Mtr Taylor Devine
Dear Friend,
This line stands out to me in this morning's Psalm:
Let the heavens and the earth praise him, *
the seas and all that moves in them
It reminds me of the Venite - on p. 44 in the Book of Common Prayer is this Psalm prayed on ordinary days, giving ordinary thanks, for the extraordinary work of God. This invitatory Psalm was sung often in Seminary Chapel and it worked its way into my heart in that form. It utters itself at the beach-the sea is his and he made it-and in the desert-his hands prepared the dryland.
Venite Psalm 95:1-7
O come, let us sing unto the Lord; *
let us heartily rejoice in the strength of our salvation.
Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving *
and show ourselves glad in him with psalms.
For the Lord is a great God, *
and a great King above all gods.
In his hand are all the corners of the earth, *
and the strength of the hills is his also.
The sea is his, and he made it, *
and his hands prepared the dry land.
O come, let us worship and fall down, *
and kneel before the Lord our Maker.
For he is the Lord our God, *
and we are the people of his pasture
and the sheep of his hand.
O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness; *
let the whole earth stand in awe of him.
For he cometh, for he cometh to judge the earth, *
and with righteousness to judge the world
and the peoples with his truth.
The Psalms and prayers that work their way into our hearts are not just a comfort but draw us more deeply into the heart of our human work, to love, know and worship God. Today we commemorate Edward Pusey, a Church reformer whose influence is extremely significant in the Anglican Communion and Episcopal Church. He and his colleagues at Oxford published a series of Tracts that compelled the upcoming generation of Christians to a paired commitment to the Sacraments and to the presence of Christ in humanity.
In addition to forming Church practices and deepening theological claims in a new generation, those involved in the movement (often called the Oxford Movement) "were instrumental in stirring up the Church's concern for the welfare, both spiritual and material, of the working classes. The building of factories had flooded many areas with workers who were without churches to minister to them. The Tractarians built churches in these areas, and in slum areas, and staffed them with dedicated priests. The influence of their work was widespread. For example: One disciple of Pusey was R M Benson, the founder of the Society of St John the Evangelist. One of Benson's disciples was Fr C N Field, who came to America and became deeply interested in the housing conditions of the poor in Boston. One of his disciples was Mary Kingsbury Simkhovitch. She says that it was Fr Field and the other priests of the SSJE who first taught her to visit the poor. Mrs Simkhovitch is accounted one of the founders of social work. She founded Greenwich House in New York City. One of her disciples was Frances Perkins, Secretary of Labor in the New Deal. She and Mrs Simkhovitch went to Harold Ickes and persuaded him to put public housing on the agenda of the New Deal."
In our day how will our attention the Creator who the heavens and earth themeselves praise shape us - will this season of renewed commitment to Morning Prayer's rhythms allow the Spirit to breathe new commitments into our lives? A deepened understanding of grace? Of worship? A commitment to discipleship - following Jesus into all the places we might be called? May the prayers that utter themselves in this time be both a balm and a strength.
In Christ,
Mtr Taylor