The Divine Hours

Monday, November 25



The Midday Office To Be Observed on the Hour or Half Hour Between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m


The Call to Prayer

Hallelujah! Sing to the LORD a new song;* sing his praise in the congregation of the faithful. Psalm 149:1


The Request for Presence

Hear, O Shepherd of Israel, leading Joseph like a flock;* shine forth, you that are enthroned upon the cherubim..Psalm 80:1


The Greeting

The LORD is in his holy temple; let all the earth keep silence before him. Amen. Traditional


The Refrain for the Midday Lessons

The LORD shall watch over your going out and your coming in* from this time forth for evermore. Psalm 121:8


A Reading

Oh, come to the water all you who are thirsty; though you have no money, come! Buy and eat; come, buy milk and wine without money, free! Why spend money on what cannot nourish and your wages on what fails to satisfy? Listen carefully to me, and you will have good things to eat and rich food to enjoy. Pay attention, come to me; listen, and you will live. I shall make an everlasting covenant with you in fulfillment of the favors promised to David. Isaiah 55:1-3


The Refrain

The LORD shall watch over your going out and your coming in* from this time forth for evermore. Psalm 121:8


The Midday Psalm

The LORD Has Cut the Cords of the Wicked

“Greatly have they oppressed me since my youth,”* let Israel now say; “Greatly have they oppressed me since my youth,* but they have not prevailed against me.” The plowmen plowed upon my back* and made their furrows long. The LORD, the Righteous One,* has cut the cords of the wicked. Let them be put to shame and thrown back,* all those who are enemies of Zion. Let them be like grass upon the housetops,* which withers before it can be plucked; Which does not fill the hand of the reaper,* nor the bosom of him who binds the sheaves; So that those who go by say not so much as, “The LORD prosper you.* We wish you well in the Name of the LORD.” Psalm 129


The Refrain

The LORD shall watch over your going out and your coming in* from this time forth for evermore. Psalm 121:8


The Gloria

Glory be to God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, so it is now and so it shall ever be, world without end. Alleluia. Amen.


The Lord’s Prayer

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be your Name. May your kingdom come, and your will be done, on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil; for yours are the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen.


The Prayer Appointed for the Week

Almighty and everlasting God, whose will it is to restore all things in your well-beloved Son, the King of kings and Lord of lords: Mercifully grant that the peoples of the earth, divided and enslaved by sin, may be freed and brought together under his most gracious rule; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.†


The Concluding Prayer of the Church

Let us bless the Lord God living and true! Let us always render him praise, glory, honor, blessing, and all good things! Amen. Amen. So be it! So be it!

St. Francis of Assisi

http://www.explorefaith.org/prayer/prayer/fixed/index.php

Last Sunday after Pentecost/Christ the King Sunday/Year C

Nov 24 2019

Jeremiah 23:1-6
Canticle 16
Colossians 1:11-20
Luke 23:33-43

 

Collect for today: Almighty and everlasting God, whose will it is to restore all things in your well-beloved Son, the King of kings and Lord of lords: Mercifully grant that the peoples of the earth, divided and enslaved by sin, may be freed and brought together under his most gracious rule; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

We come to the end of the church year today....the last Sunday after Pentecost or also known as Christ the King Sunday…. The Sunday, we begin with the words of our collect, praying to an almighty and everlasting God, whose will it is to restore all things in God’s well-beloved Son…Jesus…the King of kings and Lord of lords….and we pray that God’s people, divided and enslaved by sin, may be freed and brought under Jesus’ most gracious rule…in a kingdom that proclaims forgiveness, mercy, grace, joy, and hope….a kingdom that proclaims: this is what God’s love is…this is what God’s love looks like…this is what God’s love can do…here on earth…as in heaven…

We just spent a whole year watching, listening and reflecting on the stories that were shared each week about Jesus…And if we were paying attention to Jesus’ teachings…we were given examples over and over again, of what God’s love is, what God’s love looks like, and what God’s love can do for us, and our brothers and sisters who walk this earth with us…a love that has the power to transform lives through forgiveness, through mercy and grace, through healing, through hope…a love that has the power to build, encourage and strengthen our relationships with one another, in the kingdom of God…a family of God…where Jesus, our Shepherd, guides us, and leads us, in walking the way of God’s love…

Our church year, began with the season of Advent, a season, that invites us to turn our focus once again, to anticipate the coming of a new kingdom, a new and renewed hope for God’s saving Love to come down among us…… and we celebrate the fulfillment of this hope and this Love, coming into the world on Christmas Day...when we hear the story of Jesus’ birth.  

