Today is sandwiched between two saints days - George yesterday, and Mark tomorrow. If we were keeping both saints days in church, it would mean swapping between white and red altar frontals, etc, alternately for five days! All that change and flux seem topical, as so much is 'up in the air' at the moment.
With the lack of familiar routines that people have suddenly found themselves with, I thought I'd reflect briefly on one routine that hasn't had to change too much - morning and evening prayer.
Here's Psalm 61, set for this morning:
1
Hear my crying, O God, ♦
and listen to my prayer.
2
From the end of the earth I call to you with fainting heart; ♦
O set me on the rock that is higher than
I.
3
For you are my refuge, ♦
a strong tower against the enemy.
4
Let me dwell in your tent for ever
♦
and take refuge under the cover of your
wings.
5
For you, O God, will hear my vows;
♦
you will grant the request of those who
fear your name.
6
You will add length of days to the life of the king, ♦
that his years may endure throughout all
generations.
7
May he sit enthroned before God for ever; ♦
may steadfast love and truth watch over
him.
8
So will I always sing praise to your name, ♦
and day by day fulfil my vows.
'...you are my refuge, a strong tower...'
This seemed appropriate for today, as I also found myself helping my daughter with school work about castles!
But it also made me question... Where are my refuges? Where do I turn for support and shelter when the storms of life pick up? Where do I find strength?
One place is definitely the daily offices - morning and evening prayer, and night prayer (and others, less commonly said). The rhythm of the offices have been such a help to me, giving me a foundation that everything else can be built on.
Having relatively fixed points in the day for saying the offices give a pattern and predictability each day, even when life is completely unpredictable.
Why not give them a try? At the moment, they might even take the place of other routines that have been lost, like the commute to work, or the missing conversation during lunch breaks.
For today, and as a taster, here are a couple of prayers that are said at either morning or evening prayer each day:
This seemed appropriate for today, as I also found myself helping my daughter with school work about castles!
But it also made me question... Where are my refuges? Where do I turn for support and shelter when the storms of life pick up? Where do I find strength?
One place is definitely the daily offices - morning and evening prayer, and night prayer (and others, less commonly said). The rhythm of the offices have been such a help to me, giving me a foundation that everything else can be built on.
Having relatively fixed points in the day for saying the offices give a pattern and predictability each day, even when life is completely unpredictable.
Why not give them a try? At the moment, they might even take the place of other routines that have been lost, like the commute to work, or the missing conversation during lunch breaks.
For today, and as a taster, here are a couple of prayers that are said at either morning or evening prayer each day:
As we rejoice in the gift of this new day,
so may the light of your presence, O God,
set our hearts on fire with love for you;
now and for ever.
Amen.
As our evening prayer rises before you, O God,
so may your mercy come down upon us
to cleanse our hearts
and set us free to sing your praise
now and for ever.
Amen.
♫ Here's a sung setting of one of the evening prayer canticles - the Magnificat, in G (Stanford)
(Morning, evening, and night prayer each day, as well as a service of 'prayer during the day', can be found here)
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