Evening Prayer: O Trinity of Blessed Light

Commemoration: Edmund of East Anglia

O God of ineffable mercy, who gave grace and fortitude to blessed Edmund the king to triumph over the enemy of his poeple by nobly dying for your Name: Bestow on us your servants the shield of faith, with which we can withstand the assaults of our ancient enemy; through Jesus Christ our Redeemer, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Psalter: Psalm 119:121-144

Lessons: 2 Chronicles 24:20-27, Revelation 21:9-21, Matthew 17:22-27

Saturday Prayer: I Sing the Mighty Power of God

Commemoration: Margery Kempe

Almighty God, you have surrounded us with a great cloud of witnesses: Grant that we, encouraged by the good example of your servant Margery, may persevere in running the race that is set before us, until at last we may with her attain to your eternal joy; through Jesus Christ, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever Amen.

Psalter: Psalm 75, 76 (M); 23, 27 (E)

Lessons: Ezra 9, Revelation 17:1-14, Matthew 14:22-36

Saturday Evening Prayer: Nunc Dimittis

Commemoration: Jesuit Martyrs of North America

O Almighty God, by whose grace and power your holy martyrs Antony Daniel, Charles Garnier, Gabriel Lalemant, Isaac Jogues, John de Brebeuf, John Lalande, Noel Chabanel, and Rene Goupil triumphed over suffering and were faithful even to death: Grant us, who now remember them in thanksgiving, to be so faithful in our witness to you in this world, that we may receive with them the crown of life; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Psalter: Psalm 110, 116, 117

Lessons: 2 Kings 25:8-12, 22-26; 1 Corinthians 15:12-29; Matthew 11:7-15

Evening Prayer: The Day Thou Gavest Lord is Ended

Commemoration: Ignatius

Almighty God, we praise you for your bishop and martyr Ignatius of Antioch, who offered himself as grain to be ground by the teeth of wild beasts that he might present to you the pure bread of sacrifice. Accept the willing tribute of our lives, and give us a share in the pure and spotless offering of your Son Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Psalter: Psalm 18:21-50

Lessons Jeremiah 38:1-13; 1 Corinthians 14:26-33, 37-40; Matthew 10:34-42

Tuesday in Pentecost, Proper 25: Though our prayer is cold

Opening Sentence

I was glad when they said to me, "Let us go to the house of the Lord." Psalm 122:1

Immortal, Invisible God Only Wise



Collect of the Day

Almighty and everlasting God, increase in us the gifts of faith, hope, and charity; and, that we may obtain what you promise, make us love what you command; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Psalter: Psalm 45

Lessons: Revelation 11:14-19, Luke 11:27-36

O blessed Lord and Saviour, who hast commanded us to love one another, grant us grace that, having received thine undeserved bounty, we may love every man in and for thee. We implore thy clemency for all; but especially for the friends whom thy love has given to us. Love thou them, O thou Fountain of love, and make them to love thee with all their heart, with all their mind, with all their soul, that those things only which are pleasing to thee they may will and speak and do. And though our prayer is cold, because our charity is so little fervent, yet thou art rich in mercy. Measure not thy goodness to them by the dullness of our devotion; but as thy kindness surpasseth all human affection, so let thy hearing transcend our prayer. Do thou to them what is expedient for them, according to thy will, that they being always and everywhere ruled and protected by thee, may attain in the end to everlasting life; and to thee with the Father and the Holy Spirit, be all honor and praise forever and ever. Amen.

Anselm

The Love of God

Monday in Pentecost, Proper 25: Destroying death through death

Opening Sentence

Their sound has gone out into all lands, and their message to the ends of the world. Psalm 19:4

Christ Whose Glory Fills the Skies



Commemoration: St. Simon and St. Jude

O God, we thank you for the glorious company of the apostles, and especially on this day for Simon and Jude; and we pray that, as they were faithful and zealous in their mission, so we may with ardent devotion make known the love and mercy of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Psalter: Psalm 41, 52

Lessons: Revelation 11:1-14, Luke 11:14-26

Jesus' opponents thought they had seen the hidden truth behind what he was doing. Outwardly, he was rebuking demons, and they were obeying him. The spirits did what he told them. People who saw this were faced with two possible interpretations. Either Jesus really was equipped with special power from God, giving him his extraordinary authority. Or he was somehow in league with the Prince of Demons. (The word 'Beelzebul' or 'Beelzebub' was a kind of nickname, originally meaning something like 'Lord of Flies'. By Jesus' day it was simply a way of referring to the personal source of evil without giving it, or him, a more precise definition.)

