hiatus

Hello all,

I'm taking a little hiatus from posting the daily offices. If you stop by and miss the posts, please leave a comment. I'll reassess whether I'll start posting again in November.

Thursday Morning and Evening Prayer

Morning Prayer

Psalms 71, 72

Ezra 1

2_Thessalonians 1


Collect of the Day

Lord, we beseech thee, grant thy people grace to withstand the temptations of the world, the flesh, and the devil, and with pure hearts and minds to follow thee the only God; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Evening Prayer

Psalms 73, 74


Ezra 3

Hebrews 3

Wednesday Morning and Evening Prayer

Morning Prayer

Psalms 68

Ezekiel 37 : 1-14

1_Thessalonians 5: 12-end


Collect of the Day

O Almighty God, who willest to be glorified in thy Saints, and didst raise up thy servant Edward the Confessor to shine as a light in the world: Shine, we pray thee, in our hearts, that we also in our generaiton may show forth thy praises, who hast called us out of darkness into thy marvellous light; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Evening Prayer

Psalms 69, 70

Ezekiel 37 : 15-end

Hebrews 2

Fr. Carl's sermon

I've just posted Fr. Carl's sermon from Sunday in the post below for Harvest Thanksgiving: Trinity XVIII It's worth the read, and so are the prayers and lessons and Gospel for the day.

Morning and Evening Prayer Tuesday

Morning Prayer

Psalms 62, 63, 64

Ezekiel 34 : 17-end

1_Thessalonians 4 : 13-1_Thessalonians 5: -11


Collect of the Day

Almighty God, by whose grace and power thy Martyr King Edwin was enabled to witness to the truth and to be faithful unto death: Grant that we, who now remember him before thee, may likewise so bear witness unto thee in this world, that we may receive with him the crown of glory that fadeth not away; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with thee and the Holy Spirit liveth and reigneth, one God, forever and ever. Amen.

Evening Prayer

Psalms 65, 66, 67

Ezekiel 36 : 22-end

Hebrews 1

Thanksgiving Day

Morning Prayer

Psalms 46, 67, 72

Deuteronomy 6 : 1-15

1_Timothy 2 : 1-8

Collect of the Day

O most merciful Father, we humbly thank thee for all thy gifts so freely bestowed upon us; for life and health and safety; for power to work and leisure to rest; for all that is beautiful in creation and in the lives of men; but above all we thank thee for our spiritual mercies in Christ Jesus our Lord; who with thee and the Holy Spirit liveth and reigneth, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Evening Prayer

Psalms 145, 148

Joshua 24 : 14-25

Matthew 25 : 14-30

Harvest Thanksgiving: Trinity XVIII

Morning Prayer

Psalms 65, 67

Deuteronomy 8

Revelation 14

Collect of the Day

O Almighty God,who crownest the year with thy goodness, and hast given unto us the fruits of the earth in their season: Give us grateful hearts, that we may unfeignedly thank thee for all thy loving-kindness, and worthily magnify thy holy Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

HARVEST THANKSGIVING 2004
A brief history lesson. Did you know that Americans did not invent Thanksgiving? On this side of the Atlantic, the first North American Thanksgiving was celebrated in 1578 when the English navigator, Martin Frobisher, held a formal ceremony in Newfoundland. He did this to give thanks for surviving the long sea journey; and, as other settlers arrived in Newfoundland, the tradition was continued by them.

Frobisher's celebration in 1578 was more than 40 years before the pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock, and themselves gave thanks in 1621 for the bounty that ended a year of hardships and death. Abraham Lincoln later established a date for the United States Thanksgiving as the last Thursday in November. In 1941, US Congress set the National Holiday as the fourth Thursday in November.

But prior to both of these, for centuries European farmers had held celebrations at harvest time. To give thanks for their good fortune and the abundance of food, the farm workers filled a curved goat's horn with fruit and grain. This symbol was called a cornucopia or horn of plenty. When they came to Canada, sometime after Martin Frobisher, they brought this tradition with them – thus the symbol of the cornucopia at Harvest Thanksgiving. As to the custom of what constitutes the proper feast: turkey, goose, ham, various vegetables, pumpkin pie, there are very many separate traditions that have all contributed to the festival.

