The Book of Common Prayer

The Book of Common Prayer:

Scripture arranged for worship

The Book of Common Prayer is at the heart of Anglican worship. It is not a substitute for the Bible, nor is it merely a collection of human prayers. It is best understood as the Bible arranged for worship.

The overwhelming majority of its words come directly from Holy Scripture. Its services are woven together from the Psalms, the Gospels, the Epistles, the Lord’s Prayer, the Ten Commandments, and countless other biblical passages. Even where the Prayer Book does not quote Scripture word for word, its prayers gather together and express the teaching of the Bible.

When Anglicans worship with the Prayer Book, therefore, we are not simply reading prayers written by others. We are praying the Word of God back to him.

The first Book of Common Prayer was published in 1549 under the leadership of Archbishop Thomas Cranmer, bringing the worship of the Church in England into a single, accessible English form. It drew deeply upon the worship of the ancient Church while placing Scripture at the centre of every service. Revised over the centuries, the Prayer Book has shaped the faith and worship of Anglicans throughout the world and remains one of the most influential Christian texts in the English language.

Saturated in Scripture

From beginning to end, Prayer Book worship immerses us in the Bible.

We confess our sins in biblical language. We hear the assurance of God’s forgiveness. We sing the Psalms. We listen to readings from the Old and New Testaments. We respond with biblical canticles and creeds. We pray the prayer Jesus taught his disciples, and at Holy Communion we rehearse the words and actions of Christ at the Last Supper.

The Bible is not merely included somewhere within the service. It provides the language, structure, and substance of the whole.

Formed by the Story of Christ

The Prayer Book orders the worship of the Church around the life of Jesus Christ.

Through the Christian year, we move from the expectation of Advent to the joy of Christmas; from the revelation of Christ in Epiphany to the repentance of Lent; from the cross of Good Friday to the resurrection of Easter, the Ascension of Christ, and the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.

This rhythm draws us repeatedly into the whole story of the Gospel. Rather than allowing our faith to be shaped only by the concerns of the moment, the Church’s calendar forms our lives around the birth, ministry, death, resurrection, reign, and promised return of Jesus.

Ancient Faith for the Present Day

At Grace Anglican Fellowship, our worship follows the Book of Common Prayer 2019, which preserves the historic Anglican pattern of worship in clear and accessible language.

The Prayer Book gives us roots without trapping us in the past. It connects us with Christians across the centuries while continually directing us to Jesus Christ. It gives us words for joy and sorrow, celebration and repentance, ordinary days and the most significant moments of life.

Above all, the Book of Common Prayer places the Scriptures upon our lips, writes them upon our hearts, and shapes us into a people whose whole lives are offered in worship to God.

To see the full text of the 2019 Book of Common Prayer click here.

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