People in all kinds of religious traditions, including Judaism and Christianity, have been marking time with prayer for almost as long as weve divided the day into hours. Praying the hours, as its called, has always reminded us that God walks with us throughout each day; praying the hours is also a way that the community of faith comes together, whether were united all in one place or scattered like raindrops. In the Episcopal Church, the Book of Common Prayer offers beautiful services for morning, noon, evening, and nighttime in a section called The Daily Office (pp 35-146). Daily Prayer for All Seasons offers a variation on that theme, where a complete service covers one or two pages, thereby eliminating the need to shuffle prayer books and hymnals. Daily Prayer for All Seasons works for individuals, small groups, and/or congregations. This prayer book presents a variety of images of God, uses inclusive and expansive language for and about God, and presents a rich variety of language, including poetry, meditation, and prayers from the broader community of faith. Episcopalians are bound together by prayer, and when we draw those prayers from our diverse traditions and cultures, we come closer to the heart of God. "" gives us prayers, poems and meditations in many voices to mark the hours of the day and the seasons of the year. I am grateful to the leaders from across the Episcopal Church who have collaborated on this important new set of prayers for everyday life. -- The Rev. Gay Clark Jennings, president, House of Deputies of The Episcopal Church A call to prayer that sounds through the hours of our days and nights, revealing God with us as the seasons turn. This generous book is simple and rich at the same time, full of beauty and shaped for use. May it open the prayer of those who pray alone and deepen the prayer of groups. Sara Miles, Director of Ministry, St. Gregory of Nyssa Episcopal Church, and the author of and San Francisco, California Daily prayer, most especially the Daily Offices, has been characteristic of the Anglican liturgical tradition for more than four centuries. As the prayer book tradition has been reshaped by being planted in many diverse nations and cultures, the forms of daily prayer have been modified.marks another stage in that evolution by asserting that, even in complex and busy lives, we are still called to turn our hearts and minds to God in remembrance that our very lives are Gods first gift to us. The Rev. Dr. Louis Weil,James F. Hodges and Harold and Rita Haynes Professor Emeritus of Liturgics, Church Divinity School of the Pacific Pray at all times and when necessary use words. These prayers will help you pray at all times and find the right words when necessary. In their diversity, these prayers are manna from heaven for folks who are seeking new and creative ways of prayer. This book will teach you how to pray. The Reverend Mark Francisco Bozzuti-Jones, Priest for Pastoral Care & Community and Staff Chaplain, Trinity Wall Street Episcopal Church, New York, NY For stillness in the scrum of commuting; for peace and guidance during retreat; for vigor and hope in the midst of the day's work; for healing and wholeness in rest at the end, we pray - and may you and each community of which you are a part use this graceful gift to pray as well. --- The Most Rev. Dr. Katharine Jefferts Schori, Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church
