Oremus for Monday, October 6, 2025

William Tyndale
Born in Gloucestershire in about the year 1494, William Tyndale studied first at Magdalen Hall, Oxford, and then at Cambridge. He became determined to translate the Scriptures from the Greek directly into contemporary English but was thwarted in this by the Bishop of London. So William settled in Hamburg in 1524, never returning to England. When the first copies of his translation arrived in England in 1526, it was bitterly attacked as subversive by the ecclesial authorities. He spent much of the rest of his life making revisions to his work, but also writing many theological works. His life’s-work proved good enough to be the basic working text for those who, at the beginning of the following century, were to produce what became known as the Authorised Version of the Bible. He was eventually arrested in 1535 and imprisoned in Brussels on charges of heresy. He was first strangled and then burnt at the stake on this day in 1536. His last words were, “Lord, open the King of England’s eyes.” ^EH

Antiphon https://tinyurl.com/589h5dmw

With the Lord there is mercy;
in him is plentiful redemption. Psalm 130

Eternal God, creator of the universe,
there is no God but you.
Great and wonderful are your works,
wondrous are your ways.
Thank you for the many splendored variety of your creation.
Thank you for the many ways
we affirm your presence and purpose,
and the freedom to do so.
Forgive our violation of your creation.
Forgive our violence toward each other.
We stand in awe and gratitude for your persistent love
for each and all of your children:
Christian, Jew, Muslim,
as well as those with other faiths.
Grant to all and our leaders attributes of the strong:
mutual respect in words and deed,
restraint in the exercise of power,
and the will for peace with justice, for all.
Eternal God, creator of the universe,
there is no God but you. Amen. ²

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: Godfrey Thring
Tune: Isleworth https://tinyurl.com/yb3ujnnh

1 O God of mercy, God of might,
In love and pity infinite,
Teach us, as ever in Thy sight,
To live our life to Thee.

2 Teach us the lesson Thou hast taught,
To feel for those Thy Blood hath bought,
That every word, and deed and thought
May work a work for Thee.

3 For all are brethren, far and wide,
Since Thou, O Lord, for all hast died;
Then teach us, whatsoe’er betide,
To love them all in Thee.

4 In sickness, sorrow, want, or care,
Whate’er it be, ’tis ours to share;
May we where help is needed, there
Give help as unto Thee.

5 And may Thy Holy Spirit move
All those who live to live in love,
Till Thou shalt greet in heaven above
All those who live to Thee.

