Two things you should know 1) I began using/doing/reading the Daily Offices the last week of September 2021 and 2) I am NOT an Anglican/Episcopalian. (I was completely new to the Book of Common Prayer and had zero experience).
I spent the first few days searching the internet for tips on how to actually use the Book of Common Prayer. I am glad I persevered through some early intimidation.
I think the easiest way to get a feel for the Book of Common Prayer is this website: https://www.dailyoffice2019.com/ (There's also an app.)
The site does most--if not all--of the hard work for you. Notably, you'll never have to flip through a super-confusing chart, table, index, or calendar to know what "week" you are in. For example, The Twenty-third Sunday after Pentecost, or the Twenty-second Sunday after Trinity (Proper 26) Nor, will you have to use all your energy trying to decode and decipher lectionary charts to find out where you should be reading in the Bible. The site does all the work for you. The Scriptures, liturgy, daily readings, daily collects (fancy word for prayers), all right there ready to go. No marking pages. No flipping back and forth. No distractions.
I would recommend leaving the site on the standard settings for the first few days. But. The settings are adjustable--to a certain degree. Notably you can select if you want to read through the book of Psalms (or the Psalter) in thirty days or sixty. You can decide if you want to read through the Bible (or most of it) in one year or two years. There's a half-dozen or so adjustments you can make to better suit your needs. But don't stress about all these decisions.
If you do decide to leave the settings on the standard settings (the original settings), then the Daily Office podcast is a great resource if you prefer audio. OR if you prefer to read along while someone reads. This podcast only does the Morning Office currently.
I personally decided to switch the psalms to thirty days instead of sixty so the podcast no longer matches what I'm reading.
Perhaps you want a more traditional--yet effortless--way to participate in the Daily Offices. Parish Prayer offers Morning Prayer and Evening Prayer. The main page offers not only today's offices but looks ahead several days. You may stream the audio OR click through to liturgy and read the office yourself. (Or read along with the audio.)
The Church of England does have on its website a link to their podcast Daily Prayer. This is morning and evening services.
There are so many great resources online for free. (Of course, there are plenty of resources available to purchase as well.)
There are two "rites" for morning and evening. One being more formal and traditional and the other being more contemporary.
For example, I'll share both sins of confession for the evening prayers. The first being rite II and the second being rite I.
Most merciful God,
we confess that we have sinned against you
in thought, word, and deed,
by what we have done,
and by what we have left undone.
We have not loved you with our whole heart;
we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves.
We are truly sorry and we humbly repent.
For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ,
have mercy on us and forgive us;
that we may delight in your will,
and walk in your ways,
to the glory of your Name. Amen.
and
Almighty and most merciful Father,
we have erred and strayed from thy ways like lost sheep,
we have followed too much the devices and desires of our
own hearts, we have offended against thy holy laws,
we have erred and strayed from thy ways like lost sheep,
we have followed too much the devices and desires of our
own hearts, we have offended against thy holy laws,
we have left undone those things which we ought to have done,
and we have done those things which we ought not to have done.
But thou, O Lord, have mercy upon us,
spare thou those who confess their faults,
restore thou those who are penitent,
according to thy promises declared unto mankind
in Christ Jesus our Lord;
and grant, O most merciful Father, for his sake,
that we may hereafter live a godly, righteous, and sober life,
to the glory of thy holy Name. Amen.
and we have done those things which we ought not to have done.
But thou, O Lord, have mercy upon us,
spare thou those who confess their faults,
restore thou those who are penitent,
according to thy promises declared unto mankind
in Christ Jesus our Lord;
and grant, O most merciful Father, for his sake,
that we may hereafter live a godly, righteous, and sober life,
to the glory of thy holy Name. Amen.
It is also available as a pdf file.
The Book of Common Prayer 2019 by the Anglican Church in North America is also available in its entirety. Download all thousand pages in a pdf file. Or click the red links for WORD files! You can print the pages you need--like the Daily Offices.
There are many, many, many editions of the Book of Common Prayer. One site pulls together all the resources for you--United States, England, Ireland, Scotland, etc. These are mainly older editions of the Book of Common Prayer that are in the public domain. This site wouldn't be my first recommendation for those looking to get started. But you can find links to the 1928 Book of Common Prayer to read online or download. And if you are looking for the Coverdale Psalter to read online--that has not been updated--this may be your best place to start.
Now to switch from dumping resources (all of which I found myself using/visiting throughout the month), I'll go back to sharing some of my first impressions.
I really LOVE Compline. I do. I printed out several Compline services--2019 (of course), 1979, and tracking down some of the others. I then started adding my own additions. The service does say "appropriate psalms" may be substituted. I didn't remove the traditional psalms--Psalm 4, Psalm 31:1-5, Psalm 91, Psalm 134. But I did find myself adding some additional psalms: Psalm 16, Psalm 23, Psalm 51, Psalm 61, Psalm 84, Psalm 86, Psalm 103, Psalm 130. I call this LONG compline. It's like wrapping yourself in all the promises of God. And it is LOVELY to focus all your thoughts Godward at the end of the day.
I often forget about Noonday until late afternoon.
It was easy to incorporate Morning Office or Morning Prayer into my daily routine. It now fits nicely between checking emails and my morning tea. I do the Morning Prayer before reading my M'Cheyne plan (which I started back in January).
I like evening prayers--but perhaps my evenings are more hectic and distraction prone than my morning devotions.
I don't love, love, love all liturgy equally. I find myself drawn to and loving *some* elements a great deal. I love, for example, the Lord's Prayer and Apostle's Creed being front and center (perhaps only second to Scripture itself). I think as believers we need to saturate ourselves not only in Scripture (which is key) but also rich doctrinal truths. These truths are affirmed and reaffirmed multiple times throughout the day. Time and time and time again you are reminded of who God is and what God has done. God's love, mercy, and grace is central. The liturgy grounds you and encourages deep roots to grow.
All month long I've been thinking about what I wanted to share about my impressions. I found this quote in a book, and, I was like this is IT, this is what I truly want to say on the subject. Of course, the author is NOT referring to the Book of Common Prayer. But he is speaking of devotions and prayer in general.
"I am convinced that spending time each day in spiritual meditation and worshipful prayer is a powerful tool of sanctifying grace in the hands of our faithful and loving Redeemer. Permit me to list how the regular habit of personal worship contributes to God's ongoing work of personal heart and life transformation. Daily study of God's word, worship, and prayer will result in the following:
A deeper knowledge of the nature and character of God.A clearer understanding of how God works.An ever-deepening love for and trust in him.A deeper willingness and commitment to surrender your life to him.A deeper knowledge of yourself as a sinner, sufferer, and saint.A deeper understanding of the life you have been called to as a child of GodA deeper and more practical grasp of the truths of God's Word.A clearer and more practical understanding the gospel of Jesus Christ.A deeper awareness of the nature of sin and temptation.More regular patterns of conviction of sin, confession, and repentance.Being better prepared for spiritual warfare and Satan's attacks.Becoming more and more thankful for God's presence, power, and promises and the blessings of being loved by Him."
Paul David Tripp
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