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Devotions for the Church Year

Christ the King Sunday

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The 29th Sunday after Trinity

This Sunday marks the last Sunday of the season of ordinary time, bringing the current church year to a close. Christ the King Sunday serves as a transitional week, ushering us out of a long season of growth, and into a new season of preparation.

It provides a pause in order to celebrate that Jesus is the Christ who reigns over the world. Everything in creation and culture must submit to him. This submission happens eagerly and with joy when we remember that the upcoming Christmas season is about so much more than a baby in a manger. It is a time to honor a Sovereign Christ who came as divine royalty. He is the Prince of Peace. He is the one before whom every knee will bow, and to whom every tongue will confess that he is Lord. He is the King.

The prayers and scriptures used in today’s order of prayer focus on Jesus as the King who is deserving of all honor, glory, and power.

Call to Prayer

Lift up your heads, O you gates; be lifted up, you ancient doors that the King of glory may come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord Almighty—He is the King of glory. 

Prayer of Confession

Righteous God, you have crowned Jesus Christ as Lord of all. We confess that we have not bowed before him and are slow to acknowledge his rule. We give allegiance to the powers of this world and fail to be governed by justice and love. In your mercy, forgive us. Raise us to acclaim him as ruler of all, that we may be loyal ambassadors, obeying the commands of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

Assurance of Pardon

Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. With his blood he has purchased people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. He has made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth. Thanks be to God!

Venite

O come, let us sing unto the Lord;

Let us heartily rejoice in the strength of our salvation.

Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving

And show ourselves glad in him with psalms.

For the Lord is a great God and a great King above all gods.

In his hand are all the depths of the earth, and the heights of the hills are his also.

The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands prepared the dry land.

O come, let us worship and fall down, and kneel before the Lord our Maker.

For he is our god, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. Psalm 95:1-7

Psalm: Psalm 46

Gloria Patri

Glory be to the Father, and to the son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen

Scripture Readings

Old Testament: Jeremiah 23:1-6

New Testament: Colossians 1:11-20

Gospel: Luke 23:35-43

Canticle

Te Deum Laudamus (We Praise You , O God)

We praise you, O God; we acclaim you as Lord;

All creation worships you, the Father everlasting.

To you all angels, all the powers of heaven, the cherubim and seraphim, sing endless praise;

Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of power and might, heaven and earth are full of your glory.

The glorious company of apostles praise you. The noble fellowship of prophets praise you.

The white-robed army of martyrs praise you.

Throughout the world the holy Church acclaims you: Father, of majesty unbounded, your true and only Son, worthy of all praise, and the Holy Spirit, advocate and guide.

You, Christ, are the king of glory, the eternal Son of the Father.

When you took our flesh to set us free you humbly chose the Virgin’s womb.

You overcame the sting of death and opened the kingdom of heaven to all believers.

You are seated at God’s right hand in glory.

We believe that you will come to be our judge.

Come then, Lord, and help your people,

Bought with the price of your own blood, and bring us with your saints to glory everlasting.

Intercession

For a Spirit of Evangelism

Almighty God our Savior, you desire that none should perish, and you have taught us through your Son that there is great joy in heaven over every sinner who repents: Grant that our hearts may ache for a lost and broken world. May your Holy Spirit work through our words, deeds, and prayers, that the lost may be found and the dead made alive, and that all your redeemed may rejoice around your throne; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The Lord’s Prayer

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be your Name.

Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.

Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen

Collect

Almighty and everlasting God, whose will it is to restore all things in your well-beloved Son, the King of kings and Lord of lords: Mercifully grant that the peoples of the earth, divided and enslaved by sin, may be freed and brought together under his most gracious rule; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Benediction

And now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.

Sources

The Book of Common Prayer. (Huntington Beach, CA: Anglican Liturgy Press, 2019).

The Worship Sourcebook. (Kalamazoo, MI: Faith Alive Christian Resources, 2004).

Worship the Lord, The Liturgy of the Reformed Church in America. (Reformed Church Press, 2005).

Devotions for the Church Year

The 28th Sunday After Trinity

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Call to Prayer

The Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth keep silence before him.   

Prayer of Confession

Be mindful of your mercy, O Lord, and of your steadfast love, for they have been from of old. Do not remember the sins of my youth or my transgressions; according to your steadfast love remember me, for your goodness’ sake, O Lord. Good and upright is the Lord, therefore he instructs sinners in the way. For your name’s sake, O Lord, pardon my guilt, for it is great. Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted. Relieve the troubles of my heart, and bring me out of my distress. Consider my affliction and my trouble, and forgive all my sins. Amen.

Assurance of Pardon

He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that, free from sins, we might live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.

Venite

O come, let us sing unto the Lord;

Let us heartily rejoice in the strength of our salvation.

Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving

And show ourselves glad in him with psalms.

For the Lord is a great God and a great King above all gods.

In his hand are all the depths of the earth, and the heights of the hills are his also.

The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands prepared the dry land.

O come, let us worship and fall down, and kneel before the Lord our Maker.

