There is a rather common saying that the Book of Common Prayer is composed of 85% bible passages. It is true. As J.I. Packer once said, The Book of Common Prayer is the Bible arranged for worship. I like that. (To learn more about the Book of Common Prayer, read our Rookie Anglican Guide.) On…
The 1662 Book of Common Prayer: The One Prayer Book Every Rookie Anglican Needs
A liturgy makes it easier to pray with others, and to pray with the church—past, present, and future. Liturgical prayers are not the only kind, but there is something special about them. These prayers can be etched on your heart, taught to your children, and remembered at the close of life. For Anglicans, these prayers…
The Bible in the Book of Common Prayer
Since its inception in 1549, the Book of Common Prayer (BCP) has remained intertwined with the Bible. Many prayers use phrases extracted from the Bible. The Prayer Book quotes the Bible are quoted directly (for example, Opening Sentences in the Daily Office and Offertory Sentences in the Eucharist service). Whole passages of the Bible exist…
The Heart of the Prayer Book Burial Rite
In 1549, Thomas Cranmer faced the difficult task of drafting a reformed rite for the burial of the dead. The rite could not be a requiem mass. However, it could not be something like a modern memorial service either. It would have to be a celebration of Holy Communion with a burial rite. He provided…
The 2019 Book of Common Prayer: A Rookie Anglican Guide
In 2019, the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) released its official edition of the Book of Common Prayer. As we explain in the Rookie Anglican Guide to the Book of Common Prayer (AKA “BCP”), the Book of Common Prayer is the comprehensive service book for Anglican churches (churches that trace their lineage back to…
Designed to be Read: The Architecture of the ACNA Daily Office Lectionary
The Daily Office Lectionary went through several layers of development during the five years of its existence in trial form.
Designed for Mission: The Typography of the ACNA’s New Prayer Book
(Read our Rookie Anglican Guide to the ACNA’s 2019 BCP here.) If you went into an Anglican Church in South Africa, and were handed a Prayer Book, it would be in the Xhosa language. Moments after entering, the officiant starts praying, you glance down and your eyes see the following text: Aze ati, Nkosi, vula…
The Book of Common Prayer: A Rookie Anglican Guide
You can’t be curious about Anglicanism for long without running into the Book of Common Prayer, commonly called the Prayer Book or simply the BCP, which forms the liturgical heart of the Anglican tradition. Of course, based on the title, you might reasonably assume that there’s just one Book of Common Prayer out there. However,…
Notes from Camp St. Christopher
When you drive out to St. John’s Island from Charleston, South Carolina, you move through filtered sunlight through overhanding oak branches draped with Spanish moss. The low country is filled with tall grasses and salt marshes. And when you pull up to Camp St. Christopher, at the very point of the barrier island, you are…
The Daily Office Lectionary: A Rookie Anglican Guide
A lectionary is, in simple terms, a Bible reading plan. It tells you which scripture passages to read on specific days, and the Daily Office Lectionary guides you through the scriptures each morning and evening of the year.
How to Chant the Magnificat (The Song of Mary; Luke 1:46-55)
The Magnificat – also known as the Song of Mary (Luke 1:46-55) – is a canticle used in Evening Prayer. It is featured in certain editions of the Rookie Anglican Daily Office Booklet. Below is an audio file of the easiest way, in my opinion, to chant the canticle. As you can see in the…
My Anglican Journey
The best way to describe my journey to Anglicanism is to say that I stumbled into it. But before I get to the Anglican part, I have to talk about my journey to becoming a Christian. My Christian Journey I grew up in an Indian Hindu family, and my first experience attending church was in…
