William Temple
Though he never experienced poverty of any kind, Temple developed a passion for social justice which shaped his words and his actions. He owed this passion to a profound belief in the Incarnation. He wrote that in Jesus Christ God took flesh and dwelt among us, and as a consequence “the personality of every man and woman is sacred.” As bishop and later as archbishop, Temple committed himself to seeking “the things which pertain to the Kingdom of God.” He understood the Incarnation as giving worth and meaning not only to individuals but to all of life. He therefore took the lead in establishing the Conference on Christian Politics, Economics and Citizenship (COPEC), held 1924. In 1940 he convened the great Malvern Conference to reflect on the social reconstruction that would be needed in Britain once the Second World War was over. At the same time he was a prolific writer on theological, ecumenical, and social topics, and his two-volume Readings in St. John’s Gospel, written in the early days of the war, rapidly became a spiritual classic.
In 1942 Temple was appointed Archbishop of Canterbury and reached an even wider audience through his wartime radio addresses and newspaper articles. However, the scope of his responsibilities and the pace he set himself took their toll. On October 26, 1944, he died after only two and a half years at Canterbury. HWHM
Antiphon https://tinyurl.com/sef7k9a6
O people of Sion, behold,
the Lord will come to save the nations,
and the Lord will make the glory of his voice heard
in the joy of your heart. Isaiah 30
O God of love, we pray thee to give us love:
Love in our thinking, love in our speaking,
Love in our doing, and love in the hidden places of our souls;
Love of our neighbours near and far;
Love of our friends, old and new;
Love of those with whom we find it hard to bear,
And love of those who find it hard to bear with us;
Love of those with whom we work,
And love of those with whom we take our ease;
Love in Joy, love in sorrow;
Love in life and love in death;
That so at length we may be worthy to dwell with thee,
Who art eternal love. Amen. William Temple
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: John Bell and Graham Maule ©
Tune: Noel nouvelet https://tinyurl.com/yv6sa2us
1 Jesus Christ is waiting, waiting in the streets;
no one is his neighbor, all alone he eats.
Listen, Lord Jesus, I am lonely too.
Make me, friend or stranger, fit to wait on you.
2 Jesus Christ is raging, raging in the streets,
where injustice spirals and real hope retreats.
Listen, Lord Jesus, I am angry too.
In the kingdom’s causes let me rage with you.
3 Jesus Christ is healing, healing in the streets;
curing those who suffer, touching those he greets.
Listen, Lord Jesus, I have pity too.
Let my care be active, healing just like you.
4 Jesus Christ is dancing, dancing in the streets,
where each sign of hatred he, with love, defeats.
Listen, Lord Jesus, I should triumph too.
Where good conquers evil let me dance with you.
5 Jesus Christ is calling, calling in the streets,
“Who will join my journey? I will guide their feet.”
Listen, Lord Jesus, let my fears be few.
Walk one step before me; I will follow you.
PSALMS
Psalm 119:145-176
(Anglican Chant: https://tinyurl.com/y74yj68g)
145 I call with my whole heart *
hear me, O Lord, I will keep thy statutes.
146 Yea, even unto thee do I call *
help me, and I shall keep thy testimonies.
147 Early in the morning do I cry unto thee *
for in thy word is my trust.
148 Mine eyes prevent the night-watches *
that I might be occupied in thy words.
149 Hear my voice, O Lord, according unto thy loving-kindness *
quicken me, according as thou art wont.
150 They draw nigh that of malice persecute me *
and are far from thy law.
151 Be thou nigh at hand, O Lord *
for all thy commandments are true.
152 As concerning thy testimonies, I have known long since *
that thou hast grounded them for ever.
153 O consider mine adversity, and deliver me *
for I do not forget thy law.
154 Avenge thou my cause, and deliver me *
quicken me, according to thy word.
155 Health is far from the ungodly *
for they regard not thy statutes.
156 Great is thy mercy, O Lord *
quicken me, as thou art wont.
157 Many there are that trouble me, and persecute me *
yet do I not swerve from thy testimonies.