Accusing Jesus like this was, for the opponents, an ideal way not only of rejecting Jesus' message about the kingdom, but of launching a propaganda campaign against him. 'Ah,' they were saying, 'don't just look at the outward effects! You need to understand what's going on behind. Then you'll see he's a scoundrel--in league with the devil himself!' Those who were not with him were therefore against him (though this proverb-like saying needs balancing with 9.50, and wisdom is required in deciding which applies to which situation).

Jesus would of course have agreed that there was a hidden meaning behind what he was doing, but it was the precise opposite of what they were suggesting. His own explanation indicates what is really going on.

He begins by pointing to a fatal flaw in the opponents' logic. If the satan is opposing his own troops, he has already lost the battle: his kingdom is split down the middle. He then invites the accusers to compare him with other Jewish exorcists of the time. Are they, too, in league with the devil? If not, why should he be?

Jesus is not claiming to be simply one exorcist among others. He is not casting out demons by some magic formula, or by using the name of some mighty or holy person. He is doing so 'by the finger of God'--a phrase which Luke hopes will remind his readers of the powerful works which Moses did at Pharaoh's court (Exodus 8.19), and which the magicians of Egypt could not copy. Jesus is acting like someone who has successfully attacked and tied up the strong man who was guarding a house. He has won an initial victory over the satan, and is now able to give orders to his underlings and have them obey him at once.

Jesus is showing, then, that the God of the Exodus is alive and well and at work. His journey to Jerusalem is marked at every step by signs of what he must accomplish there. The power which enables him to defeat the demons in the present is the same power by which, through death itself, he will destroy death.

N.T. Wright

Luke for Everyone

O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing

Friday in Pentecost, Proper 24: A soul divided

Opening Sentence

The Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth keep silence before him. Habakkuk 2:20

O Lord, You're Beautiful



Commemoration: Alfred the Great

O Sovereign Lord, who brought your servant Alfred to a troubled throne that he might establish peace in a ravaged land and revive learning and the arts among the people: Awake in us also a keen desire to increase our understanding while we are in this world, and an eager longing to reach that endless life where all will be made clear; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Psalter: Psalm 31

Lessons: Revelation 9:13-21, Luke 10:38-42

Now the Martha of her stiffened to her load,
Down-weighing, of relentless daily care,
Now she straightened upright, would not bend or break,
But held herself all iron standing there.

When the Mary of her called unto her soul
And made a moan and cried to it in vain:
"Oh this woman--look! She fretteth overmuch
And leaves no space for me; Lord, I complain."

But the Martha of her listened with the sigh
Of those too weary or too strong to rest:
"Tell who taketh then this burden if I cease
And empty both my hands upon my breast."

O a soul divided is a soul forespent
She went still asking, "Is it I? Or I?"
Low forever through the silence Mary spake,
And Martha, sad and sure did make reply.

Till the irony and harmony of death
Made out of these a concord high and sweet
When the Martha of the woman toiling, passed
Estranged from ease, she sought her Master's feet.

"Now my turn has come, my turn at last," she cried,
My time to worship, listening to Thy Word."
Oh, but calm beyond her, fair above her still
The Mary of her knelt before her Lord.

Elizabeth S.P. Ward

We Fall Down

Thursday in Pentecost, Proper 24: Love operating at a distance

Opening Sentence

Send out your light and your truth, that they may lead me, and bring me to your holy hill and to your dwelling. Psalm 43:3

Sing Your Praise to the Lord



Commemoration: Geoffrey Chaucer

Blessed Lord, who has given us the gift of sexual love, with its joys and cares and complexities and unanswered questions, and has made known to us the duty of keeping promises and of showing justice and good will toward those about us: mercifully grant that, in our human loves, and in our choices concerning them, we may be guided by your commandments and live according to your will; that we and those we love may abide in your gracious protection, and that our loves may be fitting images of the love between Christ and his Church; the which we ask through the same Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Psalter: Psalm 37:1-18

Lessons: Revelation 9:1-12, Luke 10:25-37

I am not told that I am to like my neighbor; I am ordered to love him or her. Luther's explication of our relation to the neighbor brings us close to a right understanding. Our neighbors in the biblical sense, are those persons who live in God's creation with us in the solidarity of our life together on this earth. Though I cannot will myself to feel an oceanic affection for all people, I can acknowledge my bond with the whole of creation. In that bond I am to recognize the authenticity, the thereness, the concrete life and existence of the other.