We spent the season of Epiphany listening to the scriptures that illuminated and showed us who this Jesus was, we heard about Jesus’ Baptism and his being sent out into the wilderness, as we embarked on a journey with him in the season of Lent…we stood still with him on Good Friday, when he was crucified on the Cross, and we rejoiced once again as we celebrated his resurrection on Easter morning, three days later….the next 50 days we listened to scriptures about the resurrected Jesus, and the experiences of those who saw him, in his new glory…we celebrated his ascension into heaven, and on the Day of Pentecost, we celebrated the gift of the Holy Spirit given to us…and then we walked faithfully through the long, ordinary season after Pentecost, when we became the “students” of Jesus, and learned a lot about what it meant to be a follower of Jesus…

We learned a lot about what God’s love is… what God’s love looks like… what God’s love can do…here on earth…as in heaven…We learned all about God’s love…because of Jesus…

And as we mark this last Sunday after Pentecost, and the ending of a church year, we are still learning about God’s love...even, as we listen to today’s difficult gospel reading…which speaks of Jesus’ death on the cross…

In the reading today, Jesus is crucified with two criminals...one on his right, and one on his left…and Jesus’ prayer from the cross is this: “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.”

The people stood by watching, watching Jesus on the cross, the leaders scoffed at him, the soldiers mocked him…

One of the criminals who were hanged there, beside Jesus, kept deriding him and saying, "Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us!" But the other rebuked him, saying, "Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation?

And we indeed have been condemned justly, for we are getting what we deserve for our deeds, but this man has done nothing wrong." Then he turned to Jesus and said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom."

At this moment, I envision Jesus looking directly into the eyes and soul of the criminal when he responded with words of pure love, forgiveness and assurance for him: "Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise."

And I can only imagine the criminal being filled with a profound peace…that only Jesus can give….

With these few words, spoken by Jesus on the cross, Jesus gives us another glimpse of what God’s love is, what it looks like, and what God’s love can do…in this moment, and in the new kingdom yet to come…a sacrificial and unselfish love that proclaims words of forgiveness from the cross…a love that sets us free, from the entanglement and enslavement of sin in our worldly lives… a merciful love that sets us free to hope and trust in God’s goodness and love… and a powerful love that reconciles us to God, one another, and all of creation…

So, yes...this church year is coming to an end today, and in today’s scripture reading, Jesus’ life on earth, is coming to an end…but this isn’t just an ending, this is also a new beginning…

…a beginning that brings forth the hope of something new, something better than we can ever ask for or imagine, something more fulfilling and life-affirming and joyful…than we have ever experienced….this is an ending that brings forth the promise of a new kingdom to come…a kingdom where the peace of God and God’s love reigns…. Where Jesus is the King of kings, the Lord of lords…where Jesus, our Shepherd, guides us, and leads us, in walking in the way of God’s love…

Want to know what God’s love is, want to know what it looks like, want to know what God’s love can do for you, for our brothers and sisters, for all of creation?

Then pay attention to Jesus…but don’t just pay attention…follow Jesus out into the world…and show people what God’s love has done for you…and show them, with your love, your compassion, your forgiveness, your hopes, and your joys…how God’s love can transform their lives, too!

