Thoughts for the Day

O all ye Works of the Lord, bless ye the Lord:
praise him, and magnify him for ever.

O all ye Angels of the Lord, bless ye the Lord:
praise him, and magnify him for ever.

O ye Heavens, bless ye the Lord:
praise him and magnify him for ever.

O ye Waters, that be above the Firmament, bless ye the Lord:
praise him and magnify him for ever.

O all ye Powers of the Lord, bless ye the Lord:
praise him and magnify him for ever.

(Lectionary, Book of Common Prayer)

Thoughts

This week our Lectionary offers us a reading from the Apocrypha (the works that come between the Old and New Testament). It's a Canticle - 'Song of the Three Young Men' - known as the “Benedicite.” I have used the text from the Book of Common Prayer since it has been said or sung at Matins since the 16th century in Anglican churches. However I have given the modern language from 'Common Worship' for anyone who wants it, under Further Thoughts.

The Benedicite begins by calling all the works of the Lord to bless the Lord and to praise and magnify Him for ever, and ends thirty two verses later demanding that the whole cosmic order, the earth and its creatures, and all living and departed people of God "bless the Lord".

The Hebrew word translated as "bless" or "praise" literally means "to kneel" which implies kneeling in worship. So to bless the Lord means to praise Him, exalt Him, and worship Him. We do this because He is our Creator (whether we believe the world happened in six days or through gradual evolution), and because He is our Heavenly Father who deserves our love. Therefore as we read the words of the Benedicite can we pause and think on each phrase to praise God for His universe and all its attributes. Our whole world points us to God!

* Note: We shall learn more about this Song over the next five days.

Lord God,
along with the Archangels and Angels,
we worship You this day;
we exalt Your name, given to our predecessors;
we bless You for calling us to be Your people;
we praise You for all Your great works;
and we humbly commend ourselves to You.
Amen.