In the broad context of human solidarity the exercise of love is realized in transaffectional justice. Real love grasps the hand that need holds out. Needs cry out from millions I will never meet. Justice is love operating at a distance. When, for instance, my church tells me that millions of people ares starving and that it is my duty to show my love for them through helpful actions, I become aware of the transindividual meaning of love. I cannot feel any immediate affection for two million people. Love becomes a recognition of the neighbor in his or her need, and takes the transpersonal form of distributed food.

Joseph Sittler

Gravity and Grace

Rescue the Perishing

Tuesday in Pentecost, Proper 24: Worship and the Apocalypse

Opening Sentence

Their sound has gone out into all lands, and their message to the ends of the world. Psalm 19:4

Come, Thou Almighty King



Commemoration: St. James of Jerusalem

Grant, O God, that, following the example of your servant James the Just, brother of our Lord, your Church may give itself continually to prayer and to the reconciliation of all who are at variance and enmity; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Psalter: Psalm 26, 28

Lessons: Revelation 7:9-17, Luke 10:1-16

The vision of Revelation presents two contrasting realities, symbolized by two cities: New Jerusalem and Fallen Babylon. The citizens of these cities are characterized, respectively, by worship of God and worship of the beast. As the vision unfolds, this overarching theme of worship becomes clear. Revelation is best understood holistically, as one synchronous vision. The central event of the vision, around which all other events turn and eventually return to, is the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Through his death and resurrection, Jesus “has conquered” and is therefore worthy to “open the scroll and the seven seals” (5:5). Through this one decisive act, God has revealed his whole will and purpose. All creation is invited to join in the song around the throne of glory. That is, all creation is invited to enter into the experience of worship. Indeed, all creation does worship, but some do not worship around the throne. Some worship, instead, the image of the beast and join with the dragon in his rebellion against God. But whether you worship the one true God or any number of imitations, the message of John’s vision in Revelation is worship shapes and defines your character and identity.

Throughout Revelation, there is developed the contrast between the redeemed order and the rebellious order, that is, New Jerusalem and Fallen Babylon, each in the process of being conformed to the image of that which they worship. The redeemed, “coming out of the great tribulation”(7:14ff), stand before God’s throne and “serve him day and night in his temple,” gradually experiencing more and more of the fullness of God’s presence around them until, at last, all hunger, thirst, pain, and tears are done away with. The rebellious, conversely, worship the beast and imagine it to be invincible, saying, “Who is like the beast, and who can fight against it?” (13:4).

The idea of human beings worshiping the image of “the beast” is hardly an innovation. When the people of Israel became impatient waiting for Moses to come down from Mount Sinai (Exodus 32), they made for themselves a golden calf and worshiped it as their god. When Moses finally did come down from the mountain, he found the Israelites behaving much like the beast they were worshiping. Similarly, those who follow after “the beast” in Revelation eventually become much like that which they worship. Thus, what would seem initially to be an ascription of praise becomes a comical farce. “Who is like the beast?” Those who worship the beast are “like the beast.” Having created a god ostensibly in their own image, they have become enslaved by what it represents, namely, their own vanity and self-indulgent passions.

As the redeemed and the rebellious are conformed, respectively, to the image of that which they worship, they each begin longing for the ultimate outcome of the choice they have made. The redeemed long for God to complete his work of redemption and vindicate those who have suffered at the hands of the rebellious. The souls under the altar cry out, “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” (6:10). Most dramatic, however, is the prayer at the end of the book, “Come, Lord Jesus!” (22:20). This is the prayer of the church for all things to be made complete, for redemption in its fullness at the personal, corporate, and cosmic levels. It expresses the church’s longing for the victory of God in Christ to be made manifest throughout all creation.

Conversely, the rebellious begin to cry out for their own destruction, longing for death in order that they might be relieved of the intolerable suffering which they have brought upon themselves. It is a relief they do not receive. For those who worship the beast and its image “have no rest, day or night” (14:11). Yet, “the dead who die in the Lord” are to “rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them” (14:13). The “rest” here is the Sabbath which yet remains for the followers of the Lamb but will be forever out of the reach of “these worshipers of the beast and its image, and whoever receives the mark of its name” (14:11). They will be trapped in an endless cycle of labor, suffering, and pain, symbolized in “the number of the beast,” six hundred sixty six (666).

