Concerning the Daily Office Laurie Thompson April 2020

In 1976, I was an eager seminarian in Bristol, England and I was excited to be learning scripture, theology, history, pastoral leadership, ethics, mission and liturgy in the context of the mother . One of my classmates referred to the obligation of all in the Church of England to “keep the daily office.” I must have looked befuddled. He explained to me that Archbishop had reduced eight stations of prayer to two. “Thomas Cranmer’s intent was to rework the extraordinarily complex tradition of daily prayer from the monastic tradition so that all the faithful might join in.”1 He established the pattern in his new prayer book that would shape the piety and practice of a vicar and his congregation in a village parish church. They were expected to call people together at the beginning of a workday for Morning Prayer, and then end the day in a brief service of evening prayer. Cranmer’s hope was that the congregation would then gather on Sunday and share Holy Communion together, having listened to Scripture and offering their prayers throughout the week.

Is this pattern an arcane model that was more relevant to the agrarian world of rural 16th century England than it is for us today? If we consider why we offer Morning Prayer and Evening Prayer we will see why it is more relevant today than ever before. When we offer the daily office, we are accomplishing six actions that shape us as individuals and also shape us as a community. We redeem, we listen, we present, we step, we place, and we connect.

To redeem the time. Whereas our lives amidst chaos and struggle would be constantly disoriented, we offer Morning Prayer to consider the rhythms of the day and give the day to the Lord, that he might order in his time and reality. In doing this we make an offering to God, and not just ask his blessing on us. We redeem the time by giving to God what belongs to him - our day. It becomes his day. We do this not simply as individuals, but also as the corporate body .

To listen to readings from the together. The prescribed rotation of readings, called the Daily Office , is intended to gently push us into the discipline of reading the whole of Scripture and not simply our favorite passages. As we listen together to the Word of God, it shapes us and our day’s agenda, before the world has the opportunity to pull us into its ways and chaos.

1 Smith, George Wayne. Admirable Simplicity: Principles for Worship Planning in the Anglican Tradition. Church Publishing, 2000. p.46

1 To present the praise of God from the whole church. We may not always feel like praisinghim. King David, at a very low point in his life, poured out his lament but ultimately forced himself to praise God. “Why are you so full of heaviness, O my soul, and why are you so disquieted within me? O put your trust in God, for I will yet give him thanks, who is the help of my countenance, and my God” (Psalm 42:14,15). That teeth-clenching offering has lifted me many times, and one time in particular as I was recovering from major surgery. When I could hardly articulate the words, I was carried by the reality that the church was praising God even when I could not.

In the 1700’s, Anthony Sparrow was one of many authors who wrote a commentary about the prayer book during that era. He writes: “The public service is accepted by God, not only for those present, and say Amen to it; but for all those who are absent...it is the common service of all.”2 In it he instructed his about the sacrifice of rest, telling them to keep the daily office. “The shall say it privately if there be not a church for public worship. (The layperson) ...when he prays alone is joined by the whole fellowship of the church.” (Sparrow, Anthony. A Rationale Upon the Book of Common-Prayer of the Church of England. The Sixth Edition. Gale ECCO, Print Editions, 2010, p. 51.)

To step into something which is already happening. We do not need to initiate worship. Many Christian leaders believe that they must “make it happen.” In the daily office, we are saying precisely the opposite. The Angels and the hosts of heaven are already worshipping, and we are entering into that worship. In many traditional Anglican churches, the prayer desks face into the center of the with one shoulder to the congregation and one shoulder to the . In this type of arrangement, the priest is being careful not to face either the altar or the people because his or her role is that of a coach helping the focus of the community to be on God, not on the liturgical leader. It is the action of God in which we participate as we hear Scripture and offer prayers.

To take the prayers of the whole human race and place them in the midst of Christ’s prayer to the Father. We have an important calling as the people of God. We are not simply praying for the people, but expressing to God the intercession in their place. We enter into Christ’s prayer of John 17 and lift the people who do not even know that they need to be lifted in prayer to the father.

To connect with the fellowship of saints, both living and “graduated.” As we offer our prayers together, any sense of isolation is dispelled. In 1975, I was teaching at Northfield Mount Hermon

2 Sparrow, Anthony. A Rationale Upon the Book of Common-Prayer of the Church of England. By ... Anthony Sparrow, ... The Sixth Edition. Gale ECCO, Print Editions, 2010. In digital kindle version, location 159

2 School, and during my offering of morning prayer I expressed my sense of frustration that more of the young boarding students were not coming to faith in Christ. Suddenly, as I was praying I had a sense of companionship with three others: The Lord Jesus, along with Dwight and Emma Moody, the great 19th century evangelists, who were buried a hundred feet from our apartment. I ceased to feel alone as the Lord assured me that lives would be touched through my witness. A week later, one of my most outspoken students challenged me about whether or not God had ever spoken to me, in the presence of some 50 students studying in a study hall. A month later, that young man yielded his life to Christ, and our small Bible study tripled in size. I have never felt alone in Morning Prayer ever since that moment.

In a 1964 movie entitled Zulu, the story is depicted of the Battle of Rorke's Drift between the British Army and the Zulus in January 1879, during the Anglo-Zulu War. It shows how 150 British soldiers, many of whom were sick and wounded patients in a field hospital, successfully held off a force of 4,000 Zulu warriors. Their maintenance phalanx positions and mutual support during the heat of the battles against overwhelming odds was remarkable. In the final scene, the British have exhausted their ammunition and their demise seems unavoidable. The 4000 Zulus, instead of attacking, place their swords and shields on the ground as a statement of respect for the disciplined fighting they witnessed in the British outpost.

For Anglicans, the keeping of the daily office is the discipline to which we submit to hold our position against the forces of darkness in all aspects of ministry. It is a kingdom discipline.

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