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Welcome! Let us pray.
Please select your destination from the buttons on the left. Evening Prayer, including Gospel, is printed right below Morning Prayer on the same page.
For Noonday and Latenight (compline), hover over the main buttons at left. Every day also has prayers for special intentions; just hover your mouse to see them. Please bookmark our site from this page.
Now Till July 31: Noonday & Latenight Offices from A New Zealand Prayer Book
A wealth of information and resources about the liturgy of the Church of Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia, compiled by Fr. Bosco Peters, is one fish-click away.
New Music
William Croft: We Will Rejoice in Our Salvation
Choir of New College, Oxford; Edward Higginbottom/Timothy Morris
On December 1, 2006, in response to a request that we make the Daily Office available by RSS
feed for reading on hand-held devices—which is impossible here on our main site—we created a Daily
Office blog on wordpress.com. A link to it is here.
One year later, we have counted 175,000 total site visits, here and on our blogs.
The Daily Office blog contains the exact wording from this site for Morning and
Evening Prayer; we simply copy it.
Some portion of these hits come from tech-savvy Episcopalians who learned about the blog here, and may use both sites depending on convenience. But a majority of blog visitors are web-surfers who have never seen this site—and probably aren't Episcopalians at all.
Thus we are achieving the evangelical goal we set from the beginning, to make the Word known outside the fold.
Who knows what conversion may come from exposure to the Book of Common Prayer? Cranmer's Book is our biggest evangelical tool.
Our blog has many features this site can't offer; besides the feed for hand-held readers, every service is archived. Someone looking for a prayer for Memorial Day, or a picture of St. Swithin's in the Swamp, can find it in the context of the Episcopal Daily Office, because Google and other search engines all grab from the blogs.
Maybe that site visitor will stick around long enough to read the whole thing.
Our purpose never was simply to nurture those of you who already know and value the Daily Office as an important, nourishing structure for your prayer life. It's always been two-fold; we want to introduce people to the Gospel as we know it.
After all, every service here ends with a Prayer for Mission. Your prayers are getting results.
Now we we want to remind you of some features of the blog you can take advantage of.
The Comments section is the perfect place for your prayer requests and
thanksgivings. Does someone you know need healing?
How about you? Has something good happened in your life lately so that
you're feeling close to God? Tell us, maybe that will stimulate a
response that extends the grace. Other members will be able to view
your prayer and pray along with you the minute you post.
Another opportunity on the blog is the chance to ask questions about or comment on the lessons
for the day. Everyone has had the experience of reading or hearing a
passage of Scripture and thinking, "What was THAT about?" But of
course, at public worship, the Church never stops its service to allow
such discussion. Maybe the preacher (if there is one) will illuminate
it during the sermon, or maybe not. Yet there is great value to each of
us in being able to identify what our reactions to Scripture really
are: "Ooh, I love that!" "Ooh, I don't get that at all." "I'm not sure
I agree with that." Or even "I wish I could live up to that."
So we suggest that when you're so moved, you'll take a minute to record your reactions (you can be anonymous
if you like) on the blog. If there is something you don't understand,
chances are you're not the only one; chances are also that another
member can start to clear things up, or suggest an alternate view, or
otherwise say something helpful, if only "You know, I've wondered about
that too."
Have you read a good spiritual book lately? Clue the rest of us in. Use the Comments for any good purpose—including feedback about everything we do here.
Recently a priest asked why we don't print the collects from Lesser Feasts and Fasts on minor saints' days. It's a great question; our first answer was that we think there's more spiritual value and universality in the Prayer Book collects than in a special prayer for St. Cecilia; however great she was, a brief and cryptic retelling of why she is considered a saint is less useful to inquirers and believers alike. Are these sites for people inside the Church or outside the Church? The answer is both, of course—and we're reaching them.
But thank God for that question; on second thought we decided the priest was right, we should feature the saints (that is, our role models). Now we're printing and podcasting St. Cecilia's prayer too, because a member asked us to.