The marriage supper of the Lamb (19:9) provides another stark contrast between the redeemed and the rebellious. For the redeemed, it is a feast of celebration, complete with a loud, heavenly chorus (19:6-8). For the beast and its followers, it is a dinner of doom in which they are the main course for “all the birds that fly directly overhead” (19:17ff).

Whatever other impressions one gets from reading the Apocalypse, one comes through loud and clear: worship is an inescapable reality of life. If we worship God, we will become like him: holy, righteous, pure, and truly alive. If we worship the beast, we will become like it: corrupt, vile, ruthless, and ultimately devoid of life.

(JAG)

Revelation Song

Monday in Pentecost, Proper 24: Misdirected zeal

Opening Sentence

I was glad when they said to me, "Let us go to the house of the Lord." Psalm 122:1

When Morning Guilds the Skies



Collect of the Day

Almighty and everlasting God, in Christ you have revealed your glory among the nations: Preserve the works of your mercy, that your Church throughout the world may persevere with steadfast faith in the confession of your Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Psalter: Psalm 25

Lessons: Revelation 7:1-8, Luke 9:51-62

Along the road to Jerusalem, Jesus gives terse responses to a few half-hearted disciples.

It is easy to say to Jesus, as the first wannabe disciple says, “I will follow you wherever you go,” when you have not considered the consequences. Jesus warns, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” The implication is that following Jesus requires a readiness to do without some of the basic necessities of life. If one is not prepared for such a life, no amount of eagerness to jump on the Jesus bandwagon will compensate.

Two other would-be disciples seem unduly burdened with family obligations. “Lord, let me first go and bury their father,” says the first. “Leave the dead to bury their own dead,” Jesus replies. “But as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”

“I will follow you, Lord,” says another, “but let me first say farewell to those at my home.” Jesus, unimpressed, responds, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”

These responses underscore the urgency of Jesus' mission and his eagerness to accomplish it. So, too, does his response to James and John, who want to call down fire from heaven to consume those who will not receive Jesus' message. There is no need to be impatient on the road to Jerusalem. Neither is there is any place on that road for those who are not willing, first, to count the cost (as the first wannabe disciple apparently had not done) and, second, to forsake everything to follow Jesus (as the other two wannabes were not willing to do).

James and John wanted the instant gratification of seeing Jesus' enemies destroyed right then and there. Jesus had other plans for dealing with those who rejected him. The first wannabe disciple did not understand the radical implications of discipleship beforehand. If he had, he would not have been so eager to jump on board. Had the other two wannabes been ready to follow Jesus, they would have taken care of their family obligations beforehand.

In all three cases, there is a misdirected zeal which Jesus finds unacceptable. His mission is urgent, but it does not require impatience. What it does require is sacrifice and a willingness to be ready for the long haul. Only by those who, having forsaken all else, are willing to follow Jesus all the way to the cross without looking back are fit for the kingdom of God.

(JAG)

Jesus Calls Us O'er the Tumult

Saturday in Pentecost, Proper 23: The property and promise of God

Opening Sentence

Thus says the high and lofty One who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy, "I dwell in the high and holy place and also with the one who has a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble and to revive the heart of the contrite." Isaiah 57:15

Come Down, O Love Divine



Collect of the Day

Lord, we pray that your grace may always precede and follow us, that we may continually be given to good works; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Psalter: Psalm 20, 21

Lessons: Acts 28:17-31, Luke 9:37-50

Death will cut me off from my dear relations, whose dependence hath been on my care for them, but it will then dispose them under the more immediate care, protection, and providence of God who is judge of the Widow's case, and with whom the fatherless find mercy. It pierceth my soul to hear the Wife of my bosom cry, "Oh, Husband! What shall become of me, when thou covering of mine eyes art taken from me?" and to hear my children cry, "What shall become of us, when our careful, compassionate father is gone?" Be still my Soul! Submit, yield unto my God; even so hasten, for so it seemeth good unto thee; Is it not my duty by an act of faith, to cast my fatherless children on the Lord who provided for them by me? In vain had I risen early, gone to bed late, and eaten the bread of carefulness, if God had not built my house: shall I think the same God cannot, or shall I fear He will not provide for them without me? . . . . It is God's property, and promise, to take care of the Widows and Fatherless: especially of such who are so made for the testimony of His truth . . . I love them; I have looked after them whilst I lived; I will now leave the care of them to Him, who expressed it by me, who can and will express the same without me; who is charged with them by His own property and promise, who is more immediately, more eminently bound to look after them, by taking, me from them.