PSALMS

Psalm 32 (Anglican Chant: https://tinyurl.com/twtffy5)
1  Blessed is he whose unrighteousness is forgiven *
 and whose sin is covered.
2  Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth no sin *
 and in whose spirit there is no guile.
3  For while I held my tongue *
 my bones consumed away through my daily complaining.
4  For thy hand is heavy upon me day and night *
 and my moisture is like the drought in summer.
5  I will acknowledge my sin unto thee *
 and mine unrighteousness have I not hid.
6  I said, I will confess my sins unto the Lord *
 and so thou forgavest the wickedness of my sin.
7  For this shall every one that is godly make his prayer unto thee,
in a time when thou mayest be found *
 but in the great water-floods they shall not come nigh him.
8  Thou art a place to hide me in, thou shalt preserve me from trouble *
 thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance.
9  I will inform thee, and teach thee in the way wherein thou shalt go *
 and I will guide thee with mine eye.
10  Be ye not like to horse and mule, which have no understanding *
 whose mouths must be held with bit and bridle, lest they fall upon thee.
11  Great plagues remain for the ungodly *
 but whoso putteth his trust in the Lord,
mercy embraceth him on every side.
12  Be glad, O ye righteous, and rejoice in the Lord *
 and be joyful, all ye that are true of heart.
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 33 (Anglican Chant: https://tinyurl.com/qsa6l3x)
1  Rejoice in the Lord, O ye righteous *
 for it becometh well the just to be thankful.
2  Praise the Lord with harp *
 sing praises unto him with the lute, and instrument of ten strings.
3  Sing unto the Lord a new song *
 sing praises lustily unto him with a good courage.
4  For the word of the Lord is true *
 and all his works are faithful.
5  He loveth righteousness and judgement *
 the earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.
6  By the word of the Lord were the heavens made *
 and all the hosts of them by the breath of his mouth.
7  He gathereth the waters of the sea together, as it were upon an heap *
 and layeth up the deep, as in a treasure-house.
8  Let all the earth fear the Lord *
 stand in awe of him, all ye that dwell in the world.
9  For he spake, and it was done *
 he commanded, and it stood fast.
10  The Lord bringeth the counsel of the heathen to nought *
 and maketh the devices of the people to be of none effect,
and casteth out the counsels of princes.
11  The counsel of the Lord shall endure for ever *
 and the thoughts of his heart from generation to generation.
12  Blessed are the people, whose God is the Lord Jehovah *
 and blessed are the folk, that he hath chosen to him to be his inheritance.
13  The Lord looked down from heaven,
and beheld all the children of men *
 from the habitation of his dwelling
he considereth all them that dwell on the earth.
14  He fashioneth all the hearts of them *
 and understandeth all their works.
15  There is no king that can be saved by the multitude of an host *
 neither is any mighty man delivered by much strength.
16  A horse is counted but a vain thing to save a man *
 neither shall he deliver any man by his great strength.
17  Behold, the eye of the Lord is upon them that fear him *
 and upon them that put their trust in his mercy;
18  To deliver their soul from death *
 and to feed them in the time of dearth.
19  Our soul hath patiently tarried for the Lord *
 for he is our help, and our shield.
20  For our heart shall rejoice in him *
 because we have hoped in his holy Name.
21  Let thy merciful kindness, O Lord, be upon us *
 like as we do put our trust in thee.
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 32 (Plainsong: http://oremus.org/chant/Psalm-32.mp3)
1 Happy are they whose transgressions are forgiven, *
and whose sin is put away!
2 Happy are they to whom the LORD imputes no guilt, *
and in whose spirit there is no guile!
3 While I held my tongue, my bones withered away, *
because of my groaning all day long.
4 For your hand was heavy upon me day and night; *
my moisture was dried up as in the heat of summer.
5 Then I acknowledged my sin to you, *
and did not conceal my guilt.
6 I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD.” *
Then you forgave me the guilt of my sin.
7 Therefore all the faithful will make their prayers to you
in time of trouble; *
when the great waters overflow, they shall not reach them.
8 You are my hiding-place; you preserve me from trouble; *
you surround me with shouts of deliverance.
9 “I will instruct you and teach you in the way that you should go; *
I will guide you with my eye.
10 Do not be like horse or mule, which have no understanding; *
who must be fitted with bit and bridle,
or else they will not stay near you.”
11 Great are the tribulations of the wicked; *
but mercy embraces those who trust in the LORD.
12 Be glad, you righteous, and rejoice in the LORD; *
shout for joy, all who are true of heart.
| 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 33 (Plainsong: http://oremus.org/chant/Psalm-33.mp3)
1 Rejoice in the LORD, you righteous; *
it is good for the just to sing praises.
2 Praise the LORD with the harp; *
play to him upon the psaltery and lyre.
3 Sing for him a new song; *
sound a fanfare with all your skill upon the trumpet.
4 For the word of the LORD is right, *
and all his works are sure.
5 He loves righteousness and justice; *
the loving-kindness of the LORD fills the whole earth.
6 By the word of the LORD were the heavens made, *
by the breath of his mouth all the heavenly hosts.
7 He gathers up the waters of the ocean as in a water-skin *
and stores up the depths of the sea.
8 Let all the earth fear the LORD; *
let all who dwell in the world stand in awe of him.
9 For he spoke, and it came to pass; *
he commanded, and it stood fast.
10 The LORD brings the will of the nations to naught; *
he thwarts the designs of the peoples.
11 But the LORD’S will stands fast for ever, *
and the designs of his heart from age to age.
12 Happy is the nation whose God is the LORD! *
happy the people he has chosen to be his own!
13 The LORD looks down from heaven, *
and beholds all the people in the world.
14 From where he sits enthroned he turns his gaze *
on all who dwell on the earth.
15 He fashions all the hearts of them *
and understands all their works.
16 There is no king that can be saved by a mighty army; *
a strong man is not delivered by his great strength.
17 The horse is a vain hope for deliverance; *
for all its strength it cannot save.
18 Behold, the eye of the LORD is upon those who fear him, *
on those who wait upon his love,
19 To pluck their lives from death, *
and to feed them in time of famine.
20 Our soul waits for the LORD; *
he is our help and our shield.
21 Indeed, our heart rejoices in him, *
for in his holy Name we put our trust.
22 Let your loving-kindness, O LORD, be upon us, *
as we have put our trust in you.
| 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.

