viii Prayers of Great Traditions
These 28 forms of prayer for morning and evening have been drawn
from Daily Office material and later prayers of individuals. They
represent almost every century of the Christian story. The material has
been adapted, retaining the mood, sense and underlying theology of
the original while removing archaic phrases and repetition.
The sources are largely from works that were created for private
rather than public prayer. Others, such as those from Karl Barth, are
taken from public prayers. Some are newly translated, and most have
been rewritten and shortened to make them of practical use today.
Cameos of the authors and sources may be found on pages 177–84.
The daily structure
The daily pattern is:
a. Preparation: praise, penitence and psalms for the day.
b. The Word of God: prayer for help, set readings and a creedal
response.
c. Prayers: in four basic sections (for myself and family, for the
community, for the church, for the world) with the Lord’s
Prayer.
d. Conclusion: looking to the future and eternity.Psalm and Bible readings are the foundation of The Daily Office and
should always be included, even if other prayers are omitted. The 28
psalms on pages 147–64 are newly translated for this book and will
serve when travelling, or if no Bible is available. For each evening
office, when longer readings may be undesirable, a sentence for
meditation is taken from these psalms. Most people have their own
plan for Psalm and Bible reading, but a lectionary covering the whole
Bible is provided on pages 165–76.