But in order to arrive at its full meaning, we must suppose that David felt an inward struggle and opposition, which he found it necessary to check. Satan had raised a tumult in his affections, and wrought a degree of impatience in his mind, which he now curbs; and he expresses his resolution to be silent. The word implies a meek and submissive endurance of the cross. It expresses the opposite of that heat of spirit which would put us into a posture of resistance to God. The silence intended is, in short, that composed submission of the believer, in the exercise of which he acquiesces in the promises of God, gives place to his word, bows to his sovereignty, and suppresses every inward murmur of dissatisfaction.

–From his commentary on the Psalms

Lent begins today with Ash Wednesday. #AshWednesday #Lent2025 #anglican #anglicanchurch #anglicancommunion #acna pic.twitter.com/CBvHmmQ47q

— New Wineskins (@newwineskins) March 5, 2025

Almighty and everlasting God,
you hate nothing that you have made
and forgive the sins of all those who are penitent:
create and make in us new and contrite hearts
that we, worthily lamenting our sins
and acknowledging our wretchedness,
may receive from you, the God of all mercy,
perfect remission and forgiveness;
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.

Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent.

Today, many will attend church services and have a cross of ash traced on their foreheads. This acts as a reminder of our mortality and need for reconciliation with God.

Find an Ash Wednesday service at https://t.co/R8wMSEkNUx. pic.twitter.com/m5DBIVcChz

— The Church of England (@churchofengland) March 5, 2025

O God, who by thy care and counsel for mankind hast moved thy Church to appoint this holy season wherein the hearts of those who seek thee may receive thy help and healing: We beseech thee so to purify us by thy discipline, that, abiding in thee and thou in us, we may grow in grace and in the faith and knowledge of thee; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Heerlijk zonnig voorjaarsweer. Fijne woensdag #zonsondergang #rivier pic.twitter.com/VL4Otb5oYd

— Tjark Dieterman (@DietermanTjark) March 5, 2025

It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline? If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Besides this, we have had earthly fathers to discipline us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? For they disciplined us for a short time at their pleasure, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant; later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but rather be healed. Strive for peace with all men, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.

Hebrews 12:7-14

Whenever you feel hopeless about the hate and ruin and sadness in the world, remember that the sun still rises every day, still draws long shadows on the fields, the birds still sing their little hearts out in the gold, and the spring flowers still push up through the hard earth… pic.twitter.com/dZe1yZsTYN

— peaklass (@peaklass1) March 5, 2025

O God, who before the passion of your only-begotten Son revealed his glory upon the holy mountain: Grant that we, beholding by faith the light of his countenance, may be strengthened to bear our cross, and be changed into his likeness from glory to glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.  Amen.

A beautiful sunrise in Richmond Park.#sunrise @theroyalparks pic.twitter.com/d1P1jqeWCg

— Scot Down South (@LesleyAM13) March 2, 2025

O God, who in the beginning didst create the heavens and the earth, and didst appoint unto men their work: Grant to us that whatsoever our hand findeth to do, we may do it with our might; that when thou shalt call thy labourers to give them their reward, we may so have run that we may obtain the crown of life; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Isn't it great when spring arrives – have a great new month and happy weekend friends #ScotlandisNow #StormHour #photography #photooftheday #landscape #OutAndAboutScotland #landscapephotography @VisitScotland @ScotsMagazine #friend0s #ThePhotoHour #STVSnaps #beautiful pic.twitter.com/winUhUUeYd

— Mike Wood (@MikeMikwd) March 1, 2025

Almighty God, whose glory the heavens are telling, the earth thy power and the sea thy might, and whose greatness all feeling and thinking creatures everywhere herald: To thee belongeth glory, honour, might, greatness, and magnificence, now and for ever, to the ages of ages.

On Waterfall Wednesday we're sharing this view of Scaleber Force, a spectacular 40ft waterfall just outside Settle.

Andy Kay | #YorkshireDales #WaterfallWednesday pic.twitter.com/u6ulFspilp

— Yorkshire Dales National Park (@yorkshire_dales) February 26, 2025

Eternal God,
whose Son went among the crowds
and brought healing with his touch:
through your Spirit help us to show his love,
in your Church as we gather together,
and by our lives as they are transformed
into the image of Christ our Lord.
Amen (slightly edited; KSH).

