Over the centuries, morning prayers have been ritualized. Even now, many people read devotionals or scripture, in addition to praying, in the morning. The church also has formalized "Morning Prayer," a worship service with hymns, scripture lessons, and prayers, that many people follow.
This prayer service is like a short worship service, modeled after Episcopal practice. It has a short "opening sentence" which is the same as a call to worship, followed by a psalm and a prayer of confession. The daily scripture lessons -- Psalm, Old Testament, New Testament, Gospel -- for the day follow, usually with chants or psalms in between. The prayers follow, including the Lord's Prayer. And then there is a closing.
Some people follow this service with a group of people; others do it by themselves. But it is a practice that encourages daily prayer and scripture reading (in fact, people who follow the daily lectionary read all of the Bible every two years).
Today's Prayer Prompt: Try a form of Morning Prayer today. Here is a guide to help you, complete with today's scripture readings.
- Opening Statement: "I was glad when they said unto me, 'We will go into the house of the Lord.'" Psalm 122:1
- Prayer of Confession
- Lessons: Psalms 75, 76; Jeremiah 5:20-31; Romans 3:19-31; John 7:1-13 (allow two minutes of silence between each reading)
- Time of Prayer, end with The Lord's Prayer
- Closing Statement: "May the God of hope fill us with all joy and peace through the power of the Holy Spirit." Romans 15:13
No comments:
Post a Comment