July 2026

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Sev’n whole days, not one in sev’n

I will praise Thee.

 

These words of the seventeenth-century Anglican priest George Herbert serve to remind us that God exists seven days a week and not just on Sundays. Although the church’s Sunday worship is the focal point of her worship, it does not mean that the praying church is inactive on the other six days of the week. For a start, clergy are canonically obliged to say Morning and Evening Prayer daily privately or publically in church: even if only tiny congregations attend such services   ̶  think of those gorgeous choral Evensongs in our cathedrals, where there may be more people in cassocks and surplices than in ordinary dress in the congregation  ̶  does it matter? The answer is an unquestionable ‘no’ for the praying church maintains its ministry to the world ‘sev’n whole days not one in sev’n’. Regular daily prayer  ̶  even if only for a few minutes  ̶  enables us to stand outside the trivial round, the common task, and to participate in the great ministry of the church to the world.

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I am reminded of Jacob Astley’s prayer on the eve the Battle of Edgehill in 1642 ‘O Lord! thou knowest how busy I must be this day: if I forget thee, do not thou forget me’. God is always there even if we do not perceive his presence or forget about him in the busyness of life.

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A rather formidable Mother Superior once answered my query regarding the purpose of her convent and flock of nuns with ‘We are here to say prayers for those who do not’. So are you and I.

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Deacon Douglas Macmillan

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The Collect

 

Almighty God, to whose glory we celebrate

the dedication of this house of prayer:

Let our worship always be sincere

and help when we call on you in faith.

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.