The early birds of Lindisfarne#Northumberland #Photography #landscapephotography pic.twitter.com/SqtGgMIep5

— Jim Scott (@jimscottphoto) February 22, 2025

Almighty God, whose sovereign purpose none can make void: Give us faith to stand calm and undismayed amid the tumults of the world, knowing that thy kingdom shall come and thy will be done; to the eternal glory of thy name, through Jesus Christ our Lord.

—Daily Prayer, Eric Milner-White and G. W. Briggs, eds. (London: Penguin Books 1959 edition of the 1941 original)

Holy Week can sit strangely in the church year. It is the most solemn and significant of times in the church calendar, and yet, to all intents and purposes, ordinary life carries on undisturbed by it. Unlike Christmas, which bursts upon the scene in a riot of tinsel and fairy lights, demanding attention and pulling people in from the streets to enjoy carolling and mince pies, for most of the population, Holy Week passes unnoticed. Only the promise of hot cross buns and free childcare when schools are closed or a few eccentrics walking mournfully round the community on Good Friday may have any impact at all.

How, then, to engage with the non-churchgoing public? How to share the message of sacrificial love — an unpopular theme in today’s “Because I’m worth it”, “Go on, treat yourself” society? Perhaps by using the week to experiment and challenge, to offer services and events that are different from the norm, and to think carefully about all sectors of the community and explore ways in which they might become engaged, even briefly, with the drama of Holy Week and the life-changing effect of its events.

Your community might well be happily settled into a regular rhythm of services. It is to be hoped that the schedule is one that all can manage — ministry team, musicians, volunteers working within their capacity and capability, able to maintain the level of effort and energy required without collapsing with burnout. Nevertheless, we all know the dangers of complacency, of falling into a routine that becomes almost mindless in its familiarity. Holy Week offers an opportunity to try out new things in a way that is manageable (because it is only one week), understandable (it’s a special week), and unrepeatable, if necessary. If something completely new is too challenging or demanding, try and ring the changes with the established patterns, enabling your community to look with fresh eyes on familiar events.

Read it all.

How to engage with the non-churchgoing public

Sally Welch continues her series exploring practical ideas for Lent and Easterhttps://t.co/hUxKr4235W

— Church Times (@ChurchTimes) February 18, 2025

Almighty God, look mercifully upon your people, that by your great goodness they may be governed and preserved evermore; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, now and for ever.  Amen.

One of my favourite photographs I took of St. Mary's Abbey in York reminds me of Camus: "In the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer." pic.twitter.com/27KFNRqzZ2

— Andy Marshall (@fotofacade) February 17, 2025

O Lord, our heavenly Father, keep your household the Church continually in your
true religion, that we who trust in the hope of your heavenly grace may always be
defended by your mighty power; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and
reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, now and for ever. Amen.

'Look, up at the sky.
There is a light, a beauty up there, that no shadow can touch.'

J.R.R. Tolkien
. pic.twitter.com/k0CUvqjSS3

— Grace (@BeOrNotToBe_1) February 10, 2025

Grant, we beseech thee, O Lord our God, that in whatever dangers we are placed we may call upon thy name, and that when deliverance is given us from on high we may never cease from thy praise; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Good morning!

Finally on 'Sunrise & sunset' week is a beautiful foggy sunrise over the rolling Dorset landscape near Bridport…

It's my fave photo of the week for the beautiful light – if you agree, please share the love with a repost! #dailyphotos #stormhour #Thursday pic.twitter.com/9Hb81G1k3K

— Gary Holpin | Photography (@GaryHolpin) February 6, 2025

Almighty God,
by whose grace alone we are accepted and called to your service:
strengthen us by your Holy Spirit
and make us worthy of our calling;
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.

#RozeWolkjes om het #Veerhuis. Fijne woensdag #zonsondergang pic.twitter.com/oCEZMHfxO6

— Tjark Dieterman (@DietermanTjark) February 5, 2025

Almighty and everliving God, we humbly beseech thee that, as thy only-begotten Son was this day presented in the temple, so we may be presented unto thee with pure and clean hearts by the same thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord; who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.

Miniature of the Presentation in the Temple, preceding the benediction for the Feast of the Purification of the Virgin, also known as Candlemas (2nd February)

BL Add 49598; Benedictional of Æthelwold; 963 CE-984 CE; England, S.; f.34v @BLMedieval pic.twitter.com/pEiL7C9AY3

— Ennius (@red_loeb) January 31, 2025

O thou who in the days of thy humiliation didst command the winds and waves, and they obeyed thee: Do thou so dwell within us, that we may be safe from all dangers, and steadfast in all temptations; and evermore keep us in thy peace, for thy holy name’s sake.