PRAYER

O God,
by your Word you made heaven and earth,
and through your living Word, Jesus Christ,
you continue to accomplish your purpose for creation.
Make us witnesses to your truth and instruments of your peace,
that all may know you are the God
who loves justice and acts faithfully;
through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen. ^BCW2018

THE WORD OF GOD
READING: 2 Samuel 1:1-17
After Saul’s death, when David had returned from defeating the Amalekites, he stayed in Ziklag two days. On the third day, a man showed up from Saul’s camp with his clothes torn and dirt on his head. When he reached David, he fell to the ground, bowing low out of respect.

“Where have you come from?” David asked him. “I’ve escaped from the Israelite army!” he answered. “What’s the report?” David asked him. “Tell me!” The man answered, “The troops fled from the battle! Many of the soldiers have fallen and died. What’s more, Saul and his son Jonathan have also died!” “How do you know,” David asked the young man who brought the news, “that Saul and his son Jonathan are dead?”

The young man who brought the news replied, “I just happened to be on Mount Gilboa and Saul was there, leaning on his spear, with chariots and horsemen closing in on him. He turned around and saw me, then he called to me. ‘Yes, sir,’ I answered. ‘Who are you?’ he asked, and I told him, ‘I’m an Amalekite.’ He said to me, ‘Please come over here and kill me, because convulsions have come over me but I’m still alive.’ So I went over to him and killed him, because I knew he couldn’t survive after being wounded like that. I took the crown that was on his head and the bracelet that was on his arm, and I’ve brought them here to you, my master.”

Then David grabbed his clothes and ripped them—and all his soldiers did the same. They mourned and cried and fasted until evening for Saul, his son Jonathan, the Lord’s army, and the whole house of Israel, because they had died by the sword.

“Where are you from?” David asked the young man who brought him the news. “I’m the son of an immigrant,” he answered. “An Amalekite.” Then David said to him, “How is it that you weren’t afraid to raise your hand and destroy the Lord’s anointed?” Then David called for one of the young servants. “Come here!” he said. “Strike him down!” So the servant struck the Amalekite down, and he died. “Your blood is on your own head,” David said to the Amalekite, “because your own mouth testified against you when you admitted, ‘I killed the Lord’s anointed.’” Then David sang a funeral song for Saul and his son Jonathan.

HYMN: Thomas Moore and Thomas Hastings
Tune: Consolator https://tinyurl.com/mr3prvvp

1 Come, ye disconsolate, where’er ye languish –
Come to the mercy-seat, fervently kneel;
Here bring your wounded hearts, here tell your anguish;
Earth has no sorrow that heav’n cannot heal.

2 Joy of the desolate, light of the straying,
Hope of the penitent, fadeless and pure!
Here speaks the Comforter, tenderly saying,
“Earth has no sorrow that heav’n cannot cure.”

3 Here see the Bread of Life, see waters flowing
Forth from the throne of God, pure from above:
Come to the feast of love – come ever knowing
Earth has no sorrow but heav’n can remove.

READING: Philippians 1:1-11
From Paul and Timothy, slaves of Christ Jesus. To all those in Philippi who are God’s people in Christ Jesus, along with your supervisors and servants. May the grace and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

I thank my God every time I mention you in my prayers. I’m thankful for all of you every time I pray, and it’s always a prayer full of joy. I’m glad because of the way you have been my partners in the ministry of the gospel from the time you first believed it until now. I’m sure about this: the one who started a good work in you will stay with you to complete the job by the day of Christ Jesus. I have good reason to think this way about all of you because I keep you in my heart. You are all my partners in God’s grace, both during my time in prison and in the defense and support of the gospel. God is my witness that I feel affection for all of you with the compassion of Christ Jesus.

