How to Use Book of Common Prayer?

[HoneyBee]

Hello again. Sorry to be spamming this forum section with all of my questions, but I had another important one that I needed to ask.

Do I need to have the Book of Common Prayer on my bookshelf? That is to say, do I need it to pray every day? Because I think I heard somewhere that you need it for the Daily Office, which I assume is time you set aside everyday to meet with God and just pray to God. And if I do need to have the Book of Common Prayer, how do I use it properly? Thanks very much in advance!

-SFG

 

[Presbyterian Continuist]

I think it is a good guide for someone who finds it difficult to put words together in prayer. I think that it is a good starting point, but it is important to pray the prayers from your heart, and not just mouth the words. I have the Presbyterian version called "The Worship Book" and I have used it in some services where I have taken the worship side of it. It is good for a change and to say some things that are important to say to the Lord. Some of the most powerful sermons in church history are read from notes in one hand while holding a candle in the other. It is not the method that is important, but saying the words of the liturgy from the heart. I did that when I was involved in an Anglican church for around three years. There were times when I really did sense the presence of the Lord in those services.

 

[Paidiske]

The "daily office" is the discipline of saying morning and evening prayer every day, in the form given in the [a] prayer book. It's required for clergy and monastics, and recommended for laity.

It's a very rich treasury, but to be honest, I wouldn't start with the BCP. If you've never prayed from a book before, I think it's a fairly heavy option, and it takes time to get used to even its language. When I first started saying a form of the daily office each day I found it fairly dry, so my spiritual director gave me this book: https://www.amazon.com/Celtic-Daily...517832166&sr=1-3&keywords=celtic+daily+prayer which I used for a while, until I felt ready to move onto something else.

But the short answer is, it's more important to form a habit of praying every day, than to worry over much about what form that takes, for now. I'd say start with setting aside some time each day to pray, and you can gradually try different things and find what's helpful to you.

 

[seeking.IAM]

A good place to start in the BCP is devotions for individuals and families. It is a very abbreviated version of the daily office and not so overwhelming or time demanding. The structured devotions for the different times of the day also have a placeholder to insert your personal unstructured prayers.

You can pray the daily office online here The Daily Office from The Mission of St. Clare

 

[Presbyterian Continuist]

The "daily office" is the discipline of saying morning and evening prayer every day, in the form given in the [a] prayer book. It's required for clergy and monastics, and recommended for laity.

It's a very rich treasury, but to be honest, I wouldn't start with the BCP. If you've never prayed from a book before, I think it's a fairly heavy option, and it takes time to get used to even its language. When I first started saying a form of the daily office each day I found it fairly dry, so my spiritual director gave me this book: https://www.amazon.com/Celtic-Daily...517832166&sr=1-3&keywords=celtic+daily+prayer which I used for a while, until I felt ready to move onto something else.

But the short answer is, it's more important to form a habit of praying every day, than to worry over much about what form that takes, for now. I'd say start with setting aside some time each day to pray, and you can gradually try different things and find what's helpful to you.

The 1600s version language is a bit archaic, but the 1970s version is better. When I was in the Anglican church 1978-1982, that was the version we used. When I started to conduct the worship side in the Presbyterian Church I used "The Worship Book"
Liturgical book of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) - Wikipedia
I found that to be a good "middle of the road" liturgy that I used from time to time. But my church has tended more to be a like a Baptist church and so we have conducted worship without a set liturgy, but kept the basic order of service.

 

[Decanus]

.

 

[Naomi4Christ]

I have an app on my phone called Daily Prayer which gives the liturgy for morning, evening and night prayer.

I don’t have a BCP. If I needed to know about, for example, the churching of new mothers, I would look it up online.

 

[brinny]

The "daily office" is the discipline of saying morning and evening prayer every day, in the form given in the [a] prayer book. It's required for clergy and monastics, and recommended for laity.

It's a very rich treasury, but to be honest, I wouldn't start with the BCP. If you've never prayed from a book before, I think it's a fairly heavy option, and it takes time to get used to even its language. When I first started saying a form of the daily office each day I found it fairly dry, so my spiritual director gave me this book: https://www.amazon.com/Celtic-Daily...517832166&sr=1-3&keywords=celtic+daily+prayer which I used for a while, until I felt ready to move onto something else.

But the short answer is, it's more important to form a habit of praying every day, than to worry over much about what form that takes, for now. I'd say start with setting aside some time each day to pray, and you can gradually try different things and find what's helpful to you.

Pardon my confusion, and i mean no harm....i'm just genuinely confused, just as i was when you told me that you "don't pray".

Just for clarification, do you?

Regarding the Common Book of Prayer, i agree with Oscarr, that it's surely a good start, and can be used as a guide and an encouragement.

 

[Albion]

Regarding the Common Book of Prayer, i agree with Oscarr, that it's surely a good start, and can be used as a guide and an encouragement.

I don't believe that anyone has mentioned it (because the focus has been on using the book), but the 1549-1928 book is doctrinally superior to the newer versions (most of which, in addition, are not actually books of "Common" Prayer anymore).