The Canadian Thanksgiving makes an interesting counterpoint to the holiday celebrated by our southern neighbour. As mentioned earlier, the first North American thanksgiving event occurred in Newfoundland in 1578. Our French heritage also contributes to our Canadian tradition In the 1600s, Samuel de Champlain and the French Settlers who came with him established an “Order of Good Cheer.” This group would hold huge celebrations marking the harvests and other events, sharing their food with Native American neighbours. With our finally settling on the celebration being one primarily for thanksgiving as it relates to harvest, it is not surprising that our Canadian date should occur earlier than the corresponding festival in the United States what with the necessity in our climate of harvesting crops somewhat earlier than they. But it took quite some time for us to settle on the second Monday in October as our Canadian Thanksgiving.

Prior to Confederation, in Upper and Lower Canada and then the Province of Canada as we were known in the thirty or so years prior to 1867, there were various observances at random times of particular years, sometimes in thanks for the abundance of harvest, but more often in thanks for God’s mercies and in prayer for their continuance; and also in thanks for the end of wars or disease and in prayer for peace.

The first post-Confederation Canadian Thanksgiving was celebrated on April 15, 1872 in thanks for the recovery of the future King Edward VII from a serious illness. The next Thanksgiving didn’t occur until 1879 when it was celebrated on a Thursday in November.

From 1879 to 1898, it was observed on a Thursday in November. In 1899, it was fixed on a Thursday in October, where it stayed until 1907, with the exception of 1901 and 1904 when the date was fixed on a Thursday in November.

From 1908 to 1921, it was observed on a Monday in October, the exact date being appointed by proclamation. All of these observances were for “blessings of harvest.” Interspersed from time to time were thanksgivings for signal events in the life of the Royal family, such as Queen Victoria’s Jubilee or Edward VII’s coronation. These, of course, took place at other times of the year.

From 1921 to 1930, the Armistice Day Act provided that Thanksgiving would be observed on Armistice Day, which was fixed by statute on the Monday of the week in which November 11 fell.

In 1931, Parliament adopted an Act to amend the Armistice Day Act, providing that the day should be observed on November 11 and that the day should be known as “Remembrance Day”.

Accordingly, the old practice was resumed of fixing Thanksgiving Day by proclamation, and it has been since 1931 on the second Monday of October, with the exception of 1935 where, after Thanksgiving Day had been fixed on October 14, it was decided to hold the general election on that date. A new proclamation was issued deferring the observance to October 24, a Thursday. This resulted in a great deal of controversy and the practice of observance on a Thursday was not pursued in future years.

From 1936 to 1956, inclusive, a proclamation was issued yearly to appoint the second Monday of October as Thanksgiving Day. All of these Thanksgiving Days from 1931 to 1956 were, by proclamation, “for general thanksgiving to Almighty God for the blessings with which the people of Canada have been favoured.” In 1957, this very wording, “for general thanksgiving to Almighty God for the blessings with which the people of Canada have been favoured,” became a permanent proclamation by our federal government, fixing the date as the second Monday in October.

It is often a very revealing exercise to dig thusly into the relatively brief history of our country. Today, very, very many people in Canada, most especially it seems those who were actually born here, can be seen rolling their eyes when someone on the public stage states a simple truth as it relates to our history – said truth usually being about our Christian heritage. And here, pondering Jesus’ words in Chapter 8 of Mark’s and Chapter 9 of Luke’s Gospel, “Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels,” I was going to say something treasonous about our current and previous Prime Ministers being largely culpable for this, claiming themselves to be Christian, while at the same time, through their policies, purging both our laws and the public collective consciousness of Christian values, also swaying public opinion against her Majesty’s loyal opposition who seem far less ashamed of our Christian heritage. Oops, I just did say that!

