Three Mondays, Then to the Monastery at Mt. Tabor: February 27-March 1

Hello to all our Praying Daily friends!

As you may know, eight of us (by my last count) are planning to visit the Mt. Tabor Benedictine Monastery in Martin, KY, on Friday evening, February 27, returning early afternoon on Sunday, March 1.

If you have not visited this monastery of Benedictine sisters, do consider coming with us; it will be a very special blessing your life.

Last year in Advent we met two times to introduce ourselves to Centering Prayer. The response was warm and so encouraging!

Now it time to follow up. To prepare for our retreat, it will be helpful if we continue to support one another in Centering Prayer by coming over to my home on any or all of the following three Monday evenings:

February 9, 7:00 p.m.
February 16, 7:00 p.m.
February 23, 7:00 p.m.

At these times we will continue listening to Fr. Thomas Keating. Already we have heard Fr. Keating’s first talk, “The Method of Centering Prayer.” As we prepare for our retreat will move on to “The Psychology of Centering Prayer” and “Attitudes toward God.” As we did last time, after our discussion we'll send twenty minutes practicing Centering Prayer.

During our Monday evening meetings, we'll also travel arrangements for getting to and coming back from the monastery.

Don’t hesitate to come to these Monday evening meetings even if you did not make any of the Advent evenings. You are welcome to enter the practice of Centering Prayer at any time. Centering Prayer is a wonderful complement to Morning and Evening Prayers.

As we get ready for our retreat, some of you may have been able to read Keating’s Open Mind, Open Heart and practice Centering Prayer. If you want to read the book and need a copy, we can loan you one.

To make sure that my count is accurate for those of us who will be going to Mt. Tabor Monastery, I’d surely appreciate your sending me an email confirming your intension to go. I probably need to send Sister Judy, the prioress, a note sometime next week, after our Monday evening meeting, telling her exactly how many want to come.

Hope to see all of you on the upcoming Mondays!

In case you need them, here are directions to our home:

1. Go to Exit 87 (the intersection of I-75 and the EKU By-Pass)
2. Go west on Barnes Mill for 2.3 miles to Crutcher Pike, the first crossroad past The Corner Store.
3. Turn right onto Crutcher Pike.
4. Go .5 miles to Mule Shed Lane.
5. Turn left onto Mule Shed Lane.
6. Go .8 miles to Marengo Drive.
7. Turn left onto Marengo Drive. Go .3 miles to 281 Marengo Drive, the brick house on the crest of the hill after you enter the left-turning curve of Marengo Drive. We’ll leave the porch lights on for you!

IF FOR ANY REASON, YOU NEED A RIDE, CALL ME (859-626-8535) AND I’LL MAKE SURE A LIMO COMES TO YOUR DOOR TO PICK YOU UP! SERIOUSLY! CALL ME, AND SOMEONE WILL BE GLAD TO GIVE YOU A RIDE TO OUR HOME AND BACK TO YOUR HOME. WE WANT YOU TO BE WITH US.

Last Sunday afternoon Fr. Birch--and a whole household of friends and neighbors--blessed the home of Leslie and Jim Farris. The Lord heard our prayers as, from room to room, Scriptures were read, the waters of blessing were sprinkled on walls and the gathered guests, and Lesie, Tom, and their son Jason, gave thanks to God for their new home. As the sun shone brightly through the windows and filled the house with light, we were reminded that the Light, Jesus Himself, lives in and among the Farris family. And you should have seen--and tasted!--the tables of lovely food; and in the kitchen, "wine" to gladden hearts. Thank you, Leslie and Jim, for inviting us to be with you on such a special day!

