Daily prayer in Ordinary Time 2026: 48, Wednesday 24 June 2026, the Birth of Saint John the Baptist

Saint John’s Hospital, Lichfield, and the east end of the chapel, dedicated to Saint John the Baptist (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2026)

Patrick Comerford

The week began with the Third Sunday after Trinity (Trinity III, 21 June 2026), and today is Feast of the Birth of Saint John the Baptist. The Birth of Saint John Baptist (24 June) is one of the few birthdays of a saint commemorated in the Church Calendar.

I was ordained priest 25 years ago today, on the Feast of the Birth of Saint John the Baptist [24 June 2001], and deacon 26 years ago tomorrow [25 June 2000]. I had hoped to mark those anniversaries in Lichfield today by being present at either the Patronal Eucharist in the chapel in Saint John’s Hospital or the mid-day Eucharist in Lichfield Cathedral, and Choral Evensong in the cathedral with participants from MusicShare. During the day, I shall seek out time for quiet time, reflection and prayer, and I may go for some walks around Lichfield or along Cross in Hand Lane.

However, the extreme heat warnings throughout England, and warnings against train travel, it looka like I may spend the day at home in Stony Stratford, with a private celebration of the Eucharist to mark this anniversary before taking part in a choir rehearsal in Saint Mary and Saint Giles Church. Meanehile, before today begins, I am taking some quiet time this morning to give thanks, to reflect, to pray and to read in these ways:

1, reading today’s Gospel reading;

2, a short reflection;

3, a prayer from the USPG prayer diary;

4, the Collects and Post-Communion prayer of the day.

Saint John the Baptist above the entrance to Saint John’s Hospital, Lichfield (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2025)

Luke 1: 57-66, 80 (NRSVA):

57 Now the time came for Elizabeth to give birth, and she bore a son. 58 Her neighbours and relatives heard that the Lord had shown his great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her.

59 On the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to name him Zechariah after his father. 60 But his mother said, ‘No; he is to be called John.’ 61 They said to her, ‘None of your relatives has this name.’ 62 Then they began motioning to his father to find out what name he wanted to give him. 63 He asked for a writing-tablet and wrote, ‘His name is John.’ And all of them were amazed. 64 Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue freed, and he began to speak, praising God. 65 Fear came over all their neighbours, and all these things were talked about throughout the entire hill country of Judea. 66 All who heard them pondered them and said, ‘What then will this child become?’ For, indeed, the hand of the Lord was with him.

80 The child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the wilderness until the day he appeared publicly to Israel.

Inside the Chapel of Saint John’s Hospital, Lichfield (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2026)

Today’s Reflections:

Saint Matthew’s Gospel introduces Christ’s ministry by first telling the story of Saint John the Baptist. Saint Mark begins his Gospel with the appearance of Saint John the Baptist. And the first person we meet in Saint John’s Gospel is Saint the Baptist. But Saint Luke alone tells the story of Saint Elizabeth’s pregnancy and the birth of Saint John the Baptist.

This birthday celebration is at pivotal moment in the calendar: half-way between one Christmas Eve and the next: yes, sorry to startle you, but Christmas Eve is just six months away from today. But it is also a pivotal moment in the calendar, because it coincides with that time when the days start to get shorter and the nights start to get longer.

In Ireland, in Greece, and in many other places across Europe, a bonfire was kindled as darkness fell on Saint John’s Eve. The bonfire was a protest at what the poet Dylan Thomas called ‘the dying of the light.’

The child’s mother, Elizabeth, even though she is, as some might say, a little on in years, knows her pregnancy is a blessing, and her neighbours and relatives rejoice with her when she gives birth (Luke 1: 58).

The child’s father, Zechariah, is, literally, dumb-struck, by the prospect of becoming the father of a son. When he recovers his speech – a sign of his obedience to God in all this chaos – his first words give us the long song of praise or canticle we know as Benedictus.

This is the part that is missing from the Gospel reading provided for today. But here Zechariah hails his son as the prophet of God the most high. And he is a prophet because he brings from the very beginning, at his birth the good news of the fulfilment of God’s promise.

Zechariah tells those who are gathered that God has responded to the cries of people, and in his mercy is going to ‘rescue’ then ‘from the hands of our enemies,’ so that they may live without fear’:

‘By the tender mercy of our God,
the dawn from on high will break upon us,
to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the way of peace.’ (Luke 1: 78-79).

But I sometimes wonder whether Zechariah and Elizabeth would have been so quick to rejoice, so quick to celebrate, if they had known what was going to happen to their son?

Could they had foreseen that a cruel capricious ruler, who would slaughter the first-born, would then lock up their son and – to meet the demands of his wayward daughter – would agree to behead him?

We all know in some way the sadness of people who wait longingly, through many years of marriage, for the birth of a child.

But we all know too that the greatest sadness and grief any parent can suffer is to be alive when their child dies, no matter how old the parents are by then, no matter how young or old the child is, an infant or an adult.

Would any of us who are parents have our children if we knew they were going to suffer cruelly? But my question is asked in vain. The answer, of course, is yes. And that answer is so because it is rooted in love.

While I think of Zechariah and Elizabeth, how they longed for a child, how that child escaped Herod’s slaughter of children in his age group (see Matthew 2: 16-18), only to become the victim of the victim of cruelty that was whimsical and decided on the spur of the moment, I cannot avoid thinking of the plight of children forcibly separated from their parents in the United States, and who are held in inhumane conditions, separated from their parents, not knowing where they are going, or when.

It seems like only yesterday since I was invited to speak outside the US Embassy in Dublin in 2018 at a protest about Trump holding children in cages. There I asked if anyone asks how ordinary, decent people remained silent while children were being sent on trains to Auschwitz and Belsen in the 1930s and 1940s, they need only ask how ordinary, decent people remain silent today given what we now know is happening in the US.

If children here in a school, creche or pre-school group were held in conditions like that, the police or the gardai would be called in immediately, and there would be outrage if judges did not jail the culprits. I reminded the protest outside the embassy how we would not allow cattle to be transported like this, or animals to be caged like this. Why then are children being held like this?

I hope I would not have been silent in the 1930s or the 1940s. But I can blame myself if I am silent today. This is not about politics, this is about morality.

This is not about what I think or do not think about Donald Trump or JD Vance or about Elon Musk, about ICE or Homeland Security, about the deployment of troops on the streets of US cities against the will of elected politicians or of the people in the cities; this is about what I think about as small children being pulled forcibly from their mothers, or parents being shot dead on their doorstep because they are Democrat politicians, elected politician.

This not about whether I think Donald Trump is like Herod, but about whether I fear countless children living in the US today could end up like Anne Frank, like the children whose stories I have heard in Krakow and Auschwitz.

Sometimes evil is so great that crying out is our only prayer, but remaining silent becomes our condemnation.

Zechariah was dumb-struck, indeed, but the end of his silence is a sign of his obedience to God’s hopes for the future.

And I know that the pregnant Elizabeth took comfort against any foreboding she may have had instinctively for her son when the words she heard from her cousin Mary, just a few verses before this morning’s reading, words in the Canticle Magnificat:

‘He has shown strength with his arm;
he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.
He has brought down the powerful from their thrones,
and lifted up the lowly;
he has filled the hungry with good things,
and sent the rich away empty’ (Luke 1: 51-53).