158 It grieveth me when I see the transgressors *
because they keep not thy law.
159 Consider, O Lord, how I love thy commandments *
O quicken me, according to thy loving-kindness.
160 Thy word is true from everlasting *
all the judgements of thy righteousness endure for evermore.
161 Princes have persecuted me without a cause *
but my heart standeth in awe of thy word.
162 I am as glad of thy word *
as one that findeth great spoils.
163 As for lies, I hate and abhor them *
but thy law do I love.
164 Seven times a day do I praise thee *
because of thy righteous judgements.
165 Great is the peace that they have who love thy law *
and they are not offended at it.
166 Lord, I have looked for thy saving health *
and done after thy commandments.
167 My soul hath kept thy testimonies *
and loved them exceedingly.
168 I have kept thy commandments and testimonies *
for all my ways are before thee.
169 Let my complaint come before thee, O Lord *
give me understanding according to thy word.
170 Let my supplication come before thee *
deliver me, according to thy word.
171 My lips shall speak of thy praise *
when thou hast taught me thy statutes.
172 Yea, my tongue shall sing of thy word *
for all thy commandments are righteous.
173 Let thine hand help me *
for I have chosen thy commandments.
174 I have longed for thy saving health, O Lord *
and in thy law is my delight.
175 O let my soul live, and it shall praise thee *
and thy judgements shall help me.
176 I have gone astray like a sheep that is lost *
O seek thy servant, for I do not forget thy commandments.
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 119:145-176 (Plainsong)
145 I call with my whole heart; *
answer me, O LORD, that I may keep your statutes.
146 I call to you;
oh, that you would save me! *
I will keep your decrees.
147 Early in the morning I cry out to you, *
for in your word is my trust.
148 My eyes are open in the night watches, *
that I may meditate upon your promise.
149 Hear my voice, O LORD, according to your loving-kindness; *
according to your judgments, give me life.
150 They draw near who in malice persecute me; *
they are very far from your law.
151 You, O LORD, are near at hand, *
and all your commandments are true.
152 Long have I known from your decrees *
that you have established them for ever.
153 Behold my affliction and deliver me, *
for I do not forget your law.
154 Plead my cause and redeem me; *
according to your promise, give me life.
155 Deliverance is far from the wicked, *
for they do not study your statutes.
156 Great is your compassion, O LORD; *
preserve my life, according to your judgments.
157 There are many who persecute and oppress me, *
yet I have not swerved from your decrees.
158 I look with loathing at the faithless, *
for they have not kept your word.
159 See how I love your commandments! *
O LORD, in your mercy, preserve me.
160 The heart of your word is truth; *
all your righteous judgments endure for evermore.
161 Rulers have persecuted me without a cause, *
but my heart stands in awe of your word.
162 I am as glad because of your promise *
as one who finds great spoils.
163 As for lies, I hate and abhor them, *
but your law is my love.
164 Seven times a day do I praise you, *
because of your righteous judgments.
165 Great peace have they who love your law; *
for them there is no stumbling block.
166 I have hoped for your salvation, O LORD, *
and have fulfilled your commandments.
167 I have kept your decrees *
and I have loved them deeply.
168 I have kept your commandments and decrees, *
for all my ways are before you.
169 Let my cry come before you, O LORD; *
give me understanding, according to your word.
170 Let my supplication come before you; *
deliver me, according to your promise.
171 My lips shall pour forth your praise, *
when you teach me your statutes.
172 My tongue shall sing of your promise, *
for all your commandments are righteous.
173 Let your hand be ready to help me, *
for I have chosen your commandments.
174 I long for your salvation, O LORD, *
and your law is my delight.
175 Let me live, and I will praise you, *
and let your judgments help me.
176 I have gone astray like a sheep that is lost; *
search for your servant,
for I do not forget your commandments.
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.
PRAYER
Almighty God,
you gave the law to guide our lives.
