Family Prayer

He said therefore, “What is the kingdom of God like? And to what shall I compare it? It is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his garden, and it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air made nests in its branches.”

Luke 13:18–19 ESV

The Daily Office, while a beautiful gift from the Anglican Tradition, can seem intimidating. In total, it asks for one to two hours of prayer a day. Also, it requires a certain level of attention and presence that can be difficult for many—from the CEO, with demanding employees, to the parent, absorbed by caring for their children, often setting aside their own needs. Sitting down for prayer in these cases can feel like a chore, rather than a much needed pause in the day. 

But, praying (even if for two seconds) is better than nothing at all. 

Prayer can be like the parable of the mustard seed—we need faith to grow in our hearts. While the mustard seed appears small, there is abundant life hiding inside. Tending that small seed, it grows into a tree that provides shelter for many birds and animals. God, who gives life, can turn what is small in human eyes into something beautiful. So, we learn that in prayer, it is the life of faith hidden inside prayer that is the most important. Even if it is a small moment, we faithfully entrust ourselves to the God who gives life to all creation.

So, respecting the busy, chaotic, and distracting world that we live in, the Anglican Tradition has Family Prayer. It was created with families of small children in mind. With limited attention spans, time is of the essence in prayer. Yet, the name does not limit these offices only to families. This is also called “Daily Devotions for Individuals and Families” (from the 1979 prayerbook). Individuals are encouraged to use this so they can pray something, rather than nothing at all.

You can find these prayers in your 2019 Book of Common Prayer between pages 66-78. Also, Anglican House Publishers are releasing an illustrated version of Family Prayer in November. You can pre-order it here.

So, if you are limited by time or attention, do not be intimidated by the gift of the Daily Office. Praying is a time to spend with God. And some days we need to do something, rather than nothing. God, as the subject of prayer, is more important than any time we give or the perceived “effort” on our part.

Nicole Kallsen, Curate

Compline

Happy are those who do not follow the advice of the wicked

or take the path that sinners tread or sit in the seat of scoffers,

but their delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law they meditate day and night.

Psalm 1:1-2

For those blessed with the ease of falling asleep, hitting the pillow after an exhausting day brings instant rest. However, if you struggle with an active mind and body, sleep can be a source of dread, marked by hours of restless waiting. 

It is a loss to end the day without a routine that examines the moments that brought you there. While I would not go as far as Socrates to say that "the unexamined life is not worth living," I would argue that examining your days, while mindful of God's presence, contributes to a well-lived life. Death can come suddenly, much like falling asleep, or it can be a long and painful process. Still, we need not dread it. 

Compline offers a template to examine our days, so at the time of death, we can offer back to God the completeness of our life.

Compline comes from a Latin word meaning "complete" and serves as the punctuation mark for each day. It is intended to be prayed just as you fall asleep. Just as we fall asleep each night, we must also be prepared for the possibility of not waking in the morning. By collecting our days with Compline, we practice how to gather our lives at the very end. 

Compline reminds us of the fragility of our lives. In my opinion, it is beautiful that the Scriptures used in this Office are central to an Anglican burial service. Notably, the Nuc Dimittus, or the Song of Simeon, expresses a deep sense of satisfaction. This canticle,  or scriptural song, affirms that you have seen the Lord, which brings peace. Undeniably, each day, and each life, is sustained by the presence of God. Both at the end of our days, and lives, God was there, and we did see Him.

Nicole Kallsen, Curate

Evening Prayer

O gladsome light,

pure brightness of the everliving Father in heaven,

O Jesus Christ, holy and blessed!

Now as we come to the setting of the sun,

and our eyes behold the vesper light,

we sing your praises, O God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

You are worthy at all times to be praised by happy voices,

O Son of God, O Giver of Life,

and to be glorified through all the worlds.

— Phos Hilaron, 2019 Book of Common Prayer p. 44 —

Houston’s skyline is magnificent. Billowing clouds shift and plume above, mesmerizing anyone who pauses to look. Colors paint the sky at sunrise and sunset, while skyscrapers sparkle day and night—reflecting the sun or emanating their own lights.

While not every culture or vocation follows strict office hours, most human life is patterned around changing light—the rising and setting of the sun. The availability of light shapes the cadence of our days: sunrise increases our energy for the day's work, while sunset encourages our nervous system to wind down in preparation for rest.

