This week we continue our look at the New Book of Common Prayer by examining the Prayers of the People.
In the Book of Common prayer we have two options for the prayers of the people. The first option is printed in the Anglican Standard Text and the second is found in the Renewed Ancient Text. Both of these prayers include the traditional concerns for the church, the government, the people of the world, those who suffer and those who are departed. Both of these forms assume that the people of the parish will add their own specific intentions at the right times. Within the Anglican Standard Text silence is added between prayers to facilitate this. In the Ancient Renewed Text the people are invited by the lay leader to verbally express their petitions. At the end of the Prayers of the People churches can opt to add additional prayers such as a prayer of thanksgiving or a prayer for guidance. The verbage from the Anglican Standard Text’s Prayers of the People are very similar to the prayers that we use now. So much so that many will not notice the slight differences.
The Prayers of the People continue the back and forth conversation with God that found in our Anglican worship. As we pray we are reminded that worship is something that the people of God participate in. We act and move in response to what God is doing and has done. Prayer is an invitation to join God in his work of bringing salvation to the world. The laity typically leads these prayers. This is yet another sign that prayer is the work of all the people not just the professionals.
Following the example of Christ, Christian prayer is addressed to our heavenly Father and in the name of Jesus. I am reminded of this fact when I look at the last line of the Prayers of the People. “Heavenly Father, grant these our prayers for the sake of Jesus Christ, our only Mediator and advocate, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.” We are reminded in our prayers that it is by the life, death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus that our prayers are heard. Jesus makes our conversation with God possible.
Prayer is a mysterious act. What happens when we pray? The tension between the sovereign and omniscient will of God and our own is revealed when we try and understand the mechanics of prayer. We might not ever really know how prayer “works” but we do know that prayer is a critical part of being a disciple of Jesus. Christians are people of prayer. This is part of the work to which all disciples of Jesus are called. We believe that our conversation with our heavenly Father has an effect on the world, ourselves, and loved ones.
A life of prayer has an effect on the world but also on the hearts of those who pray. I believe this is why we are called to pray for our enemies and those who persecute us. Prayer has a profound effect on our own soul. When we enter into a conversation with God He transforms how we think and feel about the problems we bring to Him. We cannot help but be transformed when we come into the presence of God.
In the Book of Common prayer we have two options for the prayers of the people. The first option is printed in the Anglican Standard Text and the second is found in the Renewed Ancient Text. Both of these prayers include the traditional concerns for the church, the government, the people of the world, those who suffer and those who are departed. Both of these forms assume that the people of the parish will add their own specific intentions at the right times. Within the Anglican Standard Text silence is added between prayers to facilitate this. In the Ancient Renewed Text the people are invited by the lay leader to verbally express their petitions. At the end of the Prayers of the People churches can opt to add additional prayers such as a prayer of thanksgiving or a prayer for guidance. The verbage from the Anglican Standard Text’s Prayers of the People are very similar to the prayers that we use now. So much so that many will not notice the slight differences.
The Prayers of the People continue the back and forth conversation with God that found in our Anglican worship. As we pray we are reminded that worship is something that the people of God participate in. We act and move in response to what God is doing and has done. Prayer is an invitation to join God in his work of bringing salvation to the world. The laity typically leads these prayers. This is yet another sign that prayer is the work of all the people not just the professionals.
Following the example of Christ, Christian prayer is addressed to our heavenly Father and in the name of Jesus. I am reminded of this fact when I look at the last line of the Prayers of the People. “Heavenly Father, grant these our prayers for the sake of Jesus Christ, our only Mediator and advocate, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.” We are reminded in our prayers that it is by the life, death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus that our prayers are heard. Jesus makes our conversation with God possible.
Prayer is a mysterious act. What happens when we pray? The tension between the sovereign and omniscient will of God and our own is revealed when we try and understand the mechanics of prayer. We might not ever really know how prayer “works” but we do know that prayer is a critical part of being a disciple of Jesus. Christians are people of prayer. This is part of the work to which all disciples of Jesus are called. We believe that our conversation with our heavenly Father has an effect on the world, ourselves, and loved ones.
A life of prayer has an effect on the world but also on the hearts of those who pray. I believe this is why we are called to pray for our enemies and those who persecute us. Prayer has a profound effect on our own soul. When we enter into a conversation with God He transforms how we think and feel about the problems we bring to Him. We cannot help but be transformed when we come into the presence of God.
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