Daily Prayer (Presbyterian Book of Common Worship)

Daily prayers for morning, noon, evening, and the close of the day, drawn from theBook of Common Worship: Daily Prayer Edition, prepared by the Office of Theology and Worship for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).Daily prayer has been a way of life and practice of faith for the people of God for millennia, from the psalmists of ancient Israel through the saints of the Christian Church. These services for daily prayer are designed to help you join that great cloud of witnesses - seeking the way of God in your life and the will of God for the world. The patterns provided here are a simplified, streamlined version of the ancient daily office, a tradition with origins in the Jewish temple and monastic life.The service formorning prayerincludes a reading from the New Testament, readings from the Psalms, and a canticle such as theBenedictus(Song of Zechariah, Luke 1:68-79).The service formidday prayerincludes a reading from the Old Testament, readings from the Psalms, and a time of silent prayer.The service forevening prayerincludes thanksgiving for light (candles are appropriate),a reading from the Gospel, readings from the Psalms, and a canticle such as theMagnificat(Song of Mary, Luke 1:46-55).The service fornight prayer(or prayer at the close of the day) includes a prayer of confession, readings from the Psalms, and a canticle such as theNunc Dimittis(Song of Simeon, Luke 2:29-32).All four services include the Lord's Prayer. I have elected to rotate through three different versions of that prayer.The scripture readings incorporated in the four daily services walk through the entire New Testament in one year, and most of the Old Testament in two.All scripture readings are from the New Revised Standard Version, except for the Psalms and canticles, which are from the beautiful translation in theBook of Common Worship.All the prayers and readings are thematically tied to the special days and seasons of the Christian year.The2018 Book of Common Worship: Daily Prayer Editionis available for purchaseonline. This podcast highlights one of several different ways the resource could be used. You do not need a copy of the book to pray along with this podcast.I heartily believe that a discipline of daily prayer is a fruitful way to deepen and enrich your faith and life in Christ, and I fervently hope and pray that this podcast will help you do just that.The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace.(Num. 6:24-26)Rev. Bill Pinches, Pastor, Presbyterian Church (USA)Advent 2020