This is my prayer: that your love might become even more and more rich with knowledge and all kinds of insight. I pray this so that you will be able to decide what really matters and so you will be sincere and blameless on the day of Christ. I pray that you will then be filled with the fruit of righteousness, which comes from Jesus Christ, in order to give glory and praise to God.

HYMN: Charles Wesley
Tune: Lucius https://tinyurl.com/5n8cbx9s

1 All praise to our redeeming Lord,
who joins us by His grace
and bids us, each to each restored,
together seek His face.

2 He bids us build each other up;
and gathered into one,
to our high calling’s glorious hope,
we hand in hand go on.

3 We all partake the joy of one,
the common peace we feel;
a peace to sensual minds unknown,
a joy unspeakable.

4 And if our fellowship below
in Jesus be so sweet,
what height of rapture shall we know
when ’round His throne we meet!

READING: Luke 10:25-37
A legal expert stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he said, “what must I do to gain eternal life?” Jesus replied, “What is written in the Law? How do you interpret it?” He responded, “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your being, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and love your neighbor as yourself.” Jesus said to him, “You have answered correctly. Do this and you will live.” But the legal expert wanted to prove that he was right, so he said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

Jesus replied, “A man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho. He encountered thieves, who stripped him naked, beat him up, and left him near death. Now it just so happened that a priest was also going down the same road. When he saw the injured man, he crossed over to the other side of the road and went on his way. Likewise, a Levite came by that spot, saw the injured man, and crossed over to the other side of the road and went on his way. A Samaritan, who was on a journey, came to where the man was. But when he saw him, he was moved with compassion. The Samaritan went to him and bandaged his wounds, tending them with oil and wine. Then he placed the wounded man on his own donkey, took him to an inn, and took care of him. The next day, he took two full days’ worth of wages and gave them to the innkeeper. He said, ‘Take care of him, and when I return, I will pay you back for any additional costs.’ What do you think? Which one of these three was a neighbor to the man who encountered thieves?” Then the legal expert said, “The one who demonstrated mercy toward him.” Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”

CANTICLE Revelation 15:3-4
(Chant by Joe Cox: https://tinyurl.com/yb3kd863)
Ant. All nations will draw near and fall down before you, *
because your just and holy works have been revealed.
O ruler of the universe, Lord God,
great deeds are they that you have done, *
surpassing human understanding.
Your ways are ways of righteousness and truth, *
O King of all the ages.
Who can fail to do you homage, Lord,
and sing the praises of your Name? *
for you only are the Holy One.
All nations will draw near and fall down before you, *
because your just and holy works have been revealed.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen. Ant.

THE PRAYERS ^BCW
Eternal God,
we rejoice this day in the gift of life,
which we have received by your grace,
and the new life you give in Jesus Christ.
Especially we thank you for
the love of our families . . .
the affection of our friends . . .
strength and abilities to serve your purpose today . . .
this community in which we live . . .
opportunities to give as we have received. . . .

God of grace,
we offer our prayers for the needs of others
and commit ourselves to serve them
even as we have been served in Jesus Christ.
Especially we pray for
those closest to us, families, friends, neighbors . . .
refugees and homeless men, women and children . . .
the outcast and persecuted . . .
those from whom we are estranged . . .
the church in Africa. . . .

(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.]

Lord, give to your people grace to hear and keep your word
that, after the example of your servant William Tyndale,
we may not only profess your gospel
but also be ready to suffer and die for it,
to the honour of your name;
through 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

---

^BCW Book of Common Worship, Presbyterian Church U.S.A., 1993.

^BCW2018 Book of Common Worship, Presbyterian Church U.S.A., 2018

^EH Exciting Holiness Edited by Brother Tristam SSF, © European Province of the Society of Saint Francis, 1997

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.