Saint John the Baptist in an icon by Hanna-Leena Ward in her recent exhibition in Lichfield Cathedral (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2026)

Today’s Prayers (Wednesday 24 June 2026, the Birth of Saint John the Baptist):

In Pray with the World Church, the prayer diary of the Anglican mission agency USPG (United Society Partners in the Gospel), the theme this week, from 21 to 27 June 2026 (pp 12-13), is ‘Land Taken, Land Remembered’. This theme was introduced on Sunday with a reflection by the Venerable Rosalyn Kantlaht’ant Elm, Director of Indigenous Ministries, Anglican Church of Canada.

The USPG prayer diary today (Wednesday 24 June 2026, the Birth of Saint John the Baptist) invites us to pray:

Lord God, as John the Baptist prepared the way for Christ, prepare our hearts to face the truth and turn towards your justice and mercy.

The Collect:

Almighty God,
by whose providence your servant John the Baptist
was wonderfully born,
and sent to prepare the way of your Son our Saviour
by the preaching of repentance:
lead us to repent according to his preaching
and, after his example,
constantly to speak the truth, boldly to rebuke vice,
and patiently to suffer for the truth’s sake;
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.

Post Communion:

Merciful Lord,
whose prophet John the Baptist
proclaimed your Son as the Lamb of God
who takes away the sin of the world:
grant that we who in this sacrament
have known your forgiveness and your life-giving love
may ever tell of your mercy and your peace;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Yesterday’s reflections

Continued tomorrow

The Birth of Saint the Baptist (see Luke 1: 57-66) … an icon from the Monastery of Anopolis in the Museum of Christian Art in Iraklion, Crete (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)

Scripture quotations are from the New Revised Standard Version, Anglicised Edition copyright © 2021, National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Daily prayer in Ordinary Time 2026: 47, Tuesday 23 June 2026

‘Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road is easy that leads to destruction (Matthew 7: 13) … the gate behind Erasmus Darwin House leading into Dr Darwin’s Garden and Lichfield Cathedral (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2026)

Patrick Comerford

We are in Ordinary Time in the Church Calendar, and this week began with the Third Sunday after Trinity (Trinity III, 21 June 2025). The calendar of the Church of England in Common Worship today remembers Saint Etheldreda (ca 678), Abbess of Ely. Two days ago (21 June 2026), the Right Revd Sarah Elizabeth Clark was installed as the Seventieth Bishop of Ely in Ely Cathedral.

Before today begins, I am taking some quiet time this morning to give thanks, to reflect, to pray and to read in these ways:

1, reading today’s Gospel reading;

2, a short reflection;

3, a prayer from the USPG prayer diary;

4, the Collects and Post-Communion prayer of the day.

‘Do not throw your pearls before swine’ (Matthew 7: 6) … pigs on a farm at Packington, half-way between Lichfield and Tamwroth (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)

Matthew 7: 6, 12-14 (NRSVA):

[Jesus said to his disciples:] 6 ‘Do not give what is holy to dogs; and do not throw your pearls before swine, or they will trample them under foot and turn and maul you.

12 ‘In everything do to others as you would have them do to you; for this is the law and the prophets.

13 ‘Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road is easy that leads to destruction, and there are many who take it. 14 For the gate is narrow and the road is hard that leads to life, and there are few who find it.’

‘Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road is easy that leads to destruction (Matthew 7: 13) … a narrow gate and a wide gate leading into the former grounds of Wesley College in Dublin (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)

Today’s Reflections:

Our Gospel story (Matthew 7: 6, 12-14) continues our readings from the Sermon on the Mount. Today’s reading from the Sermon on the Mount omits verses 7-11 about prayer, and instead contains teachings of Jesus that at first reading seems to be unrelated. The Sermon on the Mount is an edited collection of sayings on the theme of the qualities found in a true disciple of Jesus.

1, In verse 6 , Jesus warns against giving what is holy to dogs; and do not throw your pearls before swine, lest they ‘trample them under foot and turn and maul you’.

In the ancient world, dogs and pigs represented uncleanness, hostility and worthlessness. They symbolise individuals who do not revere the truth and will instead disrespect it. In many parts of the East Mediterranean, and among Jews and Muslims to this day, dogs and pigs are unclean. And so, consecrated food from sacrifices in the Temple should not be given as food to the dogs.

We may remember how the state of Lazarus’s poverty at the gates of the rich man is made even more abject by describing how ‘even the dogs would come and lick his sores’ (Luke 16: 21).

In his conversation with the Syro-Phoenician woman, Jesus talks about not giving the food of children to dogs (Matthew 15: 21-28; Mark 7: 24-30).

Just as sacred or sacrificial food should not be fed to dogs, precious pearls should not be given to pigs. We might we remember the parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15: 1-3, 11-32), where the pitiable state of the young man is emphasised by saying the only job he could find was feeding pigs and he was so hungry he would have eaten the pigs’ food.

Casting pearls before swine is a proverbial that originates in this passage. It advises us to use discernment and to stop wasting our most precious spiritual truths, wisdom and resources with people who are hostile to Gospel values.

Christ advises his followers not to expose their beliefs indiscriminately to all and sundry. Of course, the Gospel is good news for all, but there are people who subject it to ridicule or who are abusing it for their own political ends. I think this morning of self-styled clerics who have brought crosses and Bibles to the far-right street marches in Britain, or the ‘Christian Nationalist’ pastors who have been allowed to infiltrate Donald Trump’s inner circle in Washington.

Verse 6 is also one of the many examples of poetic parallelism or indiscriminately in the original Greek of the New Testament:

Μὴ δῶτε τὸ ἅγιον τοῖς κυσίν,
μηδὲ βάλητε τοὺς μαργαρίτας ὑμῶν ἔμπροσθεν τῶν χοίρων,

Do not give what is holy to the dogs;
And do not cast your pearls before swine.

The Didache (Διδαχὴ), or ‘The Teaching of the Twelve Apostles’, was an early treatise used by the Church Fathers (Διδαχὴ τῶν δώδεκα ἀποστόλων). In Chapter 9, the Didache quotes prayers that might correspond with what we might call the Consecration and Communion prayers at the Eucharist. But this text also parallels what may have been the Jewish blessing of wine and bread at the time and with which the prayers in Chapter 9 have a close affinity.

μηδεις δε φαγετω μηδε πιετω απο της ευχαριστιας υμων,
αλλ' οι βαπτισθεντες εις ονομα κυριου,
και γαρ περι τουτου ειρηκεν ο κυριος.
μη δωτε το αγιον τοις κυσι.

No one is to eat or drink of your Eucharist
but those who have been baptised in the Name of the Lord;
for the Lord’s own saying applies here,
‘Give not that which is holy unto dogs’ (Didache 9: 5).

If we share sacred truths with people who are actively antagonistic or indifferent to the core values of the Gospel, they will trample them and potentially turn and attack you. We should be as vigorous in denying the Christian claims and credentials of these dangerous political extremists, no matter what religious symbols and labels they abuse, claim and arrogate to themselves, and we should be as offended by this behaviour as we would be if they were to abuse sacramental communion in a similar manner.

2, The second saying in today’s Gospel (verse 12) is a positive way of expressing the ‘Golden Rule’: ‘In everything do to others as you would have them do to you; for this is the law and the prophets’ (verse 12). The Golden Rule is not exclusive to Christianity or the Gospel, and is known in many cultures. The Golden Rule may have been first codified in Babylon in the Code of Hammurabi stele and tablets (ca 1754 BCE). A partial copy exists on a 2.25 metre stone stele, now in the Louvre in Paris, and a copy is on display in the Pergamon Museum in Berlin.

