Now, O my God, let your eyes be open and your ears attentive to prayer from this place. 2 Chr 6.40
All worship at St. Mark's is drawn from the Book of Common Prayer. Sometimes, people wonder at the wisdom of this approach—it seems like rote repetition to them or that our prayer lacks sincerity. Yet the reality is that it is very freeing and authentic. Although we are thoroughly familiar with the words, we are freed spiritually to go where the words take us. And because these prayers have been shared from generation to generation, we are a part of a great cloud of witnesses in the faith we share with one another and our children.
The Prayer Book is filled with scripture, filled with story, God's story and our story, and so like icons and sacraments, our Book of Common Prayer is a window into another world—God’s world—through which we see our own world and lives differently.
We understand that using the Book of Common Prayer takes a little getting used to…but once the Prayer Book becomes familiar it is a wonderful gift to share in our communion and to treasure at times of solitude.
Current and historical versions of the Prayer Book are available online.