John Keble
Keble, born in 1792, received his early education in his father’s vicarage. At fourteen, he won a scholarship to Oxford and graduated in 1811 with highest honors. He served the University in several capacities, including ten years as Professor of Poetry. After ordination in 1816 he had a series of rural curacies, and finally settled in 1836 into a thirty-year pastorate at the village of Hursley, near Winchester. England was going through a turbulent change from a rural to an industrial and urban society. Among the reforms of the 1830’s, Parliament acted to abolish ten Anglican bishoprics in Ireland. Keble vigorously attacked this action as undermining the independence of the Church.
His Assize Sermon of 1833 was the spark that ignited the Oxford Movement. Those drawn to the Movement began to publish a series of “Tracts for the Times” (hence the popular name “Tractarians”)— which sought to recall the Church to its ancient sacramental heritage. John Henry Newman was the intellectual leader of the Movement, Edward Bouverie Pusey was the prophet of its devotional life, and John Keble was its pastoral inspiration. Though bitterly attacked, his loyalty to his Church was unwavering. Within three years of his death at age 74, a college bearing his name was established at Oxford “to give an education in strict fidelity to the Church of England.” For Keble, this would have meant dedication to learning in order “to live more nearly as we pray.” HWHM
Antiphon https://tinyurl.com/2p869cdk
Give me justice, O God,
and plead my cause against a nation that is faithless.
From the deceitful and cunning rescue me,
for you, O God, are my strength. Psalm 43
Gracious God,
our sins are too heavy to carry,
too real to hide,
and too deep to undo.
Forgive what our lips tremble to name,
what our hearts can no longer bear,
and what has become for us
a consuming fire of judgment.
Set us free from a past that we cannot change;
open to us a future in which we can be changed;
and grant us grace
to grow more and more in your likeness and image;
through Jesus Christ, the light of the world. Amen. BCW
Music: https://tinyurl.com/ufxekitx
God, come to my assistance.
Lord, make haste to help me.
Glory 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.
HYMN: John Keble
Tune: Melcombe https://tinyurl.com/4zefms84
1 New every morning is the love
our wakening and uprising prove;
through sleep and darkness safely brought,
restored to life and power and thought.
2 New mercies, each returning day,
hover around us while we pray;
new perils past, new sins forgiven,
new thoughts of God, new hopes of heaven.
3 If on our daily course our mind
be set to hallow all we find,
new treasures still, of countless price,
God will provide for sacrifice.
4 The trivial round, the common task,
will furnish all we need to ask,
room to deny ourselves, a road
to bring us daily nearer God.
5 Only, O Lord, in thy dear love
fit us for perfect rest above;
and help us, this and every day,
to live more nearly as we pray.
PSALMS
Psalm 139 (Anglican Chant: https://tinyurl.com/qk5mvmw)
1 O Lord, thou hast searched me out, and known me *
thou knowest my down-sitting, and mine up-rising;
thou understandest my thoughts long before.
2 Thou art about my path, and about my bed *
and spiest out all my ways.
3 For lo, there is not a word in my tongue *
but thou, O Lord, knowest it altogether.
4 Thou hast fashioned me behind and before *
and laid thine hand upon me.
5 Such knowledge is too wonderful and excellent for me *
I cannot attain unto it.
6 Whither shall I go then from thy Spirit *
or whither shall I go then from thy presence?
7 If I climb up into heaven, thou art there *
if I go down to hell, thou art there also.
8 If I take the wings of the morning *
and remain in the uttermost parts of the sea;
9 Even there also shall thy hand lead me *
and thy right hand shall hold me.
10 If I say, Peradventure the darkness shall cover me *
then shall my night be turned to day.
11 Yea, the darkness is no darkness with thee,
but the night is as clear as the day *
the darkness and light to thee are both alike.
12 For my reins are thine *
thou hast covered me in my mother’s womb.
13 I will give thanks unto thee,
for I am fearfully and wonderfully made *
marvellous are thy works, and that my soul knoweth right well.
14 My bones are not hid from thee *
though I be made secretly, and fashioned beneath in the earth.
15 Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being imperfect *
and in thy book were all my members written;
16 Which day by day were fashioned *
when as yet there was none of them.
17 How dear are thy counsels unto me, O God *
O how great is the sum of them!
