Episcopal Church Foundation Vestry Papers - for leading congregations

This weekend I’ll be giving up my life as a “resident companion.” It’s been almost two years that I’ve lived alongside the Community of the Holy Spirit, a religious order of nuns, at their farm in Brewster, NY.

One of the things I’ve loved has been joining the Sisters, as well as other companions and interns, in daily prayer, whether Lauds (Morning Prayer), Vespers (Evening Prayer), or Compline. A rhythm of regular prayer and meditation – or at least the daily invitation to join in – brought me a new sense of groundedness and awareness. I’ve been happier, less stressed, and more aligned with the Spirit’s presence and persistence in my life. The commitment of prayer in community sustains me in ways that few other things do.

But now, with other commitments pulling at me, it’s time to give up intentional life this particular community. As I do so, I wonder how to keep up the daily practices of prayer and reflection that have fed me? I wonder what practices others engage in to nurture their spiritual life on a daily basis?

One of the resources I’ve been relying upon is the Daily Office online. Thanks to a layperson in Indiana named Josh Thomas, who started an online ministry a few years ago, Morning and Evening Prayer get delivered right to my email inbox. No, it’s not nearly the same as chanting ancient plainsong canticles with the Sisters in their lovely chapel. But at least I get a twice daily invitation to sit still, focus my heart and mind, remember the saints who’ve come before us, and offer up prayers to the Holy One. These little emails encourage me to join the wider Christian community around the globe in communal praise and prayer.

I don’t always heed the invitation, often just skimming or skipping it as I browse email on my Smartphone while commuting to work. But this morning as I woke up early in a hotel room in Memphis, TN, I paused a little longer on the invitation. Opening it, I began to say aloud the familiar cadence:

O God, let our mouth proclaim your praise.
And your glory all the day long.

It drew me in. I didn’t follow all the suggested readings, but found myself transported into a long, lovely time of prayer and peace, recounting all the thanksgivings and cares of the last few days, remembering all those in my wider circles in need of prayer. This morning, at least, I was in community, and thankful for the daily invitation to open my lips and proclaim God’s praise.