DAILY OFFICE – A RHYTHM OF REGULAR PRAYER
If “daily office” sounds like your everyday work reality then maybe you have some insight into what this is already. Regular daily prayer has always been a part of the Christian tradition. Throughout the New Testament there is evidence of the regular prayer patterns and times that punctuated the day as well (Acts 3.1). Psalm 119 says, “Seven times a day I praise you for your righteous laws”. So it’s no accident that the monastic tradition finally settled on seven regular prayer times.
Although you might not have time to tackle seven formal prayer slots during your day you should consider one very seriously. A formal daily devotion that establishes or concludes your day, with prayer and Scripture can be transformational. And all the work is already done for you!
The Anglican Church in New Zealand, Aotearoa and the Pacific produced a prayer book in 1989 which became world famous: A New Zealand Prayer Book. It’s online and absolutely free to access. So, if you want to start a spiritual discipline then try please try these:
Sunday – Morning
Theme
The kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours now and for ever.
Nōu te rangatiratanga, te kaha, me te korōria ake ake ake.
Call to Worship
Sleeper awake! Rise from the dead,
and Christ will shine upon you. Alleluia.
Gospel Reflection
How blest are those who are poor in spirit:
the kingdom of heaven is theirs.
How blest are the sorrowful:
they shall find consolation.
How blest are those of a gentle spirit:
they shall have the earth for their possession.
How blest are those who hunger and thirst to see right prevail:
they shall be satisfied.
How blest are those who show mercy:
mercy shall be shown to them.
How blest are those whose hearts are pure:
they shall see God.
How blest are the peacemakers:
they shall be called children of God.
How blest are those who have suffered persecution
for the cause of right:
the kingdom of heaven is theirs.
How blest are those who follow Jesus
and the Saviour’s command to love.
Silence for meditation.
Epistle Reflection
We set our hearts on heaven,
where Christ is at God’s right hand.
Christ is our life, and when he appears,
we too will share his glory.
Christ lives in us.
Though our bodies will die,
yet for us the Spirit is life;
the Spirit of God who raised Jesus from death.
This is our secret.
Christ is in us;
we will share the glory of God.
The reading or readings may follow here.
Prayers
Our Father in heaven,
the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours
now and for ever.
E tō mātou Matua i te rangi,
nōu te rangatiratanga, te kaha, me te korōria,
ake ake ake.
God,
you are our beginning and you will be our end;
we are made in your image and likeness.
We praise and thank you for this day.
This is the day on which you created light
and saw that it was good.
This is the day in whose early morning light
we discovered the tomb was empty,
and encountered Christ, the world’s true light.
This is the day you have made;
we shall rejoice and be glad in it.
Lord, make us instruments of your peace;
where there is hatred, let us sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is discord, union;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy.
Eternal God,
grant to us this day and every day
such readiness and delight in following Christ,
that whether our lives are short or long
we shall have lived abundantly.
Amen.
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