The Little Friar

Several clergy friends have asked for a resource they can use to gather their congregations (at least online) to pray.  I've put together an ecumenical daily prayer liturgy in response.  Congregations (or individuals) are free to use it.  The two hymns in the liturgy have music that are linked to existing YouTube videos; that way, everyone can sing together, too!  These are strange times -- but the Church continues to do what it has always done in obedience to the God who continues to do what God has always done.

Thomas More and Timothy Sprankle's Philippians:  A Commentary for Biblical Preaching and Teaching brings together the exegetical, theological and homiletical purposes of the text under one easy to use biblical commentary.  Each section of a chosen pericope within the Philippian letter deals with these three themes in succession.  For example, on Philippians 2.5-11 (the well-known kenotic Christological hymn), the exegetical idea is how Christ modeled a servant.  The theological focus is humility.  And, finally, the preaching idea is to climb down the ladder of privilege to reflect the attitude of Christ.  After the three areas of focus, the commentary, in the summary section, lists "Preaching Pointers" that give the preacher/teacher ideas about what they should drive home when delivering the text. This commentary contains all the usual information about the biblical book early in the commentary -- an outline, authorship, date of writing, location...

the wholeness of good possessed as a whole the completion of powers inherent in you at splendid things true joy of the soul triumph at being your self pure and true well-reasoned choosing of the natural thing viewing the order of all things in all to be like a circle or unending ring in all choice and thought to hear virtue's call achievement of life that is smooth in its flow that which makes nature finished in kind the good to will and the true to know being the divine that in us we find

the heart is the only eye that can see this thousand eon bonfire whose sparks are our galaxies once, long ago, I saw its light in a tea lamp there was no one in the church its small flame made a long hall of the darkness guiding no one it searched became a tongue licked the tinder

For twenty-five years, on most mornings, I sit down, open my prayer book and commit the day to God. Sometimes this simple act of piety provides a framework for the day.  Saying Morning Prayer is not simply an act of piety that is part of my Order's Rule , it's an act that connects me to the wider world and reminds me of the catholicity of the Church.  As I pray, the liturgy helps me to appreciate that I'm part of a body transcending space and time:  The Holy Spirit somehow incorporates me, as well as countless others, into the body of the risen Jesus, and in this way we all are involved in God's oversight of the world.  I'm coming to believe that saying Morning Prayer verges on the profound -- not because I'm saying it, but because God has given it as a gift to be said. But sometimes -- many times, if I'm being honest -- saying Morning Prayer is simply nothing more than me vocalizing words on a page as my mind wanders.  Today, for example, I read Psalm...