Morning Prayer
Begin the Day with God
For centuries, Christians have begun the day with Scripture and prayer.
Morning Prayer is the Anglican way of continuing that ancient practice. It brings together the Psalms, readings from Scripture, prayers for the Church and the world, and time to listen for God.
You do not need to know the service beforehand. You do not need to own a prayer book. And you certainly do not need to be good at praying.
You begin by beginning.
What Is Morning Prayer?
Morning Prayer is part of the Daily Office, the Church’s pattern of prayer throughout the day.
Its roots reach back to the daily prayers of ancient Judaism and the earliest Christian communities. Over centuries, Christians developed patterns of prayer for morning, evening, and night. The Anglican tradition brought these ancient patterns together into forms that ordinary Christians could pray at church, at home, or wherever they happened to be.
The basic rhythm is wonderfully simple:
Be still. Hear Scripture. Respond in prayer. Carry that prayer into the day.
Unlike the Eucharist, Morning Prayer does not require a priest. It belongs to the whole Church. One person can pray it alone at a kitchen table, a family can pray it together, or an entire congregation can gather to pray it in common.
Why Episcopalians Pray This Way
Anglican Christianity has always placed Scripture and prayer together.
The Daily Office takes us through substantial portions of the Bible without requiring us to decide every morning what we feel like reading. The Psalms teach us a vocabulary for prayer that includes praise, fear, anger, gratitude, grief, confidence, doubt, and hope.
Christians around the world pray these same Scriptures and many of these same prayers. So even when you pray alone, you are joining the prayer of the wider Church.
This is one reason the Episcopal tradition speaks of common prayer.
We bring our own lives before God, but we do not have to invent Christianity for ourselves every morning.
What Happens During Morning Prayer?
Don’t worry about memorizing the order. The service itself leads you through it.
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We begin by becoming attentive to God. There may be an opening sentence of Scripture, followed by confession and an assurance of God’s forgiveness.
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We invite one another into worship and pray or sing words of praise.
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The Psalms have been the prayer book of God’s people for thousands of years. Instead of giving us only peaceful or respectable prayers, they teach us to bring the whole range of human experience before God.
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Morning Prayer normally includes readings from the Bible. Over time, the Daily Office lectionary carries us through a broad sweep of Scripture.
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Canticles, the Apostles’ Creed, and other responses help us answer what we have heard.
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We pray the Lord’s Prayer and offer prayers for the Church, our neighbors, our communities, those who suffer, and the needs of the world.
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Morning Prayer ends, but prayer is meant to continue through the lives we live afterward.
Morning Prayer at St. Mark’s
At St. Mark’s, Morning Prayer is one of the ways we gather around Scripture and prayer.
It may be led by clergy or by trained laypeople. That’s part of an old Anglican understanding of the Church: prayer belongs to the whole people of God.
You don’t need to know where every prayer is found or when every response happens. Experienced Episcopalians and people opening a prayer book for the first time pray side by side.
We learn by praying together.
Want to Try It Yourself?
You can pray Morning Prayer almost anywhere: with a Book of Common Prayer, on a website or app, by listening to a recording, or with other people online.
Start simply.
You don’t need to build an elaborate spiritual routine. Fifteen attentive minutes offered regularly are worth more than an ambitious prayer practice abandoned after three days.
Choose whatever makes it easiest to begin.
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Venite
Puts the day’s prayers, Psalms, and Scripture readings together for you. A good place to start if flipping between pages in the Prayer Book feels complicated.Online Book of Common Prayer
Prefer the Prayer Book itself? Read Morning Prayer and the other services online.I’d rather listen
The Simple Daily Office
A straightforward recording of Morning and Evening Prayer. Listen and pray along while you’re learning the rhythm.LISTEN TO THE SIMPLE DAILY OFFICE
The Daily Office Chanted
Morning Prayer, Evening Prayer, and Compline using traditional Anglican chant. -
Daily Office Network
Join people from different places and Christian traditions for live online Morning Prayer on weekdays. -
Dwell
A Scripture-listening app with reading plans based on historic and contemporary editions of the Book of Common Prayer. -
Morning Prayer Formation Playlist
Music for the rest of the day, built around the movement of Morning Prayer and themes from Psalms 121 and 131.
Listen while getting ready, walking, driving, or whenever music helps turn your attention toward God.
Want to Go Deeper?
Morning Prayer is one part of something larger called the Daily Office, the Church’s pattern of prayer through the day.
If you’d like to understand how Morning Prayer, Evening Prayer, Compline, the Psalms, Scripture readings, and the Church calendar fit together, we’ve prepared a short guide.
Start Where You Are
The Daily Office is a practice, not an achievement.
Some people pray Morning and Evening Prayer every day. Some pray several times a week. Others begin with one Psalm and a few minutes of prayer.
The point isn’t maintaining a perfect streak.
The point is gradually allowing Scripture and prayer to shape the way we see God, ourselves, our neighbors, and the world.
So start where you are.
Open the prayer book. Open an app. Put on a recording. Come pray with us.
And tomorrow, begin again.