Book Review: Common Prayer

Praying The Hours, or Set Prayers, is an ancient custom that Evangelicalism has been relearning in recent years. While The Church has incorporated communal common prayers since the time of Christ (following in the even more ancient practice of our Jewish roots), it is a practice mostly ignored in evangelical protestantism until the last decade. Thankfully, it seems to be making a comeback.

Many books are being written about the subject, like Arthur Paul Boers' The Rhythm of Grace, and Scot McKnight's Praying with the Church. In addition, many prayer books are being published to help people in their journey into this old way; books like Celtic Daily Prayer, the youth-oriented Book of Uncommon Prayer, and Phyllis Tickle's monumental Divine Hours. These join the more traditional communal prayer books published by churches and denominations, such as the Episcopal Book of Common Prayer, the Anglican Book of Common Prayer, the New Zealand Prayer Book, and the Presbyterian Book of Daily Worship.

One of the newest additions to this collection is Common Prayer, published in late 2010 by Zondervan and assembled by Shane Claiborne, Jonathon Wilson-Hartgrove, and Enuma Okoro. Common Prayer contains morning prayers for every day of the year, with an extra week added for use during Holy week. It has a shorter evening prayer for each night of the week, and a midday prayer for use throughout the year. In addition, it has a collection of Occasional Prayers for various situations; among them are a House Blessing, a Prayer for Adoption, Prayer for Healing, and a Prayer for the Death of Someone Killed in the Neighborhood. Finally, there is a short songbook at the back, a collection of music from a variety of traditions, including African spirituals, hymns, chants from the Taize tradition, and Mennonite worship gatherings.

Common Prayer is ultimately meant to be used in community, reflecting Claiborne's roots in the New Monasticism movement. It certainly can be used to guide one's personal prayer life, but most of the prayers are designed in a responsive manner. Some readers will be surprised at the political nature of the book. Claiborne is one who believes faith impacts the way we walk in the world, and is no private matter. To this end, Common Prayer is liberally sprinkled with stories of saints new and old who have impacted the world for Christ. Some are not so surprising - Brother Lawrence, Cyprian of Carthage, and Dietrich Bonhoeffer are all highlighted. Others might catch the reader off guard just a bit - Dorothy Day, Clarence Jordan, and Oskar Schindler.

Besides sharing the stories of individuals whose lives reflected Kingdom values, Common Prayer also highlights historical events both good and bad. October 10 remembers the Women in Black and their vigil against war in Serbia. October 16 remembers the Cuban Missile Crisis. August 21 remembers Nat Turner and a slave revolt in Virginia. March 21 retells the story of protest and violence in South Africa. February 25 remembers the Hebron Massacre and ongoing tensions in the Middle East. Each of these prompt us to consider Christ the peace-maker, and to continue to pray for God's Kingdom to reign on earth.

In addition, paragraphs appear throughout asking us to consider issues such as living our liturgy, practicing confession, and being thoughtful about creating sacred spaces. Also included are short teaching pieces on practices such as the Eucharist and church seasons. Each month concludes with a short list of suggestions for Becoming the Answer to our Prayers (the title of an earlier book by Claiborne and Wilson-Hartgrove).

In other words, there is a lot packed into this book. It takes prayer out of the context of 'personal religious practice' and sets in within the larger framework of the Kingdom of God on earth. It asks the user to dig deeper in prayer, but also to spread our arms wider around our fellow Christians and the world.

Of course, to fit all that in meant they created a rather large book. At almost 600 pages, this isn't an easy book to lug around in your backpack, or store in your church library. On the other hand, it's a well-crafted book whose cover, binding, and weight add to the substantial nature of the content. A few basic prints of woodcut art add to the beauty found inside. People used to the idea of common prayer might find this book a refreshing wind blown into their ancient tradition; those new to the idea will find it simple enough to engage and learn this meaningful practice.

In order to expand on their ideas, a website has been created with prayers for the day, .pdf files of the songs included in the book, and information regarding the contributors and their communities.

Special Thanks to Zondervan for providing a copy of Common Prayer for the purpose of this review.