For he is our god, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. Psalm 95:1-7

Psalm: Psalm 98

Gloria Patri

Glory be to the Father, and to the son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen

Scripture Readings

Old Testament: Malachi 3:13-4:6

New Testament: 2 Thessalonians 3:6-16

Gospel: Luke 21:5-19

Canticle

Te Deum Laudamus (We Praise You , O God)

We praise you, O God; we acclaim you as Lord;

All creation worships you, the Father everlasting.

To you all angels, all the powers of heaven, the cherubim and seraphim, sing endless praise;

Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of power and might, heaven and earth are full of your glory.

The glorious company of apostles praise you. The noble fellowship of prophets praise you.

The white-robed army of martyrs praise you.

Throughout the world the holy Church acclaims you: Father, of majesty unbounded, your true and only Son, worthy of all praise, and the Holy Spirit, advocate and guide.

You, Christ, are the king of glory, the eternal Son of the Father.

When you took our flesh to set us free you humbly chose the Virgin’s womb.

You overcame the sting of death and opened the kingdom of heaven to all believers.

You are seated at God’s right hand in glory.

We believe that you will come to be our judge.

Come then, Lord, and help your people,

Bought with the price of your own blood, and bring us with your saints to glory everlasting.

Intercession

For the Mission of the Church

O God, our heavenly Father, you manifested your love by sending your only-begotten Son into the world, that all might live through him: Pour out your Spirit on your Church, that we may fulfill his command to preach the Gospel to all people. Send forth laborers into your harvest; defend them in all dangers and temptations; and hasten the time when the fullness of the Gentiles shall be gathered in, and faithful Israel shall be saved; through your Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The Lord’s Prayer

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be your Name.

Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.

Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen

Collect

Stir up, O Lord, the wills of your faithful people, that bringing forth in abundance the fruit of good works, they may be abundantly rewarded when our Savior Jesus Christ comes to restore all things; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Benediction

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us all evermore.

Sources

The Book of Common Prayer. (Huntington Beach, CA: Anglican Liturgy Press, 2019).

The Worship Sourcebook. (Kalamazoo, MI: Faith Alive Christian Resources, 2004).

Worship the Lord, The Liturgy of the Reformed Church in America. (Reformed Church Press, 2005).

Devotionals

A Song of Safety

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Trust in the Lord and do good. Dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Psalm 37:3

Saturday afternoon, I was in conversation with someone about an area of our life together as a nation that seems to be growing increasingly volatile and unstable. Many of our thoughts in this discussion began with “what if?” Other times, we admitted that we don’t know what to do. Neither could we think of anyone who had the answers.

Psalm 37 was written for times like these. It starts off with the admonishment not to fret. Don’t worry. We might witness people making foolish decisions, and we might feel the tension that results from wrongdoing, but the psalm reminds us that every person has their limitations. Like grass that flourishes for a season, the day comes when agendas and grasps at power cease. Strength wilts. Ill intentions die away.

The person living in trust of the Lord has no reason to fear. Later in the psalm, the statement is found in verses 18 and 19, “the blameless spend their days under the Lord’s care, and their inheritance endures forever. In times of disaster, they will not wither. In days of famine, they will enjoy plenty.”

The evil person withers but the person under the Lord’s care does not. That is because the Lord himself helps them and delivers them. He is their stronghold in time of trouble.

The message of Psalm 37 carries an undertone of justice. It says that the righteous will receive reward and vindication. It also says that evil has limits. It may flourish for a while, but it doesn’t bother God. His precepts are set. His word stands unchanging, righteous, and holy. His people can take great comfort in that.

Psalm 37 lays out a course of action a person can take to make sure they dwell in the land of the safe pasture verse 3 speaks of, starting with the encouragement to not worry. The Lord sees all that happens. He will take care of those who trust in him.

Take delight in the Lord. When we do this, he will give us the desires of our hearts.

Commit your way to him. When we are intentional about handing control of our lives over to God, he fights our battles for us. We can rest in the outcome because a wise and perfect Heavenly Father is on our side striving for our victory.

Wait patiently for him. Pain is uncomfortable, but if we have the endurance to keep waiting and trusting, we will receive what he has promised.

Refrain from anger. According to verse 8, anger is a result of fretting, which is another word for worry. Stay calm and trust. Let the Lord move. Give him time to bring circumstances to pass according to his plan.

Hope in the Lord. Keep his way. Don’t waver in your confidence of his care for you. Conditions can get really bad, and they might stay that way for an indefinite amount of time, but it doesn’t mean God has changed, or that he has forgotten. His love for us will eventually win the day. Every time.

If I had the chance to go back in time and redo that Saturday conversation, instead of joining in the biting of nails and the trembling of knees while asking “what if?” or “what should we do?” I would say, “Wait on the Lord. Trust in him. Delight in him. Look to him for strength and refuge.” This is the key to safety. When we don’t know what will happen and we are tempted to fear the worst, we can stand on the facts of who God is. The inheritance that comes from his lasts forever. The pasture with him as the fence as well as the gate is the safest place, and we are welcome to stay, and to abide there.

