Nicholas Ferrar
Today we honour Nicholas Ferrar, a deacon of the English Church who died in 1637 after eleven years at Little Gidding, a place in Huntingdon where he shared his family’s enterprise of a godly household.
When the Ferrars moved there from London, Little Gidding consisted of a derelict manor-house and a chapel which had been turned into a hay-barn. They restored the chapel and set the rest of the farm in order, so that it provided them with a livelihood as they practised their chief design, which was to live as a Christian community. The entire family gathered in the chapel twice a day for the Prayer Book Offices, and from dawn until after midnight they took turns offering intercessions and reciting the Psalter, while the others got together for discussions to build up one another’s faith. The family also practised a constant round of service to their rural neighbours; they set up a school for the local children, relieved the destitute, and cared for the sick.
In all these activities Nicholas took his part, but he was by no means the only saint of the family. We should remember his mother Mary Ferrar, who purchased the manor of Little Gidding and was the true founder of the community; we should also honour his sister Susanna, and his nieces Mary and Anna Collett, who breathed life into the household’s religious purpose. Nicholas himself well understood the communal nature of his family’s experiment in godliness. As he wrote to one of his nieces in 1631: “I purpose and hope by God’s grace to be to you-wards, in the search and study of true wisdom and perfection in Christ Jesus, not as a master but as a partner and fellow student with you.” And that is how we remember Nicholas Ferrar today — not by himself but as “partner and fellow student” with all the rest of his family in their joint vocation, which was “the search and study of true wisdom and perfection in Christ Jesus.” FAS
Antiphon https://tinyurl.com/pdbx9vkb
Your merciful love, O God,
we have received in the midst of your temple.
Your praise, O God, like your name,
reaches the ends of the earth;
your right hand is filled with saving justice. Psalm 48
Almighty God,
to whom all hearts are open,
all desires, known,
and from whom no secrets are hid:
Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts
by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit,
that we may perfectly love you
and worthily magnify your holy name;
through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Music: https://tinyurl.com/ycn4djk5
O Lord, open my lips.
And my mouth will declare your praise.
Make haste, O God, to deliver me;
make haste to help me, O Lord.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.
Praise to you, O Christ, Alleluia!
HYMN: Fred Pratt Green ©
Tune: Dunedin https://tinyurl.com/3f6vjvud
1 The Church of Christ, in ev’ry age
Beset by change, but Spirit-led,
Must claim and test its heritage
And keep on rising from the dead.
2 Across the world, across the street,
The victims of injustice cry
For shelter and for bread to eat,
And never live before they die.
3 Then let the servant Church arise,
A caring church that longs to be
A partner in Christ’s sacrifice,
And clothed in Christ’s humanity.
4 For he alone, whose blood was shed,
Can cure the fever in our blood,
And teach us how to share our bread
And feed the starving multitude.
5 We have no mission but to serve
In full obedience to our Lord:
To care for all, without reserve,
And spread his liberating Word.
PSALMS
Psalm 6 (Anglican Chant: https://tinyurl.com/yxx3vdzs)
1 O Lord, rebuke me not in thine indignation *
neither chasten me in thy displeasure.
2 Have mercy upon me, O Lord, for I am weak *
O Lord, heal me, for my bones are vexed.
3 My soul also is sore troubled *
but, Lord, how long wilt thou punish me?
4 Turn thee, O Lord, and deliver my soul *
O save me for thy mercy’s sake.
5 For in death no man remembereth thee *
and who will give thee thanks in the pit?
6 I am weary of my groaning; every night wash I my bed *
and water my couch with my tears.
7 My beauty is gone for very trouble *
and worn away because of all mine enemies.
8 Away from me, all ye that work vanity *
for the Lord hath heard the voice of my weeping.
9 The Lord hath heard my petition *
the Lord will receive my prayer.
10 All mine enemies shall be confounded, and sore vexed *
they shall be turned back, and put to shame suddenly.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son :
and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be :
world without end. Amen.
Psalm 7 (Anglican Chant: https://tinyurl.com/u4vua9c)
1 O Lord my God, in thee have I put my trust *
save me from all them that persecute me, and deliver me;
2 Lest he devour my soul, like a lion, and tear it in pieces *
while there is none to help.