The term ‘Golden Rule’ or ‘Golden Law’ began to be used widely in the early 17th century in England by Anglican theologians and preachers. The earliest known usage is that of Anglicans Charles Gibbon and Thomas Jackson in 1604.

Hillel the Elder (ca 110 BCE to 10 CE), cited this as the most important message of the Torah in his teachings. Once, Hillel was challenged by a gentile who asked to be converted on condition that the Torah was explained to him while he stood on one foot. Hillel accepted him as a candidate for conversion to Judaism but, drawing on Leviticus 19:18, told the man: ‘Do not do to anyone else what is hateful to you: this is the whole Torah; the rest is the explanation; go and learn’ (Babylonian Talmud, Shabbath 31a).

The Golden Rule is often expressed in a negative way: ‘Do not do to others what you would not like them to do to you’. If I lived by the negative maxim, I might observe it by doing nothing at all. But the positive maxim, which Christ teaches in today’s reading, can only be lived out by actively doing good to others.

3, In the third saying (verses 13-14), Christ contrasts the narrow gate with the wide road. To follow the wide road allows me to do just about anything I feel like doing, following my likes and dislikes, my instincts and whims, wherever they lead me along the road of greed and self-centredness, of lies and deceit, of violence and destruction.

But the narrow gate is not for the narrow-minded. It is allowing my life to be guided by truth, principles and values that are at the heart of Gospel teachings. It requires discipline, but in the long run, it is the easier way because it conforms more to the deepest human needs and desires.

‘Do not give what is holy to dogs’ (Matthew 7: 6) … the Famine sculpture on the Quays in Dublin (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)

Today’s Prayers (Tuesday 23 June 2026):

In Pray with the World Church, the prayer diary of the Anglican mission agency USPG (United Society Partners in the Gospel), the theme this week, from 21 to 27 June 2026 (pp 12-13), is ‘Land Taken, Land Remembered’. This theme was introduced on Sunday with a reflection by the Venerable Rosalyn Kantlaht’ant Elm, Director of Indigenous Ministries, Anglican Church of Canada.

The USPG prayer diary today (Tuesday 23 June 2026) invites us to pray:

Creator God, guide your church as it continues the work of truth and reconciliation with Indigenous communities. Give us humility to listen and courage to act with justice.

The Collect of the Day:

Eternal God,
who bestowed such grace upon your servant Etheldreda
that she gave herself wholly to the life of prayer
and to the service of your true religion:
grant that we, like her,
may so live our lives on earth seeking your kingdom
that by your guiding
we may be joined to the glorious fellowship of your saints;
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.

The Post-Communion Prayer:

Merciful God,
who gave such grace to your servant Etheldreda
that she served you with singleness of heart
and loved you above all things:
help us, whose communion with you
has been renewed in this sacrament,
to forsake all that holds us back from following Christ
and to grow into his likeness from glory to glory;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Collect on the Eve of the Birth of Saint John the Baptist:

Almighty God,
by whose providence your servant John the Baptist
was wonderfully born,
and sent to prepare the way of your Son our Saviour
by the preaching of repentance:
lead us to repent according to his preaching
and, after his example,
constantly to speak the truth, boldly to rebuke vice,
and patiently to suffer for the truth’s sake;
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.

Yesterday’s Reflections

Continued Tomorrow

‘Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road is easy that leads to destruction (Matthew 7: 13) … a narrow gate leading into the Church of Agios Georgios Grotta in Rethymnon (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)

Scripture quotations are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicised Edition copyright © 1989, 1995, National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. http://nrsvbibles.org

Daily prayer in Ordinary Time 2026: 23, Saturday 30 May 2026

‘Did the baptism of John come from heaven, or was it of human origin?’ (Mark 11: 30) … Saint John the Baptist in a statue beside the Chapel of Saint John’s Hospital, Lichfield (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)

Patrick Comerford

The 50-day season of Easter, which began on Easter Day (5 April 2026), came to an end on Sunday with the Day of Pentecost or Whit Sunday (24 May 2026). In the Church Calendar we have been back in Ordinary Time since last Monday, and tomorrow is Trinity Sunday (31 May 2026).

The calendar of the Church of England in Common Worship today recalls Josephine Butler (1906), Social Reformer, Joan of Arc (1431), Visionary, and Apolo Kivebulaya (1933), Priest and Evangelist in Central Africa. Before today begins, I am taking some quiet time this morning to give thanks, to reflect, to pray and to read in these ways:

1, reading today’s Gospel reading;

2, a short reflection;

3, a prayer from the USPG prayer diary;

4, the Collects and Post-Communion prayer of the day.

‘Did the baptism of John come from heaven, or was it of human origin?’ (Mark 11: 30) … an icon of Saint John the Baptist in Aghia Kyriaki Chapel in the Kourtaliotiko Gorge in Crete (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)

Mark 11: 27-33 (NRSVA):

27 Again they came to Jerusalem. As he was walking in the temple, the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders came to him 28 and said, ‘By what authority are you doing these things? Who gave you this authority to do them?’ 29 Jesus said to them, ‘I will ask you one question; answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things. 30 Did the baptism of John come from heaven, or was it of human origin? Answer me.’ 31 They argued with one another, ‘If we say, “From heaven”, he will say, “Why then did you not believe him?” 32 But shall we say, “Of human origin”?’ – they were afraid of the crowd, for all regarded John as truly a prophet. 33 So they answered Jesus, ‘We do not know.’ And Jesus said to them, ‘Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.’

‘Did the baptism of John come from heaven, or was it of human origin?’ (Mark 11: 30) … a window in Saint Mary's Church (the Hub), Lichfield (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)

Today’s reflections:

The setting for today’s Gospel reading (Mark 11: 27-33) is the Temple in Jerusalem. Christ is teaching in the Temple, when the Chief Priests, the Scribes and the elders challenge his authority to teach (Mark 11: 27-33). There he is also challenged by some Pharisees and Herodians (Mark 12: 13-17), some Sadducees also question him (Mark 12: 18-27), and then a Scribe who overhears all these questions, answers and arguments has a question of his own, and asks, ‘Which commandment is the first of all?’ (Mark 12: 28).

Today’s reading (Mark 11: 27-33) explores the confrontation in the Temple where the chief priests, scribes, and elders challenge Jesus’s authority following his disruptive actions in Jerusalem.

Jesus provides an interesting example of a Socratic Counter-Challenge when, instead of answering directly, he cleverly defuses the trap by asking the religious leaders whether John’s baptism was from heaven or of human origin.

The leaders are paralysed by the political implications of any answer they give. They cannot say ‘from heaven’ without looking foolish for not believing John, and they fear the crowd’s reaction if they say ‘of human origin’.

This encounter offers a contrast between Jesus, who teaches with undeniable, independent personal authority, and the establishment leaders who rely strictly on reciting traditional, institutional rulings.

The Scribes pay attention to the law and have intimate knowledge of its content. They are responsible for making copies of the law and teaching it to others (see Ezra 7: 6; Ezra 7: 10-12; Nehemiah 8: 1, 4, 9, 13). The Scribes are usually Pharisees. They support but sometimes also supplement the written law with their traditions (see Matthew 23: 2).

In the Gospels, the titles ‘scribes’ and ‘lawyers’ are often interchangeable (see Matthew 22: 35; Mark 12: 28; Luke 20: 39). They are teachers of the people (Mark 1: 22) and interpreters of the Law. They are widely respected because of their knowledge, dedication, and law-keeping.

The Scribes act responsibly and seriously in their task of preserving Scripture, and they copy and recopy the Bible meticulously, even counting letters and spaces to ensure each copy is correct.