Last evening at The Episcopal Church of Our Saviour, sitting in a circle near the altar, we decided that we want to continue meeting weekly on Thursdays. We made this decision because our conversatons and prayers during the past eight weeks have been so wonderfully helpful to all of us. We also decided that, whenever possible, we'd like to meet in one another's homes, begin our conversations on Thursdays at 7:00 p.m. and then start Evening Prayer at 8:00 p.m. While we know that not everyone will be able to come each week without interruption, we want nonetheless for some or all of us to meet regulary so that everyone knows without doubt that he or she always has the ungoing support of our Davily Office community. Finally, we decided that for next week, before Evening Prayer, we'll ponder Psalm 85 (one of the appointed Psalms for next Thursday) "African-style," a way of listening to God's Word that several members of our group use at the Church of Our Saviour. Here's how it might be described:

In this kind of study a group listens to the reading of a selected scripture passage and responds to the question, What word or phrase seems most significant or meaningful for you, and why? The passage is read a second time and each participant responds to the question, How does this passage speak to your life now, and why? The passage is then read for a third time and participants respond to the question, What will you change or do this week in response to this passage, and why? The passage is read a final time as a closing prayer.

Fr. Birch led us in Evening Prayer; after the Psalms and after the Lessons, we sang several Taize songs. It's safe to say that we all deeply appreciated one another's prayerful companionship and the Presence of the Holy Trinity, Who immerses us in his love and proclaims encouragement on the Way.

We are so glad to welcome Lynn Shearon into our community. From now on, we remember Lynn and her family in our daily intersessions.

Here, then, is an updated list of those with whom and for whom we pray:

Virgil Brewer (623-5292) virgil.brewer@eku.edu
Tom Bryan (328-3334) Tom_bryan@bellsouth.net
Leslie Farris (228-0277) momfarris3@aol.com
Jim Farris (228-0277) momfarris3@aol.com
Grace Gutekunst (624-2090) gegutekunst@aol.com
Patricia Harris harlov4@cs.com
June Harnack (626-8535) rjharnack@yahoo.com
Andy Harnack (582-3368) andrew.harnack@eku.edu
Stephan Locke (623-2068) slocke@uky.edu
Mason Smiith (623-0692) mason.smith@eku.edu
Carol Poston (985-5572) casposton@yahoo.com
Fr. Birch Rambo (623-1226) tbrambo@bellsouth.net
Steve Sells (859-523-0806) sfsell1@uky.edu
Lynn Shearon (623-6185) shearonl@bellsouth.net

June and Andy Harnack are our hosts for our next meeting on Thursday, March 15. Bring along a translation of the Psalms so we can do an African-style study of Psalm 85.

Here's how to get to their home at 281 Marengo Drive, Richmond:

• Go to I-75, Exit 87.
• At Exit 87, head west for 2.3 miles (towards and then past St. Thomas Lutheran Church) on Barnes Mill Road. (You'll go through a stop light, past St. Thomas Lutheran Church on your left; when you see a yellow intersection highway sign with a 35/mph note under it on your right, get ready to turn right at the upcoming intersection.)
• At the intersection, turn right on to Crutcher Pike.
• Go .4 miles to what what appears to be a T.
• Turn left onto (unmarked) Mule Shed Lane.
• Go .8 miles, driving past the House of Prayer Church on your right.
• Look for Chrisbrooke Subdivision (and Marengo Drive) on your left. (Marengo Drive is the only street in the subdivision.)
• Turn left into Marengo Drive until you come to 281 Marengo Drive, on your left at the crest of the hill.

Andy will stake out signs--Daily Office--along the way. If you need help, call 626-8535 and the rescue squad will get into action. Hope to see you there next Thursday, March 15!

Our next meeting will be on March 1, 2007, 7:00 p.m. We will initially meet at St. Thomas Lutheran Church, 1285 Barnes Mill Road, Richmond, KY.

Here are directions on how to get there:

• Go to I-75's Exit 87, where I-75 meets Barnes Mill Road.


• Go west on Barnes Mill Road for one mile.


• The St. Thomas Lutheran Church is located on the left side of Barnes Mill Road.

The church's phone number is 623-7254.

Once everyone gets to the church, we will all go (about a mile into the country) in carvan to the Curtis-Pike Community for Evening Prayer.

If you plan to come, please call or email Carol Poston (985-5572) casposton@yahoo.com so that she can let the Curtis-Pike Community know how many of us to expect.

