What do Christians practise every day...

1. Daily Spiritual
Practice
Connecting, refreshing, growing…
Simon Nash
CHOW - 4 September 2013

2. Daily Spiritual Practice
In the earliest Church
Monastic and liturgical prayer
Catholic, Orthodox, Celtic and Anglican
practices
Evangelical practices
Morning Prayer
Mealtime Prayers
Evening / night Prayer

3. Jewish daily prayer (fromBabylonianexileonwards)
;
Sh'ma Yisrael Adonai Eloheinu Adonai Eḥad
Hear, O Israel: the Lord is our God, the Lord is One
Deuteronomy 6:4
Baruch shem k‟vodo l‟olam
Blessed be the name of His glorious kingdom for ever
and ever - Psalm 72:19
V'ahavta – Deuteronomy 6:5
Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all
your soul and with all your strength
Psalm 119:164 Seven times a day I praise you…

4. New Testament
Acts 10:3 One day at about three in the afternoon he had a
vision. He distinctly saw an angel of God…
Acts 10:9 About noon the following day […], Peter went up
on the roof to pray…
Acts 16:25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and
singing hymns to God…
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 Rejoice always, pray continually, give
thanks in all circumstances…
Romans 1:9-10 …how constantly I remember you in my
prayers at all times …

5. Didache (40 – 110 AD)
Chapter 8. …Do not pray like the hypocrites, but rather as the
Lord commanded in His Gospel, like this:
Our Father in heaven, holy be your name. Your kingdom
come. Your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us
today our needful bread, and forgive us our debt as we also
forgive our debtors. And bring us not into temptation, but
deliver us from the evil one ; for yours is the power and the
glory for ever..
Pray this three times each day.

6. Fourth Century
 Decriminalisation of Christianity
 The invention of the laity
 Massive increase in Christian numbers – decrease in
individual piety?
 The monastic reaction
 Religious formalism

7. Sixth Century – Benedictine
Matins / Vigil / Nocturne - Midnight
Lauds 3 am
Prime 6 am
Terce 9 am
Sext Midday
None 3 pm
Vespers 6 pm
Compline 9 pm
- Prayers, hymns, psalms, creeds, readings, silent meditation.
- Lord‟s prayer, Gloria,

8. Second to Sixteenth Centuries
 Diversity of praxis, local customs in community, sharing
and cross –pollination.
 Technological change (late middle ages) – transport and
printing.
 Council of Trent 1568 – Pope Pius V: uniform Breviary.

10. Church of England
 Book of Common Prayer (1549), Common Worship
(2000)
 Four offices: Morning Prayer, Prayer during the day,
Evening Prayer, Night Prayer .
 Obligatory, twice daily, under Canon Law c26.

11. Morning Prayer - Wednesday,4 September 2013
Preparation O Lord, open our lips and our mouths shall proclaim your praise.
Psalm 8 O Lord our governor, how glorious is your name in all the world!
Your majesty above the heavens is praised out of the mouths of babes at the breast. …
Gloria Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit; as it was in the beginning is now and shall be for ever. Amen.
Opening prayer The night has passed, and the day lies open before us; let us pray with one heart and mind.
Silence is kept.
As we rejoice in the gift of this new day, so may the light of your presence, O God, set our hearts on fire with love for you; now and for
ever. Amen.
Psalm 119.1-32 1 Blessed are those whose way is pure, who walk in the law of the Lord.
Blessed are those who keep his testimonies and seek him with their whole heart,..
Gloria Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit; as it was in the beginning is now and shall be for ever. Amen.
Wisdom 3.1-9 But the souls of the righteous are in the hand of God, and no torment will ever touch them. In the eyes of the foolish they seemed to
have died,
and their departure was thought to be a disaster, and their going from us to be their destruction; but they are at peace. ..
Isaiah 55.6-11 1Seek the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while he is near; 2Let the wicked abandon their ways, •and the unrighteous their
thoughts;
Gloria Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit; as it was in the beginning is now and shall be for ever. Amen.
Mark 10.17-31
As he was setting out on a journey, a man ran up and knelt before him, and asked him, „Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?‟ […] Jesus,
looking at him, loved him and said, „You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven;
then come, follow me.‟ When he heard this, he was shocked and went away grieving, for he had many possessions. Then Jesus looked around and said to
his disciples, „How hard it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!‟ And the disciples were perplexed at these words. But Jesus said
to them again, „Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is
rich to enter the kingdom of God…
Psalm 73 Lord, you will guide me with your counsel and afterwards receive me with glory. For I am always with you; you hold me by my right
hand….
Luke 1.68-79 Blessed be the Lord the God of Israel, •who has come to his people and set them free….
Gloria Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit; as it was in the beginning is now and shall be for ever. Amen.
Prayers Intercessions are offered ¶ for the day and its tasks ¶ for the world and its needs ¶ for the Church and her life
Silence may be kept.
Collect Almighty God, whose only Son has opened for us a new and living way into your presence: give us pure hearts and steadfast wills to
worship you in spirit and in truth; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy
Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Lord‟s Prayer Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven….Amen.
Conclusion The Lord bless us, and preserve us from all evil, and keep us in eternal life. Amen. Let us bless the Lord. Thanks be to God.

12. Evangelical Daily Prayer
 Spontaneity, Antinomianism, Romanticism, Individualism

13. Other Traditions
Quakers
Silent meditation and prayer
Benedictine Mysticism
Lectio Divina – “letting the word read you”
Celtic Christianity
Loom Prayers, Travel Prayers, Greetings and blessings,
Prayers at places, prayer gestures, nature prayers, prayer
and art…
Beads, Candles, Crosses, Pebbles…

14. Charismatic daily prayer
 Speaking in Tongues
 Soaking Prayer
 Silence
 Creativity and Prophetic gifting

15. Question for discussion
What works for you…

16. Prayer at mealtimes
Doxology of Thomas Ken 1674 - The Mennonite “606”
Praise God, from whom all blessings flow;
Praise him, all creatures here below;
Praise him above, ye heavenly host;
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.
Lord, bless this food and grant that we
May thankful for thy mercies be.
Teach us to know by whom we're fed;
Bless us with Christ, the living bread.

17. St Ambrose (340 – 397)
At the ending of the day,
Creator of the world, we pray
That you, with our souls may safely keep
And watch over us while we sleep.
From evil dreams defend our sight,
From fears and terrors of the night;
Tread underfoot our deadly foe
That we no sinful thought may know.
O Father, that we ask be done
Through Jesus Christ, your only Son;
And Holy Spirit, by whose breath
Our souls are raised to life from death.