Daily Common Prayer
As we move through lent this year we invite you to a practice of prayer and scripture that will connect you with God and to other past and present. For more info on the Book of Common Prayer check out the introduction at the end of this post.
March 19, 2015
On March 19, 2003, US and British troops began a “shock and awe” campaign to overthrow the government of Saddam Hussein, which US intelligence officials accused of possessing weapons of mass destruction (WMDs). Though no WMDs were found in Iraq, a US-sponsored occupation continued, costing thousands of soldiers’ lives, tens of thousands of civilians’ lives, and billions of US dollars.
We pledge allegiance to the Lamb: and to the kingdom for which he stands.
Psalm 99: 1 – 5
The LORD is King; let the people tremble: he is enthroned upon the cherubim; let the earth shake. The LORD is great in Zion: he is high above all peoples. Let them confess his name, which is great and awesome: he is the Holy One. “O mighty King, lover of justice, you have established equity: you have executed justice and righteousness in Jacob.” Proclaim the greatness of the LORD our God and fall down before his footstool: he is the Holy One.
We pledge allegiance to the Lamb: and to the kingdom for which he stands.
Second-century martyr Ignatius of Antioch said, “Better to die for the sake of Jesus Christ than to be king over the utmost ends of the earth.”
Prayers for Others
Our Father
Lord, keep us from making excuses for the sake of disobedience and spiritual death. Help us remember that all of humanity is invited to feast at your table, especially those we would name as enemies. Amen.
To practice the whole Daily Common Prayer, you can click here (it includes daily scripture, prayers and reflections)
Introduction to the Book of Common Prayer
Christians have been singing and praying and worshiping together for thousands of years. We can sometimes forget that and view our worship, our prayers as something we do on our own…private.
This year during the Lent season, we want to dive into an exciting, new (for us!) practice…of praying prayers with people around the world, from diverse places, traditions, denominations. We’re going to do this from what is called “The Common Prayer” (www.commonprayer.net), a book with prayers and scriptures for every day, called a “liturgy”.
Liturgy (literally means “the work of the people”) is a communal response to the sacred. Its something we do together, as a way to ground ourselves TOGETHER in Christ.
Every day you will have the chance to join people…in all parts of the world, praying some of these very same prayers. There is strength in numbers, and there is a powerful sense of unity that can come as people from diverse places and circumstances pray together, even though they have never met, and don’t even speak the same language.
We also want to encourage you to do this in community….whenever possible.
So maybe you want to find a common time in your home to pray these prayers and read these scriptures together, or include them at the beginning of your cell gatherings…to remind us that we are NOT on this faith journey alone, but are meant to live our lives in community.