You will discover your visit to the Curtis-Pike Community to be a great blessing (more about it in a later posting), so be sure to call Carol and be with us on Thursday, March 1.

The blessings of Jesus be with us all,

Andy

This evening we all (well, except for June and me who will be in Nashville this afternoon) will met at The Episcopal Church of Our Saviour. Mason will be leading a discussion on "The Shape of Morning and Evening Prayer," and afterwards Fr. Birch will take take into his parish's new sanctuary and carry us through Evening Prayer. If you have time, either before or after this evening's discussion, you may wish to visit The Shape of the Daily Office. Have a blessed evening!

It was Pastor Rollin Tarter's birthday yesterday, and last evening at First Presbyterian Church, after we wished pastor "Happy Birthday" with songs and gifts, we passed around various copies of the Daily Office and shared with everyone what the Office means and does for us. Stephan Locke was especially eloquent in his winsome gentle way as he spoke of his listening to God in the "dawn-breaking" Morning Prayers. And Pastor Rollins told his parishioners about his participation in the Company of Pastors and how important it is for him, as a morning person, to begin each day with the Office's quiet and contemplative reading of Scripture. And then Grace Gutekunst, so loved by everyone present, held up her Worshipbook and told the story of her coming to the Daily Office many years ago and and how each evening and morning she opens and closes her days with its guidance. Afterwards a number of people, both men and women, had many questions and were given promises of guidance as they too indicated that they wish to enter the rhythm of the Church's ancient and every-new prayer life. Our thanks to everyone who enjoyed the supper, the fellowship, the birthday celebration, and the quiet witness to the blessings of the Daily Office--the day-by-day prayer practiced among us.

I will be representing our Daily Prayer community at First Presbyterian Church this Wednesday evening, January 31. As I begin my preparation for my first (of two presentations, the second on February 7), I've spent some time acquainting myself with the Book of Common Worship: Daily Prayer (Louisville, KY: Westminter John Knox Press, 1993) and am struck with the historic sensitivity and beauty of this prayer book. It will be an absolute delight to let our Presbyterian friends know that they have a real treasure in their hands. The book surprises me on a number of occasions: it's attractive, well designed, and easy to use. Let me tell you about one small delight: a rubric that announces the permissive use of incense. After the Service of Light (with the singing of the Phos Hilaron, and just before the first Evening Psalm), this prayerbook says, "While Psalm 141 is being sung, incense may be burned." What an appropriate action to accompany the opening words of Psalm 141: "Let my prayer rise before you as incense, the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice." Many years ago--long before my "desert wanderings"--while visiting St. Augustine's House, a Lutheran monastary in Oxford, Michigan, I often sang Vespers with incense, sometimes so thick I could barely see across the chapel. But, of course, it's been many years since incense has accompanied my Evening Prayers (even though I often and quietly sing the Psalm 141 at Vespers).

Liturgy & Music, sponsored by the Episcopal Church provides this information about the use of incense:

When burned or heated, usually over charcoal, certain woods and solidified resins give off a fragrant smoke. Both the materials and the smoke are called incense. Incense was widely used in Judaism and other cultures of the ancient world as a means of sacrifice, purification, and veneration. Frankincense or pure incense, the resin of certain trees, was among the gifts brought by the Magi to the young child Christ (Mt 2:11). Despite this scriptural precedent, early Christians avoided incense as a pagan practice connected with sacrifice and emperor worship, and churches did not begin to use it until the fourth century. Thereafter incense was burned at several points in the Daily Office and the Eucharist, and extensively in eastern churches. For Christians today, incense is associated mainly with prayer, as Rv 8:3-4 suggests. Many Anglicans feel free to use it as a sacred symbol and aid to worship. The first option in the BCP for an opening sentence at Evening Prayer is "Let my prayer be set forth in your sight as incense, the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice" (Ps 141:2) (BCP, pp. 61, 115). The BCP states that incense may be used during the singing of Phos hilaron in the "Order of Worship for the Evening" (p. 143), and during the covering of the altar in the "Consecration of a Church." There are congregations where incense is used at the Easter Vigil and other major feasts, and some parishes use it regularly on Sunday.

