Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ at St. John's Church,
The Daily Office is one of the cornerstone beliefs as Episcopalians. This article I read in the weekly magazine "The Living Church" is very informative and factual.
Our schedule for the Daily Office at St. John's church is the following: Please consider joining myself, Fr. Joel or Mr. Al Layo at one of these services during the week. You might be surprised what God is doing at these services. Why not join us and see!
Your servant in Christ,
Deacon Rick
Your servant in Christ, DAILY IN PRAYER
For whatever reason, we have noticed in recent months an increase in public recitation of the Daily Offices in our churches. Parish newsletters and church signboards reveal that Morning Prayer and Evening Prayer are being read more frequently. In some places, lay people are listed as the officiants. Compline continues to grow slowly, with more and more churches offering the nighttime office, usually on Sundays. And we know of a few churches where the Noonday Office is read daily, often accompanied by intercessory prayer.
These four offices, all found in the Book of Common Prayer, are no longer exclusive to seminaries, cathedrals, monasteries or convents. And they no longer are the "property" of the clergy, for lay people are finding these offices to be important elements of their spiritual lives. Churches large and small are offering these daily services on a more regular basis, and countless numbers of the faithful are reading them at home, during a break at the workplace, or as they commute.
The offices date back to early Jewish communities, which offered prayers at fixed times of the day, and to monastic communities that adopted a rigorous schedule of prayer with usually seven offices each day. The prayer book offices consist of psalms, readings from scriptures, canticles and various prayers. The Apostles' Creed and the Lord's Prayer are elements of Morning and Evening Prayer.
We urge those who do not read the offices regularly to consider making them a part of their lives. Morning Prayer and Evening Prayer can be read in about 15-20 minutes, and the other, shorter offices in about half that time. Perhaps Advent would be a good time to try to begin the discipline of praying one of the offices. People can find a convenient time, decide whether to invite others to join them or to read alone. If there is not enough time to read one of the offices, there are shorter forms called Daily Devotions for Individuals and Families (BCP pp. 135-140) that follow the structure of the offices but can be read more quickly.
The Daily Offices can provide an anchor for one's prayer life. The daily rhythm of prayer offers a wonderful discipline as one attempts to develop a spiritual life* And there is something immensely satisfying in knowing that whenever you are praying an office, there are other Anglicans somewhere on earth doing the same thing. We hope those who do not participate in the Daily Offices will give them a try soon. In its present state, the church needs all the pray-ers it can get.
Morning Prayer 8:30 am. Monday - Friday
Evening Prayer 4:15 pm. Monday - Friday
Deacon Rick
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