Daily Office

[Wiffey]

I found the Daily Office online, from the mission of St. Clare...
http://www.missionstclare.com/english/index.html


Really lovely way to start off each day.

[AngCath]

the Daily Office is a wonderful part of my everyday... do you only pray Morning Prayer?

[gtsecc]

Doesn't everyone do the daily office?

[Wiffey]

I do the morning prayer service and then try to make a point of reading more scripture in the afternoon (if I can get free time). Evenings are full of cooking, tidying, homework supervision and enforcing bedtime...so I will usually pray briefly and meditate or make a stab at contemplative prayer before falling asleep.

I love the morning prayer service...my free time is usually right after I send my daughter off to school.

[Fish and Bread]

Doesn't everyone do the daily office?

I've met a lot of Episcopalians whom I suspect don't even own a Book of Common Prayer. Personally, I do have a BCP, however, and will do some of the daily offices, or just the daily office readings for the day without doing the prayers, every once in a while, though I can't claim it as a regular practice.

[gtsecc]

I've met a lot of Episcopalians whom I suspect don't even own a Book of Common Prayer.
So, they aren't obedient Christians are they?
Just sort of culturally Anglican, but they don't believe the faith?

[higgs2]

So, they aren't Christian are they?
Just sort of culturally Anglican, but they don't believe the faith?
How can you possibly say that?

[gtsecc]

How can you possibly say that?
Why else would someone be Anglican and not own a BCP?
Why not go ahead and be a Presbyterian in that case?

[TomUK]

So, they aren't Christian are they?
Just sort of culturally Anglican, but they don't believe the faith?

No offense but that is one of the most ridiculous things i have ever read.

An Anglican who doesn't own/use the BofCP isn't a Christian?!?!?!?! :doh:

[Fish and Bread]

So, they aren't Christian are they?
Just sort of culturally Anglican, but they don't believe the faith?

I'll just paraphrase one of the priests at my old home parish to try to give you some insight into the mindset of many: "Catholics primarily use the Pope to guage their theology, we primarily use the scriptures". That parish was basically a sort of moderate neo-Lutheran in theological temperment and on the conservative end of ECUSA (It was an is Network and many of them want to split). Nevertheless, I found it a very generous sort of conservatism and felt very welcomed and very much apart of what was going on. They were very biblically based and kept a lot of traditions, and were people of extremely strong faith. One could almost feel it. They attracted a lot of converts from other denominational backgrounds, particularly evanglicals who felt called to a little bit more of a liturgical presence and to the idea of the Eucharistic real presence. They also had a lovely broad to high church service that was not their primary service (Their primary one was a bit more contemporary/low church), though only about 10 of us would show up at it and there were always moves afoot to cancel it due to low attendence. :)

In some of these more liberal parishes I've encountered, I have trouble figuring out have the theology is, other than that it involves inclusion, tolerance, and love. Those are some good things around which to base a theology, in my view, but they don't seem to have taken the step of actually figuring out the theology beyond a few building block principles. It seems like the beginning stages of a theology that is ultimately going to be more clear and solidly expressed in a couple decades when things have sorted themselves out more, a little bit like the very early years of the Christian Church, or of the Reformation, but for right now it's quite confusing. I do sometimes get the sense of folks who aren't really sure what they believe, including in some cases the priests, and like to gather socially in a church environment, but I'm not sure that's entirely a bad thing -- it does allow a lot of people who would otherwise be unchurched to find comfortable homes.

[Naomi4Christ]

No offense but that is one of the most ridiculous things i have ever read.

An Anglican who doesn't own/use the BofCP isn't a Christian?!?!?!?! :doh:

Even then, it needs to be a big, black, leatherette one - so that your neighbours can see you when you make a point of carrying it while having a sudden urge to check your mailbox (you must have clean forgotten on the Saturday).

:doh:

[gtsecc]

No offense but that is one of the most ridiculous things i have ever read.

An Anglican who doesn't own/use the BofCP isn't a Christian?!?!?!?! :doh:

If you really believe God became incarnate, you know the whole Jesus thing, why on earth would you not want to read the BCP and continue the daily Cycle of Prayer? I mean if you think it is cute, and you just like they hymns, that is one thing, but if you really believe the faith, why would you not follow the prayer cycle?

[gtsecc]

Even then, it needs to be a big, black, leatherette one - so that your neighbours can see you when you make a point of carrying it while having a sudden urge to check your mailbox (you must have clean forgotten on the Saturday).

:doh:
no, who cares what the neighbors think.
But, if you are going to tell yourself you are Anglican, why not take the suggestions of the faith?
Obviously, I just said that to stir things up, but really - Anglicans who don't follow the BCP are called Presbyterians.
One can be Presbyterian and Christian - the point is, if one is Anglican, why is one not following the Cycle of Prayer, the lectionary, and owning a BCP? Are they simply disobedient or do they just not know any better?

[gtsecc]

It is simply amazing - all my Eastern Orthodox friends know what the prayer cycle is. Did I miss something? Were Paul and Silas doing the prayer cycle in Acts? Is it ok not to teach that part of the faith any more? Can you really just do what ever you want if you are Anglican? Pretty soon, the Unitarians are going to tell us we don't stand for anything.