18 If I tell them, they are more in number than the sand *
when I wake up I am present with thee.
19 Wilt thou not slay the wicked, O God *
depart from me, ye blood-thirsty men.
20 For they speak unrighteously against thee *
and thine enemies take thy Name in vain.
21 Do not I hate them, O Lord, that hate thee *
and am not I grieved with those that rise up against thee?
22 Yea, I hate them right sore *
even as though they were mine enemies.
23 Try me, O God, and seek the ground of my heart *
prove me, and examine my thoughts.
24 Look well if there be any way of wickedness in me *
and lead me in the way everlasting.
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 140 (Anglican Chant: https://tinyurl.com/syzjs5r)
1 Deliver me, O Lord, from the evil man *
and preserve me from the wicked man.
2 Who imagine mischief in their hearts *
and stir up strife all the day long.
3 They have sharpened their tongues like a serpent *
adder’s poison is under their lips.
4 Keep me, O Lord, from the hands of the ungodly *
preserve me from the wicked men,
who are purposed to overthrow my goings.
5 The proud have laid a snare for me,
and spread a net abroad with cords *
yea, and set traps in my way.
6 I said unto the Lord, Thou art my God *
hear the voice of my prayers, O Lord.
7 O Lord God, thou strength of my health *
thou hast covered my head in the day of battle.
8 Let not the ungodly have his desire, O Lord *
let not his mischievous imagination prosper, lest they be too proud.
9 Let the mischief of their own lips fall upon the head of them *
that compass me about.
10 Let hot burning coals fall upon them *
let them be cast into the fire, and into the pit,
that they never rise up again.
11 A man full of words shall not prosper upon the earth *
evil shall hunt the wicked person to overthrow him.
12 Sure I am that the Lord will avenge the poor *
and maintain the cause of the helpless.
13 The righteous also shall give thanks unto thy Name *
and the just shall continue in thy sight.
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 141 (Anglican Chant: https://tinyurl.com/wrx2qat)
1 Lord, I call upon thee, haste thee unto me *
and consider my voice when I cry unto thee.
2 Let my prayer be set forth in thy sight as the incense *
and let the lifting up of my hands be an evening sacrifice.
3 Set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth *
and keep the door of my lips.
4 O let not mine heart be inclined to any evil thing *
let me not be occupied in ungodly works
with the men that work wickedness,
lest I eat of such things as please them.
5 Let the righteous rather smite me friendly *
and reprove me.
6 But let not their precious balms break my head *
yea, I will pray yet against their wickedness.
7 Let their judges be overthrown in stony places *
that they may hear my words, for they are sweet.
8 Our bones lie scattered before the pit *
like as when one breaketh and heweth wood upon the earth.
9 But mine eyes look unto thee, O Lord God *
in thee is my trust, O cast not out my soul.
10 Keep me from the snare that they have laid for me *
and from the traps of the wicked doers.
11 Let the ungodly fall into their own nets together *
and let me ever escape them.
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 139 (LSB Tone F: http://oremus.org/chant/Psalm-139-LSB.mp3)
1 O LORD, you have searched me and known me!*
2 You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
you discern my thoughts from afar.
3 You search out my path and my lying down*
and are acquainted with all my ways.
4 Even before a word is on my tongue,*
behold, O LORD, you know it altogether.
5 You hem me in, behind and before,*
and lay your hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;*
it is high; I cannot attain it.
7 Where shall I go from your Spirit?*
Or where shall I flee from your presence?
8 If I ascend to heaven, you are there!*
If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!
9 If I take the wings of the morning*
and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
10 even there your hand shall lead me,*
and your right hand shall hold me.
11 If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me,*
and the light about me be night,”
12 even the darkness is not dark to you;*
the night is bright as the day,
for darkness is as light with you.
13 For you formed my inward parts;*
you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.
14 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.*
Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.
15 My frame was not hidden from you,*
when I was being made in secret,
intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
16 Your eyes saw my unformed substance;
in your book were written, every one of them,*
the days that were formed for me,
when as yet there were none of them.
17 How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!*
How vast is the sum of them!
18 If I would count them,
they are more than the sand.*
I awake, and I am still with you.
19 Oh that you would slay the wicked, O God!*
O men of blood, depart from me!
20 They speak against you with malicious intent;*
your enemies take your name in vain!
