Praying daily at regular times is a practice that goes back to the very beginning of Christianity. The early Christians adapted their Jewish prayer traditions of praying at 9, 12, and 3, connecting the times to the trinity and events in the New Testament, such as Jesus’ crucifixion or the appearances of the Holy Spirit. Praying at morning and evening was soon added, citing the psalms, and eventually the early monastic community would add their own times until 8 offices of prayer made up the Catholic Liturgy of the Hours.

Lutherans retained the practice of morning, evening, and night prayer (Matins, Vespers, and Compline), services for which can be found in our hymnals. Holden Evening Prayer is a version of the Vesper service, using its assigned psalms and songs. I’d like to lean into this tradition for our week-long June “vigil”, and invite you all to set aside time for prayer at morning, noon, and night. The timing can be flexible to fit with your morning or evening, but the idea is to all frame the day in prayer together.

I have provided a psalm, song and set prayers that can be prayed at each time of prayer, but you are always free to pray your own preferred prayers or whatever the Spirit puts on your heart. The purpose here is connection, not conformity. This could be a good time to lift up our youth as they start to go to camps and on mission trips this summer, but you can also focus on the prayers themselves or on the concerns of the church from the green sheet or our your own heart. If there is interest, I will pray through the "service" on Facebook Live each day at 8:00, 12:30, and 5:00 (except, of course, Sunday Morning)

Intern Rebecca