Congregation At Prayer
St. Paul urges us to "pray without ceasing" (1Thess 5:17). And the Psalms give us a daily rhythm of prayers "evening, morning, and noon" (Ps 55:17). Our Lord both commands us to pray (2nd Commandment) and promises to hear us (Ps 6:9; Ps 65:2). But the reality is that we struggle to pray. We're either too busy, too lazy, or we just don't know how. The Congregation at Prayer is here to help at least with that last part.
Here's how to use the Congregation at Prayer:
- Pick a time and a place where you can form the habit of prayer, whether two minutes or two hours. It's best to be consistent here.
- Whether alone or with your family, follow the order of service on the one side of the page, filling in the gaps with what's found on the other side (Psalm, Hymn, Scripture, Catechism, Collect). You can make it as full or minimal as you like. Start small. Be consistent.
- If you're not comfortable singing, at least read and meditate on the words of the hymn. For this you'll need a hymnal. If you're daring, try looking the hymn up on YouTube and learn to sing along with it.
- If you're just starting, or if you're doing this with young children, just use the learn-by-heart scripture verse (rather than the lengthy daily readings). The goal is habit formation, not to be overwhelmed. Remember: repetition is the mother of all learning. If you're ready for more, then go get your Bible and enter the Church's daily lectionary (that's where those daily readings come from).
- Finally, the next Sunday's readings are available so that you can begin to look ahead and prepare yourself for the Lord's Day.
I pray that you find this resource a helpful guide. If you've already got a rhythm and structure to your daily prayers, great—keep doing that! If you're looking for something stable, planned out according to the lectionary, and tied to the Church's hymnal, then you might give this a try. Most importantly, remember that prayer is your opportunity to enter a conversation that God is already having with you. He loves you and desires to hear your prayer, always giving you more than you could ask or deserve.
Here are some other resources to encourage your daily prayer:
Yours in Christ our life,
Pastor Geoff Boyle
Click on the Title to open a new window with the that Sunday's Congregation At Prayer.
Note: these documents are in Word Format (.doc). You will need WordPad or other similar program to view the files.