But we are here, celebrating Harvest Thanksgiving, and we should be thankful that not all federal political Christian consciousness has expired; that our government still proclaims a “general thanksgiving to Almighty God for the blessings with which the people of Canada have been favoured.”

As we gather today, in a warm building, knowing that an abundant feast of thanksgiving awaits us following the service, may we, along with all in our country, both Christian and not, be aware of those who do not know where or when their next meal may come, and for whom such a thanksgiving is therefore empty. In our abundance and to our shame, we might tend to forget not only them, but also our Lord’s teaching that He is the true Bread from heaven. Let us therefore be prayerfully mindful of our Lord’s teachings; how we must commit to share our bounty with the less fortunate, and together with them to seek always Him Who is the true Bread of Life.

Additionally, in a society so staggeringly wealthy as ours, with unprecedented accumulation of goods by the typical citizen, it is so very easy to forget the One Who is the Source of all of this bounty; to give ourselves the credit for our prosperity and material blessings. A reading of the Old Testament will reveal that this attitude is nothing new under the sun – the Israelites on many occasions would forget that it was God Who had provided for them, failing to give Him the appropriate credit or thanks. Let us pray also that we become not like those rebellious and gainsaying generations.

“O Almighty God and heavenly Father, we glorify thee that we are once more permitted to enjoy the fulfilment of thy gracious promise, that, while the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest shall not fail. Blessed be thou, who hast given us the fruits of the earth in their season. Teach us to remember that it is not by bread alone that man doth live; but grant that we may feed on him who is the true bread which cometh down from heaven, even Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour; to whom with thee, O Father, and thee, O Holy Spirit, be honour and glory, for ever and ever.” Amen.

THE ANNUNCIATION OTTAWA 2004 CLR


Eucharist:

The Lesson
Isaiah 55:1-3, 10-12

Gospel
John 6:27-35


Evening Prayer

Psalms 147

Deuteronomy 28 : 1-14

Matthew 13 :18-30

Morning and Evening Prayer Saturday

Morning Prayer

Psalms 44, 45, 46

Ezekiel 24 : 15-end

1_Thessalonians 2 : 17-1_Thessalonians 3: -end


Collect of the Day

Almighty God, by whose grace and power thy Martyr Bishop Denys was enabled to witness to the truth and to be faithful unto death: Grant that we, who now remember him before thee, may likewise so bear witness unto thee in this world, that we may receive with him the crown of glory that fadeth not away; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with thee and the Holy Spirit liveth and reigneth, one God, forever and ever. Amen.

Evening Prayer

Psalms 47, 48, 49

Ezekiel 28 : 1-19

John 20

Morning and Evening Prayer Friday

Morning Prayer

Psalms 38, 39, 40

Ezekiel 20 : 27-44

1_Thessalonians 2 : 1-16


Collect of the Day

O God Most High, the creator of all mankind, we bless thy holy Name for the virtue and grace which thou hast given unto holy women in all ages, especially thy servant Birgetta, Abbess and Widow, and we pray that the example of her faith and purity, may inspire many souls in this generation to look unto thee, and to follow thy blessed Son Jesus Chrst our Saviour; who with thee and the Holy Spirit liveth and reigneth, one God, world without end. Amen.

Evening Prayer

Psalms 41, 42, 43

Ezekiel 20 : 27-44

John 19 : 31-end

Morning and Evening Prayer Thursday

Morning Prayer

Psalms 35, 36

Ezekiel 17

1_Thessalonians


Collect of the Day

O God Most High, the creator of all mankind, we bless thy holy Name for the virtue and grace which thou hast given unto holy women in all ages, especially thy servant Faith of Aquitaine, Virgin and Martyr, and we pray that the example of her faith and purity, and courage unto death, may inspire many souls in this generation to look unto thee, and to follow thy blessed Son Jesus Chrst our Saviour; who with thee and the Holy Spirit liveth and reigneth, one God, world without end. Amen.

Evening Prayer

Psalms 37

Ezekiel 20 : 1-26

John 19 : 1-30

Morning and Evening Prayer Wednesday

Morning Prayer

Psalms 30, 31

Ezekiel 13 :1-16

Philemon


Collect of the Day

O Almighty God, who willest to be glorified in thy Saints, and didst raise up thy servant William Tyndale to shine as a light in the world: Shine, we pray thee, in our hearts, that we also in our generation may show forth thy praises, who has called us out of darkness into they marvellous light; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Evening Prayer

Psalms 32, 33, 34


Ezekiel 14

John 18 : 28-end

Office Hymn
He whose confession God of old accepted

Morning and Evening Prayer--Tuesday

Morning Prayer

Psalms 24,25, 26

Ezekiel 12 : 1-16

Colossians 4: 2-end

Office Hymn
They come God's messengers of love

Collect of the Day

O Everlasting God, who hast ordained and constituted the service of Angels and men in a wonderful order: Mercifully grant that, as thy holy Angels alway do thee servivce in heaven, so by thy appointment they may succour and defend us on earth; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.


Evening Prayer

Psalms 27, 28, 29


Ezekiel 12 : 17-end

John 18 : 1-27

Office Hymn
Thee, O Christ, the Father's splendor

Morning and Evening Prayer

Morning Prayer

Psalms 30, 31

Ezekiel 13 :1-16

Philemon


Collect of the Day

O Almighty God, who willest to be glorified in thy Saints, and didst raise up thy servant William Tyndale to shine as a light in the world: Shine, we pray thee, in our hearts, that we also in our generation may show forth thy praises, who has called us out of darkness into they marvellous light; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Evening Prayer

Psalms 32, 33, 34


Ezekiel 14

John 18 : 28-end

Office Hymn
He whose confession God of old accepted

Evening Prayer

For the pattern of prayer, click on the above title for a link to the Order for Evening Prayer from the Prayer Book Society's web site. Then you'll see where the readings linked below go.


Psalms: 102

First lesson: Ruth 1

Second lesson: Philippians 1 : 12-end

Office Hymn
Father, we praise thee, now the night is over

Collect of the Day:

Lord, we pray thee that thy grace may always prevent and follow us, and make us continually to be given to all good works; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Seventeenth Sunday after Trinity

Epistle:

Ephesians 4: 1-6

Gospel:

Luke 14:1-11


…what thank have ye?
Fr. Peter Jardine's sermon

Jesus said to his disciples, As ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise.

My text today is Luke 6.31-38, which comes from what is known as “The Sermon on the Plain”. Much of the material corresponds to the great Sermon on the Mount in Mt. 5,6 and 7. Comparing and contrasting the two is interesting enough, but it is not what I want to do today, for what is really fascinating is the content of each. That content can be described by one word, revolutionary.

The English theologian and writer, John Stott, says of the Sermon on the Mount, “To my mind no two words sum up its intention better, or indicate more clearly its challenge to the modern world, than the expression ‘Christian counterculture’”. Indeed, that was what he called his wonderful book on the Sermon on the Mount. Sadly, the current issue of the book bears the much less dramatic title, The Message of the Sermon on the Mount, which carries all over it the bland imprint of the politically correct brigades.

Dr. William Barclay says of both the Sermon on the Mount and the Sermon on the Plain, -they are a series of bombshells. They are quite unlike the laws which a philosopher or a wise man might lay down. Each one is a challenge.

Dr. Barclay continues, As Diessmann said, “They are spoken in an electric atmosphere. They are not quiet stars but flashes of lightning followed by a thunder of surprise and amazement”.

Jesus Christ gave us the most exhilarating, the most challenging, the most rewarding and, yes, the most revolutionary way of living ever to hit the human race. No wonder we need the Grace of God in order to embrace this Christian counterculture!

As ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise. The logic of that commandment is simple; the intent is clear. It is so easy to understand and so widely known that it has become almost a mantra even in societies which are only nominally Christian.

But that commandment is probably disobeyed more than most of our Lord’s commandments. Because, simple as it is, it is truly revolutionary, requiring of us something far removed from our natural inclinations. Likewise the rest of these verses.