♥️ Stormy sky
Veronique Derouet 01/2025#paysbasque #basquecountry #beguios #stormyweather #stormy #stormysky @ThePhotoHour @StormHour pic.twitter.com/QWhgghqI14

— Veronique Derouet (@vederouet) February 2, 2025

Lord, make me conscious of Thy holiness and majesty: teach me to know and do Thy will: pour into my heart such love towards Thee, that, loving Thee above all things, I may obtain Thy gracious promises; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

–Robert W. Rodenmayer, ed., The Pastor’s Prayerbook: Selected and arranged for various occasions (New York: Oxford University Press, 1960)

Guten Morgen
Schönes Wochenende! pic.twitter.com/BA2YCYq3mK

— Brigitta Neurauter (@BrigittaNeurau2) February 1, 2025

O God, renew our spirits by thy Holy Spirit, and draw our hearts this morning unto thyself, that our work may not be a burden, but a delight; and give us such a mighty love to thee as may sweeten all our obedience.  Let us not serve with the spirit of bondage as slaves, but with cheerfulness and gladness, as children, delighting ourselves in thee and rejoicing in thy wishes for the sake of Jesus Christ.

–Robert W. Rodenmayer, ed., The Pastor’s Prayerbook: Selected and arranged for various occasions (New York: Oxford University Press, 1960)

This week's photo competition winner is https://t.co/cOISyxjtdx
with his shot of Normanton Church, Rutland Water
See the best of the rest at ~ https://t.co/3p5qViQCbR#StormHour #ThePhotoHour #Photography pic.twitter.com/oUCFLCRtXK

— #StormHour (@StormHour) January 31, 2025

Lord Jesus, who in thy tender love didst stretch forth thy hand and touch the leper who came to thee for cleansing: Grant us a like compassion for all who claim our help, and a willingness to identify ourselves with them in their need; for thy sake who wast made sin for us, and who art our righteousness and our salvation, now and for ever.

#Brighton #Sunrise #UsualSeagull @ThePhotoHour @StormHour pic.twitter.com/3zCEvuEJSx

— Stephen Royle (@Steveontour1) January 29, 2025

O God, who art the God of peace, mercifully grant that, as much as lieth in us, we may live at peace with all men; and if our outward peace be broken, yet do thou preserve peace in our hearts; through him who is the Prince of peace, Jesus Christ our Lord.

–Daily Prayer, Eric Milner-White and G. W. Briggs, eds. (London: Penguin Books 1959 edition of the 1941 original)

Winter mornings can shine with such soft, quiet colours, the light muted, a whisper rather than a shout. This is the Cromford Canal, one of my favourite spots for a sunrise walk, when the only noises come from the sleepy ducks and the ripples on the water. I stood for a long… pic.twitter.com/llY5ykvRip

— peaklass (@peaklass1) January 28, 2025

Almighty God, we beseech thee of thy mercy to endue us with the spirit of meekness and patience; so that no evil we may suffer from others may move us to do evil to them, and that we may strive ever to live peaceably with all men; for the sake of Jesus Christ our Saviour.

–The Rev. James Mountain (1844-1933)

cool, calm solitude #forest #nature #peace pic.twitter.com/0XnrMmBHnK

— Portmann Carrick (@PortmannCarrick) January 27, 2025

Almighty God,
whose Son revealed in signs and miracles
the wonder of your saving presence:
renew your people with your heavenly grace,
and in all our weakness
sustain us by your mighty power;
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.

Na regen zonneschijn. Fijne zondag #zonsondergang #roeibootje pic.twitter.com/NFd7q6PWfk

— Tjark Dieterman (@DietermanTjark) January 26, 2025

O Blessed Lord, who in the days of thy earthly childhood didst earnestly desire to be about thy Father’s business: Give us the grace of thy Holy Spirit early to seek thee and evermore to follow thee; that being continuously aided by thy grace, we may be exercised in thy service; who livest and reignest with the Holy Spirit, world without end.

Such an uncommon sight, snow, early this morning in @summervillesc #southcarolina #WinterStorm #lowcountrylife #chswx #scwx #photos #weather @EdPiotrowski pic.twitter.com/ymj3yAx1Eu

— Kendall Harmon (@KendallHarmon6) January 22, 2025

O Lord Jesus Christ, who didst sit lowly in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them and asking them questions: Give unto thy servants that humility of heart, and willingness to learn, without which no man can find wisdom; to the glory of thy holy Name.