But in the Gospels they are often charged with ignoring the spirit behind the Law, so their regulations and traditions added to the Law become more important than the Law itself. They know the Law and they teach it to others, but they do not always honour the spirit of the Law.

The Greek word for authority used here is ἐξουσία (exousia), which comes from the verb ἔξεστι (exesti) and refers to something that is lawful, may be done, is permitted or is permissible.

The English word ‘authority’ comes from the Latin auctoritas, an abstract noun from the verb augere, to increase or to make bigger. The same verb gives us the word author.

A person with ‘authority’ is not merely someone who wields coercive power over others. The exercise of genuine authority is not to control or keep in line. Exercised properly, authority is being an agent in releasing the potential that is in people, to be an empowering agent.

Jesus does not wield coercive authority. He invites people to follow him; he came to serve, not be served, he came to lead people into the full development of all they could be and were meant to be. His authority is the authority of outreaching love.

How have I exercised authority in my own life – as a parent, as a priest, as a teacher, as a writer or journalist who may influence the thinking, the decisions and the actions of others? Is the world a little better, a little more loving because of what I say or do?

‘Did the baptism of John come from heaven, or was it of human origin?’ (Matthew 21: 25) … an icon in the Greek Orthodox Church in Stony Stratford (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)

Today’s Prayers (Saturday 30 May 2026):

This week in Pray with the World Church, the prayer diary of the Anglican mission agency USPG (United Society Partners in the Gospel), from 24 to 30 May 2026 (pp 58-59), the theme has been ‘Carriers of the Flame’ and was introduced last Sunday with reflections by Carol Miller, Church Engagement Manager, USPG.

The USPG Prayer Diary today (Saturday 30 May 2026) invites us to pray:

Renew us as a praying and faithful people, that the flame of Pentecost may shine in our churches and homes.

The Collect:

God of compassion and love,
by whose grace your servant Josephine Butler
followed in the way of your Son
in caring for those in need:
help us like her to work with strength
for the restoration of all to the dignity
and freedom of those created in your image;
through Jesus Christ our Saviour,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.

The Post-Communion Prayer:

God our redeemer,
who inspired Josephine Butler to witness to your love
and to work for the coming of your kingdom:
may we, who in this sacrament share the bread of heaven,
be fired by your Spirit to proclaim the gospel in our daily living
and never to rest content until your kingdom come,
on earth as it is in heaven;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Collect on the Eve of Trinity Sunday:

Almighty and everlasting God,
you have given us your servants grace,
by the confession of a true faith,
to acknowledge the glory of the eternal Trinity
and in the power of the divine majesty to worship the Unity:
keep us steadfast in this faith,
that we may evermore be defended from all adversities;
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.

Yesterday’s Reflections

Continued Tomorrow

Saint John the Baptist baptises Christ … a window by Alfred Bell of Clayton and Bell in Saint John-at-Hampstead (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)

Scripture quotations are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicised Edition copyright © 1989, 1995 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. http://nrsvbibles.org

Daily prayer in Easter 2026: 12, Thursday 16 April 2026

An icon of the Holy Trinity by Hanna-Leena Ward in her recent exhibition in Lichfield Cathedral … there is explicit Trinitarian language in John 3: 34-35 (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2026)

Patrick Comerford

Our Easter celebrations continue in the Church Calendar, and this week began with the Second Sunday of Easter (Easter II) or, in the calendar of the Greek Orthodox Church, with Easter Day. The Calendar of the Church of England in Common Worship today remembers Isabella Gilmore (1842-1923), Deaconess; she was also a sister of the poet, artist and designer William Morris.


Before today begins I am taking some quiet time early this morning to give thanks, to reflect, to pray and to read in these ways:

1, reading today’s Gospel reading;

2, a short reflection;

3, a prayer from the USPG prayer diary;

4, the Collects and Post-Communion prayer of the day.

Who is speaking in John 3: 31-36? … an icon of John the Baptist by Hanna-Leena Ward in her recent exhibition in Lichfield Cathedral (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2026)

John 3: 31-36 (NRSVA):

31 The one who comes from above is above all; the one who is of the earth belongs to the earth and speaks about earthly things. The one who comes from heaven is above all. 32 He testifies to what he has seen and heard, yet no one accepts his testimony. 33 Whoever has accepted his testimony has certified this, that God is true. 34 He whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for he gives the Spirit without measure. 35 The Father loves the Son and has placed all things in his hands. 36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever disobeys the Son will not see life, but must endure God’s wrath.

Who is speaking in John 3: 31-36? … an icon of John the Baptist by Hanna-Leena Ward in her recent exhibition in Lichfield Cathedral (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2026)

Today’s Reflections:

Today’s Gospel reading (John 3: 31-36) is a problematic text, with inherent problems in the text itself and problems with the interpretations of the passage.

Traditionally, this passage has been taken as the continued testimony of John the Baptist, which began in John 3: 27. Many recent scholars have seen verses 31-36 as the comments of the author of the Fourth Gospel. But some translations have quotation marks, others do not, and there are no quotation marks in the original text to indicate who is speaking, or who is commenting or making observations.

Typically, the passage is interpreted as a contrast between Jesus, the one coming from above, and John, the one from the earth. It is traditionally understood that this speaks of the ontology of these two figures, Christ being divine in nature, having come from heaven to earth, and John being of human nature, having his origin on earth. Some commentators have expanded the contrast with Christ to include all the Hebrew prophets before John.

But is this interpretation consistent with the flow of thought of the immediate context?

In verses 27-30, John testifies that Jesus has the greater role to play and that he must become greater while he himself must become less. Then verse 31, in this view, contrasts Christ and John, or perhaps John and all the prophets, asserting Christ’s superiority to John.

Verses 32-34 then tell why Christ’s testimony is superior to John’s and the remainder speaks of Christ’s position in God’s plan. But this interpretation is not without its problems.

These passages follow the conversation Jesus has been having with Nicodemus, which we have been reading over the past three days, from Monday to Wednesday.

Who is talking here, and who is speaking?

Is the speaker Jesus, who has been speaking to Nicodemus (John 3: 1-21)?

Is the speaker John the Baptist, who has been answering questions put to him (see John 3: 22-24)?

Or is the speaker the author of Saint John’s Gospel?

Since there is no punctuation in the original Greek, no quotation marks, no commas, no semicolons, no full stops, no question marks, it is a judgment call whether this is John the Baptist, John the Gospel writer, or even a summary of Jesus words to Nicodemus earlier in this Gospel. Certainly, the Greek text can be interpreted in any of these ways way precisely because quotation marks and punctuation marks are not there.

In the traditional interpretation, John 3: 31-36 is a continuation of John’s testimony about Jesus that began at verse 27. Another interpretation sees verses 31-36 as commentary by the Gospel writer. In this view, John’s testimony ends at verse 30 and verses 31-36 are the comments of the author on John and John’s testimony about Christ, as compared to that of the religious leaders.

The speech in this smaller section at the end of Chapter 3 appears to be a repetition of Christ’s address to Nicodemus earlier in the chapter, according to Raymond Brown, who points out that almost every one of the six verses here have a counterpart there.

I suppose, therefore, we should understand these verses in the light of the problem of Nicodemus. They represent the revelation of Jesus even if they appear, because of the context, to be the words of John the Baptist.

But some commentators see this passage as an explanation by John the Baptist for the reasons he must decrease while Christ must increase, and of the ways in which he is different from Jesus.

