The offices of prayer are a time to re-center our souls. They usually consist of praying together, singing together, listening to scripture together and proclaiming what we believe together.

We step into a long queue of faithful followers of God and Christ when we engage in this practice. From the early Jews, to early followers of Christ, on up through the church as we know it today.

David in Psalm 119:164 says, “Seven times a day I praise You for Your righteous ordinances”. Daniel prayed three times a day. In the Roman world bells rang at 6am, 9am, noon, 3pm and 6pm. This was for the organization of the business day, but the early Christians built their prayer schedule around this same bell schedule. Acts 3:1 shows us Peter and John going to the temple at 3pm to pray. Peter’s vision of clean and unclean animals mixing happened on a rooftop at noon, because he had gone up there to observe praying at noon.

I Thessalonians 5:17 (pray without ceasing) inspired the first monastics, or “the Desert Fathers” to pass the praying of an office on seamlessly to another group of monks waiting to continue the office, thus creating an endless time of being before the Father.

This is connected with what we do today.

The office’s primary function is not to give us variety and some “new” thing to think about each time. Instead, it gives us the gift of internalizing the word of the Lord. To accomplish this, the scripture that is read at Morning Prayer will be read again at midday, and so throughout the week. We know the Word of God is living and active, and that God speaks to us in many ways at different times through any single passage of scripture.

An example order-of-service:
“In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.”
Call to Worship (choose one)
Prayer Song
Declaration of Faith (choose one)
Scripture reading
Silence
Prayer (offer out loud short prayers of praise, proclamation, and petition.)
Prayer
Benediction
“Glory be to God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, it is now and shall be forever and ever. Alleluia and Amen.”


We would begin after everyone takes a seat on the floor. Words will come up on the screen. We will often read responsively. There is usually also one song. The atmosphere is silent otherwise, and the lights are dim. We pray together, read scripture, and listen to it read.















































J