Oh my God! give my Wife and Children a fear of Thee; submission to Thee; and faith in Thee, be Thou the Husband of my Widow; and the Father of m y fatherless Children; that to the praise of Thee who faileth not, they may tell the world, the unbelieving world, they lost nothing by losing me; they traded to good advantage, by freely, willingly, cheerfully, contentedly, giving up a most loving Husband, and tender Father, to the pleasure of a gracious, faithful, never failing God; who stayeth with them, and careth for  them, when He by death doeth take me from them.

Zachary Crofton

A Defence Against the Dread of Death

Be Still My Soul

Thursday in Pentecost, Proper 23: The kingdom of God and the cross of Christ

Opening Sentence

Their sound has gone out into all lands, and their message to the ends of the world. Psalm 19:4

Come, Thou Almighty King



Commemoration: St. Luke the Evangelist

Almighty God, who inspired your servant Luke the physician to set forth in the Gospel the love and healing power of your Son: Graciously continue in your Church this love and power to heal, to the praise and glory of your Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Psalter: Psalm 18:1-20

Lessons: Jonah 3-4, Acts 27:27-44, Luke 9:18-27

Millennial views are like bad days. Everybody has one. No one particular view, however, is truly adequate to explain the multi-dimensional nature of the coming eschatological kingdom of God. Jesus declared to his disciples, “there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:27). This statement becomes very problematic for those who are wound up in arguments over millennial views. If “the kingdom of God” is synonymous with “the Son of Man” coming “in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels” (Luke 9:26), why have believers been waiting some 2,000 years to see something Jesus promised would be seen by his earliest followers?

If all that is meant by “the kingdom of God” is the return of Christ in glory at the end of history, then we might have a problem here, but “the kingdom of God” is a much larger project than just its final consummation. It is connected not only with Jesus’ glory, but also with his suffering. Likewise, it is seen not only in the final triumph of righteousness, but also in the ordeal of righteous suffering at the hands of the fallen world. Jesus connects his glory with his suffering and commands “anyone” who “would come after” him to “deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow” him (Luke 9:23). The glory of the Son of Man is inextricably connected with the suffering of the Son of Man. The kingdom of God is inextricably linked with the cross of Jesus Christ.

Jesus’ first disciples would “see the kingdom of God” in their lifetime by seeing Jesus “suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised” (Luke 9:22). Jesus’ resurrection was the inaugural event of the kingdom of God. Jesus, after his ordeal of suffering and death, was raised up in glory, vindicated as the true Christ of God, the victorious Son of Man “in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.”

The resurrection, however, was only the beginning. Jesus called his disciples to deny themselves, take up the cross, and follow him. They were to continue the work he began. They were to proclaim the Gospel of the kingdom of God to all the nations, never being ashamed even to give their lives for their Lord. In Jesus, crucified and risen, they could “see the kingdom of God.” Their mission was then, and our mission is now, to make others see that kingdom in lives that become an authentic imitation of the crucified and risen Savior.

(JAG)

Rescue the Perishing

Wednesday in Pentecost, Proper 23: Protection from evil

Opening Sentence

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in you sight, O Lord, my strength and my redeemer. Psalm 19:14

Commemoration: Ignatius of Antioch

Almighty God, we praise you for your bishop and martyr Ignatius of Antioch, who offered himself as grain to be ground by the teeth of wild beasts that he might present to you the pure bread of sacrifice. Accept the willing tribute of our lives, and give us a share in the pure and spotless offering of your Son Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Psalter: Psalm 119:1-24

Aleph



Beth



Gimel



Lessons: Jonah 1:17-2:10, Acts 27:9-26, Luke 9:1-17

O eternal and merciful God, I give eternal thanks to You that so far You have guarded me from countless evils and provided me with the protection of Your holy angels. Your gracious acts by which You have protected me from evil are even more numerous than the acts by which You give good things to me. Whenever I see others suffer evils of body and soul, I acknowledge Your kind mercy toward me. If, indeed, I am free from such cares and evils, I owe this only to Your goodness.

How great is the power of the devil. How great is his deceitfulness. Every time that wicked spirit, our powerfully cunning enemy, has tried to condemn me, I have been able to flee his net and find safety behind the shield of Your kindness and the protection of the angels. Can anyone count the traps of the devil? Who can count the times You have protected us from his traps? When I sleep, Your providential eye watches over me to prevent that hellish enemy, who walks around like a roaring lion (1 Peter 5:8), from surprising me with his traps and powers. When Satan attacks me with his temptations by day, the strength of Your right hand comforts me in the kindest way and prevents that deceitful tempter from enticing me into his snares. When a countless army of evils threatens me, the camps of Your angels (Psalm 34:7) surround me, like a wall of fire (Zechariah 2:5).