Next week, we begin a new season in the church year… Advent… there are many resources out there to help you get started with a renewed commitment to spend time paying attention and getting to know Jesus…Here is just one offering to get you started in the new church year: IN this Living Compass Advent resource…the focus is on practicing peace…with all of your heart, soul, strength and mind…and as you journey through advent with this devotional…

you will have the opportunity to learn more about what it means to practice peace for yourself, and with others…

…you will have the opportunity to explore more fully about the Peace of Jesus Christ, the Peace of God’s kingdom, where Jesus is King of kings…and Lord of Lords…

Did I ask you already if you want to know more about God’s love? Well…here’s how…and it’s worth repeating…Pay attention to the stories of Jesus and his life…and then Go and follow him… out in the world…. Beginning again, with the season of Advent…

 

Let us pray: (Love, Love – 160 – Purple Maranatha Praise Book )

Verse #3

King of Kings and Lord of lords,

King of Kings, forever more.

King of Kings and Lord of lords,

King of kings forever. Amen

 

Rev. Julie Platson  

St Peter’s by the Sea Episcopal Church, Sitka, AK

Weekend announcements

Nov 22

Weekend announcements

Sitka woke up this morning to thunder and lightning...

A little girl walked daily to and from school. Though the weather that morning was questionable and clouds were forming, she made her daily trip to school. As the afternoon progressed, the winds whipped up, along with thunder and lightning.

The mother of the little girl felt concerned that her daughter would be frightened as she walked home from school, and she herself feared that the electrical storm might harm her child.

Following the roar of thunder, lightning, through the sky and full of concern, the mother quickly got in her car and drove along the route to her child's school.

As she did so, she saw her little girl walking along, but at each flash of lightning, the child would stop, look up and smile. Another and another were to follow quickly, each with the little girl stopping, looking up and smiling.

Finally, the mother called over to her child and asked, "What are you doing?"

The child answered, smiling, "God just keeps taking pictures of me."

 (heartwarmingstories) 

COMING UP THIS WEEK:

*Saturday Nov 23: Quiet Day retreat 10am-1pm

*Sunday Nov 24: Pledge Sunday; Sunday school at 10am

*Tuesdays: Lunch & Learn @ 12pm 
*Wednesday: Nov 27 @ 5:30pm – Thanksgiving Eve Service

*Thursday Nov 28/Thanksgiving Day: Office Closed       
*Fridays: St Simeon & St Anna Prayer Service @ 10am
  Office Closed – Nov 29

*Dec 1: one service at 10am – Bishop Mark Lattime/Celebrant

*Dec 1 @ 4pm – St Peter’s 120th Anniversary Celebration

Wednesday Walk in Wonder - World Children's Day

WORLD CHILDREN’S DAY

What is it, you wonder?

Here’s a couple of articles and stories to learn more about World Children’s Day…

 

United Nations

https://www.un.org/en/observances/world-childrens-day

 

Episcopal Relief and Development: One thousand days of love – a Father’s story

https://www.episcopalrelief.org/stories/one-thousand-days-of-love-a-fathers-story/?utm_source=Episcopal+Relief+%26+Development+Stories&utm_campaign=bccb107329-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2019_11_15_05_03&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_46765c2503-bccb107329-448482257

 

Prayers for our children (BCP)

For the Care of Children

Almighty God, heavenly Father, you have blessed us with the

joy and care of children: Give us calm strength and patient

wisdom as we bring them up, that we may teach them to love

whatever is just and true and good, following the example of

our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

 

For Young Persons

God our Father, you see your children growing up in an

unsteady and confusing world: Show them that your ways

give more life than the ways of the world, and that following

you is better than chasing after selfish goals. Help them to

take failure, not as a measure of their worth, but as a chance

for a new start. Give them strength to hold their faith in you,

and to keep alive their joy in your creation; through Jesus

Christ our Lord. Amen.

 

Tuesday time to ponder

Nov 19, 2019

Tuesday time to ponder

This coming Sunday, Nov 24th is our special in-gathering for pledges for the coming year. I commend these scriptures to you and our collect for this week, as you discern the ways you are being called in this next year to support the mission of the church, with your time, talent and treasures…

Collect: Blessed Lord, who caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning: Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them, that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life, which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

 

TIME

Besides this, you know what time it is, how it is now the moment for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we became believers. Romans 13:11

Ponder: There are so many opportunities to volunteer your time at St Peter’s and in the community….Is there one thing you could commit your time to, in the church and in the community?