[higgs2]

no, who cares what the neighbors think.
But, if you are going to tell yourself you are Anglican, why not take the suggestions of the faith?
Obviously, I just said that to stir things up, but really - Anglicans who don't follow the BCP are called Presbyterians.
One can be Presbyterian and Christian - the point is, if one is Anglican, why is one not following the Cycle of Prayer, the lectionary, and owning a BCP? Are they simply disobedient or do they just not know any better?
This post seems very out of touch with the reality of the Episcopal Church in the US. I can't speak for any other Anglican churches, but from my experience many ECUSA people do use their prayerbooks regularly and many don't. And quite a few probably don't even have one. To suggest that that means they are not Christian seems really bizarre to me. Are you ECUSA? Have you attended very many different Episcopal churches? It seems like your reality is quite unique.

[pmcleanj]

the point is, if one is Anglican, why is one not following the Cycle of Prayer, the lectionary, and owning a BCP?
I think that, with characteristic Anglican practicality, the Cycle of Prayer, the lectionary, and the forms within the BCP, were put in place for a purpose. They are not an end unto themselves.

When we worship following a common form, then it is possible for everyone to take part. The service becomes participative. We experience ourselves as part of a larger effort: the communal activity of worship, and we are conformed into that community. A bulletin with the common form, or an overhead projector with the common form, or a website that provides access to the common form, all fulfill the same need. In some cases, they fulfil the need better: bulletin-formatted worship helps the stranger and newcomer follow the service and be part of the worshipping community when books would require looking up different hymns and prayers, and be too confusing to follow. The overhead projector (:sick:) allows people whose arms are full of babies or whose wrists are weakened with arthritis to follow the service when they would not otherwise be able to hold the book.

When we follow a lectionary, we can share our insights into the Scripture with other members of the Church. We can visit other congregations and still hear the readings in sequence. We have the security that a single worship leader with an agenda is not able to pick and choose scriptures to promote his agenda. But if one is in synchronism with their own congregation and getting a balanced presentation of Scripture with a strong support group to help them explore it, does that not come close to fulfilling the same purpose?

The cycle of prayer pulls us out of our own focus, gives us balance and perspective. But we can undermine that by not realizing that there is a whole culture of Christianity beyond our own denomination and our own traditional forms. And we can fulfill that end in the same way.

You know that I love the Book of Common Prayer, and am happy to extol it and share it with anyone who hasn't yet realized the riches it has to offer. But I would hesitate long before making it a millstone for brothers and sisters who have not found it the tremendous help that I find it, and I would never make of it a passkey to membership in the Church!

[gtsecc]

This post seems very out of touch with the reality of the Episcopal Church in the US. I can't speak for any other Anglican churches, but from my experience many ECUSA people do use their prayerbooks regularly and many don't. And quite a few probably don't even have one. To suggest that that means they are not Christian seems really bizarre to me. Are you ECUSA? Have you attended very many different Episcopal churches? It seems like your reality is quite unique.

I am just goofing around.

I am frustrated with Anglicanism - we don't stand firm for much do we? I think we could, but we don't.

We disagree on the divinity of Christ, and a host of other things, which are banded topics here but -

One thing, we ALL have and agree upon, is the daily cycle of prayer. This connects us to each other, and to Roman Catholics, and the Eastern Orthodox, except for one thing, we don't do it, nor do we seem to recommend it to our congregants.

[higgs2]

I am just goofing around.

I am frustrated with Anglicanism - we don't stand firm for much do we? I think we could, but we don't.

We disagree on the divinity of Christ, and a host of other things, which are banded topics here but -

One thing, we ALL have and agree upon, is the daily cycle of prayer. This connects us to each other, and to Roman Catholics, and the Eastern Orthodox, except for one thing, we don't do it, nor do we seem to recommend it to our congregants.

I think as a whole Anglicans definitely agree on the divity of Christ. As for banned topics, I am proud of ECUSA's stance and we *do* stand for something! But I won't get into it...

:amen:

[TomUK]

If you really believe God became incarnate, you know the whole Jesus thing, why on earth would you not want to read the BCP and continue the daily Cycle of Prayer? I mean if you think it is cute, and you just like they hymns, that is one thing, but if you really believe the faith, why would you not follow the prayer cycle?

But that's not what your post said. You said an Anglican who didn't use the prayer book was not an obedient Christian.

I do agree with what you're getting at. The 'modern' prayer book in England is called Common Worship, but the irony is that it simply isn't Common Worship. It allows such much liturgical 'wriggling room' that what it has actually created is something quite un-common.

[SirTimothy]

I own 4 BCPs (3 1662 and one 1979 American, am looking for a '28), a copy of the ASB and am looking to buy a copy of Common Worship. I wouldn't say they define my christianity, rather that I think they are fantastic resources for prayer.

Timothy

[karen freeinchristman]

I've just purchased a great new resource for daily prayer... it's called Woven Into Prayer: A Flexible Pattern of Daily Prayer for the Christian Year by Angela Ashwin (who is a vicar's wife and has a master's degree in Theology).

It's specifically geared towards people who have a hard time with the discipline of the daily office, and who do not have consistant time they can set aside for the daily office.

I think it's really good! :)

[Wiffey]

I think the BCP is absolutely beautiful...the prayers are so uplifting.

I found the BCP online, which is great for now, until I can get my own copy for personal devotions. I am really glad that there are so many resources available for free, on the net.