Evening Prayer marks a tonal shift in our days, similar to the setting of the sun. Traditionally prayed between 6:00 and 9:00 p.m., it bookends our lives alongside Morning Prayer. Both of these Offices offer a robust structure—reading through the Bible in a year and the psalms in a 30- or 60-day cadence. They are vital markers in our discipleship, as God’s word is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path (Psalm 119:105). Changes in physical light resonate with this fundamental reality

Evening Prayer is distinct from Morning Prayer in how it invokes God’s presence. In the morning, you express a desire for God to work throughout the day ahead. In the evening, you reflect on where God has been and how you partnered with Him. As a time for slowing down, Evening Prayer collects the graces of the day and looks toward the night and rest to come.

Particularly, the Phos Hilaron, translated as O Gladsome Light, is one of the oldest Christian hymns sung in the evenings. Evening Prayer stewards this 3rd- or 4th-century hymn as a meditation on the sunset. Praying it once introduces you to its beauty, but habitual repetition each evening will deepen its meaning. I encourage you to pray it in the evenings as you watch the changing light, reflecting on God’s grace throughout your day.

Nicole Kallsen, Curate

Midday Prayer

Evening and morning and at noon I utter my complaint and moan, and he hears my voice.

Psalm 55:17

In the middle of the day I’m normally neck-deep in tasks. By noon, it can be easy to forget the prayers from the morning—life can be so distracting! Unfortunately, it is a slippery slope to then forget that your daily bread is the Word of God, and work can become striving out of your own abilities. At midday, it can be hard to stop what you are doing, especially if you are habituated to a certain structure of your days. 

It is important to stop, pause, and remind yourself of why you are doing what you are doing —especially in the middle of a hectic day.

Midday Prayer is a short Office, taking 3-5 minutes. It has a basic structure shared between the Offices, following closest to Compline, yet simpler than the extended Offices of Morning Prayer or Evening Prayer. You can use this pattern to re-orient your heart towards God’s presence amidst daily chaos. 

The Opening Sentence of Scripture or Invitatory invites you to pray, helping you transition from your work to a posture of prayer. 

The Word is central. We read from the psalms and a passage of Scripture. In response, we observe a period of intentional silence to allow space for God to speak or for personal reflection.

Scripted Prayers disciple you to pray for the whole of life. These prayers break your habits that keep you stuck in one area. The Lord’s prayer is prayed at each Office, as this is how Jesus taught his disciples to pray. We pray “collects” (a short structured prayer addressing God with a specific petition or praise). This section also has time for silence or extemporaneous prayer. It is valuable to bring your day into God’s presence. 

Finally, the Dismissal is a reminder that praying orients us to bless the Lord through our daily work, and we are sent to do so with God’s grace.

Nicole Kallsen, Curate

Morning Prayer

I lay down and slept; I woke again, for the Lord sustained me.  

Psalm 3:5

How do you start your day? I’m not talking about the necessary coffee ritual that wakes you up. I’m also not talking about the walk or gym routine that brings you back to your senses. Rather, how do you start your day once you are fully awake, ready to give yourself to the days’ tasks?

Your habits when you are at peak alertness reflect your deepest desires—what you long for most deserves your attention and energy. This desire guides your actions throughout the day. Just as a rock rolls down a mountain under the force of gravity, your desires energize your habits, wishes, and wants

So, what if starting the day with prayer trains your heart to long for God? 

In the Psalms, we read that the psalmists offer praise to God upon waking. Coming to their senses, they recognize that God sustained them through the night. This “prayer book of the Bible” records how the psalmists remain alert to their dependence on God and their desire to thank Him.

In our Anglican tradition, our first hour of prayer is called Morning Prayer. Traditionally prayed between 6:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m., this office trains our hearts to find the fulfillment of our deepest longings in God. As a community, we use confession, Scripture, tradition, and silence as our training ground. 

Morning Prayer is the Anglican training plan to reorient your desires. So, finding ourselves each morning in a time of prayer—whether it be immediately on waking, or when you are attentive to the day at hand—we work to follow the pull of God rather than the gravity of this world. Learning to desire God thus shapes the rest of the day, guiding how you act upon your habits, wills, wishes, and wants.

Nicole Kallsen, Curate