21 Do I not hate those who hate you, O LORD?*
And do I not loathe those who rise up against you?
22 I hate them with complete hatred;*
I count them my enemies.
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart!*
Try me and know my thoughts!
24 And see if there be any grievous way in me,*
and lead me in the way everlasting!
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.
Psalm 140 (Kohlhase: http://oremus.org/chant/Psalm-140-KH.mp3)
Save me, LORD, from evil men;
and preserve me from men of violence
Who plot mischief within their hearts,
and are always stirring up wars.
They sharpen their tongues like a serpent;
snake’s poison is under their lips.
Selah. Selah.
Keep me, LORD, from hurtful hands;
and preserve me from men of violence
who have planned to trip up my feet,
with the traps and snares of the proud;
They spread out their net by the wayside;
and set their snares for me.
Selah. Selah.
I said, “LORD, you are my God;
hear the sound, O LORD, of my prayers.
“O Lord GOD, my saving strength,
you will cover my head in the battle.
LORD, block the desires of the wicked;
advance not his scheme or exalt him.”
Selah. Selah.
“For the heads of those who surround me,
they are covered only by lies.
Burning coals that fall in the fire,
into depths from which they’ll not rise.
“May liars not rule on the earth;
may evil chase down the violent.”
Selah. Selah.
For I know, yes, I know the LORD will bring forth,
the cause of the oppressed and justice for the poor.
Surely those who are just,
will offer thanks to your name;
and as for the upright,
in your presence they will dwell.
In your presence they will dwell
Psalm 141 (Plainsong: http://oremus.org/chant/Psalm-141.mp3)
1 O LORD, I call to you; come to me quickly; *
hear my voice when I cry to you.
2 Let my prayer be set forth in your sight as incense, *
the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.
3 Set a watch before my mouth, O LORD,
and guard the door of my lips; *
let not my heart incline to any evil thing.
4 Let me not be occupied in wickedness with evildoers, *
nor eat of their choice foods.
5 Let the righteous smite me in friendly rebuke;
let not the oil of the unrighteous anoint my head; *
for my prayer is continually against their wicked deeds.
6 Let their rulers be overthrown in stony places, *
that they may know my words are true.
7 As when a plowman turns over the earth in furrows, *
let their bones be scattered at the mouth of the grave.
8 But my eyes are turned to you, Lord GOD; *
in you I take refuge;
do not strip me of my life.
9 Protect me from the snare which they have laid for me *
and from the traps of the evildoers.
10 Let the wicked fall into their own nets, *
while I myself escape.
PRAYER
Graciously hear us, Lord, for you alone we seek.
Quiet us with the peace which passes understanding,
and make us radiant with the knowledge of your goodness;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. BCW
THE WORD OF GOD
READING: Jeremiah 18:1-12
Jeremiah received the Lord’s word: Go down to the potter’s house, and I’ll give you instructions about what to do there. So I went down to the potter’s house; he was working on the potter’s wheel. But the piece he was making was flawed while still in his hands, so the potter started on another, as seemed best to him. Then the Lord’s word came to me: House of Israel, can’t I deal with you like this potter, declares the Lord? Like clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in mine, house of Israel! At any time I may announce that I will dig up, pull down, and destroy a nation or kingdom; but if that nation I warned turns from its evil, then I’ll relent and not carry out the harm I intended for it. At the same time, I may announce that I will build and plant a nation or kingdom; but if that nation displeases and disobeys me, then I’ll relent and not carry out the good I intended for it. Now say to the people of Judah and those living in Jerusalem: This is what the Lord says: I am a potter preparing a disaster for you; I’m working out a plan against you. So each one of you, turn from your evil ways; reform your ways and your actions. But they said, “What’s the use! We will follow our own plans and act according to our own willful, evil hearts.”
HYMN: John Keble
Tune: Franconia https://tinyurl.com/2p8nne62
1 Blest are the pure in heart,
for they shall see our God;
the secret of the Lord is theirs,
their soul is Christ’s abode.
2 The Lord, who left the heavens
our life and peace to bring,
to dwell in lowliness with men,
their pattern and their King;
3 Still to the lowly soul
he doth himself impart,
and for his dwelling and his throne
chooseth the pure in heart.
4 Lord, we thy presence seek;
may ours this blessing be;
give us a pure and lowly heart,
a temple meet for thee.