3 O Lord my God, if I have done any such thing *
or if there be any wickedness in my hands;
4 If I have rewarded evil unto him that dealt friendly with me *
yea, I have delivered him that without any cause is mine enemy;
5 Then let mine enemy persecute my soul, and take me *
yea, let him tread my life down upon the earth,
and lay mine honour in the dust.
6 Stand up, O Lord, in thy wrath, and lift up thyself,
because of the indignation of mine enemies *
arise up for me in the judgement that thou hast commanded.
7 And so shall the congregation of the people come about thee *
for their sakes therefore lift up thyself again.
8 The Lord shall judge the people; give sentence with me, O Lord *
according to my righteousness,
and according to the innocency that is in me.
9 O let the wickedness of the ungodly come to an end *
but guide thou the just.
10 For the righteous God *
trieth the very hearts and reins.
11 My help cometh of God *
who preserveth them that are true of heart.
12 God is a righteous Judge, strong, and patient *
and God is provoked every day.
13 If a man will not turn, he will whet his sword *
he hath bent his bow, and made it ready.
14 He hath prepared for him the instruments of death *
he ordaineth his arrows against the persecutors.
15 Behold, he travaileth with mischief *
he hath conceived sorrow, and brought forth ungodliness.
16 He hath graven and digged up a pit *
and is fallen himself into the destruction that he made for other.
17 For his travail shall come upon his own head *
and his wickedness shall fall on his own pate.
18 I will give thanks unto the Lord, according to his righteousness *
and I will praise the Name of the Lord most High.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son :
and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be :
world without end. Amen.
Psalm 8 (Anglican Chant: https://tinyurl.com/vtzy6pg)
1 O Lord our Governor, how excellent is thy Name in all the world *
thou that has set thy glory above the heavens!
2 Out of the mouth of very babes and sucklings
hast thou ordained strength, because of thine enemies *
that thou mightest still the enemy, and the avenger.
3 For I will consider thy heavens, even the works of thy fingers *
the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained.
4 What is man, that thou art mindful of him *
and the son of man, that thou visitest him?
5 Thou madest him lower than the angels *
to crown him with glory and worship.
6 Thou makest him to have dominion of the works of thy hands *
and thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet;
7 All sheep and oxen *
yea, and the beasts of the field;
8 The fowls of the air, and the fishes of the sea *
and whatsoever walketh through the paths of the seas.
9 O Lord our Governor *
how excellent is thy Name in all the world!
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son :
and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be :
world without end. Amen.
Psalm 6 (Plainsong: http://oremus.org/chant/Psalm-6.mp3)
2 Lord, do not reprove me in your anger;
punish me not in your rage.
3 Have mercy on me, Lord, I have no strength;
Lord, heal me, my body is racked;
4 my soul is racked with pain.
But you, O Lord… how long?
5 Return, Lord, rescue my soul.
Save me in your merciful love;
6 for in death no one remembers you;
from the grave, who can give you praise?
7 I am exhausted with my groaning;
every night I drench my pillow with tears;
I bedew my bed with weeping.
8 My eye wastes away with grief;
I have grown old surrounded by my foes.
9 Leave me, all you who do evil;
for the Lord has heard my weeping.
10 The Lord has heard my plea;
The Lord will accept my prayer.
11 All my foes will retire in confusion,
foiled and suddenly confounded.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son :
and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be :
world without end. Amen.
Psalm 7 (Plainsong: http://oremus.org/chant/Psalm-7.mp3)
1 O LORD my God, I take refuge in you; *
save and deliver me from all who pursue me;
2 Lest like a lion they tear me in pieces *
and snatch me away with none to deliver me.
3 O LORD my God, if I have done these things: *
if there is any wickedness in my hands,
4 If I have repaid my friend with evil, *
or plundered him who without cause is my enemy;
5 Then let my enemy pursue and overtake me, *
trample my life into the ground,
and lay my honor in the dust.
6 Stand up, O LORD, in your wrath; *
rise up against the fury of my enemies.
7 Awake, O my God, decree justice; *
let the assembly of the peoples gather round you.
8 Be seated on your lofty throne, O Most High; *
O LORD, judge the nations.
9 Give judgment for me according to my
righteousness, O LORD, *
and according to my innocence, O Most High.
10 Let the malice of the wicked come to an end,
but establish the righteous; *
for you test the mind and heart, O righteous God.
11 God is my shield and defense; *
he is the savior of the true in heart.
12 God is a righteous judge; *
God sits in judgment every day.
