Daily Office & Lectionary

 

Daily Office (a daily devotional)

Daily services of prayer for the morning and evening that are read privately as daily devotions and corporately as a liturgy in church. The chief purpose of the daily office is remembrance, thanksgiving and praise. Each office consists of a collect, scripture readings, prayers, psalms, canticles, the creed, confession and petition.  The daily office lectionary (BCP 934ff) is arranged in a two-year cycle of scripture readings that covers most of the Bible, and the complete cycle of psalms is recited every seven weeks. The observance of daily worship has been part of the Christian tradition from the fourth century and derives from the Jewish practice of reciting the Shema ("Hear, O Israel") morning and evening in the synagogue.  The first Book of Common Prayer reduced the eight monastic services of prayer, reading, psalmody and praise to two. The daily office may be led by lay people as well as by the ordained.

The Revised Common Lectionary

The above link is to what is used by the Episcopal Church of the United States. The RCL is an ordered system for reading the Holy Scriptures at the Eucharist and the Daily Office.  The linked RCL is in the form of a calendar and specifies and contains links to the psalms and readings for the various days of the liturgical year.

 

 

The Book of Common Prayer

 Rites, services and devotions in forms approved by The Episcopal Church

_________________________________________

 

From the Book of Common Prayer, Page 137

In The Morning

 

From Psalm 51

Open my lips, O Lord, *
    and my mouth shall proclaim your praise.
Create in me a clean heart, O God, *
    and renew a right spirit within me.
Cast me not away from your presence *
    and take not your holy Spirit from me.
Give me the joy of your saving help again *
    and sustain me with your bountiful Spirit.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: *
    as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen. 

A Reading

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!
By his great mercy we have been born anew to a living hope
through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
1 Peter 1:3

A period of silence may follow.

A hymn or canticle may be used; the Apostles' Creed may be said.

Prayers may be offered for ourselves and others.

The Lord's Prayer

The Collect

Lord God, almighty and everlasting Father, you have brought
us in safety to this new day: Preserve us with your mighty
power, that we may not fall into sin, nor be overcome by
adversity; and in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your
purpose; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.