Combined, these
sites offer most of what can be done online, without sacraments, to nurture all souls as
persons and an online community.
Let me also note two other blogs I write, whose web-counters are included in the overall total, along with two now-defunct Prayer Book sites for alcoholics/addicts and LGBTs: a blog called Gay Spirit Diary, another titled Akinola Repent.
Thanks to you, our combined attendance is over 150,000 in three years. Never in our wildest imaginings did we ever expect to reach so many people.
Meanwhile please, do go to your local church to participate in prayer and sacraments. Computer-only doesn't fully satisfy. We need real hugs, real community, real Body and Blood, the taste of bread and wine. We need people to mourn and celebrate with.
That's called church.
As Jesus healed the sick, our God is one who actually touches us in our bodies through the ministrations of others. Don't go without; get thee to church, then pray without ceasing.
Love,
Josh Thomas Founder
Questions, comments, reactions? Visit the blog or write us an e-mail here.
Chichester Cathedral
What is the Daily Office?
A. The Daily Office is an ancient way to pray. There are many
ways, including your own cries to God of joy and sorrow and need. Such
prayers are intensely personal, while the Office gathers up all our
prayers so that we can pray together.
Q. What is prayer?
A. It is asking.
That's the simplest way to put it. The English verb "to pray"
means to ask someone; we still have a sense of this with the
old-fashioned expression "pray tell," when we want someone to tell us
more. "Pray" wasn't a holy word at all, it was mere asking, of anyone
we might meet, regarding anything. But over time its definition
narrowed to mean "asking God."
Don't ever be concerned that you shouldn't ask God about something
or for something. We can always ask; he likes it when we ask. We don't
always like the way God answers—but 95% of the time we do.
That's how often he says Yes. It's one of his favorite words.
Q. Why is this service called an “office”?
A. Originally “office” simply meant service, not the place where a
service is performed or business is conducted. “Daily office” means the
service of the day.
Q. What is the Invitatory?
A. It’s your invitation to prayer.
Q. Why do you use such strange words?
A. Christianity, like every other discipline, has its own jargon.
Church words are old-fashioned because they’ve been around for
centuries. On this site we try to update and illuminate them, without
dumbing them down.
Q. What are Psalms?
A. Psalms are the poetry and hymnbook of Jesus’ day. All we have
are the words, not any music that was sung with them, but the words
themselves are musical. Christ and all the Jews were taught the Psalms
as children and probably memorized them. The Psalms continue to speak
to us today of God’s steadfast love.
The Psalms are the essence of Morning and Evening Prayer.
Scripture instructs, while prayers request; psalms worship, and that's
the point of the Office. Worship is the only intelligent response to
the overwhelming lovingness of God.
Imagine facing this incredible life-force: the only thing we can do is fall to our knees.
Q. But what do the Psalms mean?
A. According to Biblical scholars (Gunkel, Guthrie and others),
psalms come in various types: hymns of praise (e.g., 33); songs of the
LORD's enthronement (47); royal psalms (61), especially songs of the
House of David; community laments (89, part 2); individual laments
(22); and individual thanksgivings. Many psalms combine more than one
theme.
As a whole, they speak of the majesty of God. He isn't just the Creator, he's the heartbeat of life, right here and now.
Q. Do you think God is male?
A. No. But Jesus said, "Our Father," so we stick with that language on this site.
For 20 centuries saints have revealed God as Our Mother; she's every bit as cool.
(St. Mary, Mother of Jesus, is not God, even as she was the most exalted person ever.)
Q. Let's go back to the Psalms; sometimes they're pretty violent. They often
wish all kinds of evil upon the enemies of God’s people. Why is that?
A. The psalms identify enemies of ancient Israel—God's covenant
people—as enemies of God's, so the poets pray for God's triumph in war,
and passionately curse anyone who gets in Israel's way. The biggest
enemy, though, is Israel's own (our own) faithlessness, and it does
seem that the only way God can get through to us sometimes is by
allowing our afflictions to happen. But the Psalms demonstrate that
time after time, God forgives us and restores us to wholeness, if we
return to him.