In this season of Thanksgiving, we are called to step away from the battle, the crisis, the tension, and remember.  Where has God been fighting a battle for you? Where has he shown himself faithful as refuge and stronghold? How has he satisfied the desires of your heart? Consider taking time in prayer this week to thank him for these things, even as you continue to wait and trust, to hope and to endure.

Devotions for the Church Year

The 27th Sunday After Trinity

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Call to Prayer

O send out your light and your truth, that they may lead me, and bring me to your holy hill, and to your dwelling.   

Prayer of Confession

Our Father, forgive us for thinking small thoughts of you and for ignoring your immensity and greatness. Lord Jesus, forgive us when we forget that you rule the nations and our small lives. Holy Spirit, we offend you in minimizing your power and squandering your gifts. We confess that our blindness to your glory, O triune God, has resulted in shallow confession, tepid conviction, and only mild repentance. Have mercy upon us. In Jesus’ name. Amen

Assurance of Pardon

Happy are those whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin in covered. Happy are those to whom the Lord imputes no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit.

Venite

O come, let us sing unto the Lord;

Let us heartily rejoice in the strength of our salvation.

Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving

And show ourselves glad in him with psalms.

For the Lord is a great God and a great King above all gods.

In his hand are all the depths of the earth, and the heights of the hills are his also.

The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands prepared the dry land.

O come, let us worship and fall down, and kneel before the Lord our Maker.

For he is our god, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. Psalm 95:1-7

Psalm: Psalm 17

Gloria Patri

Glory be to the Father, and to the son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen

Scripture Readings

Old Testament: Job 19:23-27

New Testament: 2 Thessalonians 2:13-3:5

Gospel: Luke 20:27-38

Canticle

Te Deum Laudamus (We Praise You , O God)

We praise you, O God; we acclaim you as Lord;

All creation worships you, the Father everlasting.

To you all angels, all the powers of heaven, the cherubim and seraphim, sing endless praise;

Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of power and might, heaven and earth are full of your glory.

The glorious company of apostles praise you. The noble fellowship of prophets praise you.

The white-robed army of martyrs praise you.

Throughout the world the holy Church acclaims you: Father, of majesty unbounded, your true and only Son, worthy of all praise, and the Holy Spirit, advocate and guide.

You, Christ, are the king of glory, the eternal Son of the Father.

When you took our flesh to set us free you humbly chose the Virgin’s womb.

You overcame the sting of death and opened the kingdom of heaven to all believers.

You are seated at God’s right hand in glory.

We believe that you will come to be our judge.

Come then, Lord, and help your people,

Bought with the price of your own blood, and bring us with your saints to glory everlasting.

Intercession

For the Mission of the Church

O God, you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth, and sent your blessed Son to preach peace to those who are far off and to those who are near: Grant that people everywhere may seek after you and find you; bring the nations into your fold; pour out your Spirit upon all flesh; and hasten the coming of your kingdom; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The Lord’s Prayer

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be your Name.

Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.

Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen

Collect

O God, whose blessed son came into the world that he might destroy the works of the devil and make us children of God and heirs of eternal life: Grant that, having this hope, we many purify ourselves as he is pure; that, when he comes again with power and great glory, we may be made like him in his eternal and glorious kingdom; where he lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Benediction

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us all evermore.

Sources

The Book of Common Prayer. (Huntington Beach, CA: Anglican Liturgy Press, 2019).

The Worship Sourcebook. (Kalamazoo, MI: Faith Alive Christian Resources, 2004).

Worship the Lord, The Liturgy of the Reformed Church in America. (Reformed Church Press, 2005).

Devotions for the Church Year

The 26th Sunday After Trinity

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Call to Prayer

O come, let us worship and bow down, let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker! For he is our God, and we are the sheep of his hand. 

Prayer of Confession

Have mercy upon us, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercies, blot out our transgressions. Wash us thoroughly from our iniquity, and cleanse us from our sin. For we know our transgressions, and our sin is ever before us. Create in us a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within us. Cast us not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from us. Restore to us the joy of your salvation, and uphold us with a willing spirit. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Assurance of Pardon

With everlasting love I will have compassion on you, says the Lord, your Redeemer. I am He who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins. Return to me, for I have redeemed you.

Venite

O come, let us sing unto the Lord;

Let us heartily rejoice in the strength of our salvation.

Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving

And show ourselves glad in him with psalms.

For the Lord is a great God and a great King above all gods.

In his hand are all the depths of the earth, and the heights of the hills are his also.

The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands prepared the dry land.

O come, let us worship and fall down, and kneel before the Lord our Maker.

For he is our god, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. Psalm 95:1-7

Psalm: Psalm 32

Gloria Patri

Glory be to the Father, and to the son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen

Scripture Readings

Old Testament: Isaiah 1:10-20

New Testament: 2 Thessalonians 1:1-12

Gospel: Luke 19:1-10

Canticle

Te Deum Laudamus (We Praise You , O God)

We praise you, O God; we acclaim you as Lord;

All creation worships you, the Father everlasting.

