talked with me said unto me, I will shew thee what these be. 10 And the man that stood among the myrtle trees answered and said, These are they whom the LORD hath sent to walk to and fro through the earth. 11 And they answered the angel of the LORD that stood among the myrtle trees, and said, We have walked to and fro through the earth, and, behold, all the earth sitteth still, and is at rest. 12 Then the angel of the LORD answered and said, O LORD of hosts, how long wilt thou not have mercy on Jerusalem and on the cities of Judah, against which thou hast had indignation these threescore and ten years? 13 And the LORD answered the angel that talked with me with good words and comfortable words. 14 So the angel that communed with me said unto me, Cry thou, saying, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; I am jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion with a great jealousy. 15 And I am very sore displeased with the heathen that are at ease: for I was but a little displeased, and they helped forward the affliction. 16 Therefore thus saith the LORD; I am returned to Jerusalem with mercies: my house shall be built in it, saith the LORD of hosts, and a line shall be stretched forth upon Jerusalem. 17 Cry yet, saying, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; My cities through prosperity shall yet be spread abroad; and the LORD shall yet comfort Zion, and shall yet choose Jerusalem.
Second Lesson: 2 Thessalonians 3
King James Version
1 Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may have free course, and be glorified, even as it is with you: 2 And that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men: for all men have not faith. 3 But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil. 4 And we have confidence in the Lord touching you, that ye both do and will do the things which we command you. 5 And the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God, and into the patient waiting for Christ. 6 Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which he received of us. 7 For yourselves know how ye ought to follow us: for we behaved not ourselves disorderly among you; 8 Neither did we eat any man’s bread for nought; but wrought with labour and travail night and day, that we might not be chargeable to any of you: 9 Not because we have not power, but to make ourselves an ensample unto you to follow us. 10 For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat. 11 For we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but are busybodies. 12 Now them that are such we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness they work, and eat their own bread. 13 But ye, brethren, be not weary in well doing. 14 And if any man obey not our word by this epistle, note that man, and have no company with him, that he may be ashamed. 15 Yet count him not as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother. 16 Now the Lord of peace himself give you peace always by all means. The Lord be with you all. 17 The salutation of Paul with mine own hand, which is the token in every epistle: so I write. 18 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.
Reflection
“Turn ye unto me, saith the LORD of hosts, and I will turn unto you.”
Those words from Zechariah are a plain summary of the life of faith. God’s people had inherited the consequences of their fathers’ disobedience. The former prophets had called them to turn from their evil ways, but they had not listened. Yet the Lord does not speak only words of condemnation. He also speaks “good words and comfortable words”. He promises: “I am returned to Jerusalem with mercies.”
The Lord’s judgment is real, but it is never the last word for those who turn back to him. His purpose is restoration. He is jealous for Jerusalem and Zion—not with petty possessiveness, but with the holy love of a husband for his bride, and the faithful care of a shepherd for his flock. He will rebuild the house, comfort his people, and make his dwelling among them once more.
That promise finds its fulfilment in Christ and in his Church. The Lord does not abandon his people to the ruins made by sin. He gathers, restores, and builds. And we should give thanks that we are not left to invent a church according to our own preferences. Christ has given his people a visible, ordered fellowship, nourished by the apostolic faith, the sacraments, and the daily discipline of prayer. In our own Church of England, with its reverent and settled order, we are taught again and again to turn towards the Lord—not towards novelty, fashion, or our own opinions.
But turning to God is not merely an inward feeling. The lesson from the Thessalonian Church makes that clear. Saint Paul commands Christians to walk orderly, to follow a good example, and to work quietly. Some had become idle and disorderly, busying themselves in the affairs of others while neglecting their own duties. The apostolic remedy is neither indulgence nor fury: “with quietness they work, and eat their own bread.” And then comes the word which every Christian needs to hear: “Be not weary in well doing.”