Keep in mind that ecstasy in the psalms far outnumbers the curses.
They can be quite nasty, as befits the human struggle, but most of the
time the poets are singing.
The Psalms vividly reflect that humanity’s earliest conception of
God was as someone to be feared. He is a righteous Judge, slow to anger
and of great kindness; but sometimes he throws the book at people. Over
centuries, humanity has come to know a lot more about God’s softer
side, as a lover of great tenderness. In the Judeo-Christian tradition,
we have both ideas of God, as an angry judge upholding the Law and as a
humble Savior who made the ultimate sacrifice for us, yet who cannot be
killed no matter what we do to him.
Modern lectionaries bear in mind that God's revelation is
progressive—we learn more about God over time, as we're more open—so
they tend to omit the most violent of the ancient ethnocentric curses
as needless stumbling-blocks in our approach to faith. In all things,
with everyone he met, Jesus was a lover. Our God is above even the
finest human wisdom ever written about him, and he cannot be contained
by our words.
Q. What are canticles?
A. Like psalms, canticles are passages of poetry that appear
throughout the Old and New Testaments. They are used as hymns to start
the Daily Office and as responses to the Bible readings.
Q. What is the Apostles’ Creed?
A. The Apostles’ Creed is an ancient statement of Christian
belief, agreed upon centuries ago by the successors of Christ’s
apostles (bishops) as a concise summary of what all Christians do
believe, and must believe. It contains all the basics of the faith.
The Apostles' Creed is recited in each daily office not only as a
statement of belief, but also as a reminder of our covenant with
God—and his covenant with us—in baptism. We made promises then that we
would be faithful, and we try to live by those promises now.
If godparents made those promises on our behalf when we were
children, we reaffirmed them in Confirmation; "I believe in one God..."
It's good to be reminded of our promises.
Q. What is meant by the word “catholic” in the Creed? I’m a
Protestant, and I don’t like saying I believe in “the holy catholic
Church.”
A. Don’t worry, the small “c” in “catholic” does not refer to the
Pope. The word simply means “universal” or “international.” The Pope is
the head of the Roman Catholic Church, but there are other catholic
churches (and other popes) in other nations. Millions of Christians
believe in and affirm this one, holy and universal church, descended
from and taught by Christ and his apostles, even though we don't have
church unity here on earth.
There aren't any denominations in heaven.
Q. Do I have to be an Episcopalian to use the Daily Office?
A. Not at all! This site is for everyone who wants to get closer to God.
From the very beginning this site has been run as an ecumenical, non-denominational partnership, with leaders who are Lutheran, Disciples of Christ, Evangelical Free as well as Episcopalian. All are welcome here.
We get e-mails from Baptists, Methodists, Roman Catholics, evangelicals, Old Catholics, independents, Pentecostals, Presbyterians, Orthodox, the whole gamut on God's green earth. We hear from bishops, priests, pastors and laypeople of every stripe and color, from every continent and time zone. Truly, this is the meaning of "catholic"!
One of the great things about Thomas Cranmer's achievement in writing the Book of Common Prayer was distilling the many monastic Offices into one for morning and one for evening. That has appealed widely, in so many places and nations, to so many people. Pray once in the morning and once at night and you'll invariably draw closer to the Holy One. Hallelujah!
There is little or nothing in the Office about doctrine. It does include the Apostles' Creed, as mentioned above, but everything else is either prayer or Bible. It might not be "one size fits all," but it's the closest anyone's ever come to universality. And the important thing is that you simply devote a few minutes of your day to remembering God. Do that and everything else falls into place.
Q. Why do you use this modern-sounding version of the Lord’s Prayer or Our Father? I’m used to saying it the old way.
A. Then go ahead and say it that way. But as this entire dialogue
illustrates, the meaning of words changes over time; the contemporary
version of the Lord’s Prayer is more accurate and it's easier to
understand, especially by children and those who are not native
speakers of English.