To you all angels, all the powers of heaven, the cherubim and seraphim, sing endless praise;

Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of power and might, heaven and earth are full of your glory.

The glorious company of apostles praise you. The noble fellowship of prophets praise you.

The white-robed army of martyrs praise you.

Throughout the world the holy Church acclaims you: Father, of majesty unbounded, your true and only Son, worthy of all praise, and the Holy Spirit, advocate and guide.

You, Christ, are the king of glory, the eternal Son of the Father.

When you took our flesh to set us free you humbly chose the Virgin’s womb.

You overcame the sting of death and opened the kingdom of heaven to all believers.

You are seated at God’s right hand in glory.

We believe that you will come to be our judge.

Come then, Lord, and help your people,

Bought with the price of your own blood, and bring us with your saints to glory everlasting.

Intercession

For the Local Congregation

Almighty and everlasting God, you govern all things in heaven and on earth: Mercifully hear our prayers, and grant that in our congregations the pure Word of God may be preached and the Sacraments duly administered. Strengthen and confirm the faithful; protect and guide the children; visit and relieve the sick; turn and soften the wicked; arouse the careless; recover the fallen; restore the penitent; remove all hindrances to the advancement for your truth; and bring us all to be of one heart and mind within your holy Church, to the honor and glory of your Name, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The Lord’s Prayer

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be your Name.

Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.

Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen

Collect

Grant us, Lord, not to be anxious about earthly things, but to love things heavenly; and even now, as we live among things that are passing away, to hold fast to those that shall endure; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Benediction

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us all evermore.

Sources

The Book of Common Prayer. (Huntington Beach, CA: Anglican Liturgy Press, 2019).

The Worship Sourcebook. (Kalamazoo, MI: Faith Alive Christian Resources, 2004).

Worship the Lord, The Liturgy of the Reformed Church in America. (Reformed Church Press, 2005).

Devotions for the Church Year

The 25th Sunday after Trinity

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church in cornfieldCall to Prayer

I was glad when they said unto me, “We will go into the house of the Lord.”

Prayer of Confession

Merciful God, you made us in your image, with a mind to know you, a heart to love you, and a will to serve you. But our knowledge is imperfect, our love inconstant, our obedience incomplete. Day by day, we fail to grow into your likeness. In your tender love, forgive us through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me.

Venite

O come, let us sing unto the Lord;

Let us heartily rejoice in the strength of our salvation.

Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving

And show ourselves glad in him with psalms.

For the Lord is a great God and a great King above all gods.

In his hand are all the depths of the earth, and the heights of the hills are his also.

The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands prepared the dry land.

O come, let us worship and fall down, and kneel before the Lord our Maker.

For he is our god, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. Psalm 95:1-7

Psalm: Psalm 84

Gloria Patri

Glory be to the Father, and to the son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen

Scripture Readings

Old Testament: Jeremiah 14:1-10, 19-22

New Testament: 2 Timothy 4:6-18

Gospel: Luke 18:9-14

Canticle

Te Deum Laudamus (We Praise You , O God)

We praise you, O God; we acclaim you as Lord;

All creation worships you, the Father everlasting.

To you all angels, all the powers of heaven, the cherubim and seraphim, sing endless praise;

Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of power and might, heaven and earth are full of your glory.

The glorious company of apostles praise you. The noble fellowship of prophets praise you.

The white-robed army of martyrs praise you.

Throughout the world the holy Church acclaims you: Father, of majesty unbounded, your true and only Son, worthy of all praise, and the Holy Spirit, advocate and guide.

You, Christ, are the king of glory, the eternal Son of the Father.

When you took our flesh to set us free you humbly chose the Virgin’s womb.

You overcame the sting of death and opened the kingdom of heaven to all believers.

You are seated at God’s right hand in glory.

We believe that you will come to be our judge.

Come then, Lord, and help your people,

Bought with the price of your own blood, and bring us with your saints to glory everlasting.

Intercession

For the Local Congregation

O God the Holy Spirit, Sanctifier of the faithful, sanctify our congregation by your abiding presence. Bless those who minister in holy things. Enlighten the minds of your people more and more with the light of the everlasting Gospel. Bring erring souls to the knowledge of our Savior Jesus Christ, and those who are walking in the way of life, keep steadfast to the end. Give patience to the sick and afflicted, and renew them in body and soul. Guard those who are strong and prosperous from forgetting you. Increase in use your many gifts of grace, and make us all fruitful in good works. This we ask, O blessed Spirit, whom with the Father and the Son we worship and glorify, one God, world without end. Amen

The Lord’s Prayer

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be your Name.

Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.

Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen

Benediction

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us all evermore.

 

Sources

The Book of Common Prayer. (Huntington Beach, CA: Anglican Liturgy Press, 2019).

The Worship Sourcebook. (Kalamazoo, MI: Faith Alive Christian Resources, 2004).

Worship the Lord, The Liturgy of the Reformed Church in America. (Reformed Church Press, 2005).