It is interesting that the words for testify and testimony in verses 33-34 are derived from the word μαρτυρία (martyria), which not only means witness, testimony or judicial evidence but also gives us the word martyr.

I am interested too in the Trinitarian interpretation that we may read into verses 34-35. We are witnesses not only to the mission, life and work of Jesus but witnesses to, martyrs for, the God who is revealed and who acts as Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Χριστὸς ἀνέστη!
Christ is Risen!

‘The Father loves the Son and has placed all things in his hands’ (John 3: 35) … an icon of the Trinity in Saint Nektarios Church in Tsesmes, near Rethymnon in Crete (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)

Today’s Prayers (Thursday 16 April 2026):

‘Stocked with Hope’ provides the theme this week in ‘Pray With the World Church’, the Prayer Diary of the Anglican mission agency USPG (United Society Partners in the Gospel), pp 46-47. This theme was introduced on Sunday with a Programme Update by Mayank Thomas, Programme Manager, the Synodical Board of Social Services, Church of North India.

The USPG Prayer Diary today (Thursday 16 April 2026) invites us to pray:

Lord, bless Christians in North India. Inspire them through informal interactions, prayers, and community events to find acceptance in the God who sees them.

The Collect:

Almighty Father,
you have given your only Son to die for our sins
and to rise again for our justification:
grant us so to put away the leaven of malice and wickedness
that we may always serve you
in pureness of living and truth;
through the merits of your Son Jesus Christ our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.

The Post-Communion Prayer:

Lord God our Father,
through our Saviour Jesus Christ
you have assured your children of eternal life
and in baptism have made us one with him:
deliver us from the death of sin
and raise us to new life in your love, in the fellowship of the Holy Spirit,
by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Additional Collect:

Risen Christ,
for whom no door is locked, no entrance barred:
open the doors of our hearts,
that we may seek the good of others
and walk the joyful road of sacrifice and peace,
to the praise of God the Father.

Yesterday’s Reflections

Continued Tomorrow

A modern icon of the Trinity in the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, Gibraltar (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)

Scripture quotations are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicised Edition copyright © 1989, 1995 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. http://nrsvbibles.org

Daily prayer in Lent 2026: 3, Friday 20 February 2026

‘Will not your fast be more solemn if, in addition, you have stood at God’s altar?’ (Tertullian) … the High Altar in Lichfield Cathedral (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2026)

Patrick Comerford

Lent began this week with Ash Wednesday. After a marathon journey we arrived in Kuching early this morning shortly after midnight. It has been an odyssey that began in Heathrow on Wednesday evening and that took us through Muscat Airport in Oman early yesterday and Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia last night, but little opportunity to see either capital.

We have lost much sleep over two nights and throughout a day and a half, and I hope to catch up on that sleep as we settle in today. Lent and Ramadan overlap this year, and it will be interesting to see how they are observed here. But, before this day begins, I am taking some quiet time early this morning to give thanks, to reflect, to pray and to read in these ways:

1, today’s Gospel reading;

2, a short reflection;

3, a prayer from the USPG prayer diary;

4, the Collects and Post-Communion prayer of the day.

Then the disciples of John came to him, saying, ‘Why do … your disciples … not fast?’ (Matthew 9: 14) … an icon of Saint John the Baptist by Hanna-Leena Ward in her exhibition in Lichfield Cathedral (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2026)

Matthew 9: 14-15 (NRSVA):

14 Then the disciples of John came to him, saying, ‘Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples do not fast?’ 15 And Jesus said to them, ‘The wedding-guests cannot mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them, can they? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.’

‘The wedding-guests cannot mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them, can they?’ (Matthew 9: 15) … preparing to welcome the wedding guests (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)

Today’s Reflections:

In the Gospel reading at the Eucharist today (Matthew 9: 14-15), Christ answers a question on fasting put to him by the disciples of John the Baptist.

In the traditional Anglican liturgical introduction to Lent, the meaning of Lent is explained and the people are invited to observe it faithfully ‘by self-examination and repentance; by prayer, fasting, and self-denial; and by reading and meditating on God’s holy word.’

I was writing again about the great Lichfield literary figure Samuel Johnson, earlier this week, on Tuesday and Wednesday. He once bemoaned the fact that the observance of Lent had fallen into neglect in his time. He wrote in Abyssinia: ‘During the great Lent, they eat neither butter nor milk, not any thing that has had life. They fast all Holy Week upon bread and water; … Thus Lent is observed throughout Abyssinia, men, women and children fasting with great exactness.’

On the other hand, he noted in contrast: ‘Abstinence from lacticinia [milk foods], which included butter, cheese, and eggs, was never strictly enforced in Britain, Ireland and the Scandinavian countries because of the lack of oil and other products that could serve as substitutes.’

Johnson’s diaries show that such fasting was a regular practice for him, including the anniversary of his mother’s death (23 January 1759), during Lent, and from Good Friday until Easter morning. His biographer, James Boswell, notes that Johnson fasted so strictly on Good Friday that ‘he did not even taste bread, and took no milk with his tea; I suppose because it is some kind of animal food.’

In my time of reflection early this morning, I am reading once again two commentaries on fasting in two early Patristic sources.

The Didache (Διδαχὴ, ‘Teaching’) is a brief early treatise (ca 50-160 CE) with instructions for Christian communities. While the manuscript is commonly referred to as the Didache, this is a shortened version of the title used by the Church Fathers, The Teaching of the Twelve Apostles (Διδαχὴ τῶν δώδεκα ἀποστόλων).

Some Church Fathers considered it as part of the New Testament but others rejected it as spurious, and eventually it was excluded from the New Testament canon.

In Chapter 8, the Didache discusses ‘Fast-Days and Prayer’:

1 Do not keep the same fast-days as the hypocrites. Mondays and Thursdays are their days for fasting, so yours should be Wednesdays and Fridays.

2 Your prayers, too, should be different from theirs. Pray as the Lord enjoined in His Gospel, thus:

Our Father, who art in heaven,
Hallowed be thy Name,
Thy kingdom come,
Thy will be done,
As in heaven, so on earth;
Give us this today of our daily bread,
And forgive us our debt as we forgive our debtors,
And lead us not into temptation,
But deliver us from the Evil One,
For thine is the power and glory for ever and ever.

3 Say this prayer three times a day.

The Patristic writer Tertullian (Quintus Septimius Florens Tertullianus) denounced Christian doctrines he considered heretical, but later in life adopted views that came to be regarded as heretical themselves. Late in his life, he left the Church of Rome and joined the Montanists, which explains why he has never been regarded as a saint.

But he was the first great writer of Latin Christianity, and is sometimes known as the ‘father of the Latin Church.’ He introduced the term Trinity and probably also the formula ‘three Persons, one Substance.’

In his Treatise on Prayer (ca 200/206 CE), Tertullian writes (19, 1), echoes Christ’s teaching in this morning’s Gospel reading:

Likewise, regard to days of fast, many do not think they should be present at the sacrificial prayers, because their fast would be broken if they were to receive the Body of the Lord. Does the Eucharist, then, obviate a work devoted to God, or does it bind it more to god? Will not your fast be more solemn if, in addition, you have stood at God’s altar? The body of the Lord having been received and reserved, each point is secured: both the participation in the sacrifice and the discharge of duty.

Samuel Johnson’s statue in the Market Square, Lichfield … he bemoaned that the observance of Lent had fallen into neglect (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2025)

Today’s Prayers (Friday 20 February 2026):

The theme this week (15-21 February 2026) in ‘Pray With the World Church,’ the Prayer Diary of the Anglican mission agency USPG (United Society Partners in the Gospel), is: ‘Look to the Amazon!’ (pp 28-29). This theme was introduced on Sunday with a Programme Update by the Most Revd Marinez Bassotto, Bishop of Amazonia and Archbishop of the Igreja Episcopal Anglicana do Brasil.