TALENT

And there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of working, but it is the same God who inspires them all in every one. 1 Corinthians 12:5-6

Ponder: There are so many ways that all of you can serve in the church and in the community…Really! Everyone can do something…because it is God who inspires us all.

 

TREASURE

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Matthew 6:21

Ponder: Let us rejoice in the opportunity to Count and Share our Blessings in the coming year….

Each of you has been blessed with one of God’s many wonderful gifts to be used in the service of others. So use your gift well. 1 Peter 4:10 (CEV)


*Thank you to all who have turned in the pledges already*

 

Consecration of Samuel Seabury: First American Bishop, 1784

Thursday Thoughts on Thanks-living

Nov 14, 2019

On the church calendar today, we give thanks for the Consecration of Samuel Seabury: First American Bishop, 1784

Read a little about his story here...

http://satucket.com/lectionary/Consecration_Seabury.htm 

Collect: We give you thanks, O Lord our God, for your goodness in bestowing upon this Church the gift of the episcopate, which we celebrate in this remembrance of the consecration of Samuel Seabury; and we pray that, joined together in unity with our bishops, and nourished by your holy Sacraments, we may proclaim the Gospel of redemption with apostolic zeal; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

22 Pentecost/Year C - Nov 10, 2019 SERMON

22 Pentecost/Year C

November 10, 2019

Haggai 1:15b-2:9; Psalm 145:1-5, 18-22; 
2 Thessalonians 2:1-5, 13-17; Luke 20:27-38

Our stewardship/pledge season for this year began just a few weeks ago. I’ve been reflecting on some of Bishop Mark’s 5 challenges to the churches this coming year that he introduced at the diocesan convention last month…Those 5 areas he lists are for the people of God, the children of God, to pray, study, serve, give and share…share the good news of God’s love with one another…

The challenges in these five areas encourage us to focus on growing and strengthening our relationship to God and one another instead of getting caught up in worrying or stressing about our average Sunday attendance numbers, or membership numbers or other statistics that keep us from focusing on the mission and purpose of the Church…which is to restore all people to unity with God and each other in Christ. And in our Catechism section in the book of common prayer, we are reminded that the Church carries out this mission through all its members…through all of us…as we are each (uniquely) called in pursuing this mission, through prayer and worship, proclaiming the Gospel, and promoting justice, peace, and love. (BCP 855).

I use the word uniquely…but I think another word I am looking for here…is authentic…meaning…you, as a child of God…a child of the resurrection, as you are named and welcomed in baptism…You have a story to share, that is authentic to you…a story that proclaims the Gospel…the good news of God’s love, as you have experienced it, in your life…

A good news story…that says, Yes…I believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ and this is how He matters in my life now…and yes, I have a story worthy to share of a time in my life when I was changed and transformed by His love, from death into new life, resurrection life…

When I thought all hope was lost and I was searching for something to hold onto, another person shared a story that helped me find hope again…. when I thought I would never get over the death of a loved one, another person shared their story of grief, and their journey of moving through grief into a new and meaningful life, that helped me dare to take new steps forward…when I thought that I could not bear one more moment of suffering or fear of the unknown…the love of God, made known to me, through another angel of God, in the sharing of her story…touched my life…in a way that affirms in my heart what I may not always fully understand…that Yes…I believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ…and yes, I believe He matters in my life now…and yes, I believe that His love and resurrection is for all people…and yes…I believe this is a story worth sharing…a story of God’s love for all God’s beloved children… a story of God’s love for the world, that matters today…and for all of eternity…

I can’t help but think of other kinds of stories that are shared every day…in our newspapers, across our tv screens, our computer screens, our phone screens…stories that can easily sway us to doubt and not believe in the resurrection…(just as the Sadducees into today’s gospel who say there is no resurrection)…There are those stories we see and hear over and over again that seek to distract us from the good news of God’s love active in our world today …stories that seek to bind us to fear…stories that seek to take away our brothers’ and sisters’ human dignity…stories that cause divisions in the human family…

…stories that lead to war with another, stories that rob people and countries of their peace, stories that promote hatred and injustices…

Are these the stories we want to be sharing with our children? Are these really the stories we want to keep telling ourselves and one another? Are these the stories we want to believe in? The stories that are dominating all of our news feeds?