There is a great deal of quiet holiness in those words. Christian discipleship is ordinarily lived out not in dramatic gestures, but in faithful work, patient prayer, honest duty, and perseverance in the place where God has set us. We serve God by doing the work before us properly; by bearing our responsibilities rather than making them someone else’s burden; by refusing to turn idleness into criticism; and by continuing in goodness when no one applauds us.
This is also a word for the Church’s mission. Tomorrow, as we give thanks for the harvest, we shall remember that bread does not appear by magic. It comes through God’s providence, the labour of many hands, and the ordered rhythms of creation. We receive it gratefully, and we are called to labour faithfully. So too with the Gospel. Paul asks the Thessalonians to pray “that the word of the Lord may have free course, and be glorified”. The Church grows when the word is faithfully preached, prayerfully received, and embodied in Christian lives.
The appointed psalms keep us sober about the opposition we face. The fool says in his heart, “There is no God,” and those who have not set God before them may oppress his people. Yet the psalmist does not answer fear with panic. “God is mine helper,” he says. The Lord is faithful: he will establish and preserve his people.
Therefore, let us turn to the Lord afresh. Let us ask him to rebuild what sin has damaged, to direct our hearts into the love of God, and to give us “the patient waiting for Christ”. Let us work quietly, pray earnestly, and not grow weary in doing good. The Lord who promises mercy is also the Lord who supplies strength. His word shall have free course, his Church shall be built, and his people shall yet rejoice.
Evening Prayer
Paulinus, Missionary, Archbishop of York, 644 (White or Green); Eve of Trinity XIX (Green); or Eve of Harvest Thanksgiving (White)
Psalms: Psalm 55:1-8
King James Version
1 Give ear to my prayer, O God; and hide not thyself from my supplication. 2 Attend unto me, and hear me: I mourn in my complaint, and make a noise; 3 Because of the voice of the enemy, because of the oppression of the wicked: for they cast iniquity upon me, and in wrath they hate me. 4 My heart is sore pained within me: and the terrors of death are fallen upon me. 5 Fearfulness and trembling are come upon me, and horror hath overwhelmed me. 6 And I said, Oh that I had wings like a dove! for then would I fly away, and be at rest. 7 Lo, then would I wander far off, and remain in the wilderness. Selah. 8 I would hasten my escape from the windy storm and tempest.
First Lesson: Zechariah 1:18-2:end
King James Version
18 Then lifted I up mine eyes, and saw, and behold four horns. 19 And I said unto the angel that talked with me, What be these? And he answered me, These are the horns which have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem. 20 And the LORD shewed me four carpenters. 21 Then said I, What come these to do? And he spake, saying, These are the horns which have scattered Judah, so that no man did lift up his head: but these are come to fray them, to cast out the horns of the Gentiles, which lifted up their horn over the land of Judah to scatter it. 1 I lifted up mine eyes again, and looked, and behold a man with a measuring line in his hand. 2 Then said I, Whither goest thou? And he said unto me, To measure Jerusalem, to see what is the breadth thereof, and what is the length thereof. 3 And, behold, the angel that talked with me went forth, and another angel went out to meet him, 4 And said unto him, Run, speak to this young man, saying, Jerusalem shall be inhabited as towns without walls for the multitude of men and cattle therein: 5 For I, saith the LORD, will be unto her a wall of fire round about, and will be the glory in the midst of her. 6 Ho, ho, come forth, and flee from the land of the north, saith the LORD: for I have spread you abroad as the four winds of the heaven, saith the LORD. 7 Deliver thyself, O Zion, that dwellest with the daughter of Babylon. 8 For thus saith the LORD of hosts; After the glory hath he sent me unto the nations which spoiled you: for he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of his eye. 9 For, behold, I will shake mine hand upon them, and they shall be a spoil to their servants: and ye shall know that the LORD of hosts hath sent me. 10 Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion: for, lo, I come, and I will dwell in the midst of thee, saith the LORD. 11 And many nations shall be joined to the LORD in that day, and shall be my people: and I will dwell in the midst of thee, and thou shalt know that the LORD of hosts hath sent me unto thee. 12 And the LORD shall inherit Judah his portion in the holy land, and shall choose Jerusalem again. 13 Be silent, O all flesh, before the LORD: for he is raised up out of his holy habitation.
