Posts from — January 2008

After four weeks apart from my wife and children we are now joyfully reunited. I am something of a novelty for Ailan and Eilish after our month of separation.

It has also been a jolting reminder for me of how difficult it is for parents to develop and maintain a rythym of Daily Prayer while parenting; especially when everything is in holiday time. So it’s an opportunity for me to reconcile my regular practice of psalmody around holidays and children and other irregular events.

As a way of celebrating my completion of CPE (Clinical Pastoral Education) I bought a copy of the Church of England’s Common Worship: Daily Prayer. This was a wonderful way to use to the gift of book vouchers given to me by the parish where I have been practicing for the past three months.

Well this is my second day of using the Daily Prayer. It is far easier to navigate around than the Catholic Morning and Evening Prayer Book and due to the singular focus on daily prayer it offers greater depth than A New Zealand Prayerbook. It is what I have been looking for for quite some time; it facilitates a daily cycle of psalmody complete with antiphons and flavoured by the nuances of the liturgical calendar.

Those in Auckland can buy a copy for $85 from Church Stores in Ellerslie. Yes, that’s a considerable price to pay but I think worthwhile if daily prayer is an important aspect to your spiritual practice.

Good Books NZ (an affiliate of Oxfam) are now selling Daily Prayer for the amazing price of $51.55 at this address: https://www.goodbooksnz.co.nz/book/UK-9780715120736

For those who might like to ease their way into daily prayer practice without buying a copy of daily prayer: visit the links I have included to morning and evening prayer on the Church of England’s Common Worship webpage.

Today my moped was stolen from outside the church while I sat inside participating in a pastoral education session. I have little hope of the police finding it. How do I feel? Absolutely gutted. This evening I turned to the psalms. Evening, day four of the month - Psalm 22.

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Why are you so far from helping me, from the words
of my groaning?
O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer;
and by night, but find no rest.

Do not be far from me,
for trouble is near
and there is no one to help.

they divide my clothes among themselves,
and for my clothing they cast lots.

There are several ironies in this theft. First, yesterday I accidentally left my keys in the bike all day and it was there when I left in the afternoon. Secondly today we we examining the subject of loss and grief. Yes, I am feeling some grief now. Third I was not charged for my coffee today when I bought lunch at a local cafe. Having realised this I paid for the while leaving the cafe. Perhaps the psalms will at least provide me with an understanding of a world in which things don’t always work out for those who do good. But how do I follow Christ into that kind of world? The reading this evening is from Isaiah 61:

The spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me,
because the LORD has anointed me;
he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed,
to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives,
and release to the prisoners.

but also:

For I the LORD love justice,
I hate robbery and wrongdoing;
I will faithfully give them their recompense,
and I will make an everlasting covenant with them.

Well it doesn’t really apply to my situation but I am comforted that the LORD hates theft; especially when I’m feeling so bruised by it.