During the pandemic, quite a few of us discovered regular Morning Prayer. I’ve always enjoyed it as a liturgy but previously it was only a Parish Weekend or Retreat experience rather than a daily pattern. Exploring its regular cycle of canticles and psalms as well as working our way through the lectionary has provided a much needed grounding through the last eighteen months. For the last year, I’ve helped lead it and normally joined from home when I’ve not been doing that. Reading the comments made by people online adds extra input to my own thoughts.
It’s been a mixed experience hearing Jeremiah, Job and Ezekiel this year and at times it has felt like wading through treacle. However much one tries to draw spiritual parallels, writings such as the descriptions of ‘the people of God slaughtering those in the land they were given’ come as a challenge to our understanding of a loving God.
And after those Old Testament horrors, we are presented with Proverbs (which so often feels just a random assembly of wise thoughts that I struggle to get into any flow with) and at Sunday’s main services the Letter of James (which Martin Luther described as the ‘epistle of straw’).
In spite of that picture I’ve painted, my experience is that there is always a new lesson to learn. I was struck so much by “Be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to anger.” (James 1:19). I do not remember ever reading it before but what a gem.
God speaks through the written word to draw us to the living Word. Perhaps James’ advice applies as much to our approach to scripture as our daily lives.
Jeff Claxton