Second Lesson: Hebrews 4:14-5:10
King James Version
14 Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. 15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. 1 For every high priest taken from among men is ordained for men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins: 2 Who can have compassion on the ignorant, and on them that are out of the way; for that he himself also is compassed with infirmity. 3 And by reason hereof he ought, as for the people, so also for himself, to offer for sins. 4 And no man taketh this honour unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron. 5 So also Christ glorified not himself to be made an high priest; but he that said unto him, Thou art my Son, to day have I begotten thee. 6 As he saith also in another place, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec. 7 Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared; 8 Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered; 9 And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him; 10 Called of God an high priest after the order of Melchisedec.
Reflection
The psalmist begins in a place many of us know: “Give ear to my prayer, O God; and hide not thyself from my supplication.” He is not offering a tidy prayer, carefully arranged and suitably religious. He is mourning, complaining, trembling. “My heart is sore pained within me: and the terrors of death are fallen upon me.” His longing is simply to escape: “Oh that I had wings like a dove! for then would I fly away, and be at rest.”
The Bible does not rebuke him for praying like this. It gives his prayer to the Church, that we may know that faith does not require us to pretend that all is well. There are times when the faithful are frightened, overwhelmed, or weary of the storm and tempest. The first movement of faith may be no more than turning towards God and asking him to listen.
And the Epistle tells us why we may turn towards God with such confidence. “Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.” Christ is not distant from human weakness. He is “touched with the feeling of our infirmities”; he was tempted as we are, yet without sin. The risen and ascended Lord is not less compassionate because he is in heaven. He is precisely the one who brings our frail humanity into the presence of God.
Therefore, says the writer, “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace.” Boldly does not mean arrogantly. We do not come claiming that God owes us an answer, or that our sufferings make us righteous. We come because Christ, our great High Priest, has opened the way. We come with our fear, our grief, our sin, and our need. We come to obtain mercy, and to find grace to help in time of need.
This is a deeply Anglican truth: our confidence rests not in the strength or purity of our own devotion, but in the finished priesthood of Christ. The Church’s worship is not an attempt to persuade God to be gracious. It is our obedient and thankful response to the grace already given us through his Son. In the ordered prayers of the Church, in the reading of Holy Scripture, and above all in the Sacrament, we are taught to come—not trusting in ourselves, but trusting in Christ.
The passage also tells us something about the character of this High Priest. “Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered.” Christ’s suffering was not meaningless, nor was it evidence that the Father had abandoned him. In his strong crying and tears, he offered himself in perfect obedience. He is therefore able to save completely those who come to God through him. He is “the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him.”
That final phrase should not be softened away. Grace does not make obedience unnecessary; grace makes obedience possible. We do not obey in order to purchase salvation. We obey the Saviour who has purchased us. The Christian life is not escape from every storm, as though discipleship guaranteed a trouble-free passage. It is being held fast to Christ in the storm, and being taught, little by little, to trust him.
Zechariah gives us another picture of that trust. Jerusalem is measured, but it cannot be confined within its walls. The Lord himself will be “a wall of fire round about her, and will be the glory in the midst of her.” His people are called to rejoice because God will dwell among them, and many nations will be joined to the Lord.
The Church therefore lives between distress and promise. We know the tempest, but we also know that the Lord has not abandoned his people. His protection is not always the removal of difficulty; it is his presence in the midst of us. His glory is not merely something we shall see one day, but the light by which we are to live today.
So let us bring our honest prayers to the throne of grace. Let us hold fast our profession, receive mercy for our sins, and seek grace for the duty immediately before us. Our great High Priest has passed into the heavens, but he has not passed beyond our need. He hears, he understands, and he saves. In him, even in the storm, the people of God are not forsaken.
Electric See Chapel