May we never shrink from your commandments,
but, as we are taught by your Son Jesus,
fulfill the law in perfect love;
through Christ our Lord and Master,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever. Amen. BCW
THE WORD OF GOD
READING: 1 Kings 18:1-15
After many days the word of the Lord came to Elijah, in the third year of the drought, saying, “Go, present yourself to Ahab; I will send rain on the earth.” So Elijah went to present himself to Ahab. The famine was severe in Samaria. Ahab summoned Obadiah, who was in charge of the palace. (Now Obadiah revered the Lord greatly; when Jezebel was killing off the prophets of the Lord, Obadiah took a hundred prophets, hid them fifty to a cave, and provided them with bread and water.) Then Ahab said to Obadiah, “Go through the land to all the springs of water and to all the wadis; perhaps we may find grass to keep the horses and mules alive and not lose some of the animals.” So they divided the land between them to pass through it; Ahab went in one direction by himself, and Obadiah went in another direction by himself.
As Obadiah was on the way, Elijah met him; Obadiah recognized him, fell on his face, and said, “Is it you, my lord Elijah?” He answered him, “It is I. Go, tell your lord that Elijah is here.” And he said, “How have I sinned, that you would hand your servant over to Ahab to kill me? As the Lord your God lives, there is no nation or kingdom to which my lord has not sent to seek you, and when they would say, ‘He is not here,’ he would require an oath of the kingdom or nation that they had not found you. But now you say, ‘Go, tell your lord that Elijah is here.’ As soon as I have gone from you, the spirit of the Lord will carry you I know not where; so, when I come and tell Ahab and he cannot find you, he will kill me, although I your servant have revered the Lord from my youth. Has it not been told my lord what I did when Jezebel killed the prophets of the Lord, how I hid a hundred of the Lord’s prophets fifty to a cave and provided them with bread and water? Yet now you say, ‘Go, tell your lord that Elijah is here’; he will surely kill me.” Elijah said, “As the Lord of hosts lives, before whom I stand, I will surely show myself to him today.”
HYMN: Christopher Idle ©
Tune: Winchester New https://tinyurl.com/3edkd2uv
1 The land is dry; the prophet’s word
is clearly spoken, rarely heard:
the ground is hard and groans for rain;
Lord, speak, that we may live again!
2 The people die; the voice divine
rejects our clamour for a sign;
yet, Lord, in sin and death we mourn;
let breath be given, let life return!
3 False gods abound, and rival cults;
our lying enemy exults:
come, sweep them, Lord, from heart and mind
and Satan’s prisoners all unbind!
4 The churches drift; we lose our nerve,
forgetting who it is we serve;
Lord, judge and save us; burn, and bless
and do not leave us comfortless!
5 As patriarchs and prophets prayed,
teach us to follow undismayed:
teach us to stand for you today;
but first, our God, teach us to pray!
6 Our Father, let it here be known
whose is the word, the blood, the throne;
throughout this earth that Jesus trod
let nations know that you are God!
READING: Titus 1:1-9
Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the sake of the faith of God’s elect and the knowledge of the truth that is in accordance with godliness, in the hope of eternal life that God, who never lies, promised before the ages began— in due time he revealed his word through the proclamation with which I have been entrusted by the command of God our Savior,
To Titus, my true child in the faith we share: Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior.
I left you behind in Crete for this reason, so that you should put in order what remained to be done and should appoint elders in every town, as I directed you: someone who is blameless, married only once, whose children are believers, not accused of debauchery and not rebellious. For a bishop, as God’s steward, must be blameless; he must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or addicted to wine or violent or greedy for gain, but he must be hospitable, a lover of goodness, self-controlled, upright, devout, and restrained, holding tightly to the trustworthy word of the teaching, so that he may be able both to exhort with sound instruction and to refute those who contradict it.
HYMN: Stuart Hamblen ©
Tune: https://tinyurl.com/43asxspa
1 My heart can sing when I pause to remember
A heartache here is but a stepping stone
Along a trail that’s winding always upward,
This troubled world is not my final home.
Refrain:
But until then my heart will go on singing,
Until then with joy I’ll carry on—
Until the day my eyes behold the city.
