Voice: Jennifer
Today is Friday, 29th of August. The night has passed, and the day lies open before us; let us pray with one heart and mind.
Silence is kept.
As we rejoice in the gift of this new day,
so may the light of your presence, O God,
set our hearts on fire with love for you;
now and for ever.
Amen.
We read Psalm 55: 16-19
But I call to God,
and the Lord will save me.
17 Evening and morning and at noon
I utter my complaint and moan,
and he hears my voice.
18 He redeems my soul in safety
from the battle that I wage,
for many are arrayed against me.
19 God will give ear and humble them,
he who is enthroned from of old, Selah
because they do not change
and do not fear God.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit:
as It was in the beginning, is
now, and shall be forever. Amen.
Mark 6:14-29
21 But an opportunity came when Herod on his birthday gave a banquet for his nobles and military commanders and the leading men of Galilee. 22 For when Herodias’s daughter 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 to you.” 23 And he vowed to her, “Whatever you ask me, I will give you, up to half of my kingdom.” 24 And she went out and said to her mother, “For what should I ask?” And she said, “The head of John the Baptist.” 25 And she came in immediately with haste to the king and asked, saying, “I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter.” 26 And the king was exceedingly sorry, but because of his oaths and his guests he did not want to break his word to her. 27 And immediately the king sent an executioner with orders to bring John’s[d] head. He went and beheaded him in the prison 28 and brought his head on a platter and gave it to the girl, and the girl gave it to her mother. 29 When his disciples heard of it, they came and took his body and laid it in a tomb.
This is the Word of the Lord
Thanks be to God
A Head on a Platter
(Feast of the Beheading of St. John the Baptist – 29 August)
The Church remembers today the beheading of John the Baptist, the forerunner of Christ. It is a shocking image: a prophet’s head brought out on a platter to satisfy the revenge of an angry queen and the foolishness of a weak king.
John’s crime was simply speaking the truth. He denounced Herod’s unlawful marriage and paid the ultimate price. Anger and hatred have always raged against the truth of God.
Some call John the first Christian martyr. Others point to the Holy Innocents—the babies murdered by Herod at Christ’s birth—as the first to die because of Him. Either way, the point is clear: the gift of salvation through Christ came at great cost, right from the start.
It was hatred that nailed Jesus to the cross. It was rage that stoned Stephen. And it is the same hostility that continues to confront Christ’s people across the centuries. We need only recall the 21 Coptic martyrs in Libya in 2015, or the thousands of believers who lost their lives in 2024 because of their faith. The question remains: Why would anyone reject goodness so violently?
Yet Jesus Himself warned us:
“If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”
Remembering John’s beheading is not morbid curiosity—it is a call to discipleship. Few of us will be called to martyrdom, but all of us are called to carry the cross. For some, that cross may be forgiving someone who has hurt us, setting aside time for prayer and worship, serving in missions, or giving up what hinders our love for God.
So today, let us honour John’s costly witness by asking: Am I willing to follow Christ, even when it costs me something?
As Hebrews reminds us:
“In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.” (12:4)
We end with this Collect :
Almighty God, by whose grace and power your holy martyr John the Baptist, triumphed over suffering.
Grant us, who now remember him in thanksgiving,
to be so faithful in our witness to you in this world,
that we may receive with him the crown of life. Amen.
Be blessed by this song, Take my Life and let it be
1 Take my life and let it be
consecrated, Lord, to thee.
Take my moments and my days;
let them flow in endless praise,
let them flow in endless praise.
2 Take my hands and let them move
at the impulse of thy love.
Take my feet and let them be
swift and beautiful for thee,
swift and beautiful for thee.
3 Take my voice and let me sing
always, only, for my King.
Take my lips and let them be
filled with messages from thee,
filled with messages from thee.
4 Take my silver and my gold;
not a mite would I withhold.
Take my intellect and use
every power as thou shalt choose,
every power as thou shalt choose.
5 Take my will and make it thine;
it shall be no longer mine.
Take my heart it is thine own;
it shall be thy royal throne,
it shall be thy royal throne.
6 Take my love; my Lord, I pour
at thy feet its treasure store.
Take myself, and I will be
ever, only, all for thee,
ever, only, all for thee.
Link to today’s Morning Office
About This Daily Devotion
This weekday devotion is drawn from the Morning Office and is part of a project initiated by Revd Canon Terry Wong, with contributions from clergy and members across various parishes. Each entry includes selected readings from the appointed Psalm and another Scripture passage, accompanied by a reflection and prayer. An audio option is also available, often ending with a hymn or song. We encourage you to both read and listen.
Our aim is to help Anglicans engage more deeply with our rich liturgical tradition, while meeting the devotional needs of today’s believers. This project began on Ash Wednesday 2025 and is offered on weekdays only.
For feedback, please write to us at info@mpcc.org.sg
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