 

[brinny]

I don't believe that anyone has mentioned it (because the focus has been using the book), but the 1549-1928 book is doctrinally superior to the newer versions (most of which, in addition, are not actually books of "Common" Prayer anymore).

Thank you. I was not aware of that.

 

[Philip_B]

https://www.churchofengland.org/prayer-and-worship/worship-texts-and-resources/book-common-prayer

https://www.churchofengland.org/pra...-resources/book-common-prayer/churching-women

These links may help you track down the texts from 1662.

 

[gordonhooker]

I don't believe that anyone has mentioned it (because the focus has been on using the book), but the 1549-1928 book is doctrinally superior to the newer versions (most of which, in addition, are not actually books of "Common" Prayer anymore).

How so?

 

[JM]

How so?

As a former Anglican who has returned for a season...the BCP places emphasis on the unworthiness of the sinner to approach the Lord's Table. As a Calvinist/Reformed this is much more appealing because it is inline with scripture and Protestantism in general. The BCP is a quiet and solemn affair.

The other books (in Canada it's called the BAS) take the approach of celebration, that Christ has opened the way to the Table, so go in celebration. The BAS also removes the 'black rubrics' which instruct the congregation to kneel or stand. They were added to Cranmer's chagrin but I rather like having them in the BCP.

Yours in the Lord,

jm
PS: IV Sunday in Lent

 

[gordonhooker]

As a former Anglican who has returned for a season...the BCP places emphasis on the unworthiness of the sinner to approach the Lord's Table. As a Calvinist/Reformed this is much more appealing because it is inline with scripture and Protestantism in general. The BCP is a quiet and solemn affair.

The other books (in Canada it's called the BAS) take the approach of celebration, that Christ has opened the way to the Table, so go in celebration. The BAS also removes the 'black rubrics' which instruct the congregation to kneel or stand. They were added to Cranmer's chagrin but I rather like having them in the BCP.

Yours in the Lord,

jm
PS: IV Sunday in Lent

Hi JM thanks for response...

I enjoy going to some services such as Evensong and a Sung Eucharist that use the 1662 BCP from time to time because the language suits a sung service, and actually I am really glad that theologians like Newman, Pusey and co. realised that the early English reformation had thrown the baby out with the bath water and pulled our early Christian roots back into liturgical and doctrinal theology.

I don't know about the later American versions of the Prayer Book but I am happy with the APBA (A Prayer Book for Australia) which retains the shape and biblical focus of the liturgy but using the language and culture of the day (read inclusive language).

My question 'How so?' was aimed at Albions statement 'but the 1549-1928 book is doctrinally superior to the newer versions (most of which, in addition, are not actually books of "Common" Prayer anymore).'

I would love to hear why the older prayer books and doctrinally superior, or maybe it is simply a matter of personal opinion.

Blessings, Gordon

 

[JM]

That's a big question considering each Anglican body uses its own set of liturgies. I'll just restate my observations above.

The BCP is Protestant and born out of the Reformation.
The BCP was a unifying liturgy that united Anglicans all over the world.​

That's enough for me.

jm

 

[Paidiske]

Pardon my confusion, and i mean no harm....i'm just genuinely confused, just as i was when you told me that you "don't pray".

Just for clarification, do you?

I believe you may have remembered here only a fragment of something I once said, which is that I don't generally pray for nations.

Of course I pray. Quite apart from anything else, it's my job.

I don't believe that anyone has mentioned it (because the focus has been on using the book), but the 1549-1928 book is doctrinally superior to the newer versions (most of which, in addition, are not actually books of "Common" Prayer anymore).

This is very much in the eye of the beholder. For example, the doctrine of marriage in the newer books is something I find much healthier.

I very much shrug about the loss of "common" prayer. Many Anglicans don't even speak English any more, so the idea that we might be held together by all saying the same words is, to my mind, something which is very much part of the past rather than the future of the church.

 

[gordonhooker]

I believe you may have remembered here only a fragment of something I once said, which is that I don't generally pray for nations.

Of course I pray. Quite apart from anything else, it's my job.



This is very much in the eye of the beholder. For example, the doctrine of marriage in the newer books is something I find much healthier.

I very much shrug about the loss of "common" prayer. Many Anglicans don't even speak English any more, so the idea that we might be held together by all saying the same words is, to my mind, something which is very much part of the past rather than the future of the church.

Exactly and those who do not get the use of the common vernacular in worship don’t get Cranmers intent with the Book of Common Prayer in my humble opinion.

 

[brinny]

brinny said: ↑
Pardon my confusion, and i mean no harm....i'm just genuinely confused, just as i was when you told me that you "don't pray".

Just for clarification, do you?

I believe you may have remembered here only a fragment of something I once said, which is that I don't generally pray for nations.

Of course I pray. Quite apart from anything else, it's my job.

i distinctly recall you stating that you don't "pray", and that you included that you don't pray for "nations", thus my confusion.

 

[Paidiske]

If that's how it came across, it's certainly not what I meant.

I don't, generally, pray for nations. I do pray.

 

[Mockingbird0]

To save you a little time seeking them: The "Daily Devotions for Individuals and Families" which were mentioned upthread, are on pages 136-140 of the 1979 BCP.