Using the 1979 BCP for Morning and Evening Prayer means I can get done faster which sometimes is essential in the morning. I like the thought of full verses but the reality of my day, even being fully retired but doing a lot for the church, mostly environmentally related, almost seems like a full job. When my wife was alive I did not even do the 1979 version as she would have objected!
Yeah, that is of course the worry with chapter-long lessons, and I appreciate that people do have life situations that make it difficult. I will say that I have found it easier to adjust to the longer readings than I expected, even balancing ministry and academic work, but it might not work for everyone.
Having just moved very close to a cathedral in the UK, it’s been a privilege to get to live a life where the bell calls me to the daily Morning Prayer service (alas, work does not allow me attend every day). I’ve appreciated this way of engaging with publicly read Scripture that allows it to confront me without time for immediate analysis and study. In my Baptist youth, I found quiet time particularly vexing because I loved to read and study anything and felt I was missing an expected and distinct emotional experience of closeness when my quiet times felt like an ordinary reading comprehension exercise. The context of public worship and prayer changes how I receive Scripture, and commands a posture of receptivity that I lacked before.
I used to use the 2007 BCP every morning and I found the same problem with having to mark the lectionary page with my finger. I got a lot out of it and I often read the Bible commentary, too. I was late for work a lot, so I went to an online format. At the first of the year my Parish Priest suggested the Anglican Breviary. I have not yet bought a hard copy, but I found a website that I like. It updates for the different times of day. It is liturgy.io
The “utopian” aspect of Cranmer’s daily office project is overstated. Guiver cites evidence of very well attended weekday services up to the late 18th c. New (Industrial Revolution) attitudes to time (reflected in the Shortened Services Act of 1873) seem to have involved in the collapse of weekday services.
Using the 1979 BCP for Morning and Evening Prayer means I can get done faster which sometimes is essential in the morning. I like the thought of full verses but the reality of my day, even being fully retired but doing a lot for the church, mostly environmentally related, almost seems like a full job. When my wife was alive I did not even do the 1979 version as she would have objected!
Yeah, that is of course the worry with chapter-long lessons, and I appreciate that people do have life situations that make it difficult. I will say that I have found it easier to adjust to the longer readings than I expected, even balancing ministry and academic work, but it might not work for everyone.
Having just moved very close to a cathedral in the UK, it’s been a privilege to get to live a life where the bell calls me to the daily Morning Prayer service (alas, work does not allow me attend every day). I’ve appreciated this way of engaging with publicly read Scripture that allows it to confront me without time for immediate analysis and study. In my Baptist youth, I found quiet time particularly vexing because I loved to read and study anything and felt I was missing an expected and distinct emotional experience of closeness when my quiet times felt like an ordinary reading comprehension exercise. The context of public worship and prayer changes how I receive Scripture, and commands a posture of receptivity that I lacked before.
I used to use the 2007 BCP every morning and I found the same problem with having to mark the lectionary page with my finger. I got a lot out of it and I often read the Bible commentary, too. I was late for work a lot, so I went to an online format. At the first of the year my Parish Priest suggested the Anglican Breviary. I have not yet bought a hard copy, but I found a website that I like. It updates for the different times of day. It is liturgy.io
The “utopian” aspect of Cranmer’s daily office project is overstated. Guiver cites evidence of very well attended weekday services up to the late 18th c. New (Industrial Revolution) attitudes to time (reflected in the Shortened Services Act of 1873) seem to have involved in the collapse of weekday services.
Sorry 1872.