It's all my fault

On Monday I was praying with a small group of pastors. We were using the Lord's Prayer as a framework for our prayer time. We were in the "Hallowed Be Your Name" section.

I was bemoaning the way our world has cheapened our understanding of God, of the loss of awe and wonder, of the abundance of "bumper-sticker God" and "Jesus nightlight God" and "plastic trinket God" and "T-shirt slogan God." And mourning the loss of the Isaiah 6, Holy Holy Holy God.

And so I prayed, "God, we need to see your power again. We need you to show up and remind us of your majesty and might. Holy Spirit, come and reveal your power to us."

And at that very moment the entire building shook as a deep rumble echoed across the water.

Yes, it was a little disconcerting. A few moments of nervous laughter. . .and I said "okay, I'm just going to shut up and let you do your thing."

And in roared a storm that socked the entire Puget Sound region, hours and hours of gale-force winds and lashing rain. All completely unexpected, unpredicted by the weather forecasters. We turned off our lights and watched the lightning show for the next hour. Then all the power went out, so we were forced to stay in the dark until the next morning.

By daylight, the destruction was pretty severe. Trees toppled, boathouses destroyed, cars smashed, branches everywhere. I heard today some people are still without power. And nobody saw it coming.

So there you go. God pummeled the entire northwest just to prove my point. And the lesson seems to be:

- Be careful what you pray for
- God listens to Dan
- We should have gotten to the "Give us this day our daily bread" part sooner. I might be driving a Porsche right about now.

Prayer for All Saints Sunday

Prayed at Lakebay Community Church 11/7/10

Almighty and compassionate God,
in Christ you have known the sorrow of our days.
Our losses are your losses, our pains are your pains.
Our grief is your grief.
In faith we believe that you know our tears,
that you hear our crying, that you know the
darkness stalking our dreams.
You who have known death, rejection,
pain and misery watch over us day by day.
Offer your comfort, O Lord, to those living
in the land of darkness. As you guided those who
have gone before us into your blessed home, guide
us through this dark and mysterious land.
Remember in your mercy those who have left us,
lead us into your Kingdom and grant us your peace.
Lord, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.

Prayer for the dedication of a Blue Star Memorial Highway Marker

We gather today to celebrate the freedom we enjoy in the United States of America, and to remember that those freedoms have been, and still are protected by the men and women who serve in our armed forces around the world. We gather together to honor the veterans who served in times of peace and times of war, to remember those who suffer from the wounds of war, and particularly those who paid the ultimate price, sacrificing their very lives in defense of freedom here and around the world. We come to remember servicemen and women, their parents and children and spouses, all who play a part in supporting our nation. We mourn those who have been taken away, those who were killed or wounded in battle, we honor their memory, we offer love and encouragement to their families. Mostly, we resolve never to forget them, nor their sacrifice.

And so, gracious God, Lord and Father of all humankind, you who are the Prince of Peace, the defender of the righteous and shelter for those in conflict, doubt, or pain, we thank you for your hand that has been at work guiding and directing us to this day; we thank you for giving us brothers and sisters who give of their own lives and talents to defend our country – many of whom stand here in our presence even today. For the young soldier now in Baghdad or Afghanistan, for the old soldier whose sight is fading and step faltering, for the spouse and children who wait at home, missing yet supporting their soldier, we pray for protection, health, and comfort. For civilians who find themselves in harm's way, we pray for your hand to cover over them. Wherever there is violence or anger, where troops array for battle or insurgents sneak about in darkness, we pray your Spirit of Peace to reign in those places, bringing an end to hostility. We truly long for the day when swords are beaten into plowshares, and spears into pruning hooks, when nation will no longer take up arms against nation, nor will any train for war – the day your Kingdom of peace and righteousness reigns upon this land.

Until that day, we pray for your hand upon our leaders, our soldiers, our peacemakers. We pray that this marker would remind us of the great sacrifice made by so many, that it would remind us to encourage and support our veterans, that it would call to mind the men and women who have served this country faithfully. May all who come to this place be reminded to cherish the freedoms that you alone, O God, grant to your children. And may the prayers of peace in this garden, at this marker, be heard by you, O God, and may peace and freedom reign in this place, and around the world. Amen.