 

Of a Woman in Ministry

A List of Helpful Prayer Books

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While I was in college completing my Religion degree, the professor that taught our Christian worship class was an Anglican priest. He introduced our class to the Book of Common Prayer. This initial acquaintance with the use of written prayer in correspondence to the Church Year grew my interest in the practice of praying at certain times throughout the day. This is known as “fixed-hour prayer,” or praying the daily offices.

Many prayer books have been created to help Christians incorporate this practice of prayer into their daily lives. I’d like to share the ones I have found the most useful over the years. Perhaps you are already familiar with these titles and their use, but if you are not, then I will give summaries of how the books are to be used and what their best features are so that you can give them a try. Praying the daily offices has helped my spiritual formation in ways that nothing else could, and I want to share so that others might experience the same growth.

Common Prayer, A Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals by Shane Claiborne, Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove, and Enuma Okoro, published by Zondervan.

This book is definitely the most easy to use of all the prayer books, but it is also the thickest. The most convenient way to use this book is to download it as a purchase from Amazon onto a Kindle and then go through day by day. The book begins with the section for evening prayer, one order for each day of the week. The next section of the book is for Morning Prayer, starting with December which is consistent with Advent as the start of a new church year.

Each day of the year is represented in the Morning Prayer section. The order for prayer on any given day begins with a brief biography of a saint, followed by the Gloria, a suggested song title, a psalm, a Scripture reading, and written prayers. This book also has a section of collected occasional prayer that are written out and can be used on specific occasions. The last section of the book is a songbook with melody lines, chord symbols, and lyrics for a variety of hymns that correspond to the liturgy expressed in the Morning Prayer section.

What I like about Common Prayer: This book makes routine morning and evening prayers and the rich liturgy found in them quite accessible. All a person needs to do is sit down, open up to a certain day, and read. Everything has been woven together to make for a quick and simple prayer experience. This book is a good place to start for the person who is new to structured prayer times.

Seeking God’s Face, Co-published by Faith Alive Resources and the Calvin Institute for Christian Worship.

This prayer book offers one order of prayer for each day of the year. It does not necessarily follow a fixed-hour style of prayer, but rather uses the format of one of the daily offices, and then leaves the choices to the reader of which time of the day to pray.

The various sections of the order of prayer found in Seeking God’s Face include the Invitation, a psalm and a second passage of Scripture from either the Old or New Testament. The next section is titled Dwelling. In this section, the reader is invited to read back through the Scriptures at a slow pace looking for words or phrases that speak to the heart. As part of this exercise, the reader is encouraged to meditate and become aware of the Lord’s presence.

The Dwelling section is followed by a section titled Free Prayer. In this section, a wide variety of topics are introduced as themes to focus on for intercession.

The orders of prayer that fall on Sundays include the Lord’s Prayer. The last two sections include a prayer based on the creeds and confessions of the Reformed Church ending with a blessing taken from Scripture.

What I like about Seeking God’s Face: In the corner on the left hand side of the page is a chart showing the dates as an indicator of how the order of prayer for each day aligns with the seasons of the Church Year. I also appreciate the use of the Heidelberg Catechism, Belgic Confession, Canons of Dort, Westminster Confession, and Westminster Catechisms formatted into prayers at the close of each day’s order of prayer.  At the beginning of each season of the Church Year, there is a page of introduction explaining the origin of the season and its significance in spiritual formation.

Hour by Hour published by Forward Movement, a non-profit agency of the Episcopal Church.

This pocket-sized book is a simplification of the resources found in the Book of Common Prayer. It includes hymns, psalms, and collects for the morning, noon, evening, and compline prayer times.

What I like about Hour by Hour: It is small and doesn’t take up much space so works well for traveling.

Daily Light by Anne Graham Lotz, published by J. Countryman, a division of Thomas Nelson.

Daily Light is a compilation of Scripture passages for morning and evening on every day of the year. The Scriptures in each reading center on a certain theme. References are listed at the bottom of each page so that you can go back to the Bible and find the passage.

What I like about Daily Light: Its size. The book is small and makes a nice companion to the Hour by Hour prayer book for traveling. There is also a section in the back titled Daily Light for Life’s Moments. This section has matched verses in the Bible with various seasons of life, special occasions, and circumstances.

Daily Prayer for All Seasons published by Church Publishing Incorporated.

This book is based on the Book of Common Prayer, but is a shortened version. It observes eight different times of prayer throughout the day and night instead of only four. These “hours” are a pattern Benedictine monks created to divide the day into intervals. Instead of using the traditional Latin names for these times of prayer, Daily Prayer for All Seasons uses a specific labor. These works of prayer are, in order from morning to evening, Praise, Discernment, Wisdom, Perseverance and Renewal, Love, Forgiveness, Trust, and Watch.

What I like about Daily Prayer for All Seasons: The order of prayers suggested for each hour is short. A person would not need to take very much time to fit prayer into their day by using the forms in this book. It is basic, and a good place to start for someone practicing fixed-hour prayer for the first time.