13 If they will not repent, God will whet his sword; *
he will bend his bow and make it ready.
14 He has prepared his weapons of death; *
he makes his arrows shafts of fire.
15 Look at those who are in labor with wickedness, *
who conceive evil, and give birth to a lie.
16 They dig a pit and make it deep *
and fall into the hole that they have made.
17 Their malice turns back upon their own head; *
their violence falls on their own scalp.
18 I will bear witness that the LORD is righteous; *
I will praise the Name of the LORD Most High.
Psalm 8 (Plainsong: http://oremus.org/chant/Psalm-8.mp3)
1 O LORD our Governor, *
how exalted is your Name in all the world!
2 Out of the mouths of infants and children *
your majesty is praised above the heavens.
3 You have set up a stronghold against your adversaries, *
to quell the enemy and the avenger.
4 When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, *
the moon and the stars you have set in their courses,
5 What is man that you should be mindful of him? *
the son of man that you should seek him out?
6 You have made him but little lower than the angels; *
you adorn him with glory and honor;
7 You give him mastery over the works of your hands; *
you put all things under his feet:
8 All sheep and oxen, *
even the wild beasts of the field,
9 The birds of the air, the fish of the sea, *
and whatsoever walks in the paths of the sea.
10 O LORD our Governor, *
how exalted is your Name in all the world!
PRAYER
O God, our judge and redeemer,
by the light of your truth
let the righteous know your goodness
and sinners know your mercy,
that together they may give you grateful praise;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. BCW
THE WORD OF GOD
After Ehud had died, the Israelites again did things that the Lord saw as evil. So the Lord gave them over to King Jabin of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor. The commander of his army was Sisera, and he was stationed in Harosheth-ha-goiim. The Israelites cried out to the Lord because Sisera had nine hundred iron chariots and had oppressed the Israelites cruelly for twenty years.
Now Deborah, a prophet, the wife of Lappidoth, was a leader of Israel at that time. She would sit under Deborah’s palm tree between Ramah and Bethel in the Ephraim highlands, and the Israelites would come to her to settle disputes. She sent word to Barak, Abinoam’s son, from Kedesh in Naphtali and said to him, “Hasn’t the Lord, Israel’s God, issued you a command? ‘Go and assemble at Mount Tabor, taking ten thousand men from the people of Naphtali and Zebulun with you. I’ll lure Sisera, the commander of Jabin’s army, to assemble with his chariots and troops against you at the Kishon River, and then I’ll help you overpower him.’”
HYMN: Robert Grant
Tune: Lyons https://tinyurl.com/5n7sn498
1 O worship the King all-glorious above,
O gratefully sing his power and his love:
our shield and defender, the Ancient of Days,
pavilioned in splendor and girded with praise.
2 O tell of his might and sing of his grace,
whose robe is the light, whose canopy space.
His chariots of wrath the deep thunderclouds form,
and dark is his path on the wings of the storm.
3 Your bountiful care, what tongue can recite?
It breathes in the air, it shines in the light;
it streams from the hills, it descends to the plain,
and sweetly distills in the dew and the rain.
4 Frail children of dust, and feeble as frail,
in you do we trust, nor find you to fail.
Your mercies, how tender, how firm to the end,
our Maker, Defender, Redeemer, and Friend!
5 O measureless Might, unchangeable Love,
whom angels delight to worship above!
Your ransomed creation, with glory ablaze,
in true adoration shall sing to your praise!
Then he said to me, “These words are trustworthy and true. The Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, sent his angel to show his servants what must soon take place.
“Look! I’m coming soon. Favored is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy contained in this scroll.”
I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. When I heard and saw them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who had shown them to me. But he said to me, “Don’t do that! I’m a servant just like you and your brothers and sisters, the prophets, and those who keep the words of this scroll. Worship God!” Then he said to me, “Don’t seal up the words of the prophecy contained in this scroll, because the time is near. Let those who do wrong keep doing what is wrong. Let the filthy still be filthy. Let those who are righteous keep doing what is right. Let those who are holy still be holy.
“Look! I’m coming soon. My reward is with me, to repay all people as their actions deserve. I am the alpha and the omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end. Favored are those who wash their robes so that they may have the right of access to the tree of life and may enter the city by the gates. Outside are the dogs, the drug users and spell-casters, those who commit sexual immorality, the murderers, the idolaters, and all who love and practice deception.”