Here is what the translators of the New International Version of the Bible (widely respected among evangelicals) had to say about "thee and thou":
"The Greek text uses no special pronouns to express reverence for
God and Christ. Scripture is not enhanced by keeping, as a special mode
of addressing Deity, forms that in the days of the King James Bible
were simply the regular pronouns and verbs used in everyday speech."
There are deeper problems with the old version too; “Lead us not
into temptation” implies that God tries to trick us into misbehaving,
while “Save us from the time of trial” acknowledges that we’re going to
sin and face temptations of our own devising, so we ask God to help us
turn away from them.
Use the version of Our Father you’re most comfortable with, but
give the modern translation a try; over time you may come to prefer it.
And if it causes you to think about what you’re praying instead of
reciting it by rote, the new version has done its job.
Q. What is a collect?
A. A collect (pronounced COLL-ect) is a prayer that collects our
thoughts and states the theme for the day. This is another of those
archaic words that has stuck around because it’s quaint and, to some
people, holy-sounding. God doesn't care what you call it, but it’s good
to have a theme for the day.
Q. These prayers are so structured, it’s like they’re canned. I’m not used to praying this way.
A. You’re right, these prayers are carefully formulated, written
down, tested—and canned like tuna. But one of the joys of
saying the Office online by yourself is that you can pause at any time
and insert your own spontaneous prayer. Indeed, that’s the greatest
value of all.
The Office provides a framework for your thoughts, needs,
concerns, thanksgivings, confessions and resolutions, so your praying
becomes extremely personal. You wouldn’t build a house without a
foundation; once that’s down, you follow a written plan, and after it’s
done, you decorate it so it suits your personality.
Ideally, the Office provides a discipline; that’s why it’s best
used Daily. If you wait until you’re inspired to pray spontaneously,
God may be waiting a very long time to hear from you. Prayer becomes a
mere function of your emotions; who knows when those will line up
correctly so that you remember God?
But when you undertake a discipline to pray—that is, when you make
a decision that you’ll be open to pray whether you feel like it or
not—the framework usually leads to the spontaneous dialogue that you
and God like best. Let the psalms, scriptures and collects spark your
imagination. Since there isn’t a congregation around for you to keep up
with, add your own ideas whenever they occur to you.
Most of us feed our bodies three times a day; prayer in the
morning and evening feeds your soul. Jesus said, “People don’t live by
bread alone, but by every word that comes from the Father.”
Q. Why do you feature all these so-called saints I've never heard of? Who was St. Catherine of Siena? Do you pray to these saints? I only believe in praying to God.
A. We do not pray to saints, we pray only to God.
But we're convinced it's useful to learn about "saints" ancient and modern, as role models. We follow the Episcopal Church's calendar of saints because they're people the church has agreed upon, by consensus, as worthy to learn from. They come from all continents and nations, they led flawed human lives, and yet their examples have much to teach us. If only one of them causes you to learn more about the challenges they faced and the faith they applied, you've found yourself a role model whose life and teaching can point you to God in Christ Jesus.
Q. I get discouraged if I miss a day or two of the Daily Office. I
lose track of the Bible story and feel rather guilty. Is it okay to use
the Office less often? I get busy and forgetful and I just can't do it
twice a day, every day.
A. Come when you can. God would rather see you once in a while
than not at all. Don't feel compulsive or guilty, just come; you'll
feel better afterwards and know you did the right thing.
Some people only say the Office once a week, before church on
Sunday, as a way to get prepared. Some people are busy with children,
work and school in the mornings, but say the Office every night; that
works great. Some people pray the Office in the morning, to start their
day off right, but seldom pray in the evening. Find the pattern that
works best for you and make a habit of it.
Of course, some folks only remember to turn to the Lord when
they're in trouble; but God is always there for us, and he likes to be
relied upon.
Don't be surprised, though, if saying the Office becomes the most rewarding habit of your life. That's when the joy begins.