The USPG Prayer Diary today (Friday 20 February 2026, World Day of Social Justice) invites us to pray:

Gracious God, inspire fairness and equality. May initiatives like MOCAMBO bring dignity, opportunity, and hope to women and families throughout Brazil.

The Collect:

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.

The Post-Communion Prayer:

Almighty God,
you have given your only Son to be for us
both a sacrifice for sin
and also an example of godly life:
give us grace
that we may always most thankfully receive
these his inestimable gifts,
and also daily endeavour
to follow the blessed steps of his most holy life;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Additional Collect:

Holy God,
our lives are laid open before you:
rescue us from the chaos of sin
and through the death of your Son
bring us healing and make us whole
in Jesus Christ our Lord.

Yesterday’s Reflections

Continued Tomorrow

‘Will not your fast be more solemn if, in addition, you have stood at God’s altar?’ (Tertullian) … in the Greek Orthodox Church in Stony Stratford (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)

Scripture quotations are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicised Edition copyright © 1989, 1995, National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. http://nrsvbibles.org

Daily prayer in Ordinary Time 2026: 4, Friday 6 February 2026

The Execution of Saint John the Baptist … an early 18th century icon in the Museum of Christian Art in the Church of Saint Catherine of Sinai in Iraklion in Crete (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)

Patrick Comerford

We are in Ordinary Time in the Church Calendar, and less than two weeks away from Ash Wednesday (18 February 2026) and the beginning of Lent.

The calendar of the Church of England in Common Worship today remembers the Martyrs of Japan (1597). In 1597, 26 men and women, religious and lay, including Paul Miki, were first mutilated then crucified near Nagasaki. The period of persecution continued for another 35 years, and many new martyrs were added to their number.

Before today begins, I am taking some quiet time this morning to give thanks, to reflect, to pray and to read in these ways:

1, today’s Gospel reading;

2, a short reflection;

3, a prayer from the USPG prayer diary;

4, the Collects and Post-Communion prayer of the day.

Herod’s daughter dances for the head of Saint John the Baptist … a fresco in the Church of Analipsi in Georgioupoli, Crete (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)

Mark 6: 14-29 (NRSVA):

14 King Herod heard of it, for Jesus’ name had become known. Some were saying, ‘John the baptizer has been raised from the dead; and for this reason these powers are at work in him.’ 15 But others said, ‘It is Elijah.’ And others said, ‘It is a prophet, like one of the prophets of old.’ 16 But when Herod heard of it, he said, ‘John, whom I beheaded, has been raised.’

17 For Herod himself had sent men who arrested John, bound him, and put him in prison on account of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, because Herod had married her. 18 For John had been telling Herod, ‘It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.’ 19 And Herodias had a grudge against him, and wanted to kill him. But she could not, 20 for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and he protected him. When he heard him, he was greatly perplexed; and yet he liked to listen to him. 21 But an opportunity came when Herod on his birthday gave a banquet for his courtiers and officers and for the leaders of Galilee. 22 When his daughter Herodias came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his guests; and the king said to the girl, ‘Ask me for whatever you wish, and I will give it.’ 23 And he solemnly swore to her, ‘Whatever you ask me, I will give you, even half of my kingdom.’ 24 She went out and said to her mother, ‘What should I ask for?’ She replied, ‘The head of John the baptizer.’ 25 Immediately she rushed back to the king and requested, ‘I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter.’ 26 The king was deeply grieved; yet out of regard for his oaths and for the guests, he did not want to refuse her. 27 Immediately the king sent a soldier of the guard with orders to bring John’s head. He went and beheaded him in the prison, 28 brought his head on a platter, and gave it to the girl. Then the girl gave it to her mother. 29 When his disciples heard about it, they came and took his body, and laid it in a tomb.

Inside the Chapel of the Hospital of Saint John the Baptist in Lichfield this week (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2026)

Today’s Reflections:

During my day in Lichfield earlier this week (2 February 2026), I spent some time in prayer in the Chapel of Saint John’s Hospital, which has been an important place in my spiritual life for the past 55 years. In the Gospel reading at the Eucharist today (Mark 6: 14-29), we hear again the account of the execution of Saint John the Baptist.

This Gospel story is full of stark, cruel, violent reality. To achieve this dramatic effect, it is told with recall, flashback or with the use of the devise modern film-makers call ‘back story.’

Cruel Herod has already executed Saint John the Baptist – long ago. Now he hears about the miracles and signs being worked by Jesus and his disciples.

Some people think that Saint John the Baptist has returned, even though John has been executed by Herod. Others think Jesus is Elijah – and popular belief at the time expected Elijah to return at Judgment Day (Malachi 4: 5).

On the other hand, Herod, the deranged Herod who has already had John beheaded, wonders whether John is back again. And we are presented with a flashback to the story of Saint John the Baptist, how he was executed in a moment of passion, how Herod grieved, and how John was buried.

Did you ever get mistaken for someone else? Or, do you ever wonder whether the people you work with, or who are your neighbours, really know who you are?

I am thinking of two examples. Anthony Hope Hawkins was the son of the Vicar of Saint Bride’s in Fleet Street, the Revd Edwards Comerford Hawkins. He was walking home to his father’s vicarage in London one dusky evening when he came face-to-face with a man who looked like his mirror image.

He wondered what would happen if they swapped places, if this double went back to Saint Bride’s vicarage, while he headed off instead to the suburbs. Would anyone notice?

It inspired him, under the penname of Anthony Hope, to write his best-selling novel, The Prisoner of Zenda.

The other example I think of is the way I often hear people put themselves down with self-deprecating sayings such as: ‘If they only knew what I’m really like … if they only knew what I’m truly like …’

What are you truly like?

And would you honestly want to swap your life for someone else’s?

Would you take on all their woes, and angsts and burdens, along with their way of life?

It is a recurring theme for poets, writers and philosophers over the centuries.

It was the theme in John Boorman’s movie The Tiger’s Tail (2006), in which Brendan Gleeson plays both the main character and his protagonist. Is he his doppelgänger, a forerunner warning of doom, destruction and death? Or is he the lost twin brother who envies his achievements and lifestyle?

The doppelgänger was regarded as a harbinger of doom and death.

There is a way in which Saint John the Baptist is seen as the harbinger of the death of his own cousin, Jesus.

The account of Saint John’s execution anticipates the future facing Christ and some of the disciples, and Christ’s own burial (see Mark 15: 45-47). The idea that John might be raised from the dead anticipates Christ’s resurrection.

As well as attracting similar followers and having similar messages, did these two cousins, in fact, look so like one another physically?

But Herod had known John the Baptist: he knew him as a righteous and a holy man, and he protected him. Why, he even liked to listen to John.

Do you think Herod was confused about the identities of Christ and of Saint John the Baptist?

Is Herod so truly deranged that he can believe someone he has executed, whose severed head he has seen, could come back to life in such a short period?

Or is Herod’s reaction merely one of exasperation and exhaustion: ‘Oh no! Not that John, back again!’

We too are forerunners, sent out to be signs of the Kingdom of God. To be a disciple is to follow a risky calling – or at least it ought to be so.

I once had a poster on a kitchen door with a grumpy looking judge asking, ‘If you were accused of being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?’