Do we really want to keep spreading these types of stories that others try to use to “prove” or “trick” others into believing that there is no resurrection? That there is no God? That there is no Jesus that we should be following?

This is exactly what the Sadducees in today’s gospel were attempting to do…they were trying to trick Jesus and trap Jesus into somehow proving that there was no way resurrection could be true or possible.

They were perhaps trying to silence his message of the resurrection.

But the good news proclaimed through the resurrection of Jesus Christ cannot be silenced. The love of God cannot be silenced.

And Jesus illustrates that today, when he responds to the Sadducees’ question about marriage and resurrection. Jesus doesn’t get caught up in their trick question and go round and round with them, buying into their runaway train of thought. He doesn’t try to “trick or trap them” to prove anything. He just responds with the Good News of God’s love and presence and evidence of the resurrection of the dead from the very beginning… as shown to them through the story of Moses and the burning bush…where Moses speaks of the Lord...as the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob.

Jesus simply shares a story that points to the love of God’s presence and example of one’s personal experience regarding resurrection.

And then Jesus sums up the heart of the resurrection message in today’s gospel, with the good news of God’s life-giving love, when he says to them…Now he is God not of the dead, but of the living; for to him all of them are alive.

The Good News of believing in the resurrection, is the assurance for all Gods’ children, and for all the saints who have gone on before us, that in life and in death, for today and tomorrow, for all of eternity…we are never out of the reach of God’s love….we are alive in the presence and hands of God’s love and compassion…we are alive and united to one another in Christ through the love of God and all that is gracious in Him… and we are made a new creation every time, we are re-assured of God’s love through the witness and stories of resurrection shared by others…stories that remind us…that death does not have the final say…stories that remind us to hope…stories that remind us to begin again…to take heart…to be courageous…to be faithful…

Our mission, as a Church, as the body of Christ, the hands and feet of God in this world now…is to go and share this resurrection Good news with the world, through our stories, through prayer and worship, proclaiming the Gospel, and promoting justice, peace, and love….

And I also say to you… that we can do all of these well…when we take the time to sit down with one another…and simply share our own authentic selves, our own resurrection stories of how the love of God has transformed our lives…

There is a world out there, filled with people who are hungry for good news…There are people who are out there who are unsure of what or who to believe in and hope in anymore….and your story may be the very words of hope that one person needs to hear today…your resurrection story may be a matter of life or death for them…

Assure them…that God is all about love…that Jesus is the person who embodies this love and has walked among us, is walking with us, and will walk with us when he comes again…Assure them, that their lives truly matter…because of Jesus’ love for them: His life, death and resurrection matters today…and for all of eternity…

This is the story we are called to share…

Lift Every Voice and Sing II - #64 I Love To Tell the Story

I love to tell the story

Of unseen things above,

Of Jesus and His glory,

Of Jesus and His love.

I love to tell the story,

Because I know it's true;

It satisfies my longings

As nothing else would do.

 

I love to tell the story;

Twill be my theme in glory.

To tell the old, old story

Of Jesus and His love.

 

I love to tell the story,

For those who know it best

Seem hungering and thirsting

To hear it, like the rest.

And when, in scenes of glory,

I sing the new, new song,

'Twill be the old, old story

That I have loved so long.

 

Refrain

 

 

 

Rev Julie Platson

St Peter’s by the Sea Episcopal Church

Sitka, Alaska

Stewardship Season Kick-off Sunday

19 Pentecost/Year C

October 20, 2019

Stewardship Season Kick-off Sunday

Jeremiah 31:27-34; Psalm 119: 97-104; 2 Timothy 3:14-4:5; Luke 18:1-8

 

Jesus told his disciples a parable about their need to pray always and not to lose heart.