For if ye love them that love you, what thank have ye? For sinners also love those that love them. The King James Version translates the word thank from the Greek χαρις. Dr. Barclay gives the word a greater depth of meaning, translating it as special grace. If you love those who love you, his translation reads, what special grace is there in that?

In Barclay’s translation it is easier to see the involvement of God, the need for God. We may begin to suspect, rightly, that this word χαρις is very difficult to translate, for it is so full of nuance. Pastor Richard Wormbrand, in his book 100 Prison Meditations, asks the question thanks from whom? Evidently, he writes, from God. He thanks you if you can love those who do not love you. That most certainly is special grace.

Knowing full well that many will choke on the idea of God thanking humble men, Pastor Wormbrand points out that Jesus himself bowed in thanks to his apostles, who gave up everything for Him, and washed their feet.

However we translate and interpret χαρις and the words around it, the important thing is the commandment itself. Both Barclay and Wormbrand illuminate the difficulty in obeying our Lord’s injunctions in the Sermon on the Plain. To be truly revolutionary in this Christian sense, we need God’s Grace. We need to be filled with God’s Love and then to express it in the world around us.

It is not natural for us to love those who do not love us. It is not natural for us to do good to those who do bad things to us. It is not natural for us to lend with no expectation of receiving back what we lend and then some. Try that one on a bank!

And perhaps hardest of all, it is not natural for us to love our enemies.

But the Christian, of course, is called upon to step outside what is human and natural and to live by and within that great Christian counterculture. The Christian must live in and through God’s Love.

So Jesus, in Luke 6.31-35 teaches us about the essential goodness of love in the face of every evil. If we are to hunger after what is truly good, as we should, it is to be found only in that Love which flows from the inexhaustible fountain of all Love, the Holy Trinity. The greater the wickedness we face, the more the goodness of that love grows.

That is what Jesus means in the escalation shown between v32 and v35. For sinners also love those that love them, he says in v32. In v35 this becomes …love ye your enemies. Christian love does not back off in the face of greater evil. It gains power because it is Grace and ultimately it is united with God Himself, so that Love always opposes the devil’s work.

Blessed are ye that hunger now, for ye shall be filled, Jesus says in Luke 6.21. If we do not feel the presence of God’s Love, even though it is there, we are to hunger for it. If we cannot hunger for it, we must at least know that we should be hungering for it and pray for God, in his mercy, to kindle in us that hunger.

God will not deny us His Love and that Love will open our hearts to hunger after righteousness and to understand the message of Jesus.

Love ye your enemies and do good and lend, hoping for nothing in return.

God had to take me to Sudan to learn the meaning of those words. There in the hearts of the persecuted I found no trace of hatred for those who had made themselves their enemies. In those hearts I found only that hunger to know more about Jesus and to live as Jesus taught us to live.

They are far from perfect, these new Christians in Sudan and it would be wrong to romanticize their condition, but they certainly showed me the meaning of Luke 6.31-35.

We do not need to go to Sudan for such lessons. We can all think of someone who does not love us, and pray for the Grace which would allow us to love them. We can all think of someone who has cursed us, or committed some act of unkindness or downright evil toward us and we can pray for the grace of forgiveness. We can all think of someone to whom we can lend with no hope of return; someone who needs our time, our companionship, our caring, selflessly given.

Our ordinary daily lives present us with countless opportunities for living by the Gospel. It has to be that way because God knows that most of our lives will be just that – ordinary, and He has presented us with the way in which He wants us to make them extraordinary. Through the Grace of God we can live our lives in that Christian counterculture, living as Christian revolutionaries and soldiers of Christ. We can be God’s flashes of lightning, leaving the thunder of amazement behind us.

As ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise. Love ye your enemies.

St. Augustine said, Many have learned how to offer the other cheek, but do not know how to love him by whom they were struck. That is the special grace, the χαρις for which we Christians must hunger.

