O God, make speed to save us.
O Lord, make haste to help us.
I will give thanks to you, Lord, with my whole heart;
I will tell of all your marvellous works. Psalm 9.1
Glory to God in the highest, and peace to his people on earth.
Lord God, heavenly King, almighty God and Father,
we worship you, we give you thanks, we praise you for your glory.
The Word of God
Psalm 97
The Lord is king! Earth, be glad! Rejoice, you islands of the seas!
Clouds and darkness surround him; he rules with righteousness and justice.
Fire goes in front of him and burns up his enemies around him.
His lightning lights up the world; the earth sees it and trembles.
The hills melt like wax before the Lord, before the Lord of all the earth.
The heavens proclaim his righteousness, and all the nations see his glory.
Everyone who worships idols is put to shame; all the gods bow down before the Lord. The people of Zion are glad, and the cities of Judah rejoice because of your judgments, O Lord. Lord Almighty, you are ruler of all the earth; you are much greater than all the gods.
The Lord loves those who hate evil; he protects the lives of his people;
he rescues them from the power of the wicked. Light shines on the righteous, and gladness on the good.
All you that are righteous be glad because of what the Lord has done!
Remember what the holy God has done, and give thanks to him.
Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning is now and shall be for ever. Amen.
Matthew 1.20b-23
An angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.’ All this took place to fulfil what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet: ‘Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel’, which means,‘God is with us.’
Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
THOMAS BECKET, 1170
Thomas was born in London in 1118, of a family of merchants. After a good education he served as clerk to another burgess then entered the service of Theobald, Archbishop of Canterbury.
Thomas proved himself an excellent administrator and skilled diplomat. In 1155 he was appointed Chancellor by Henry II. For several years king and chancellor worked harmoniously together in mutual admiration and personal friendship. As a result, the king nominated Thomas as Archbishop of Canterbury to succeed Theobald in 1161.
From the start there was friction, with Thomas insisting on every privilege of the Church. The conflict worsened until 1164 when Thomas fled to France. Encouraged by the pope he pursued his arguments from exile, sending letters and pronouncing excommunications. Three efforts at mediation failed before an apparent reconciliation brought him back triumphant to Canterbury in 1170. But the nobility still opposed him, and words of anger at court led four knights to journey to Canterbury where they finally chased Thomas into the cathedral, and murdered him there on this day in 1170.
Thomas was undoubtedly a proud and stubborn man, for all his gifts, and his personal austerities as archbishop were probably an attempt at self-discipline after years of ostentatious luxury. His conflict with Henry stemmed from their equal personal ambitions, exacerbated by the increasingly international claims of the papacy, played out in the inevitable tension between Church and State.
Thomas Becket, you were not a person to do things by halves. Whether it was living life lustily with the king or throwing yourself into the work of the Church, you did it with zeal.
Thanksgivings may be made for the day; prayers may include these concerns:
¶ The Church, especially in places of conflict
¶ The Holy Land, for peace with justice, and reconciliation
¶ Refugees and asylum seekers
¶ Homeless people
¶ Families with young children
Lord in Your mercy Hear our prayer.
The Collect
Merciful Lord, cast your bright beams of light upon the Church:
that, being enlightened by the teaching of your blessed apostle and evangelist Saint John, we may so walk in the light of your truth that we may at last attain to the light of everlasting life; through Jesus Christ your incarnate Son our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
As our Saviour taught us, so we pray
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.
Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours now and for ever.
Amen.
May the grace of Christ our Saviour be with us all. Amen.
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