When I started out in ministry as a raw recruit many years ago, I never imagined I would one day make use of a prayer book, still less that I would end up writing several of the things. Full as I was of the cocksure assurance of youth, if someone had offered me such a book, I would probably have looked at them as if to say, ‘What need could I have of that?’ As a student I had led worship in numerous churches and had always been more than happy to pray ‘as the spirit led’, confident that God would give me the words I needed when I needed them.
For a time that was sufficient. Leading prayer on the whole came naturally and easily – and a good thing too, for I needed all my study time to prepare the sermons, family talks, Bible studies and magazine articles expected of me, as well as other pastoral responsibilities. But slowly I began to realise that I was repeating Sunday by Sunday the same old ideas, even the same words, week in and week out. Worse still, all too often my prayers were ill thought-out, jumping from one idea to another or simply petering out in mid-flow. In personal devotion that may not matter too much, but in the context of public worship it was a different story – to my mind little short of a dereliction of duty. Entrusted with the responsibility of leading prayer on behalf of the gathered congregation, I was selling both them and myself short.
So it was that I finally took to preparing in advance the prayers I would use each Sunday – a time-consuming process but, I felt, a worthwhile one – and the result was not only Prayers for All Seasons (book 1), but Prayers for All Seasons (book 2), and material for many other of my books too.
Both Prayers for All Seasons books are divided into three sections. ‘The Christian Year’offers prayers for the principal days of the Christian Calendar from Advent through to All Saints’ Day. ‘Life and Faith’focuses on the passage of life from birth through to death, and on significant events in the life of the Church and the individual believer. ‘Ordinary Sundays’offers a range of prayers for use in worship generally as well as in the Lord’s Supper.
I purposely kept responses and prompts within all of the prayers simple so that they could be memorised by the congregation and repeated without each member needing the words before them. These responses can, of course, be left out if preferred, without in any way altering the prayer’s meaning.
There is, of course, no right way to pray. Sometimes words are appropriate, sometimes not. Sometimes a degree of formality seems fitting, at other times quite the opposite. Much depends on the person and situation in question. Prayers for All Seasons (book 1) does not pretend to be an example of how we should pray for I am still, and always will be, a learner myself. It is offered simply as a resource to those charged with leading prayer in public worship, to help them discharge this sacred responsibility.
This week, until 27 December, you can purchase Prayers for All Seasons (book 1) from Kevin Mayhew Ltd at a 10 per cent discount, using the code ALLSEASONS10 when ordering the title from the company’s website. With the book normally retailing at £27.99, that’s a saving of £2.80. Just type the code into the relevant box at the online checkout between the dates given.
Here, meanwhile, is the first of the prayers I’ll be posting this week from the book, to run alongside this promotion. I’ve taken all of them from the Advent and Christmas sections of the book, to coincide with this special time of year.
ADVENT PRAISE AND CONFESSION
Loving God,
we praise you again for this season of Advent,
this time of preparation, thanksgiving, challenge and reflection.
Open our hearts to all you would say now,
and help us to listen.
We praise you that in fulfilment of your eternal purpose
you came to our world in Christ,
revealing the extent of your love,
showing us the way to life,
allowing us to know you for ourselves.
Open our hearts to all you would say now,
and help us to listen.
We praise you that you came again in Christ
to his disciples after his resurrection,
bringing joy where there had been sorrow,
hope where there had been despair,
and faith where there had been doubt.
Open our hearts to all you would say now,
and help us to listen.
We praise you that through your Holy Spirit
you make Christ real to us each day,
filling us with his power,
his peace,
and his love.
Open our hearts to all you would say now,
and help us to listen.
And we praise you for the promise that Christ will come again
to establish his kingdom,
to begin a new era,
to bring us and all your people life everlasting.
Open our hearts to all you would say now,
and help us to listen.
Loving God,
forgive us that so easily we lose sight of that message of Advent,
allowing its wonder to be swamped
by our busy preparations for Christmas,
by concerns which are so often unimportant,
by our carelessness and disobedience in discipleship.
Open our hearts to all you would say now,
and help us to listen.
Forgive us that we forget your promises,
we frustrate your Spirit,
we lose sight of your love.
Open our hearts to all you would say now,
and help us to listen.
Meet with us, we pray, through this time of worship,
through your living Word,
through the fellowship we share,
and through the risen Christ.
Open our hearts to all you would say now,
and help us to listen.
So may we truly celebrate the Advent of your Son,
and be equipped to serve him better,
to the glory of your name.
Amen.