HYMN: Joseph Hart
Tune: Celeste https://tinyurl.com/ycxxrk83
1 How good is the God we adore,
our faithful, unchangeable friend;
whose love is as great as his power,
and neither knows measure nor end.
2 ’Tis Jesus, the first and the last,
whose Spirit shall guide us safe home;
we’ll praise Him for all that is past,
and trust him for all that’s to come.
James and John, Zebedee’s sons, came to Jesus and said, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask.” “What do you want me to do for you?” he asked. They said, “Allow one of us to sit on your right and the other on your left when you enter your glory.” Jesus replied, “You don’t know what you’re asking! Can you drink the cup I drink or receive the baptism I receive?” “We can,” they answered. Jesus said, “You will drink the cup I drink and receive the baptism I receive, but to sit at my right or left hand isn’t mine to give. It belongs to those for whom it has been prepared.”
Now when the other ten disciples heard about this, they became angry with James and John. Jesus called them over and said, “You know that the ones who are considered the rulers by the Gentiles show off their authority over them and their high-ranking officials order them around. But that’s not the way it will be with you. Whoever wants to be great among you will be your servant. Whoever wants to be first among you will be the slave of all, for the Human One didn’t come to be served but rather to serve and to give his life to liberate many people.”
CANTICLE Song of the Three Young Men 29-34
(Setting by Timothy R. Smith: https://tinyurl.com/ycrdhlqc)
Refrain:
Glory and praise, glory and praise, glory and praise for ever!
Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of our fathers,
praiseworthy and exalted above all forever;
and blessed is your holy and glorious name,
praiseworthy and exalted above all ages. Refrain
Blessed are you in the temple of your holy glory,
praiseworthy and exalted above all forever. Refrain
Blessed are you on the throne of your kingdom,
praiseworthy and exalted above all forever. Refrain
Blessed are you who look into the depths
from your throne upon the cherubim,
praiseworthy and exalted above all forever. Refrain
THE PRAYERS PWC
Creator of all, open a path for your Word
to declare the mystery of Christ.
Turn now, O God of hosts;
behold and tend the vine you have planted.
May your people rejoice and sing,
and your ministers be clothed with salvation.
May they stand and feed your flock
in the strength of your name.
Keep from trouble all those who trust in you
and forget not the poor for ever.
Have mercy upon us,
as we have put our hope in you.
(Karin Simmons: https://tinyurl.com/y7vwp7dd)
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your Name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread;
and forgive us our sins
as we forgive those who sin against us.
Lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory,
for ever and ever. Amen.
Lord God,
you gathered Nicholas Ferrar and his kinsfolk
in the household of Little Gidding,
and shaped their life as a family
into an image of your heavenly commonwealth.
May we follow their example by seeking true wisdom
and studying perfection in Christ Jesus,
not as masters but as partners and fellow students with one other;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen. FAS
Music: https://tinyurl.com/y9efvwm5
Let us bless the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God,
and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with us all. Amen. 2 Cor. 13:14
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BCW Book of Common Worship, Presbyterian Church U.S.A., 1993.
RCLP Revised Common Lectionary Prayers. © 2002 Consultation on Common Texts admin. Augsburg Fortress.
FAS For All the Saints, Revised Ed. © Anglican Church of Canada
PWC PRAY WITHOUT CEASING: Morning and Evening Prayer for the Seasons of the Church Year Prepared by The Rev’d Dr Richard Geoffrey Leggett on behalf of The Liturgy Task Force of the Anglican Church of Canada, May 2016.
The three main scripture readings are from © 2011 Common English Bible.
The traditional version of the psalms are from The Book of Common Prayer (1662). The modern language versions of Psalm 7 and 8 are from The Book of Common Prayer (1979) and are sung by Ryland Angel. Psalm 6 is from The Grail Psalter and is from the Manual Hopper YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/user/manualhopper/featured
Musical links are usually either to artists’ albums posted on Spotify or to recordings made available at smallchurchmusic.com. Audio stripped from YouTube videos is footnoted accordingly above.
Compilation © 2023 Stephen T. Benner. All links worked at the time they were created, but I cannot accept responsibility for their content or any damage resulting from their use. The linked content is under the control of the respective content creators and is subject to change at any time. Any copyright texts included in this compilation are provided for non-commercial purposes related to study or worship. Please contact the respective copyright holders for permission to use the texts in other contexts.
Oremus 