Even the most trifling and insignificant creature threatens me with various dangers. How great and boundless is Your kindness that You keep me safe from them. My soul and body are inclined to fall  into sin. Because this is so, kindest Father, You rule my soul by Your Spirit, my body by an angelic shield. You command Your angels to guard me wherever I go and to support me with their hands so my feet are not dashed against a stone (Psalm 91:11-12). Because of Your mercy, I am not destroyed. New dangers surround me every day, therefore Your mercies are new to me every morning (Lamentations 3:22-23). You do not slumber or sleep, O faithful and watchful Keeper of soul and body (Psalm 121:4). Your grace is the shade at my right hand that keeps the scorching midday rays of open and harsh persecution from striking me down and guards me from the calamities and hidden ambushes of the night (Psalm 121:6). You watch over my coming in, direct my going forth, and govern my going out (Psalm 121:8). For this kindness, I will sing praise eternally to You and to Your name. Amen.

Johann Gerhard

Stand by Me

Tuesday in Pentecost, Proper 23: The fruit of justice and mercy

Opening Sentence

The hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for such the Father seeks to worship him. John 4:23

Immortal, Invisible God Only Wise



Commemoration: Latimer, Ridley, and Cranmer

Keep us, O Lord, constant in faith and zealous in witness, after the examples of your servants Hugh Latimer, Nicholas Ridley, and Thomas Cranmer; that we may live in your fear, die in your favor, and rest in your peace; for the sake of Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Psalter: Psalm 5, 6

Lessons: Jonah 1, Acts 26:24-27:8, Luke 8:40-56

You must therefore combine justice with mercy, spending in mercy what you possess in justice, as it is written: "Keep mercy and justice and draw near to thy God always." Because God loves mercy and justice, those who take care to do mercy and justice draw near to God. It remains, then, for each to examine themselves and for rich people to take careful inventory of the private resources from which they are to offer gifts to God--to make sure that they have not oppressed poor people, or used force against the weak, or cheated those dependent upon them, thus exercising license rather than justice. . . . Do not employ force because you are in command, and do not take advantage of another because it is within your power to do so. On the contrary, show forth the deeds of justice because you are able to perform the deeds of power. Your fear of God and your obedience to Him are not exhibited in abstaining from acts beyond your ability, but in this--that being in a position to violate the law, you refuse to transgress it. If you give alms to the poor after you have despoiled them of their goods, it were better for you neither to have taken nor given . . . God will have no part in avarice nor will the Lord be a comrade to thieves and robbers. He has not left us the poor to feed because He is unable to do this, He asks from us, for our own good, the fruit of justice and mercy.

Basil the Great of Ceasarea

Of Mercy and Justice

Grace Greater Than Our Sin

Monday in Pentecost, Proper 23: The pigs are gone

Opening Sentence

I was glad when they said to me, "Let us go to the house of the Lord." Psalm 122:1

Morning Has Broken



Commemoration: Teresa of Avila

O God, who by your Holy Spirit moved Teresa of Avila to manifest to your Church the way of perfection: Grant us, we pray, to be nourished by her excellent teaching, and enkindle within us a keen and unquenchable longing for true holiness; through Jesus Christ, the joy of loving hearts, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Psalter: Psalm 1, 2, 3

Lessons: Micah 7:1-7, Acts 26:1-23, Luke 8:26-39

The reaction of the people to Jesus' healing of the Gerasene demoniac is all too typical. Rather than welcome Jesus with open arms, they insist that he leave. Why? For the very simple reason that the pigs are gone. When Jesus ordered the demons into the herd of pigs, the pigs "rushed down the steep bank into the lake and were drowned." Apparently, the town relied on the pigs for commerce. Jesus might have been bad for business if he stayed around.

Jesus responds to the people's demand the way he always responds to faithlessness. He doesn't stay where he is not wanted. He will not force a stubborn people to accept him. He came to show them that they could be set free from whatever was keeping them in bondage. Their response was, "The pigs are gone." They were a people who could not accept the gracious offer of God in the flesh, at least not at this time.

Jesus departed, but he did not leave himself without a witness. The demoniac, now healed, wanted to go with him, but Jesus told him, "Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you."

