Second Impressions of Using The Daily Office

November was the second full month I used the Daily Office from the Book of Common Prayer in my daily devotions. Last month, I shared my first impressions. In October, I exclusively followed the Daily Office using the app or the website. In November, I changed things up.

Using the Book of Common Prayer--1928, 1979, 2019--as reference points, I created bare bones print outs for morning and evening offices. For example, the bare bones of the morning office looks a little like this:

• Opening verse
• Confession of Sin
• Invitatory Call and Response + Invitatory Psalter/Song
• Appointed Psalms + Gloria Patri
• Lesson/Reading One (OT) + Canticle One
• Lesson/Reading Two (NT) + Canticle Two
• The Apostles' Creed
• The Lord's Prayer + Suffrages
• Collects 
• General Thanksgiving
• Prayer of St. John Chrysostom
• Closing Verse

The bare bones of the evening office looks a little like this:

• Opening verse
• Confession of Sin
• Invitatory Call and Response + Phos Hilaron (O Gracious Light)
• Appointed Psalms + Gloria Patri
• Lesson One (OT) + Canticle One
• Lesson Two (NT) + Canticle Two
• The Apostles' Creed
• The Lord's Prayer + Call & Response
• Collects
• General Thanksgiving
• Prayer of St. John Chrysostom
• Closing Verse

I printed out the canticles and *some* of the collects. The Book of Common Prayer 2019 has two collects for each day of the week--one designated for morning, one for evening. There were plenty of other collects to choose from to print out for general use. The 2019 BOC gives them handy little titles like "In the Morning" or "For Mercy" or "For Knowing and Loving God."

The bare bones print outs have all the liturgical readings included. 

In terms of organization, I have a folder. One side of the folder has the bare bones of the daily office print outs and the appointed psalms calendar. The other side of the folder has print outs of the canticles and collects. I am using index cards for opening and closing verses. I keep the opening verses on one side and the closing verses on the other side. They are also color coded--one color for opening, one for closing.

I also have a plain spiral notebook where I jot down what I'm reading. This is by no means a requirement. But I've been writing down my Bible reading for almost ten years, so, it just makes sense that I'd record and track what I read for the Daily Offices. 

I am debating if I want to talk lectionaries HERE or in another post. Needless to say, I stopped trying to follow the Book of Common Prayer Daily Office lectionary. (EVERY single Book of Common Prayer has their own daily office lectionary. Every site seems to make adjustments. There isn't a single solitary lectionary that is the one and only official lectionary.) I decided to read from the Old Testament and New Testament, and to make the readings flow from one office to the other. For example, if I read Genesis and Matthew in the morning, I will read Genesis and Matthew in the evening. As opposed to some lectionaries that have you reading from four different books of the Bible.

As of November 30, 2021

Opening Verses Index Cards

Psalm 43:3
Psalm 96:9
Psalm 141:2
Habakkuk 2:20
Psalm 25:4-5
Psalm 19:14
Psalm 122:1
Philippians 1:2
Psalm 34:8
Jeremiah 15:16
Isaiah 55:10-12
Hebrews 4:14-16
Malachi 4:2
Hosea 6:1-3
Psalm 34:3
Isaiah 9:6
Galatians 4:4-7
John 1:1-5
Isaiah 9:2
Proverbs 30:5,6
1 John 1:9-10
1 John 3:2-3
John 8:12

Closing Verses Index Cards

2 Maccabees 1:3-5
Romans 15:4-6
Colossians 3:16
Romans 15:13
2 Corinthians 13:14
Numbers 6:24-26
Ephesians 3:20-21
Philippians 4:19-20
Philippians 4:8-9
Colossians 3:17
Colossians 4:2-5
Psalm 34:22
Psalm 36:10
Psalm 40:16
Psalm 5:11-12
Psalm 57:11
Jude 1:24-25
1 Peter 5:10-11
1 Peter 1:13
Hebrews 12:3
1 Peter 7:8
Romans 13:11-12
1 John 2:28
John 16:33
1 John 5:5

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible