In the Anglican tradition (since 1549 officially and even before in the practice of many), there have been two daily orders of prayer, Morning Prayer and Evening Prayer. These two offices have usually been expected of the clergy and encouraged for the laity. Daily Morning and Evening Prayer in some form are still the mainstays of Anglican devotion. However, there are circumstances where complete offices are not possible because of factors such as work, health, travel, emergencies, or availability of Bibles or Prayer Books. In fact, simplified options are reflected throughout Scripture and Christian tradition, and these simpler practices are the root sources of the Daily Office.
One Scriptural example is the Jewish use of the Shema, "Hear O Israel," from Deuteronomy 6 as a creedal prayer. This prayer was repeated at various times, especially at bedtime and rising (Dt. 6:7). In all likelihood, it was included in the prayers that Daniel and other pious Judeans would have offered three times a day (Daniel 6:10,13). By New Testament times, more elaborate patterns of prayer in the morning, around midday, and in the evening seem to have been developing among the rabbis. Perhaps, simplifying these practices is what the Gospels had in mind when they refer to the Lord's Prayer (Matthew 6: 5-15; Luke 11:2-4). A reference to common Christian prayer practices is recorded in Acts 2:42, and a mention of Jewish afternoon prayer is found in Acts 3:1.
Near the end of the first century, the Didache enjoins saying the Lord's Prayer three times a day (ch. 8). Although some details of practice are murky, it seems to have remained common for Christians of many types to pray three times a day, especially in the morning and in the evening. There are examples in the Eastern Church, and in the medieval Western Church, a basic pattern seems to have developed in both Latin and vernacular languages. It usually included an invocation of the Trinity, the Apostles' Creed, the Our Father, the Gloria Patri, Ave Maria, and perhaps a prayer related to the time of day. A related development was saying the Angelus around 6 AM, Noon, and 6PM.
At the time of the Reformation, Martin Luther included basic memorizable forms for morning and evening in his Small Catechism. His forms reflected medieval practice with the removal of the Ave Maria. He also drew on medieval traditions to provide basic prayers appropriate for morning and evening. American Books of Common Prayer since 1789 have also included forms of family prayer. These prayers for morning and evening are based on 17th and 18th-century English prayers. They are beautiful but sometimes wordy for everyday use; so the 1928 American BCP developed shorter forms consisting of the Lord's Prayer, a collect or short prayer suitable for the time of day, and the option to add other prayers and Scripture. With the Catholic Revival in 19th and 20th century Anglicanism, there was a recombining of medieval and BCP forms. This development is found in the traditional St. Augustine's Prayer Book edited by L. Gavitt.
When unable to say the full Daily Office forms, I have found both tradition and BCPs useful. One does not even have to have a Prayer Book, a Bible, a phone app, or a computer. Simply use a basic mental outline.
1. Begin "In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost."
2. Say a verse of Scripture from memory.
3. Pray the Apostles' Creed or the Nicene Creed from memory.
4. Pray the Lord's Prayer.
5. Pray a memorized or personal prayer appropriate for the time of day.
6. Add notable personal prayer concerns.
7. Conclude with the Grace (II Cor. 13:14) or another prayer of blessing.
Such a pattern is consistent with general Christian traditions of prayer and with the content of the Prayer Book Daily Offices.
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