Often, Jesus instructed those he healed to keep quiet about it. In this case, however, he sent this Gentile back to his home with instructions to tell everyone about the healing and transforming power of God. The man did exactly that. With great enthusiasm, he spread the Good News. The town was not ready for Jesus when he arrived in person. The man he healed, however, would remain there as a witness to the fact that God had paid them a visit.

The Love of God

Wednesday in Pentecost, Proper 20: Haman's hilarious hatred

Opening Sentence

Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness; let the whole earth tremble before him. Psalm 96:9

God Who Made the Earth and Heaven



Commemoration: Lancelot Andrewes

O Lord and Father, our King and God, by whose grace the Church was enriched by the great learning and eloquent preaching of your servant Lancelot Andrewes, but even more by his example of biblical and liturgical prayer: Conform our lives, like his, to the image of Christ, that our hearts may love you, our minds serve you, and our lips proclaim the greatness of your mercy; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Psalter: Psalm 81, 82

Lessons: Esther 6, Acts 19:1-10, Luke 4:1-13

For anyone else, the irony would be tragic. But for a man as evil and filled with hatred as Haman, it is nothing short of side-splittingly comic. The king, upon learning that nothing has been done to honor Mordecai for saving his life, calls in Haman and orders him to parade through the city the very man whom Haman is conspiring to have killed.

Once again, Haman's enormous ego entraps him in a most hilarious situation. "Whom would the king delight to honor more than me?" Haman asks himself (v. 6). In his self-centered universe, there is no one more honorable in the king's sight than himself. So, he recommends only the highest of honors be given "to the man whom the king delights to honor," thinking, of course, that he will be the one who will be dressed in the king's own "royal robes" and paraded about the city square on the king's own horse. What a shock it must have been to Haman to learn that he is not "the man whom the king delights to honor" but, rather, "the king's most noble official" who is commanded to parade through the city square the man he so despises.

At this point, Haman and his family seem already to know the outcome of the story. Haman will fall at the hand of Mordecai. Mordecai's people will be delivered, and all of Haman's plans will come to nothing. Sympathy might be in order for anyone else. But for Haman, justice is about to laugh in his face.

Abide with Me

Tuesday in Pentecost, Proper 20: A reminder that he is only a man

Opening Sentence

The hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for such the Father seeks to worship him. John 4:23

The Day Thou Gavest



Commemoration: Sergius

O God, whose blessed Son became poor that we through his poverty might be rich: Deliver us from an inordinate love of this world, that we, inspired by the devotion of your servant Sergius of Moscow, may serve you with singleness of heart, and attain to the riches of the age to come; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Psalter: Psalm 78

Lessons: Esther 5, Acts 18:12-28, Luke 3:15-22

Haman is one of the most detestable characters in the entire biblical narrative. His jealous hatred for Mordecai and, consequently, for all the Jews is utterly irrational, driven by an inflated sense of his own importance. While the crowds bow in his presence, Mordecai reminds Haman he is only, after all, a man. It is a reminder Haman would rather live without.

In having the king honor Haman with a banquet, Esther is setting the trap which will ultimately lead to Haman's downfall. Haman has no idea that the queen whose favor he thinks he has won is the niece of the hated Mordecai, whose refusal to reverence him still angers Haman even after the banquet.

It is difficult to imagine a man so consumed by hatred as Haman. But it is his pride which will be his undoing. His boasting to his family is a cover for the prick on his conscience that Mordecai is. Haman dreams of becoming a god. Mordecai reminds him he is only a man; and as a man, Haman will come to a most ignoble end.

Now the Day is Over

Monday in Pentecost, Proper 20: Providentially placed

Opening Sentence

I was glad when they said to me, "Let us go to the house of the Lord." Psalm 122:1

Day by Day



Collect of the Day

Grant us, Lord, not to anxious about earthly things, but to love things heavenly; and even now, while we are placed among things which are passing away, to hold fast to those that shall endure; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Psalter: Psalm 80

Lessons: Esther 4:4-17; Acts 18:1-11; Luke 1:1-4, 3:1-14

Strangely absent throughout the book of Esther is any mention of God. His name is never invoked, never spoken, even by the devout Jew Mordecai, Esther's uncle. Yet, in this reading, the hand of God is evident in every detail.

