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 11, 2026

Morning Prayer

Harvest Thanksgiving (White)

Psalms: Psalm 65 , 67,

King James Version

1 Praise waiteth for thee, O God, in Sion: and unto thee shall the vow be performed. 2 O thou that hearest prayer, unto thee shall all flesh come. 3 Iniquities prevail against me: as for our transgressions, thou shalt purge them away. 4 Blessed is the man whom thou choosest, and causest to approach unto thee, that he may dwell in thy courts: we shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy house, even of thy holy temple. 5 By terrible things in righteousness wilt thou answer us, O God of our salvation; who art the confidence of all the ends of the earth, and of them that are afar off upon the sea: 6 Which by his strength setteth fast the mountains; being girded with power: 7 Which stilleth the noise of the seas, the noise of their waves, and the tumult of the people. 8 They also that dwell in the uttermost parts are afraid at thy tokens: thou makest the outgoings of the morning and evening to rejoice. 9 Thou visitest the earth, and waterest it: thou greatly enrichest it with the river of God, which is full of water: thou preparest them corn, when thou hast so provided for it. 10 Thou waterest the ridges thereof abundantly: thou settlest the furrows thereof: thou makest it soft with showers: thou blessest the springing thereof. 11 Thou crownest the year with thy goodness; and thy paths drop fatness. 12 They drop upon the pastures of the wilderness: and the little hills rejoice on every side. 13 The pastures are clothed with flocks; the valleys also are covered over with corn; they shout for joy, they also sing. 1 God be merciful unto us, and bless us; and cause his face to shine upon us; Selah. 2 That thy way may be known upon earth, thy saving health among all nations. 3 Let the people praise thee, O God; let all the people praise thee. 4 O let the nations be glad and sing for joy: for thou shalt judge the people righteously, and govern the nations upon earth. Selah. 5 Let the people praise thee, O God; let all the people praise thee. 6 Then shall the earth yield her increase; and God, even our own God, shall bless us. 7 God shall bless us; and all the ends of the earth shall fear him.

First Lesson: Deuteronomy 8

King James Version

1 All the commandments which I command thee this day shall ye observe to do, that ye may live, and multiply, and go in and possess the land which the LORD sware unto your fathers. 2 And thou shalt remember all the way which the LORD thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no. 3 And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live. 4 Thy raiment waxed not old upon thee, neither did thy foot swell, these forty years. 5 Thou shalt also consider in thine heart, that, as a man chasteneth his son, so the LORD thy God chasteneth thee. 6 Therefore thou shalt keep the commandments of the LORD thy God, to walk in his ways, and to fear him. 7 For the LORD thy God bringeth thee into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and depths that spring out of valleys and hills; 8 A land of wheat, and barley, and vines, and fig trees, and pomegranates; a land of oil olive, and honey; 9 A land wherein thou shalt eat bread without scarceness, thou shalt not lack any thing in it; a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills thou mayest dig brass. 10 When thou hast eaten and art full, then thou shalt bless the LORD thy God for the good land which he hath given thee. 11 Beware that thou forget not the LORD thy God, in not keeping his commandments, and his judgments, and his statutes, which I command thee this day: 12 Lest when thou hast eaten and art full, and hast built goodly houses, and dwelt therein; 13 And when thy herds and thy flocks multiply, and thy silver and thy gold is multiplied, and all that thou hast is multiplied; 14 Then thine heart be lifted up, and thou forget the LORD thy God, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage; 15 Who led thee through that great and terrible wilderness, wherein were fiery serpents, and scorpions, and drought, where there was no water; who brought thee forth water out of the rock of flint; 16 Who fed thee in the wilderness with manna, which thy fathers knew not, that he might humble thee, and that he might prove thee, to do thee good at thy latter end; 17 And thou say in thine heart, My power and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth. 18 But thou shalt remember the LORD thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day. 19 And it shall be, if thou do at all forget the LORD thy God, and walk after other gods, and serve them, and worship them, I testify against you this day that ye shall surely perish. 20 As the nations which the LORD destroyeth before your face, so shall ye perish; because ye would not be obedient unto the voice of the LORD your God.