These words of St. Augustine and the teaching of Jesus in Luke 6 have had seasons of special relevance throughout recorded history. They do so again today in the modern onslaught against Christianity. Let me illustrate that and finish, with another quote from John Stott’s book, words written in 1880 by one A.F.C. Villmar,

This commandment, that we should love our enemies and forego revenge, will grow even more urgent in the holy struggle which lies before us…The Christians will be hounded from place to place, subjected to physical assault, maltreatment and death of every kind. We are approaching an age of wide-spread persecution…Soon the time will come when we shall pray…It will be a prayer of earnest love for these very sons of perdition who stand around and gaze at us with eyes aflame with hatred, and who have perhaps already raised their hands to kill us…Yes, the Church which is really waiting for its Lord, and which discerns the signs of the times of decision, must fling itself with its utmost power and with the panoply of its holy life, into this prayer of love.

For if ye love them that love you, what thank have ye? For sinners also love those that love them. Love ye your enemies.

With every day that passes, our obedience to these commandments is being put more and more to the test. Let us pray for God’s grace that we be not found lacking.

And now to God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Ghost be ascribed all might, majesty, dominion and power from this time forth for evermore.

Peter Jardine.
Seventeenth Sunday After Trinity, 2004

Morning Prayer

For the pattern of prayer, click on the above title for a link to the Order for Morning Prayer from the Prayer Book Society's web site. Then you'll see where the readings linked below go.


Psalms: 119 : 113-128

First lesson: Ezekiel 33 : 1-11

Second lesson: Luke 10 : 1-24

Office Hymn
Father, we praise thee, now the night is over

Collect of the Day:

Lord, we pray thee that thy grace may always prevent and follow us, and make us continually to be given to all good works; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Morning Prayer

For the pattern of prayer, click on the above title for a link to the Order for Morning Prayer from the Prayer Book Society's web site. Then you'll see where the readings linked below go.


Psalms: 9, 2, 11

First lesson: Ezekiel 3

Second lesson: Colossians 2 : 20- Colossians 3 :-11

Office Hymn

Around the throne of God a band

Collect of the Day:

O God, who in thine ineffable providence dost vouchsafe to send thy holy Angles to be our Guardians: Grant to us thy humble servants, that we may in this life ever be defended by their protection, and in heaven rejoice in their everlasting company; through Jesus Christ thy Son our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. Amen. (The English Office Book p. 173)

Evening Prayer

For the pattern of prayer, click on the above title for a link to the Order for Evening Prayer from the Prayer Book Society's web site. Then you'll see where the readings linked below go.


Psalms: 6, 7, 8

First lesson: Ezekiel 3 : 1-14

Second lesson: John 15

Office Hymn

Collect of the Day:

O God, our heavenly Father, who didst raise up thy faithful servne Remigius to be a Bishop in thy CHurch and to feed thy flock: We beseech thee to send down upon all thy Bishops, the Pastors of thy Church, the abundant gift of thy Holy Spirit, that they, being endued with power from on high, and ever walking in the footsteps of thy holy apostles, may minister before thee in thy household as true servants of Christ and stewards of thy divine mysteries; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee in the unity of the same Spirit, one God, world without end. Amen.

Morning Prayer

For the pattern of prayer, click on the above title for a link to the Order for Morning Prayer from the Prayer Book Society's web site. Then you'll see where the readings linked below go.


Psalms: 1, 2, 3

First lesson: Ezekiel 2

Second lesson: Colossians 2 : 8-19

Office Hymn
Father, we praise thee, now the night is over

Collect of the Day:

O God, our heavenly Father, who didst raise up thy faithful servne Remigius to be a Bishop in thy CHurch and to feed thy flock: We beseech thee to send down upon all thy Bishops, the Pastors of thy Church, the abundant gift of thy Holy Spirit, that they, being endued with power from on high, and ever walking in the footsteps of thy holy apostles, may minister before thee in thy household as true servants of Christ and stewards of thy divine mysteries; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee in the unity of the same Spirit, one God, world without end. Amen.