Focus on the Prayer Book, v. 4: Great Phrases (Paperback)

For more than 450 years, the Book of Common Prayer has helped focus the prayer life of Anglicans around the world. In language of breathtaking beauty and delicate nuance, it captures the breadth and depth of our individual and corporate worship. But as with any often-repeated words, the words of the Prayer Book can become so rote that they're hardly noticed. So this series of six adult study guides encourages participants to focus on the individual prayers as they examine their meaning and explore their roots in Scripture and in their own experience. Designed for use in Christian education or other adult spiritual formation groups, each guidebook highlights a particular theme--from the use of metaphor to the arrangement of words in groups of three--in six one-hour sessions. Tips for facilitating a study group, as well as detailed background information, are all included. As they delve into six different prayers, readers of this workbook will explore the meaning of thought-provoking phrases such as one in the Collect for a Sunday after Pentecost, which asks that "the course of the world be peaceably governed by thy providence." Through a series of reflection questions and Scripture discussions, participants will ponder challenging phrases like this one to come to a more deeply informed and energized faith.