This isn’t the first time we hear Jesus talk about prayer and it surely will not be the last. Prayer was central and first and foremost in Jesus’ life… and throughout the scriptures we have seen many examples that point to the importance of prayer in Jesus’ life…

Today’s parable is the second one Jesus teaches in Luke’s Gospel on the necessity of prayer. Earlier Jesus told a parable about a man going to his friend in the middle of night to ask for bread and even though at first the friend may not want to get up if he persists his friend will get up and give him the bread (Luke 11:5-8). Next Sunday we will hear another parable on prayer, the Parable of the Pharisee and Tax Collector (Luke 18:9-14).

In Luke’s Gospel we see Jesus in prayer more often than in any of the other Gospels. The following examples of Jesus in prayer are only in Luke: Jesus was praying after his baptism when the heavens opened (Luke 3:21). After the cure of the leper Jesus withdrew to the wilderness and prayed (Luke 5:16). Jesus spent all night on the hills in prayer before he chose the Twelve (Luke 6:12-16).

Jesus was praying alone when he asked the disciples “Who do the people say I am?” (Luke 9:18-22).

 Eight days later he took Peter, James and John and went up on the mountain to pray (Luke 9:28) and while praying he was transfigured (Luke 9:29). Jesus was praying when his disciples asked him to teach them to pray so he taught them the “Our Father”, the Lord’s Prayer (Luke 11:1-4). Jesus prayed for Simon that his faith might not fail (Luke 22:32). Only Luke tells us that Jesus prayed for his crucifiers (Luke 23:34) and as he died committed his spirit into the hands of the Father (Luke 23:46). In the Acts of the Apostles, also attributed to Luke, we see the Church at prayer many times. The disciples in Acts are doing what Jesus has taught them and shown them in the Gospel.

Prayer, as we have seen and heard, not only in the gospel of Luke and in the Acts of the Apostles, was central in Jesus’ life and ought to be central in our lives also.  (Fr. Tommy Lane)

Today, is our stewardship season kick-off for the coming year…And I invite all of us to begin with a renewed commitment to prayer…prayer ought to be central in our lives…in our hearts, minds, body, spirit, and in every action we take…prayer ought to be at the center of all we are…and all we do…

Each year, we as a body of Christ, the Church….gather to pray, engage in conversations, and discern the ways in which we will carry out the Mission of Christ: The Mission of the Church…here at St Peter’s and in the wider community…in the coming year.

From the Catechism in the book of common prayer:

Q.       What is the mission of the Church?

A.      The mission of the Church is to restore all people to unity with God and each other in Christ.

Q.      How does the Church pursue its mission?

A.      The Church pursues its mission as it prays and worships, proclaims the Gospel, and promotes justice, peace, and love.

         

Q.      Through whom does the Church carry out its mission?

A.      The church carries out its mission through the ministry of all its members.

All of us…all of us have been blessed with God’s many and varied and wonderful gifts to be shared in carrying out the Mission of the Church….And here at St Peter’s…we are On a journey together: Seeking to walk the way of love…with God, one another, and all of creation…And in this coming year…we will embark on a journey that will be focused on Counting and Sharing our Blessings…And for this journey…and throughout all of our journeys here on earth…there’s one thing that we must always carry with us…Prayer…

As Jesus, has shown us, prayer needs to be central, and first and foremost in our lives…Prayer…individually and together, faithfully…and with the persistence of the widow in today’s parable …

Pray with your eyes open, pray with your eyes closed, pray in the morning, pray in the evening…pray over the pledge letter, pray before every decision you make, pray in the midst of every sorrow, pray in gratitude for every blessing…pray…count and share your blessings and see the fruits of God’s love grow in your relationship with God, and with one another…pray and worship together…proclaim the gospel…promote justice, peace and love…Pray for God’s kingdom to come here on earth…pray always…and do not lose heart…

Prayer: The Hymnal 1982 - #10 New every morning is the love

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, around us hover 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       Old friends, old scenes, will lovelier be, as more of heaven in each  

          we see; some softening gleam of love and prayer

          shall dawn on every cross and care.

 

5       The trivial round, the common task, will furnish all we ought to  

          ask: room to deny ourselves; a road to bring us daily nearer God.

         

6       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.

 

Rev. Julie Platson, Rector

St Peter’s by the Sea Episcopal Church

Sitka, Alaska