Until the day God calls me home.
2 The things of earth will dim and lose their value
If we recall they’re borrowed for awhile;
And things of earth that cause the heart to tremble,
Remembered there will only bring a smile. [Refrain]
3 This weary world with all its toil and struggle
May take its toll of misery and strife;
The soul of man is like a waiting falcon;
When it’s released, it’s destined for the skies. [Refrain]
READING: Luke 13:10-17
Now he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. And just then there appeared a woman with a spirit that had crippled her for eighteen years. She was bent over and was quite unable to stand up straight. When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said, “Woman, you are set free from your ailment.” When he laid his hands on her, immediately she stood up straight and began praising God. But the leader of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had cured on the Sabbath, kept saying to the crowd, “There are six days on which work ought to be done; come on those days and be cured and not on the Sabbath day.” But the Lord answered him and said, “You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the manger and lead it to water? And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen long years, be set free from this bondage on the Sabbath day?” When he said this, all his opponents were put to shame, and the entire crowd was rejoicing at all the wonderful things being done by him.
CANTICLE Isaiah 61.10,11; 62.1-3
(Hildegard of Bingen https://tinyurl.com/26ehzcxk)
Refrain:
All God makes righteousness and praise
blossom before all the nations.
1 I will greatly rejoice in the Lord,
my soul shall exult in my God;
2 Who has clothed me with the garments of salvation,
and has covered me with the cloak of integrity,
3 As a bridegroom decks himself with a garland,
and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
4 For as the earth puts forth her blossom,
and as seeds in the garden spring up,
5 So shall God make righteousness and praise
blossom before all the nations.
6 For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent,
and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest,
7 Until her deliverance shines out like the dawn,
and her salvation as a burning torch.
8 The nations shall see your deliverance,
and all rulers shall see your glory;
9 Then you shall be called by a new name
which the mouth of God will give.
10 You shall be a crown of glory in the hand of the Lord,
a royal diadem in the hand of your God.
All Glory to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning is now
and shall be for ever. Amen.
All God makes righteousness and praise
blossom before all the nations.
THE PRAYERS AAPB
Eternal God,
who declared in Christ Jesus
the completion of all your purposes of love;
We give thanks
for the triumphs of the gospel that herald your salvation
for the signs of renewal that declare the coming of your kingdom
for the revelation of the work of your grace in human lives . . .
for the unceasing praise of the company of heaven
for the promise to those who mourn that all tears will be wiped away
for the pledge of death destroyed and victory won . . .
for our foretaste of eternal life through baptism and the holy communion
for our hope in the Spirit
for the communion of saints
for all who rest in Christ . . .
We pray for the sick
those in pain . . .
the handicapped, the aged . . .
those who are tempted and despairing . . .
those who minister to them and care for them . . .
those who mourn . . .
May we live by faith, walk in hope, and be renewed in love,
until the whole world reflects your glory,
and you are all in all.
Even so, come Lord Jesus. Amen.
(Plainsong Mode 2: https://tinyurl.com/yctqq8cf)DL
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your Name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today the bread of life;
and forgive us our sins
as we forgive those who sin against us.
Save us from the time of trial
and deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours,
now and for ever. Amen.
O God of light and love, who illumined your Church through the witness of your servant William Temple: Inspire us, we pray, by his teaching and example, that we may rejoice with courage, confidence, and faith in the Word made flesh, and may be led to establish that city which has justice for its foundation and love for its law; through Jesus Christ, the light of the world, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. HWHM
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.
DL © Daniel Lawson; used with permission.
HWHM Holy Women, Holy Men © 2010 The Church Pension Fund.
AAPB An Australian Prayer Book, © 1978 Anglican Church of Australia
The main scripture readings are from the New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
The traditional-language psalms are from The Book of Common Prayer (1662). The modern language version of Psalm 119 is from The Book of Common Prayer (1979) as recorded for The Daily Office Chanted Podcast https://thedailyofficechanted.podbean.com/
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 © 2026 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.
