March 20th 2011

Years ago everyone owned their own prayer book, treasured it and brought it to church with them on Sunday. I suspect few people have one of their own now. This of course makes sense, it is the Book of Common Prayer which means it is a book created to help us pray "in common and as one" as brothers and sisters in Christ. Why then, use one at home alone? Because it is also a very rich source for private devotion not only because of the depth and beauty of the prayers but also the planned sequences in the offices or service as we are led step by step to enter God's presence and worship.

 Let us turn to the service of Morning Prayer. We are greeted with a sentence from scripture and move on at once to the "exhortation". This dramatic admonition is not a prayer but an earnest call to us to "acknowledge and confess our manifold sins and wickedness". We respond by an act of general confession. After we have received absolution and assurance of forgiveness through our Lord Jesus Christ we are cleansed and ready to come before the throne of Grace. We worship him with hymns of joy, responses, canticles and psalms. Finally we stand for our declaration of faith in the creed.

After this preparation, we are ready for prayer and intercession. We kneel and say the beloved prayers Jesus taught us and then join in the responses and move to the Collect. There is something very Anglican about the Collects. They are precious part of our liturgical heritage. Each Collect gathers together and offers up, just one special thought in its petition. Years ago, children were often required to learn the special Collect for the Sunday of each week. They were left with a rich heritage.

It is impossible to go through all of the Services. Perhaps you could make a start, leaf through the prayer book on your own, discover it anew. Try wading through the quaint language of the prefaces on page vii and viii and on pages seven and fifteen following which are in the words as they were spoken in 1549 and 1662. Now you will understand why we have revisions. Speaking of which, what about the Book of Alternative Service (BAS)? I would suggest that you turn to the introduction of the BAS on page seven following. Here are some quotes that are underlined in my battered old copy. "Synod is also resolved that in future, the revisions of our Book of Common Prayer more emphasis be given to permissive forms and less to the mandatory forms of public worship. "In order that we may still achieve the flexibility and variety we deem desirable". On page nine we read "the Gospel always has a reforming and re-interpretative edge to it."

If you are one of those modern people who does not own a prayer book, why not ask for one as a present for Easter either BCP or BAS or both? Dare I suggest that you ask one of the Wardens if you may borrow a copy from the Church. You will promise to return it of course.