The Divine Hours Series by Phyllis Tickle, published by Doubleday. This series includes six volumes. They are listed below:

  • Volume 1: Prayers for Summertime
  • Volume 2: Prayers for Autumn and Wintertime
  • Volume 3: Prayers for Springtime
  • Christmastide: Prayers for Advent Through Epiphany
  • Eastertide: Prayers for Lent Through Easter
  • The Night Offices: Prayers for the Hours from Sunset to Sunrise

These books provide an order of prayers to follow for Morning Prayer, midday prayer, and vespers (late afternoon). A section for prayers to use at the end of the day before going to sleep are organized together at the back of the book with one for each day of the week.

Phyllis provides a large amount of content at the beginning of each book instructing on the history and significance of fixed-hour prayer. Taking the time to read through this introduction will not only help the reader understand the need for regular prayer throughout the day, but will also assure them of a place among other brothers and sisters in Christ down through time and across the world who are also praying these same prayers.

If you are looking for ways to stay focused in praise of and conversation with the Lord throughout the day, The Divine Hours is a practical tool to help you succeed.

What I like about The Divine Hours: The divers use of hymns, poetry and Scripture in the form of prayer.

What I don’t like about The Divine Hours: Diligent use of the manual requires quite a bit of page-turning in the form of flipping back and forth between the daily prayers, the page showing the Lord’s Prayer, and the Compline (bedtime prayers) section. Make sure to have some book marks on hand to help you in your prayer time if you choose The Divine Hours as a guide.

Venite by Robert Benson, published by Abingdon Press.

This book was given to me as a gift and is based on the Book of Common Prayer. Venite arranges canticles, collects, and lesson a little differently from the Book of Common Prayer. Each one has its own section, sort of like a chapter, in the book. These canticles, collects, and lessons are organized by numbered days sufficient for a month, rather than specific dates. Use of Venite as a prayer book requires the reader to follow from one “chapter” to the next the readings labeled for day one, then for day two, and so on.

What I like about Venite: Its overall richness and poetic style because of the accessibility it gives to so many beautiful canticles. I also appreciate the chapter on remembrances where the opportunity is created to reflect upon the lives of saints over the course of history. This prayer book has a nice glossary in the back that explains terms associated with praying the daily offices and observing the Church Year.

What I don’t like about Venite: The way this book is organized requires much page turning and flipping between sections in order to follow the readings suggested for each day. It takes extra time to turn pages and search for the next place to pick up reading.

Book of Common Prayer, published by Anglican Liturgy Press.

The Anglican Church has released a new version of the Book of Common Prayer this year. The edition I was given in Christian worship class in college was the 1928 format which used the formal King James language. This updated version retains the depth and richness of the traditional Book of Common Prayer, but is written in Standard English making it much easier to use and understand. It has a complete Psalter, the forms for morning and evening prayer, liturgy for wedding services, funerals, and ordinations, a calendar for finding holy days throughout the year, and schedules for each so that the entire Bible might get read within one year.

I trust this list provides you with a place to start enriching and deepening your experiences in prayer.

Devotions for the Church Year

Learning to Tell Time

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The 24th Sunday after Trinity

While in college working toward my religion degree, I studied under a professor who was also an Anglican priest. He introduced our Christian worship class to the rhythms and the schedules of the church year. I’d grown up in a Reformed church, so the terms Advent, Lent, and Ordinary Time were already familiar to me.

But the merging of daily readings of Scripture with written prayers was new. Once I learned how these readings and prayers corresponded with the seasons observed in the church year, my prayer life started to rest on a stable foundation that provided me with the depth and diversity I needed to grow in relationship with God while also engaging in ministry.

The calendar tells us the month of October is the tenth month of the year. It is the season of harvest, changing colors in the leaves, longer hours of night, and cooler days. The calendar also tells us there is something like 65 days until Christmas and nearly three months left of the year.

According to the church year, October is near the end of the year. Already in November, the last Sunday of the previous church year is observed as Christ the King Sunday, and a new year will begin on the first Sunday of December.

Starting this week, as the current church year comes to a close, I am going to observe the church year on my blog. Each weekend I will write a new post specifying where we are in the church year while also including the Scripture readings and prayers designated for that particular Sunday.

Each week of the church year adds another scene to a vibrant and complex story. As you observe the church year, you may begin to see how God uses the rhythm and changing of the seasons to impart grace into your life, supply answers to prayers, and reveal more of himself.

This centuries-old practice of observing the church year is filled with adventure as we listen to our Heavenly Father and recognize his movement in our lives.

Each blog post will look similar to an order of worship we might follow on a Sunday morning during a church service. This is because we as disciples need the regular feeding from the Word, the cleansing of sin, and the opportunity to praise. At the bottom of each post, I will cite the resources I used for the various prayers. These resources come from my own library as a worship leader.

Use these posts as a way to enhance your own personal worship or devotional time, or draw on them for resources to incorporate into Sunday morning worship services.

Please join me in the next months as we observe the church year opening our lives to worship prayer.

The 24th Sunday after Trinity. (I will explain more next summer what the significance is of the term Trinity and also about the reason for numbering the Sundays following it).

Call to Prayer

Dear God, I come to worship you today.

I come to pray and to listen.

You always hear me. Help me to hear you.

