Next Sunday I'll be wrapping up my current teaching series at Valley, "Praying with Jesus." In the final sermon I'll be sharing a number of prayers from Christians through the ages. In preparation, I've been going through a number of Christian prayer books that have been important through church history. Here are a few you might be interested in checking out...
The Divine Hours by Phyllis Tickle
Tickle has gathered one full week of fixed-hour prayers, providing an
ideal companion for travelers, office-workers, people on retreat or
pilgrimage, as well as newcomers to this age-old spiritual practice. As
Tickle writes in her introduction, "prayer is always a place as well as
an action, and the daily offices are like small chapels or wayside
stations within the day's courses." Seven of these daily offices are
offered for each day of the week, and each office contains the Call to
Prayer, the Request for Presence, the Greeting, the Reading, the Gloria,
the Psalm, the Small Verse, the Lord's Prayer, the Petition, and the
Final Thanksgiving. Tickle draws her texts primarily from the Book of Common Prayer
and the writings of the Church Fathers, and includes memorable
devotional and meditative poems by Cleland McAfee, Charles Wesley, and
others. Tickle also provides a chapter of "Traditional, Seasonal, and
Occasional Prayers" in order to accommodate special dates like Advent,
Christmas, Easter, and Thanksgiving; major life-changes such as
marriage, birth, death, and illness; and moments of special petition or
thanksgiving.
The Book of Common Prayer
This is the standard Book of Common Prayer and Administration of the
Sacraments and Other Rites and Ceremonies of the Church together with
The Psalter or Psalms of David according to use in the Episcopal Church
in the United States as authorized in 1979.
The Glenstal Book of Prayer
Reflecting the richness of two ancient prayer traditions: Benedictine
and Celtic.This rich, nourishing prayer book draws on the strength of
Benedictine and Celtic spirituality. It offers morning and evening
prayer, night prayer, prayer for special moments during the day, prayers
for special occasions, additional psalms for meditation, and a series
of quotations from the Rule of St. Benedict.
Common Prayer: A Litergy for Ordinary Radicals
Common Prayer helps individuals and today’s diverse
church pray together across traditions and denominations. With an ear to
the particulars of various liturgical prayer traditions, and using an
advisory team of liturgy experts, the authors have created a tapestry of
prayer that celebrates the best of each tradition. The book also includes tools for prayer scattered throughout to aid
those unfamiliar with liturgy and deepen the prayer life of those
already familiar with liturgical prayer. It
includes a table of days and readings for the morning prayers as well as
an annotated list of saints and days to remember. Churches and
individuals who desire a deeper prayer life–and those familiar with
Shane Claiborne and New Monasticism–will enjoy the tools offered in this
book as a fresh take on liturgy.
The Valley of Vision: Puritan Prayers
The strength of Puritan character and life lay in prayer and meditation.
In this practice the spirit of prayer was regarded as of first
importance and the best form of prayer, for living prayer is the
characteristic of genuine spirituality. Yet prayer is also vocal and may
therefore on occasions be written. Consequently in the Puritan
tradition there are many written prayers and meditations which
constitute an important corpus of inspiring devotional literature.
Celtic Daily Prayers
Celtic Daily Prayer is the fruit of the spiritual life of a
remarkable community. Its liturgies, prayers, and meditations are drawn
from a deep well of spiritual experience that transcends fashion,
culture, and denomination. Blending prayer and praise and building upon
the ancient wisdom of traditional Celtic Christianity, this prayer book
is extraordinarily fresh. At the heart of the life of the Northumbria
Community, as well as this book, lies the Daily Office -- morning, noon,
and evening prayers and a monthly cycle of meditations for individual
or communal use each day. With words drawn from sources such as St.
Patrick's Breastplate, Teresa's Bookmark, Columba's Blessing, and the
Psalms, this cycle of daily prayers reflects the essential rhythms of
life.
My Prayer Book (Concordia)
With more than 200 prayers for Christian living, this book is for family
or worship, for marital difficulties, for servicemen or women, for the
job, and for the lonely. Includes presentation page and a section on key
chapters and stories of the Bible.
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