28th August 2025 Morning Prayer

The Psalter

Psalm 49

Audite hæc, omnes

O HEAR ye this, all ye people; * ponder it with your ears, all ye that dwell in the world;

High and low, rich and poor, * one with another.

My mouth shall speak of wisdom, * and my heart shall muse of understanding.

I will incline mine ear to the parable, * and show my dark speech upon the harp.

Wherefore should I fear in the days of evil, * when wickedness at my heels compasseth me round about?

There be some that put their trust in their goods, * and boast themselves in the multitude of their riches.

But no man may deliver his brother, * nor give a ransom unto God for him,

(For it cost more to redeem their souls, * so that he must let that alone for ever;)

That he shall live alway, * and not see the grave.

For he seeth that wise men also die and perish together, * as well as the ignorant and foolish, and leave their riches for other.

And yet they think that their houses shall continue for ever, and that their dwelling-places shall endure from one generation to another; * and call the lands after their own names.

Nevertheless, man being in honour abideth not, * seeing he may be compared unto the beasts that perish;

This their way is very foolishness; * yet their posterity praise their saying.

They lie in the grave like sheep; death is their shepherd; and the righteous shall have dominion over them in the morning: * their beauty shall consume in the sepulchre, and have no abiding.

But God hath delivered my soul from the power of the grave; * for he shall receive me.

Be not thou afraid, though one be made rich, * or if the glory of his house be increased;

For he shall carry nothing away with him when he dieth, * neither shall his pomp follow him.

For while he lived, he counted himself an happy man; * and so long as thou doest well unto thyself, men will speak good of thee.

He shall follow the generation of his fathers, * and shall never see light.

Man that is in honour but hath no understanding * is compared unto the beasts that perish.

The First Lesson

1Sam31

31 Now the Philistines fought against Israel: and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines, and fell down slain in mount Gilboa.

And the Philistines followed hard upon Saul and upon his sons; and the Philistines slew Jonathan, and Abinadab, and Melchishua, Saul's sons.

And the battle went sore against Saul, and the archers hit him; and he was sore wounded of the archers.

Then said Saul unto his armourbearer, Draw thy sword, and thrust me through therewith; lest these uncircumcised come and thrust me through, and abuse me. But his armourbearer would not; for he was sore afraid. Therefore Saul took a sword, and fell upon it.

And when his armourbearer saw that Saul was dead, he fell likewise upon his sword, and died with him.

So Saul died, and his three sons, and his armourbearer, and all his men, that same day together.

And when the men of Israel that were on the other side of the valley, and they that were on the other side Jordan, saw that the men of Israel fled, and that Saul and his sons were dead, they forsook the cities, and fled; and the Philistines came and dwelt in them.

And it came to pass on the morrow, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, that they found Saul and his three sons fallen in mount Gilboa.

And they cut off his head, and stripped off his armour, and sent into the land of the Philistines round about, to publish it in the house of their idols, and among the people.

And they put his armour in the house of Ashtaroth: and they fastened his body to the wall of Bethshan.

And when the inhabitants of Jabeshgilead heard of that which the Philistines had done to Saul;

All the valiant men arose, and went all night, and took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Bethshan, and came to Jabesh, and burnt them there.

And they took their bones, and buried them under a tree at Jabesh, and fasted seven days.

The Second Lesson

Luke20:27-40

Then came to him certain of the Sadducees, which deny that there is any resurrection; and they asked him,

Saying, Master, Moses wrote unto us, If any man's brother die, having a wife, and he die without children, that his brother should take his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother.

There were therefore seven brethren: and the first took a wife, and died without children.

And the second took her to wife, and he died childless.

And the third took her; and in like manner the seven also: and they left no children, and died.

Last of all the woman died also.

Therefore in the resurrection whose wife of them is she? for seven had her to wife.

And Jesus answering said unto them, The children of this world marry, and are given in marriage:

But they which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage:

Neither can they die any more: for they are equal unto the angels; and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection.

Now that the dead are raised, even Moses shewed at the bush, when he calleth the Lord the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.

For he is not a God of the dead, but of the living: for all live unto him.

Then certain of the scribes answering said, Master, thou hast well said.

And after that they durst not ask him any question at all.

The Tenth Sunday after Trinity

Let thy merciful ears, O Lord, be open to the prayers of thy humble servants; and that they may obtain their petitions make them to ask such things as shall please thee; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.