READING: Hebrews 8
Now the main point of what we are saying is this: We have this kind of high priest. He sat down at the right side of the throne of the majesty in the heavens. He’s serving as a priest in the holy place, which is the true meeting tent that God, not any human being, set up. Every high priest is appointed to offer gifts and sacrifices. So it’s necessary for this high priest also to have something to offer. If he was located on earth, he wouldn’t be a priest because there are already others who offer gifts based on the Law. They serve in a place that is a copy and shadow of the heavenly meeting tent. This is indicated when Moses was warned by God when he was about to set up the meeting tent: See that you follow the pattern that I showed you on the mountain in every detail. But now, Jesus has received a superior priestly service just as he arranged a better covenant that is enacted with better promises.
If the first covenant had been without fault, it wouldn’t have made sense to expect a second. But God did find fault with them, since he says,
Look, the days are coming, says the Lord,
when I will make a covenant with the house of Israel,
and I will make a new covenant with the house of Judah.
It will not be like the covenant that I made with their ancestors
on the day I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt,
because they did not continue to keep my covenant,
and I lost interest in them, says the Lord.
This is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel
after those days, says the Lord.
I will place my laws in their minds,
and write them on their hearts.
I will be their God,
and they will be my people.
And each person won’t ever teach a neighbor
or their brother or sister, saying, “Know the Lord,”
because they will all know me,
from the least important of them to the most important;
because I will be lenient toward their unjust actions,
and I won’t remember their sins anymore.
When it says new, it makes the first obsolete. And if something is old and outdated, it’s close to disappearing.
HYMN: John Keble
Tune: Abends https://tinyurl.com/bdzzvew3
1 Sun of my soul, thou Saviour dear,
it is not night if thou be near:
O may no earth-born cloud arise
to hide thee from thy servant’s eyes.
2 When the soft dews of kindly sleep
my wearied eyelids gently steep,
be my last thought, how sweet to rest
for ever on my Saviour’s breast.
3 Abide with me from morn till eve,
for without thee I cannot live;
abide with me when night is nigh,
for without thee I dare not die.
4 If some poor wandering child of thine
have spurned to-day the voice divine,
now, Lord, the gracious work begin;
let him no more lie down in sin.
5 Watch by the sick; enrich the poor
with blessings from thy boundless store;
be every mourner’s sleep to-night
like infant’s slumbers, pure and light.
6 Come near and bless us when we wake,
ere through the world our way we take;
till in the ocean of thy love
we lose ourselves in heaven above.
READING: Mark 12:18-27
Sadducees, who deny that there is a resurrection, came to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies, leaving a widow but no children, the brother must marry the widow and raise up children for his brother. Now there were seven brothers. The first one married a woman; when he died, he left no children. The second married her and died without leaving any children. The third did the same. None of the seven left any children. Finally, the woman died. At the resurrection, when they all rise up, whose wife will she be? All seven were married to her.”
Jesus said to them, “Isn’t this the reason you are wrong, because you don’t know either the scriptures or God’s power? When people rise from the dead, they won’t marry nor will they be given in marriage. Instead, they will be like God’s angels. As for the resurrection from the dead, haven’t you read in the scroll from Moses, in the passage about the burning bush, how God said to Moses, I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? He isn’t the God of the dead but of the living. You are seriously mistaken.”
(Traditional chant: https://tinyurl.com/ydzx5jdp)
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy Name,
thy kingdom come,
thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread;
and forgive us our trespasses
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And 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.]
Father of the eternal Word,
in whose encompassing love
all things in peace and order move:
grant that, as your servant John Keble
adored you in all creation,
so we may have a humble heart of love
for the mysteries of your Church
and know your love to be new every morning,
in Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen. EH
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.
HWHM Holy Women, Holy Men © 2010 The Church Pension Fund.
EH Exciting Holiness, Ed. Brother Tristram SSF © European Province of the Society of Saint Francis, 1997
CW:TS Common Worship: Times and Seasons, material from which is included here,
is copyright © The Archbishops’ Council 2006 and published by Church House Publishing.
The three main scripture readings are © 2011 Common English Bible.
The traditional language psalms are from The Book of Common Prayer (1662). The modern language psalms are from The Book of Common Prayer (1979) and are chanted by Ryland Angel.
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 © 2025 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.
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