The Daily Office
Morning @ 8.30am
Midday @ 12.00noon
Evening @ 5.30pm
Night @ 9.00pm
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Be silent. Be still. Alone, Empty Before your God Say nothing. Ask nothing. Be silent. Be still. Let your God Look upon you. That is all.
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God knows, Understands, Loves you with An enormous love. God only wants to Look upon you With Love. Quiet. Still. Be. Let your God – Love you. Edwina Gateley |
We begin by lighting a candle and having our scallop shells close at hand.
PREPARATION
O Lord, open our lips
and our mouths shall proclaim your praise.
We come before your presence
You who are common to us all.
Morning:
O God, Creator of Light;
at the rising of your sun this morning,
let the greatest of all light, your love,
rise like the sun within our hearts
and set your blessing upon us
as we begin this day together,
united in prayer and thanksgiving.
Noon:
God in the midst, come close to us,
and help us to come close to you,
as, for a fraction of time, we step back from the activities and demands of the day. So if, as this day goes on, we forget you, do not forget us, O God.
Evening:
Holy One, You have brought us through this day to a time of reflection.
Make us wise in our understanding,
open in our listening, generous in our giving and vulnerable in our sharing.
Night:
It is night after a long day.
What has been done is done;
what has not been done has not been done; let it be.
Let us be still in the presence of God.
Let the quietness of God’s peace enfold us and let us look expectantly to a new day, new joys and new possibilities.
CANTICLE
My soul thirsts for you,
my flesh faints for you,
as in a barren and dry land
where there is no water.
For your loving kindness is better
than life itself,
my lips shall give you praise.
For you have been my helper
and under the shadow of your wings
I will rejoice.
My soul clings to you;
your right hand holds me fast.
Glory to God, Source of all Being,
Eternal Word and Holy Spirit:
As it was in the beginning, is now
and shall be forever. Amen.
INTRODUCTION TO READINGS
Spirit of Wisdom,
take from us all fuss,
the clattering of noise,
the temptation to dominate by
the power of words,
the craving for certainty.
Lead us through the narrow gate of
not knowing,
that we may listen and obey,
and come to a place of silence and stillness,
of true conversation and wisdom. Jim Cotter
READINGS
SILENCE
Morning:
O God our Creator
your kindness has brought us
the gift of a new morning.
Help us to leave yesterday
and not to covet tomorrow,
but to embrace and accept
the uniqueness of today.
Noon:
Throughout this day, enliven our minds, inspire our conversation,
inform our decisions and protect those
we love. And should today bring what we neither anticipate nor desire,
increase our faith and decrease our pride until we know that when we face the unexpected, we do not stand alone.
Evening:
For the roots of our community,
for what we share together,
for the path that lies before us now
and our future in your hands,
we give you thanks and praise.
Night:
May God bless us
in our sleep with rest,
in our dreams with vision,
in our waking with a calm mind,
in our soul with the friendship of
the Holy Spirit, this night and
every night.
PRAYERS
As the community of St Peter’s on Willis, apart and part of the whole, in isolation and in communion, near and far, together we pray . . .
COLLECT
THE LORD’S PRAYER
Our Father in heaven
hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins,
as we forgive those who sin against us.
Lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power and
the glory are yours,
now and for ever. Amen
THE CONCLUSION
May God who raises us
show us compassion and love. Amen.
Let us bless the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Our candles are extinguished.
Material from: Common Worship, The Iona Community, Jim Cotter, Peter Millar, Janet Morley, The New Zealand Prayer Book, The St Hilda Community, Ray Simpson