Prayer of Confession

Almighty and most merciful Father, we have erred and strayed from your ways like lost sheep.

We have followed too much the devices and desires of our own hearts.

We have offended against your holy laws.

We have left undone those things which we ought to have done, and we have don those things which we ought not to have done; and apart from your grace, there is no health in us.

O Lord, have mercy upon us.

Spare all those who confess their faults.

Restore all those who are penitent, according to your promises declared to all people in Christ Jesus our Lord.

And grant, O most merciful Father, for his sake, that we may now live a godly, righteous, and sober life, to the glory of your holy Name. Amen.

Lord, have mercy upon us.

Christ, have mercy upon us.

Lord, have mercy upon us.

Venite

O come, let us sing unto the Lord;

Let us heartily rejoice in the strength of our salvation.

Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving

And show ourselves glad in him with psalms.

For the Lord is a great God and a great King above all gods.

In his hand are all the depths of the earth, and the heights of the hills are his also.

The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands prepared the dry land.

O come, let us worship and fall down, and kneel before the Lord our Maker.

For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. Psalm 95:1-7

Psalm: Psalm 84

Gloria Patri

Glory be to the Father, and to the son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen

Scripture Readings

Old Testament: Jeremiah 14:1-10, 19-22

New Testament: 2 Timothy 4:6-18

Gospel: Luke 18:9-14

Canticle

Te Deum Laudamus (We Praise You , O God)

We praise you, O God; we acclaim you as Lord;

All creation worships you, the Father everlasting.

To you all angels, all the powers of heaven, the cherubim and seraphim, sing endless praise;

Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of power and might, heaven and earth are full of your glory.

The glorious company of apostles praise you. The noble fellowship of prophets praise you.

The white-robed army of martyrs praise you.

Throughout the world the holy Church acclaims you: Father, of majesty unbounded, your true and only Son, worthy of all praise, and the Holy Spirit, advocate and guide.

You, Christ, are the king of glory, the eternal Son of the Father.

When you took our flesh to set us free you humbly chose the Virgin’s womb.

You overcame the sting of death and opened the kingdom of heaven to all believers.

You are seated at God’s right hand in glory.

We believe that you will come to be our judge.

Come then, Lord, and help your people,

Bought with the price of your own blood, and bring us with your saints to glory everlasting.

Intercession

For the Unity of All Christian People

O God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, our only Savior, the Prince of Peace: Give us grace to take to heart the grave dangers we are in through our many divisions. Deliver you Church from all enmity and prejudice, and everything that hinders us from godly union. As there is one Body and one Spirit, one hope of our calling, one Lord, one Faith, one Baptism, one God and Father of us all, so make us all to be of one heart and of one mind, united in one holy bond of truth and peace, of faith and love, that with one voice we may give you praise, through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God in everlasting glory. Amen

The Lord’s Prayer

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be your Name.

Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.

Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen

Benediction

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us all evermore.

Sources

The Book of Common Prayer. (Huntington Beach, CA: Anglican Liturgy Press, 2019).

The Worship Sourcebook. (Kalamazoo, MI: Faith Alive Christian Resources, 2004).

Worship the Lord, The Liturgy of the Reformed Church in America. (Reformed Church Press, 2005).

Devotionals

Hearts Ready to Receive the Good

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bleeding-heartsLove your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. Luke 6:27-28

A true tragedy, larger and sadder even than any of the social issues that concern us today, is a heart with no room to take in the good. I wonder if this tragedy might actually be at the root of the other things in our world that seem to always be going wrong.

In pondering Jesus’ words in Luke 6, I found myself asking if perhaps I was on the other side of the command. From our first days in Sunday school, we hear the admonishment to love our enemies. To do good. To bless. To pray, and to turn the other cheek. If I were to evaluate my success at following Jesus’ teaching, I would have to confess that I would receive a failing grade. Less than 50 percent of the instruction is followed less than 50 percent of the time. An F. That doesn’t look so good on the saintly report card.

If I, if you, if we, fail to love and bless and pray, then does that lead to the conclusion that perhaps I am the enemy, the hater, the one doing the cursing, the one mistreating someone else? Hmm. How do we know which side of Jesus’ instruction we stand on? Is it possible to raise our grade in the class of compassion and live in such a way that even though we may not feel like doing these things, we recognize the situations in which they are needed and we are at least willing to follow the teaching?

No one will do it perfectly. Everyone struggles to love enemies or to remember in prayer the person who knows how to make life miserable over and over again.

But there are ways to grow in love.

We must empty the heart of pride so that we can give as well as receive. Then we must decide with God what doing good looks like, and remember that standard so that negative responses don’t cause us pain.

Use written prayers to pray in those times when we don’t know how to pray for a difficult person, or when we don’t feel like praying. Let the written prayer speak for us before the throne of God.

Remember the golden rule. This sounds trite, but it works. Do to others as you would have them do to you. When that angry retaliation wants to slip from your mouth, clamp your teeth together and pause. If you wouldn’t want to hear the words pressing on your tongue, then you’d better not say them to anyone else, either. But, if you would be helped or made to feel special, knowing you are blessed and prayed for, then you should try to also give those gifts away. What joy flows from knowing we were loved by someone in this way even though we can recall from the past ways we hurt them. This is what grace looks like, and it spreads when we choose to give.