Second Lesson: Luke 12:15-34

King James Version

15 And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth. 16 And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: 17 And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? 18 And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. 20 But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? 21 So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God. 22 And he said unto his disciples, Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat; neither for the body, what ye shall put on. 23 The life is more than meat, and the body is more than raiment. 24 Consider the ravens: for they neither sow nor reap; which neither have storehouse nor barn; and God feedeth them: how much more are ye better than the fowls? 25 And which of you with taking thought can add to his stature one cubit? 26 If ye then be not able to do that thing which is least, why take ye thought for the rest? 27 Consider the lilies how they grow: they toil not, they spin not; and yet I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 28 If then God so clothe the grass, which is to day in the field, and to morrow is cast into the oven; how much more will he clothe you, O ye of little faith? 29 And seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind. 30 For all these things do the nations of the world seek after: and your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things. 31 But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you. 32 Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. 33 Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth. 34 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

Reflection

“Thou crownest the year with thy goodness,” says the Psalmist. In these autumn days, when the harvest is gathered in and the year begins to turn towards winter, that is a word worth receiving slowly. The goodness is God’s before it is ours. The rain, the fruitful earth, the strength to labour, the skill to prepare and preserve: all are gifts. We are not self-made, however loudly the world may praise the power of man’s own hand.

That is the warning Moses gives Israel in Deuteronomy. The people are about to enter a good land: a land of water and wheat, vines and olive trees, honey and bread without scarceness. It is a picture of settled abundance after the wilderness. Yet abundance brings its own danger. “When thou hast eaten and art full,” Moses says, “beware that thou forget not the LORD thy God.” The danger is not simply that possessions may be misused. It is that possessions may persuade us that we possess ourselves—that we may say, “My power and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth.”

Our Lord speaks the same truth in the parable of the rich fool. His ground brought forth plentifully, and there is no suggestion that the harvest was gained by theft. His fault lies deeper. He sees the abundance, but not the Giver. He speaks repeatedly of “my fruits,” “my goods,” and “my barns,” but never of God, never of neighbour, never of duty. His whole life has curled inward upon himself. He has planned for many years, but forgotten that his soul is not in his keeping.

“Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee.” Those are solemn words, but they are not spoken to destroy our joy. They are spoken to save us from a false joy—the joy of having much while possessing nothing that lasts. “So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”

What, then, does it mean to be rich toward God? It means first to remember. “Thou shalt remember the LORD thy God,” says Moses: remember who led thee through the wilderness; remember who gave water from the rock; remember who fed thee with manna; remember that even the power to gain wealth is his gift. Christian thanksgiving is therefore more than good manners. It is an act of truth. We name the world as it really is: God’s creation, sustained by God’s providence, and entrusted to our care.

It means also that our possessions must become instruments of mercy. Jesus says, “Sell that ye have, and give alms.” He is not commending careless improvidence, nor forbidding honest labour or prudent provision. He is commanding freedom from the tyranny of possessions. We are to hold earthly goods as stewards, not as slaves; ready to give because our treasure is not finally stored in barns, houses, accounts, or cupboards, but in heaven.

And it means that we are to seek first the kingdom of God. Our Lord does not mock the necessities of life. Our Father knows that we need food and clothing. The ravens are fed; the lilies are clothed; and we are of greater value than they. But anxiety must not become our master, nor acquisition our religion. “Fear not, little flock,” Christ says, “for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” The kingdom is not wages earned by our abundance. It is the Father’s gift, received by faith, and it places every other gift in its proper order.