We heard yesterday (Mark 6: 7-13) how Christ sent out the disciples, two by two, inviting people into the Kingdom of God. But they are beginning to realise that the authorities are rejecting Christ.

Now with Herod’s maniacal and capricious way of making decisions, discipleship has become an even more risk-filled commitment.

But Herod’s horrid banquet runs right into the story in Saint Mark’s Gospel we hear in tomorrow’s reading (Mark 6: 30-44), when Christ feeds the 5,000 a sacramental sign of the invitation to all to the heavenly banquet – more than we can imagine can be fed in any human undertaking.

The invitation to Herod’s banquet, for the privileged and the prejudiced, is laden with the smell of death.

The invitation to Christ’s banquet, for the marginalised and the rejected, is laden with the promise of life.

Herod feeds the prejudices of his own family and a closed group of courtiers. Christ shows that, despite the initial prejudices of the disciples, all are welcome to his banquet.

Herod is in a lavish palace in his city, but is isolated and deserted. Christ withdraws to an open but deserted place to be alone, but a great crowd follows him.

Herod fears the crowd beyond his palace gates. Christ rebukes the disciples for wanting to keep the crowds away.

Herod offers his daughter half his kingdom. Christ offers us all, as God’s children, the fullness of the kingdom of God.

Herod’s daughter asks for John’s head on a platter. On the mountainside, Christ feeds all.

Our lives are filled with choices.

Herod chooses loyalty to his inner circle and their greed. Christ tells his disciples to make a choice in favour of those who need food and shelter.

Herod’s banquet leads to destruction and death. Christ’s banquet is an invitation to building the kingdom and to new life.

Would I rather be at Herod’s Banquet for the few in the palace or with Christ as he feeds the masses in the wilderness?

Who would you invite to the banquet?

And who do you think feels excluded from the banquet?

We may never get the chance to be like Herod when it comes to lavish banqueting and decadent partying. But we have an opportunity to be party to inviting the many to the banquet that really matters.

Who feels turned away from the banquet by the Church today, abandoned and left to fend for themselves?

And, in our response to their needs, when we become signs of the Kingdom of God, we provide evidence enough to convict us when we are accused of being Christians.

An icon of Saint John the Baptist in an icon by Hanna-Leena Ward in her current exhibition in Lichfield Cathedral (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2026)

Today’s Prayers (Friday 6 February 2026):

The theme this week in ‘Pray With the World Church,’ the Prayer Diary of the Anglican mission agency USPG (United Society Partners in the Gospel), is: ‘Serving the Lord with Dignity’ (pp 24-25). This theme was introduced on Sunday with a Programme Update by the Revd Mauricio Mugunhe, Executive Director of Acção Social Anglicana, Igreja Anglicana de Moçambique e Angola.

The USPG Prayer Diary today (Friday 6 February 2026) invites us to pray:

Lord, we lift up the people of northern Mozambique, especially in Cabo Delgado, where extremist violence continues to displace many. Bring peace, protection, and hope to those who live in fear, and guide all who work for justice and reconciliation.

The Collect:

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.

The Post-Communion Prayer:

God of truth,
we have seen with our eyes and touched with our hands the bread of life:
strengthen our faith
that we may grow in love for you and for each other;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Additional Collect:
God of our salvation,
help us to turn away from those habits which harm our bodies
and poison our minds
and to choose again your gift of life,
revealed to us in Jesus Christ our Lord.

Yesterday’s Reflections

Continued Tomorrow

A statue of Saint John the Baptist above the arched entrance at Saint John’s Hospital, Lichfield (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)

Scripture quotations are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicised Edition copyright © 1989, 1995 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. http://nrsvbibles.org

Daily prayer in Christmas 2025-2026: 25, Sunday 18 January 2026, Second Sunday of Epiphany (Epiphany II)

The Lamb of God on the throne (see John 1: 36) … a stained glass window in Saint Mary’s Cathedral, Limerick (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)

Patrick Comerford

The 40-day season of Christmas continues until Candlemas or the Feast of the Presentation (2 February). Today is the Second Sunday after the Epiphany (Epiphany II, 18 January 2026), with readings that continue to focus on the Baptism of Christ by Saint John the Baptist, one of the three great Epiphany themes, alongside the Visit of the Magi and the Wedding at Cana.

Later this morning, I hope to be involved in the Parish Eucharist in Saint Mary and Saint Giles Church, Stony Stratford, singing with the choir and leading the intercessions.

Today is also the first day of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (WPCU), from 18 to 25 January. This ecumenical celebration provides an opportunity to focus our prayers on Christian unity and to know that we are joining with international brothers and sisters in Christ. This year’s theme is ‘One Body, One Spirit’ -- from Ephesians 4: 1-13 – which was prepared by the Armenian Apostolic Church, along with the Armenian Catholic and Evangelical Churches.

The opening Ecumenical Service for the week in Milton Keynes is in Saint James Church, New Bradwell, at 6 pm. The preacher is Doral Hayes of Churches Together in England, and music is from One Voice, the MK Christian Community Choir. The Hope for the World Concert in Christ the Cornerstone Church, also this evening, is raising funds for two local charities, Camphill MK and Bridgebuilder Trust.

Meanwhile, before today begins, I am taking some quiet time this morning to give thanks, to reflect, to pray and to read in these ways:

1, today’s Gospel reading;

2, a short reflection;

3, a prayer from the USPG prayer diary;

4, the Collects and Post-Communion prayer of the day.

‘This is the Lamb of God’ … Saint John the Baptist (left) with Christ in the centre depicted as the Good Shepherd and the Virgin Mary (right) … a window in Saint Mary’s Church, Lichfield (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)

John 1: 29-42 (NRSVA):

29 The next day he [John the Baptist] saw Jesus coming towards him and declared, ‘Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is he of whom I said, “After me comes a man who ranks ahead of me because he was before me.” 31 I myself did not know him; but I came baptizing with water for this reason, that he might be revealed to Israel.’ 32 And John testified, ‘I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. 33 I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water said to me, “He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.” 34 And I myself have seen and have testified that this is the Son of God.’

35 The next day John again was standing with two of his disciples, 36 and as he watched Jesus walk by, he exclaimed, ‘Look, here is the Lamb of God!’ 37 The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. 38 When Jesus turned and saw them following, he said to them, ‘What are you looking for?’ They said to him, ‘Rabbi’ (which translated means Teacher), ‘where are you staying?’ 39 He said to them, ‘Come and see.’ They came and saw where he was staying, and they remained with him that day. It was about four o’clock in the afternoon. 40 One of the two who heard John speak and followed him was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. 41 He first found his brother Simon and said to him, ‘We have found the Messiah’ (which is translated Anointed). 42 He brought Simon to Jesus, who looked at him and said, ‘You are Simon son of John. You are to be called Cephas’ (which is translated Peter).

The Lamb of God depicted in a stained-glass window in Charleville, Co Cork (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)

Today’s Reflections

Saint John’s Gospel has no story of the first Christmas, no child in the crib, and no Visit of the Magi. The manifestation of the Incarnate Christ in Saint John’s Gospel is revealed with the witness of Saint John the Baptist to Christ as the Lamb of God, the one who ‘existed before me,’ and as ‘the Son of God’ or ‘God’s Chosen One.’

In the Fourth Gospel, Christ first walks onto the stage, like the principal character in a Greek drama, as Saint John the Baptist is baptising in the River Jordan and talking about what is to be. And, in good dramatic style, letting us know what to expect as the drama unfolds on this stage, Saint John the Baptist uses three ways to describe Christ.