Q. I want to know more. Where do I start?
A. Find yourself a Bible study class. The Bible is best discovered
in a group setting so we can obtain multiple points of view and
insights. The leader of the class should be a trained, theologically
educated person; there is a lot to learn about how the Bible came to be
put together, how it's translated, whether it's authentic (or not),
what the words mean, how one part relates to another part, etc. The
best teachers are trained in theology, art, history, language,
archaeology, the social sciences and Christian education, and can guide
people on their spiritual journeys. The teacher should not tell you
what to believe, but enable you to discover the truths that you do
believe, which others have learned along the way. Speak to your pastor or
priest; talk to your friends. The more you learn, the better off you'll
be—and the better prepared when a crisis of faith happens; it
inevitably will. The minute God appears inadequate to you (or the human
record of him in the Bible, or the teachings of your church), all hell
can break loose.
When it does, don't be discouraged; this is normal, even welcome,
part of the plan drawing you deeper into faith, so keep praying. Tell
God your doubts and fears; he's heard them before. He welcomes
questions. He knows it's hard to believe in what you cannot see. That's
why he makes himself so visible.
If there really is a master plan to this universe, a creative
force of timeless immortal lovingness, your asking will be heard, and
answered, with more love than you've ever imagined.
You may fall to your knees, or you may laugh. God enjoys both responses.
Praying the Daily Office is not the same as Bible study; it's more
about the sanctifying of your day, your need, your now, and making the
now holy. It's about the passage of time in this ever-changing world;
it's about stopping for five minutes, getting grounded again,
remembering who you are, a person in relationships, with other people
and with God. Afterwards you'll feel stronger and refreshed.
Truth told, praying every day is the best vehicle for personal
growth ever invented. Even if we don't understand the day's psalms and
lessons, prayer draws us closer to God.
Q. Where do these prayers and readings come from? Who put them together?
A. This website reproduces the Daily Office from the Book of
Common Prayer of the Episcopal Church in the United States. It is
similar to that found in the service books of Anglican churches in
England, Canada, South Africa, Brazil, Australia and dozens of other countries and languages. It provides a simple
formula for “praying the hours” as is done every day around the world
by Roman Catholics, Anglicans, Orthodox, Lutherans and many others.
This formula is free of sectarian controversy, and is a feature of the
universal church undivided on earth, as in heaven.
You can’t go wrong praying the Office. Almost every word of it comes from the Bible.
(Note: occasionally we publish additional prayers for special situations written by the website founder, Josh Thomas. We're learning to mark these as optional. Feel free to skip them if they don't feel right.)
Q. You address us sometimes as a congregation. But I come here by
myself, an anonymous web surfer. When I pray, I'm essentially alone.
A. God loves a solitary visitor. But you're one of hundreds who come
here every day, and we want you to be aware that others pray with you
too. Somehow by coming here, you pray with them, even though you can't
see them.
You don't have to think too hard to picture others at their
keyboards. What you may not know is that they're conforming their
prayers to yours.
We all belong here. The clothes we wear don't matter. Millionaire
or homeless person, we're spiritually together, knowing none of us is
better than anyone else; we all are sinners hoping for grace, and
receiving it.
Prayer can be a very private and personal act, but when other
people are around, seen or not, our prayer gets magnified many times
over. We ask everyone who comes here to include their prayers in yours.
We don't necessarily think about it, but all our prayers add up.
Consider the others who come here to pray with you. This site
draws individuals together into an ethereal, invisible congregation. We
ask you to imagine a Korean, a New Zealander, a Colombian, an unwed
mother, a Secretary of State, a Person with AIDS, visiting at the same
time you're here, praying simultaneously.
God hears the prayers of his Church—a word which is always plural.
We pray by ourselves, without webcams, but if we could see ourselves as
God does, we'd look like "two or three gathered togather in his name."
Jesus said that when two or three gather, he always says Yes. You
are not alone here. You are part of a spiritual family gathering in
this place.
Lord in your mercy
Hear OUR prayer. ++
To ask a question or leave about comment about the lessons, click here.
To learn more about the Episcopal Church, click here.