Well I haven’t seen colour like this for a long time. Taken about 30 minutes before sunrise this morning in Glastonbury. A little bit of excitedly running up and down the lane happened this morning pic.twitter.com/zcVuRr0uWr

— Michelle Cowbourne (@Glastomichelle) January 21, 2025

–Daily Prayer, Eric Milner-White and G. W. Briggs, eds. (London: Penguin Books 1959 edition of the 1941 original)

O Thou, in whom we live and move and have our being: We offer and present unto thee ourselves, all that we are and have, our thoughts and our desires, our words and our deeds, to be a living and continual sacrifice.  We are not our own; therefore we would glorify thee in our bodies and our spirits, which are thine; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

"Wen Gott lieb hat, den lässt er fallen in dieses Land"
Gipfelkreuz der Kneifelspitze

Ich wünsche euch eine gute Woche! pic.twitter.com/Wq33YAmq5g

— Die Bergziege (@brauchtfreiheit) January 20, 2025

Almighty Father, who didst inspire Simon Peter, first among the apostles, to confess Jesus as Messiah and Son of the Living God: Keep thy Church steadfast upon the rock of this faith, that in unity and peace we may proclaim the one truth and follow the one Lord, our Savior Jesus Christ; who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.

Today, the Church celebrates the blessed Feast of the Confession of St. Peter. pic.twitter.com/QQEKOM1Q3g

— G. C. Garlinghouse (@Acolyte_1) January 18, 2025

Almighty God, who to wise men who sought him didst manifest the Incarnation of thy Son by the bright shining of a star: Grant that, as they presented unto him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh, so we also out of our treasures may offer to him ourselves, a living sacrifice acceptable in thy sight; through him who for our sakes was born on earth as a little child, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Sunrise behind lower Manhattan and One World Trade Center in New York City, Saturday morning #newyorkcity #nyc #newyork #sunrise @_WTCOfficial pic.twitter.com/E2InIyJwsO

— Gary Hershorn (@GaryHershorn) January 18, 2025

Almighty and everlasting God, whose blessed Son took upon him our manhood and increased in wisdom and stature: Grant that all Christian children may learn that fear of the Lord which is the beginning of wisdom, and as they grow in stature may also grow in love to thee; through the same Christ our Lord.

Sunshine After The Mist Clears. 5°C. Ewes on the hillside. pic.twitter.com/eJI6zER3Aq

— Yorkshire Wolds Weather (@WeatherWolds) January 17, 2025

When the brightness of a new star had led three wise men to worship Jesus, they did not see him ruling over demons, not raising the dead, not restoring sight to the blind or mobility to the lame or speech to the dumb, nor in any action of divine power. They saw him, rather, as a Child – silent, at rest, placed in the care of his Mother – in a situation where there appeared no indication of power.

From this lowliness, however, a great miracle was presented. Consequently, the mere sight of that Sacred Infancy to which God the Son of God had adapted himself was bringing to their eyes a preaching that would be imparted to their ears. What the sound of his voice was not yet presenting, the activity of sight was teaching them. For the entire victory of the Savior, the one that overcame the devil and the world, began in humility and ended in humility. Its appointed time began under persecution and ended under persecution. Neither the endurance of suffering was lacking to the child, nor the gentleness of a child to the one who would suffer. For, the Only-Begotten Son of God undertook by a single inclination of his majesty both the will to be born as a human being and the ability to be killed by human beings.

Almighty God, therefore, made our extremely bad situation good” through his unique lowliness and “destroyed death” along with the author “of death.” He did not refuse anything that his persecutors brought down on him. In obedience to the Father, he bore the cruelties of violent men with the meekest docility. How humble we ought to be, then, how patient, we who, when we meet with any distress, never undergo anything we do not deserve! “Who will boast that they have a pure heart or that they are clean from sin?” (Prov. 20,9). Blessed John says, “If we say we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us.” (1Jn. 1, 8)

Who will be found so free from guilt that they have not in themselves anything for justice to condemn or mercy to forgive? Consequently, dearly beloved, the whole learning of Christian wisdom consists not in abundance of words, not in cleverness at disputing, not in desire for praise and glory, but in a true and willing humility.

Read it all.

"The Adoration of the Magi", a tapestry by Edward Burne-Jones, circa 1904. At the Musée d'Orsay, Paris, France pic.twitter.com/yiJGyWYB6Z

— Pictures of Churches (@ChurchPictures8) January 6, 2019