He is:

• ‘The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world’ (John 1: 29 and 36);
• ‘A man … who was before me’ (John 1: 30);
• ‘The Son of God’ (John 1: 34).

That manifestation of the Christ in Saint John’s Gospel will close with the witness of the Beloved Disciple – the other John – to the Paschal Lamb dying on the Cross on the eve of Passover.

His description of Christ as the ‘Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world’ presents Christ as the Servant of God described by the Prophet Isaiah as being led without complaint like a lamb before the shearers, a man who ‘bore the sin of many and made intercession for the transgressors’ (see Isaiah 53: 7-12).

With the benefit of hindsight, this is also as a reference to the Lamb sacrificed at the Passover – in Saint John’s Gospel, the crucifixion takes place at the same time as the Passover.

But the Lamb of God is taking away not just my sin, not just our sin, not just the sin of many, of Christians, or those we judge as transgressors, those we still have a grudge against – not even the sin of the world, but the sin of the κόσμος (cosmos), which means not merely planet earth, but the whole created order.

Secondly, Saint John the Baptist describes Christ (verse 30) as the one who ‘existed before me’ (RSV) or who ‘was before me’ (NRSV), which reflects a recurring theme in Johannine literature of the pre-existence of the Word.

Thirdly, he describes him as ‘the Son of God’ or ‘God’s Chosen One’ (verse 34). This is the first time in this Gospel that Christ is given the messianic title of ‘the Son of God.’ This title, ‘The Son of God’ is another reference to the Suffering Servant of Isaiah.

We then move on in this reading to find the disciples of Saint John the Baptist turning to follow Christ. So this reading links the baptism of Christ with the call of the Disciples, links seeing and believing, being and doing, baptism and discipleship.

The first two disciples are called to follow Jesus (verse 37) in word and action, ‘Come and see’ (verse 39). In Saint John’s Gospel, ‘seeing,’ in the true sense, means believing. Think of the later insistence by Saint Thomas that he cannot believe unless he also sees (see John 20: 24-29). And to come and see is to abide in Christ. Those first disciples come, see and stay (verse 39).

But who do the disciples say Christ is?

They have three very different descriptions from those given by Saint John the Baptist. They describe him as:

• Rabbi or Teacher (verse 38)
• the one to see and follow (verse (verse 39)
• the Messiah or the anointed one (verse 41)

Who is Christ for you?

This is a question each and every one of us must ask ourselves anew time and time again.

He must be more than a good rabbi or teacher, because the expectations of a good religious leader or a good teacher change over time.

Who is the Messiah for you?

Again, many people at the time had false expectations of the Messiah.

But who is Christ for you?

George Fox, the founding Quaker, challenged his contemporaries: ‘You may say Christ saith this, and the apostles say this, but what canst thou say? Art thou a child of the Light and hast thou walked in the Light, and what thou speakest is it inwardly from God?”

Who is Christ for you?

Is he a personal saviour?

One who comforts you?

Or is he more than that for you?

Who do you say Christ is?

It is a question that challenges Saint Peter later in Saint Matthew’s Gospel (see Matthew 16: 15, which is part of the reading on 22 August 2026, the Twelfth Sunday after Trinity, Matthew 16: 13-20).

Not who do others say he is, but who do you say Christ is?

There is a difference in translations that speak of the ‘sins of the world’ and the ‘sin of the world.’

The word in this Gospel reading (see verse 29) is the singular sin of the cosmos (ἁμαρτίαν τοῦ κόσμου). The word indicates being without a share in something, in this case God’s intention or design … missing the mark.

So often the world has missed the mark in terms of shaping up to Gods plan and intention for the whole creation, the whole cosmos.

Christmas has passed, and the Epiphany season concludes with the Feast of the Presentation of Christ in the Temple, Candlemas, in two weeks’ time (2 February 2026).

Today’s Gospel reading is a reminder at Epiphany time that Christ has come, not just as a cuddly baby at Christmas, not just to give me personal comfort, not just to give me a personal revelation, but to confront the whole created order, and to reconcile the whole created order to God’s plan.

I find it is a beautiful presentation in this Gospel that the beginning of Christ’s ministry is set out over six days. And on the seventh day of that new beginning we have a sabbath – God rests; Christ goes to the wedding at Cana, the third of the Epiphany moments. And there we have a sign, a sacrament, a token of the complete transformation of the created order, a sacramental or symbolic token of the heavenly banquet (John 2: 1-12; see John 2: 1-11, the Gospel reading on Sunday 1 February 2026, Epiphany IV).

Who is Christ for you? He confronts the evils of the world; he suffers with us; he invites you and me to come and see; he calls us into the new Creation; he makes us equal in the Kingdom of God; and we are guests at his banquet. He is God among us.

As Saint John the Baptist says, ‘I myself have seen and have testified that this is the Son of God’ (John 1: 34)

Robert Spence (1871-1964), ‘Woe to the Bloody City of Lichfield,’ depicts George Fox preaching barefooted in the snow in Lichfield in 1651 … George Fox challenged his followers to say who Christ is for them (Lichfield Museum)

Today’s Prayers (Sunday 18 January 2026, Epiphany II):

The theme this week (18-24 January 2026) in Pray with the World Church, the prayer diary of the Anglican mission agency USPG (United Society Partners in the Gospel), is ‘Freedom Theologies’ (pp 20-21). This theme is introduced today with Reflections from Dr Thandi Gamedze, poet, theologian, and senior researcher at the Desmond Tutu Centre for Religion and Social Justice:

‘Growing up in South Africa, I was surrounded by the Church, but I didn’t know the full story of its role in our history. For decades, the voices of Black South Africans who resisted apartheid were often silenced or forgotten, even within faith communities. One of the most powerful examples is the Kairos Document, written in 1985 during a State of Emergency. It boldly confronted the Church’s complicity with apartheid and called people of faith to stand for justice. Reading it was like discovering a hidden heartbeat of courage and hope.

‘These stories inspired me to create Freedom Theologies: South Africa, a card game that brings these untold stories to life. Players explore moments like the Peace March of 1989 or the Christian Institute Agape meals, swapping stories and mapping them on timelines to see how the movement grew.

‘The game grew out of a simple idea: learning can be participatory and fun, but still deeply meaningful. These stories of everyday prophetic theologies and actions are really important because all of us have different roles to play in this work of ‘world making’. Whether that happens through art, or a march, or even something as simple as a weekly meal. That’s what the Cape Director of the Christian Institute did. The meals he hosted were more than food. It was a lively space where people connected, prayed, and planned together, fuelling the fight against apartheid with shared spirit and action. We could do with more of that.’

The USPG Prayer Diary today (Sunday 18 January 2026) invites us to pray as we read and meditate on John 1: 29-42.

The Collect:

Almighty God,
in Christ you make all things new:
transform the poverty of our nature by the riches of your grace,
and in the renewal of our lives
make known your heavenly glory;
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.

The Post-Communion Prayer:

God of glory,
you nourish us with your Word
who is the bread of life:
fill us with your Holy Spirit
that through us the light of your glory
may shine in all the world.
We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord.

Additional Collect:

Eternal Lord,
our beginning and our end:
bring us with the whole creation
to your glory, hidden through past ages
and made known
in Jesus Christ our Lord.

Yesterday’s Reflections

Continued Tomorrow

The Lamb of God … a surviving detail in Saint Senanus Church, Foynes, Co Limerick (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)

Scripture quotations are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicised Edition copyright © 1989, 1995, National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. http://nrsvbibles.org