Perhaps when we meet sometime together soon, we might spend a little time talking about the ceremonials that have traditionally accompanied the Daily Offices. Just an idea for a topic.

We welcome Grace, Virgil, and Stephan!

Last night, at our second meeting, we welcome three more friends to our community--now totally ten! From comments heard during our discussion on the history of the Daily Office and after we came together before God in Evening Prayer, one got the impression that everything went well. The coffee was good, our sharing sincere, and our use of the Daily Office strengthened and made more sure. Several indicated that they'd like to own a personal copy of Robert Benson's Daily Prayer: A Little Book for Saying the Daily Office. But by far, the most wonderful gift of the evening--right after the Presence of Our Lord among us--was the advent of three new Christian friends: Grace Gutekunst, Virgil Brewer, and Stephan Locke. Their coming helped us achieve a sort of "critical mass" in our conversations and later in praying Vespers. So to give us a more complete overview of our community, here is an updated list of those who have been with us one or more times so far:

• 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
• Virgil Brewer (623-5292) virgil.brewer@eku.edu
• Stephan Locke (623-2068) slocke@uky.edu

Our next meeting will be at First Presbyterian Church, Main Street, Richmond, KY, February 1 (Thursday) at 7:00 p.m. The topic for discussion is "The Place of Scripture in Daily Prayer/Offices." Bring your Bibles.

Inasmuch as Virgil and Fr. Birch have indicated that they will not be able to be with us at our next meeting, please remember each of them by name in your Morning and Evening prayers and pray God's blessings upon them as we await their return.

And by the way! Be sure to visit ComplineNYC, an exceptionally beautiful and sacred webspace dedicated to the office of Night Prayer, a website maintained in large measure by Virgil and his son Oliver.

Plans are Underway --and now confirmed!--for Ecumenical Daily Prayer in Richmond, Kentucky

Members of five parishes--St. Mark's Catholic, St. Thomas Lutheran, Our Saviour Episcopal, First Prsbyterian, and First United Methodist--are now being asked to participate in An Invitation to Daily Prayer, an eight-week gathering of Christians, starting on Thursday, January 18, of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.

Here are the dates, topics, and places where we're meeting as of today:

• January 18, 2007, 7:00 p.m.
  The What and Why of Daily Prayer
  St. Thomas Lutheran Church
  1285 Barnes Mill Road (one mile west of I-75’s Exit 97).
  
  
• January 25, 2007, 7:00 p.m.
  The History of Daily Prayer
  First United Methodist Church
  Hartman Room
  401 West Main Street, Richmond, KY
  
  
• February 1, 2007, 7:00 p.m.
  The Place of Scripture in Daily Prayer
  First Presbyterian Church
  330 West Main Street, Richmond, KY

• February 8, 2007, 7:00 p.m.
  The Shape of Morning and Evening Prayer
  Episcopal Church of Our Saviour
  2336 Lexington Road, Richmond, KY
  
  
• February 15, 2007, 7:00 p.m.
  Jesus, Our Praying Lord and Daily Teacher
  First Presbyterian Church
  330 West Main Street, Richmond, KY
  
  
• February 22, 2007, 7:00 p.m.
  Why and How We Pray the Psalms Daily
  First United Methodist Church
  Hartman Room
  401 West Main Street, Richmond, KY
  
  
• March 1, 2007, 7:00 p.m.
  Offices for Daily Prayer
  St. Thomas Lutheran Church and/or the Curtis-Pike Community
  
  
• March 8, 2007, 7:00 p.m.
  Sustaining Daily Prayer
  Episcopal Church of Our Saviour
  2336 Lexington Road, Richmond, KY
  

If you wish to participant, call 589-582-3368 for more information or ask your pastor or priest for details.

The posts below highlight several of the prayerbooks from Protestant, Catholic, and Orthodox traditions that participants will share with one another. Each of these prayerbooks provides an attractive use of the Church's Morning and Evening Prayers, now a three-thousand years tradtion. This bibliography will soon include books related to the Daily Prayer of the Church, sometimes known as The Daily Office.