Sunday, March 20, 2011

A Reformed Prayerbook

While I have the utmost respect for the Book of Common Prayer--probably the single most important expression of historic Christian worship in my own life--lately I've been using a new resource for prayer: Seeking God's Face: Praying with the Bible Through the Year. Compiled by Philip Reinders, one could think of it as a Reformed prayerbook, embodying the Protestant emphasis on the centrality of Scripture while also honoring post-apostolic tradition (e.g., by including prayers that draw from the Heidelberg Catechism, the Belgic Confession, and the Westminster standards). Like the most ancient and global Christian practices, it encourages a prayer discipline that is centered on the Psalms while also, in the spirit of the lectionary, walking us across the entire narrative of Scripture. It honors the tradition of disciplined (written) prayer while also making room for extemporaneous prayer and devotion.

To learn more about the book, and to see what each daily practice looks like, check out the excerpt that is available from Faith Alive [pdf]. Amazon also offers an annotated image the lays out the elements of each 2-page spread.

In sum, I think this is a wonderful gift to foster intentional Christian piety with a Reformed accent. It would be a marvelous way for those new to the Reformed tradition to connect themselves not just to the doctrines of Reformed theology but also the practices of Reformed piety.