Forget. The wrongs from last year, last week, or even an hour ago have no place in the present. Let them roll off. We belong to a Lord who loves us deeply, so any lack of respect or heartless treatment has no power to define us or determine our response. We can live as people who shine with grace and love all the time because he who is in us is greater than he who is in the world (I John 4:4).

After attempting to practice these things, what is the good that we start to receive? It can be called so many things such as higher levels of compassion, patience, a deeper sense of confidence that we are taken care of, and a stronger desire to share these good things with others. We can’t do it if we are full of pride or holding onto grudges. Take courage and forgive, let go, and bless the others around you. Then our hearts will be good, and they will be full of good.

Written prayers from the Book of Common Prayer

O God, you made us in your own image, and you have redeemed us through your son Jesus Christ. Look with compassion on us all. Take away the arrogance and hatred which infect our hearts. Break down the walls that separate us. Unite us in the bonds of love, and work through our struggles and confusion to accomplish your purposes. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

 

Merciful Savior, you loved Martha and Mary and Lazarus, hallowing their home with your sacred presence. Bless my home, I pray, that your love may rest upon us, and that your presence may dwell with us. May we all grow in grace and in the knowledge of you, our Lord and Savior. Teach us to love one another as you have commanded. Help us to bear one another’s burdens, O blessed Jesus, who with the Father and the Holy Spirit live and reign, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

 

 

Devotionals

Three Ironies from the parable of the Good Samaritan

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Good SamaritanThe expert of the law replied, “The one who has mercy on him.”

Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.” Luke 10:37

The parable of the Good Samaritan is an easy story to interpret as a lesson on offering charity and practicing kindness. Those insights are perfectly true and stand as concepts we should take away from the parable. And yet there is something much deeper Jesus wants the well-educated expert of the law to understand. This lawyer had all the right answers. His head knowledge was impeccable. But the condition of his heart remained unknown, and his heart is what Jesus is addressing.

This story opens up to us the sharpest of ironies. The priest, the man who had just fulfilled his two-week shift at the Jerusalem temple ushering worshipers into God’s presence, is the assumed choice for lending aid in the story. But what does the priest do? He swerves the donkey he is riding out of the way of the man in need. The priest actually goes to a lot of work to avoid the injured man. Why? Because the priest must follow a long list of rules in order to stay ritually clean enough to keep his job. If the man in the ditch were dead, and if the priest were to touch him, then a complicated and time-consuming process faced the priest before he could again serve as mediator between God and the people.

The Levite, as assistant to the priest, was in a similar situation. He must maintain cleanliness according to the law in order to serve at the temple. He probably saw the priest, his boss on the job at the temple, ignore the man in the ditch and knew that he, too, must ride on without stopping or his cleanliness would be compromised and the reputation of his boss damaged. The Levite knew that if the priest, as the highest authority didn’t stop, then he as the subordinate shouldn’t either or his actions might bring humiliation on the priest.

We can follow this reasoning well enough and perhaps even excuse the temple staff for their apparent hard-heartedness. But in reality, the lack of compassion on the part of the priest and the Levite landed them in the same class with the robbers. These leaders stole from the injured man. While the robbers took his money and clothes, the priest and Levite deprived him of dignity and the opportunity to receive practical assistance. They were riding donkeys which meant that if they would have stopped for this man, they could have provided him with instant security as well as the time saved in travel to the nearest shelter.

But they were too concerned about keeping the rules. The thieves were bound by greed. The priest and Levite were bound by legalism. The first irony Jesus exposes is the fact that in order to show mercy, a heart must already live with a degree of freedom. Compassion doesn’t flow out of bondage to whatever selfish pursuit has power over us. It flows from a heart that is free.

To build on that, the Samaritan illustrates the second irony. True mercy, true compassion, requires sacrifice. Only the free heart has the capacity to give anything away. Sacrifice asks for the path to change. Not to go out of the way to avoid the inconvenience and discomfort of showing mercy, but to alter the course so that it leads right to the place of suffering.

The Samaritan took a great risk to help the man on the side of the road. Dismounting from his donkey put him in danger of becoming the next victim of a robbery. Taking this man into the next town inhabited by full-blooded Jews who viewed him, a half-breed Samaritan, as an enemy, put him in danger of getting beat up and coming out the loser of a brawl, or getting run out of town completely.

This example of the Samaritan leads to the third irony. In full knowledge of the danger, the Samaritan cared for the man anyway. He loved past the point of pain. Sacrifice and giving of ourselves can be painful. But as this story illustrates, if we are willing to do that we reach a new level of love spacious in its freedom and rewarding in its ability to give.

How do we achieve these levels of compassion and freedom? They come from the measure of God’s love residing in us.

Push past selfishness. Push past keeping all the rules and knowing the right answers. Love past the point of pain. In the end the love of God absorbs the pain leaving us with hearts living in freedom and full of mercy.