The Jews, dispersed throughout the kingdom of Ahasuerus (the king's title, not his name), are to be exterminated. The evil Haman has prevailed upon the king to issue a decree because he is angry with Mordecai for refusing to bow to him. Mordecai, however, appeals to Esther, whom Ahasuerus had chosen as queen in place of Vashti, to plead the cause of her people before the king. Esther is initially reluctant, citing the law that one must be called by the king in order to enter his inner court. Having not been "called to come to the king these thirty days" (v. 11), Esther does not wish to imperil her own life.

But imperiling her own life is exactly what Esther will be doing if she remains silent. "Do not think to yourself that in the king's palace you will escape any more than all the other Jews," Mordecai warns her. "For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father's house will perish" (vv. 13-14a). Mordecai has faith that God, though his name is not mentioned, will deliver his people in some way. He knows the decree against the Jews will not have its intended result, but he also knows that Esther, being providentially placed in a position of authority at a time when she can be used as God's instrument of deliverance, would not be saving herself but condemning herself if she fails to act. "And who knows," asks Mordecai, "whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?" (v. 14b).

Mordecai's response emboldens Esther. She calls on all the Jews in Susa to fast on her behalf as he prepares to approach the king. Being a Jew in the palace will not protect her from the king's decree. But her presence there is no mere coincidence. God, though his name is not mentioned, has placed her there for the purpose of saving his people and making his name known throughout the kingdom.

Because He Lives

Saturday in Pentecost, Proper 19: To see him perfectly is to be blessed

Opening Sentence

Thus says the high and lofty One who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy, "I dwell in the high and holy place and also with the one who has a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble and to revive the heart of the contrite." Isaiah 57:15

Come, Now is the Time to Worship



Collect of the Day

O God, because without you we are not able to please you, mercifully grant that your Holy Spirit may in all things direct and rule our hearts; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Psalter: Psalm 75, 76

Lessons: Esther 2:5-8, 15-23; Acts 17:16-34; John 12:44-50

Once again reflecting upon these things, let us say that because the most pure and absolute Being which is being without qualification, is the first and the last, it is, therefore, the origin and consuming end of all things. Because it is eternal and most present, it therefore encompasses and enters all duration as if it were at one and the same time its center and circumference. Because it is utterly simple and the greatest, it is, therefore totally within all things and totally outside them and thus "is an intelligible sphere whose center is everywhere and whose circumference is nowhere." Because it is most actual and unchangeable, therefore "while remaining stable, it gives motions to all things." Because it is most perfect and immense, it is, therefore, within all things, but not enclosed; outside all things, but not excluded; above all things, but not aloof; below all things, but not debased. Finally, because it is supremely one and all-inclusive, it is, therefore, all in all, although all things are many and it is itself only one, and this is so because, through its most simply unity, most serene truth and most sincere goodness, there is in it all power, all exemplarity and all communicability. Consequently, from him, through him and in him are all things; for he is all-powerful, all-knowing and to see him perfectly is to be blessed, as was said to Moses: I will show you all good.

Bonaventure

The Soul's Journey Into Life

You are My All in All

Friday in Pentecost, Proper 19: Paul the polarizer

Opening Sentence

Their sound has gone out into all lands, and their message to the ends of the world. Psalm 19:4

Hail, Gladdening Light (Phos Hilaron)



Commemoration: Matthew

We thank thee, heavenly Father, for the witness of your apostle and evangelist Matthew to the Gospel of your Son our Savior; and we pray that, after his example, we may with ready wills and hearts obey the calling of our Lord to follow him; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Psalter: Psalm 73

Lessons: Esther 1:1-4, 10-19; Acts 17:1-15; John 12:36-43

By post-modern standards, Paul is what would be called a "polarizing figure." His preaching divides synagogues and entire cities. But he always manages to find believers in every town, both Jew and Greek, men and women. Trouble arises, however, when his opponents from one town follow him into the next. The "noble" Jews in Berea "received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so" (v. 11). But the Jews from Thessalonica, upon hearing this news, roll into town to stir up trouble just as they had in their own city (vv. 5-9).

Here is illustrated the double-edged sword of the word of God. With one edge, it cuts down the division between Jew and Greek, making one new man out of the two. With the other edge, it divides believer from non-believer, exposing the jealousy and selfish motivations of those who would keep the message of salvation as their own private possession.

Paul proclaimed the Gospel of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ to all people, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. Among those who believed, both Jew and Greek, the dividing wall of hostility was broken down. Among those who did not believe, both Jew and Greek, anger and hostility borne of jealousy and selfishness simmered to the surface. Such is the case whenever and wherever the Gospel is preached.

Omega