Daily Office

Author: teejtc  /  Category: Religious

I have had difficulty with “daily devotions” for as long as I can remember. Of all the classical disciplines, daily Bible reading, has been the most difficult. It’s not that I don’t love the scriputres - I do. It’s not that I don’t recognize the importance of daily reading - I do. It’s not even that I don’t want to (per se) - I do. It’s that, for some reason, I have unusual difficulties with it.

For that reason, I’ve found that I have to be very intentional about submitting myself to a discipline that’s not dependant on my daily ups and downs. Most specifically I’ve found it helpful to follow a formal daily lectionary. In the past, I’ve recommended the Book of Common Worship - Daily Prayer. It’s from a sister denomination and out of the reformed tradition. It’s reasonably priced and very well organized (although it, unfortunately, skips some of the less “plesant” Psalms.

Several weeks ago, however, I had the distinct blessing of a very edifying conversation with Dan Meeter (another RCA minister) and he made me aware of the Contemporary Office Book NRSV. It’s not from within the reformed tradition (it’s Episcopal), but WOW, what a great book! I know it’s pricey but if you use the daily lectionary out of the Book of Common Prayer (or are willing to…or don’t do anything and want to start) I sincerely recommend it. It contains the daily office (a good order with many exceptional, traditional prayers), all the Psalms, the contemporary collects, and (this is what makes it so wonderfully useful) all of the daily readings. It’s not that paging back and forth in the Bible is difficult, it’s just that with the passages printed right there, it’s so easy and straight-forward. (If you care, it’s actually not Hard Cover, like the BN site says, it’s leather.)

(If you live in SW Michigan, let me know and you’re welcome to page through my copy.)

(By the way, both of the links in this post are to Barnes & Noble dot com - www.bn.com - it has the most reasonable price for both of these resources, especially if you’re a member.)

Just thought I’d share…

Grace and Peace,
`tim

4 Responses to “Daily Office”

  1. scott Says:
    November 5th, 2005 at 11:53 am

    When started in the ministry backi in ‘91, & began making, you know, the “big bucks,” I splurged on a leather set of the Liturgy of the Hours. I had the church buy it, and I paid it off over a few months ($150). It kept me going for a long time. What makes this 4-vol. set special is the inclusion each day of the Office of Readings - a page of relevant text from the Fathers. Of course I never told the church it was a Catholic resource…It still sits by my desk, but I confess that I haven’t read it this past year. It does require a “guide” which I forgot to buy, but this year I think I will.

  2. Bill Says:
    December 1st, 2005 at 9:51 am

    Hey Tim, I have entered the world of blogs and have found yours! Hey, do you remember when I was visiting you shared about your struggles with devotions? You shared two options with the congregation, one you had come up with and the other I do not remember. Is there any way I could get them? Thanks

    ~Bill

  3. teejtc Says:
    December 1st, 2005 at 11:13 am

    Bill…welcome!

    Yes, I remember, except I think maybe I shared 3 options, not 2 :smile:

    The first, was a small resource I created a couple of years ago that gave a reading from either OT, Psalm, NT, Belgic Confession, or Heidelberg Catechism. Over the course of a year, this resource gets the reader through all the “major” stories in the Bible as well as both the Belgic Confession & Heidelberg Catechism.

    The second, is a small resource put out by the RCA called “At Home with the Word” - it splits the weekly lectionary passages into daily readings. People who read this will read the passages throughout the week that are likely to be preached on Sunday mornings.

    The third, is the Book of Common Worship: Daily Prayer. It’s a resource by the Presbyterians. Excellent and includes a daily lectionary (two year cycle) of Psalms, OT, Epistles & Gospels for each day.

    I have 1 extra copy left of the Presbyterian resource and will drop it in the mail for you with a copy of each of the others as well.

    Again, welcome!

    Grace and peace,
    `tim

  4. Jared Cramer Says:
    January 18th, 2006 at 5:49 pm

    Tim,

    Thanks. I’ve been debating about whether to purchase this and you helped me decide that I should.

    Grace,
    Jared

Leave a Reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.