In spite of the cold and light snow, this evening's discussion and Evening Prayer was exceptionally warm--might we say, "toasty with the Spirit of God" as we met at First Presbyterian Church. Within our conversation on lectio divina or Sacred Reading, Tom and Stephan introduced us to (if Andy has remembered it correctly) "African Lectio," the practice (at the Episcopal Church of Our Saviour) of reading Scriptural verses from various translations, pausing after each reading for silent reflection, and then sharing what each translation brings, as it "brushes up against another," to our appreciation and understanding of God's Word for us. A wonderful way of doing "sacred reading"! Andy passed around "The One and Only Book," Christopher de Hamel's review of Marking the Hours: English People and Their Prayer, 1240-1570 by Eamon Duffy (Yale UP), noting that for centuries Daily Office books were the single most popular books for millions of our spiritual mothers and fathers. Look, Professor Dufy says, at Holbein's sketch of St. Thomasas More and his family "at prayer, all holding copies of exactly the same book, doubtless identical printed Books of Hours [i.e., the Daily Office], so that all are praying together from the same text at once" (NYRB, 15 Feb. 2007: 42-43). Today we too hold ourselves together--as a small ecumenical family--in later additions of the Daily Office.

After our discussion, Grace Gutekunst introduced us to and led us in Evening Prayer with the Upper Room's Worshipbook, a particularly attractive evening liturgy. After slowly and quietly speaking the Phos Hileron, we listened to the psalm and the reading from the Gospel of Mark, offered intercessions (and in silence lifted up personal petitions), joined our hearts in the Our Father, and blessed each Person of the Holy Trinity before returning home.

We were especially blessed with the presence of Pat Harris, whose name we add to the list of our community. Here, in review, are all of us who are coming together in the prayers of the Daily Office:

Tom Bryan (328-3334) Tom_bryan@bellsouth.net
June Harnack (626-8535) rjharnack@yahoo.com
Leslie Farris (228-0277) momfarris3@aol.com
Jim Farris (228-0277) momfarris3@aol.com
Mason Smith (623-0692) mason.smith@eku.edu
Carol Poson (985-5572) casposton@yahoo.com
Fr. Birch Rambo (623-1226) tbrambo@bellsouth.net
Andy Harnack (582-3368) andrew.harnack@eku.edu
Grace Gutekunst (624-2090) gegutekunst@aol.com
Patricia Harris harlov4@cs.com
Virgil Brewer (623-5292) virgil.brewer@eku.edu
Stephan Locke (623-2068) slocke@uky.edu

Andy asked that as many as possible come to next Wednesday's meeting at First Prebyterian Church for 6:00 supper so that afterwards we might share with our Presbyterian friends what the Daily Office means to us individually and in community.