So let us give thanks for the harvest, but let our thanksgiving be more than words. Let it make us generous, contented, and watchful. Let us ask whether our abundance is serving God and neighbour, or merely enlarging the barns of the self. The Psalm ends with the earth yielding its increase and all the nations praising God. That is the proper end of every harvest: not pride in what we have gathered, but praise to the One who has crowned the year with goodness. And being rich toward God, we shall find that his kingdom is treasure enough.

Evening Prayer

Harvest Thanksgiving (White)

Psalms: Psalm 145

King James Version

1 I will extol thee, my God, O king; and I will bless thy name for ever and ever. 2 Every day will I bless thee; and I will praise thy name for ever and ever. 3 Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable. 4 One generation shall praise thy works to another, and shall declare thy mighty acts. 5 I will speak of the glorious honour of thy majesty, and of thy wondrous works. 6 And men shall speak of the might of thy terrible acts: and I will declare thy greatness. 7 They shall abundantly utter the memory of thy great goodness, and shall sing of thy righteousness. 8 The LORD is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy. 9 The LORD is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works. 10 All thy works shall praise thee, O LORD; and thy saints shall bless thee. 11 They shall speak of the glory of thy kingdom, and talk of thy power; 12 To make known to the sons of men his mighty acts, and the glorious majesty of his kingdom. 13 Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and thy dominion endureth throughout all generations. 14 The LORD upholdeth all that fall, and raiseth up all those that be bowed down. 15 The eyes of all wait upon thee; and thou givest them their meat in due season. 16 Thou openest thine hand, and satisfiest the desire of every living thing. 17 The LORD is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works. 18 The LORD is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth. 19 He will fulfil the desire of them that fear him: he also will hear their cry, and will save them. 20 The LORD preserveth all them that love him: but all the wicked will he destroy. 21 My mouth shall speak the praise of the LORD: and let all flesh bless his holy name for ever and ever.

First Lesson: Deuteronomy 16:9-17

King James Version

9 Seven weeks shalt thou number unto thee: begin to number the seven weeks from such time as thou beginnest to put the sickle to the corn. 10 And thou shalt keep the feast of weeks unto the LORD thy God with a tribute of a freewill offering of thine hand, which thou shalt give unto the LORD thy God, according as the LORD thy God hath blessed thee: 11 And thou shalt rejoice before the LORD thy God, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy manservant, and thy maidservant, and the Levite that is within thy gates, and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, that are among you, in the place which the LORD thy God hath chosen to place his name there. 12 And thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in Egypt: and thou shalt observe and do these statutes. 13 Thou shalt observe the feast of tabernacles seven days, after that thou hast gathered in thy corn and thy wine: 14 And thou shalt rejoice in thy feast, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy manservant, and thy maidservant, and the Levite, the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, that are within thy gates. 15 Seven days shalt thou keep a solemn feast unto the LORD thy God in the place which the LORD shall choose: because the LORD thy God shall bless thee in all thine increase, and in all the works of thine hands, therefore thou shalt surely rejoice. 16 Three times in a year shall all thy males appear before the LORD thy God in the place which he shall choose; in the feast of unleavened bread, and in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of tabernacles: and they shall not appear before the LORD empty: 17 Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the LORD thy God which he hath given thee.

Second Lesson: 2 Corinthians 9

King James Version

1 For as touching the ministering to the saints, it is superfluous for me to write to you: 2 For I know the forwardness of your mind, for which I boast of you to them of Macedonia, that Achaia was ready a year ago; and your zeal hath provoked very many. 3 Yet have I sent the brethren, lest our boasting of you should be in vain in this behalf; that, as I said, ye may be ready: 4 Lest haply if they of Macedonia come with me, and find you unprepared, we (that we say not, ye) should be ashamed in this same confident boasting. 5 Therefore I thought it necessary to exhort the brethren, that they would go before unto you, and make up beforehand your bounty, whereof ye had notice before, that the same might be ready, as a matter of bounty, and not as of covetousness. 6 But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. 7 Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work: 9 (As it is written, He hath dispersed abroad; he hath given to the poor: his righteousness remaineth for ever. 10 Now he that ministereth seed to the sower both minister bread for your food, and multiply your seed sown, and increase the fruits of your righteousness;) 11 Being enriched in every thing to all bountifulness, which causeth through us thanksgiving to God. 12 For the administration of this service not only supplieth the want of the saints, but is abundant also by many thanksgivings unto God; 13 Whiles by the experiment of this ministration they glorify God for your professed subjection unto the gospel of Christ, and for your liberal distribution unto them, and unto all men; 14 And by their prayer for you, which long after you for the exceeding grace of God in you. 15 Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift.

