Skip to main content

'A very seasonable form of prayer and praise': Deus Misereatur at Evensong

Continuing with extracts from John Shepherd's A Critical and Practical Elucidation of the Morning and Evening Prayer of the Church of England (1796), we turn to the Deus Misereatur at Evensong. Shepherd emphasises that rather than being a poor alternative for the Nunc Dimittis, and so to be avoided, Deus Misereatur's significant similarities with the Song of Simeon point to the unity of the covenants and the Gospel as the fulfillment of the hope of Israel:

Admitting this psalm to be prophetical of the Gospel dispensation, we shall discover a close affinity between it, and the preceding hymn. The psalm prays for that "saving health," which Simeon rejoiced to see; for the conversion of the nations, and for evangelical blessings. It likewise foretells the joy and gladness that shall accompany the more general diffusion of the knowledge of the Gospel of Christ.

What is more, the use of this psalm in Christian prayer also gives expression to the Apostle's vision of the Gentile church, as a wild olive tree, wert grafted in amongst" the olive tree that is Israel:

the Christian church may with propriety continue the use of this psalm in the daily offices, till "the fulness of the Gentiles is come in ..."

There is, in other words, a great richness in Deus Misereatur, a richness that is lost if it is simply banished as the poor relation of the Nunc Dimittis. That it follows the New Testament lesson is also particularly appropriate, again demonstrating how the hope and desire of Israel is fulfilled in Jesus, Son of David, Son of Abraham:

This salvation is made known to us by the voices of the apostles, which are heard in our churches every day and after we have learnt from the Epistles, how "the grace of God that bringeth salvation, appeared," and what it requires of us, the psalm Deus Misereatur, is a very seasonable form of prayer and praise.

We might also suggest that Shepherd's description of Deus Misereatur as "a very seasonable form of prayer and praise" has a particular meaning and resonance in this season of Advent. Saying Deus Misereatur during these days of Advent places the Church alongside the people of Israel during the long centuries of exile and defeat, of waiting and longing.

Labels:

Comments

  1. Anonymous7 December 2023 at 10:42

    I heard the Deus Miseratur (and the alternative to the Magnificat) sung for the first time on Sunday. Perhaps because it was advent? I remember asking the chaplain of Keble about people not using it and he said he had only heard it done once before. I can't help but feel that it is a bit sad they are not used more, one evensong I went to had the Magnificat in German rather than using the authorised alternative!

    Thank you for your blog by the way, it is really good to read.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. laudable Practice9 December 2023 at 10:24

      Wonderful to hear of the contemporary use of the alternative canticles. They certainly are appropriate for Advent.

      And thank you for the very kind words about the blog.

      Delete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Why I support the ordination of women: a High Church reflection

A number of commenters on this blog have asked about my occasional expressions of support for the ordination of women to all three orders.  With some hesitation, I have decided to post a summary of my own views on this matter.  The hesitation is because I have sought on this blog to focus on issues and themes which can unify those who identify with or have respect (grudging or otherwise!) for what we might term 'classical' Anglicanism (the Anglicanism of the Formularies and - yes - of the Old High Church tradition).  Some oppose the ordination of women (and I have friends and colleagues who do so, Anglo-Catholic, High Church, and Reformed Evangelical).  Some of us support it (again, friends and colleagues covering a wide range of theological traditions). Below, I have organised my thinking around 5 points (needless to say, no reference to Dort is implied). 1. The Declaration for Subscription required of clergy in the Church of Ireland states: (6) I promise to submit ...
25 comments
Read more

How the Old High tradition continued

Charles Gore's 1914 letter to the clergy of his diocese, ' The Basis of Anglican Fellowship ', can be regarded as a classical expression of the Prayer Book Catholic tradition.  A key part of the letter - entitled 'Romanizing in the Church of England' - addressed the "Catholic movement", questioning beliefs and practices within it which tended to "a position which makes it very difficult for its extremer representatives to give an intelligible reason why they are not Roman Catholics".  Gore provides the outlines of an alternative account and experience of catholicity within Anglicanism, defined by three characteristics.  What is particularly interesting about these characteristics is their continuity with the older High Church tradition.  Indeed, the central characteristic as set out by Gore was integral to High Church claims over centuries: To accept the Anglican position as valid, in any sense, is to appeal behind the Pope and the authority of t...
19 comments
Read more

Pride, progressive sectarianism, and TEC on Facebook

Let me begin this post with an assumption that will be rejected by some readers of laudable Practice , but affirmed by other readers. Observing Pride is an understandable aspect of the public ministry of TEC.  On previous occasions , I have rather robustly called for TEC to be much more aware and respectful of the social conservatism of the Red states and regions in which it ministers. A failure to do so risks TEC declining yet further into the irrelevance of progressive sectarianism.  At the same time, TEC also obviously ministers in deep Blue states and metropolitan areas - and is the only Mainline Protestant tradition in which a majority of its members vote Democrat .* With Pride now an established civic commemoration, particularly in such contexts, there is a case for TEC affirming those aspects of Pride - the dignity of gay men and lesbian women, their contribution to civic life, and their place in the church's life - which cohere with a Christian moral vision. (I will n...
4 comments
Read more