Let’s make 2016 a year spiritual growth for Saint Gabriel’s Children, Youth, and Family Ministry! As many of you have heard, the recent results of the RenewalWorks survey show that one area where we can grow as a church is to embed prayer and Scripture into our daily lives.
Thus, this year we challenge all families of Saint Gabriel the Archangel to commit to coming together at least once a day as a family for prayer and Scripture reading during Lent. We know that it isn’t easy to switch on daily prayer and Scripture reading. This is why Lent is the perfect season for our Saint Gabriel families to slow down and commit to this challenge together. Historically, Lent began as a time of preparation for new Christians awaiting baptism. As the church grew, fewer new Christians were common, but the season transitioned into a time for all Christians to reflect upon their faith and center themselves in Christ.
We need this more than ever, don’t we? The craziness of life never seems to cease. School, dance lessons, math club, band practice, piano lessons, sports practices, and so much more have overtaken the lives of our families. Our time is currency, and we spend it on what we most value. This is why we challenge you to make prayer and Scripture reading a priority for your family during this time of Lent, in order that you may center your lives around the life giving word of God, and reconnect with one another as a family.
Are you unsure where to start? That’s the beauty of our tradition. We have tons of resources right at our fingertips! Below are resources that can help your family structure your prayer time for success. All are affordable, and some might already be on one of your shelves at home.
Resources:
Tickle, Phyllis. The Divine Hours. Volumes 1-3. New York: Doubleday, 2000-2001.
- This three-volume work makes praying the daily offices very simple. It offers written liturgies for praying the divine hours as well as offering a nightly liturgy for Compline. If you are going to get this for Lent, be sure to get the Prayers for Springtime, which is volume 3.
- Similar to the above resources, but created specifically for Lent. This may be a good starting place, but it has limitations because you can only use it during Lent.
- This resource is similar to Phyllis Tickle’s books, but with a slightly different flavor. In particular, it is laid out by date and offers important events that happened on that particular date throughout history.
- Be sure to get the hardback copy because the paperback is an abridged, pocket edition.
The Book of Common Prayer, 1979.
- The church just gave every family a copy of the BPC. (Let us know if you didn’t get one.) The above resources pull heavily from our prayer book, so why not get back to the source?! The prayer book used with the “Loving the Prayer Book” booklet that Father Chris has made available is a great way to get your family into a schedule of daily prayer.
- We suggest using one of the rubrics from the “Daily Devotions for Individuals and Families” beginning on page 136 in conjunction with the daily office reading schedule. (Click here for the daily office reading schedule during Lent, or check it out for yourself beginning on page 951. We’re in year two!)
The Books of the Bible: New International Version. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2011.
- This reader’s Bible presents the biblical text without chapters or verse numbers. This aids in reading and gives even the Bible veterans a fresh look to scripture—you’d be surprised how much the chapters, verses, and headings impact how we read the Bible. Other helpful features are that the books are arranged chronologically. This translation is the 2011 NIV which is great for all ages in readability and comprehension.
Come back and share how the challenge is going for your family in the comment section!
Living Liturgy 