Reflection

Harvest thanksgiving is not chiefly a celebration of what we have managed to produce. It is an act of truth: the acknowledgement that all we have comes to us as gift, and that the giver is God.

Deuteronomy gives Israel a pattern for such thanksgiving. When the sickle has been put to the corn, and the harvest gathered in, the people are commanded to rejoice before the Lord. They are not to come empty-handed, but neither are they to come grudgingly. Each is to give “according as the LORD thy God hath blessed thee.” The offering is to be proportionate to the blessing, and the rejoicing is to be shared widely: with children and servants, with the Levite, with the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow.

This is a very different understanding of possessions from the one offered by the world. We are tempted to say, “This is mine: I earned it, I planned it, I deserve it.” Scripture teaches us instead to say, “This has been entrusted to me.” Our labour matters; diligence is good; prudence is necessary. Yet behind the strength of our hands, the fertility of the earth, the ordering of the seasons, and the daily bread upon our table stands the providence of God.

The psalm gives us the right language: “The eyes of all wait upon thee; and thou givest them their meat in due season. Thou openest thine hand, and satisfiest the desire of every living thing.” God’s hand is open. His goodness is not narrow or reluctant. “The LORD is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works.” Harvest thanksgiving begins by looking at the open hand of God, and ends with our own hands being opened in response.

That is the burden of Saint Paul’s teaching in the ninth chapter of the Second Epistle to the Corinthians. He is encouraging the Christians at Corinth to complete their promised collection for believers in need. He does not treat giving as a tax imposed upon unwilling subjects. He asks for a free and ready offering: “not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.” Christian generosity is not a purchase of God’s favour, nor an attempt to make ourselves righteous. We give because God has first given to us; and all our giving is a small and grateful answer to his abundance.

Paul even uses the language of sowing and reaping. “He which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.” This is not a promise that generosity will make us rich in the manner of worldly ambition. It is a promise that God is able to make grace abound, so that we may have “all sufficiency in all things” and abound in every good work. God supplies seed to the sower and bread for food; he provides what we need, and he also gives us the privilege of becoming instruments of his provision for others.

There is therefore a holy purpose in our thanksgiving. It is not merely that our own hearts should feel grateful, though they should. It is that those who are in want may be helped, that the Church’s ministry may be strengthened, and that many voices may rise in thanksgiving to God. Paul says that such practical generosity causes others to glorify God. A gift may pass from our hands, but its praise may rise before God from hearts we shall never see.

And beneath every earthly gift stands the greatest gift: “Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift.” God has not only given rain and fruitful seasons, food and shelter, work and fellowship. He has given us his Son, Jesus Christ, through whom we are reconciled to him and made heirs of everlasting life. The Christian’s generosity is therefore rooted not in anxiety, but in grace. We do not give in order to persuade God to love us. We give because, in Christ, we have already received a love beyond measure.

So let us keep this thanksgiving with joy and with sober remembrance. Let us remember the Lord’s benefits, give according to his blessing, and make room at the feast for those who have less. Let our offerings be free, our gratitude sincere, and our confidence fixed upon the God whose hand is open. Then our thanksgiving will become what it ought to be: praise made visible, mercy made practical, and glory returned to the giver of every good gift.