Prayer
Our relationship with God, others and ourselves is a journey of faith, a journey which takes many different twists and turns during our lives. We sometimes know the joy of God’s presence, and then we can experience God as absent.
There are many practices that Christians through the centuries have found to support them in their faith journeys. Here are some that may be useful to you.
Prayer is the opportunity to talk to God, whether that is through formal prayers or through silence or through raging and pouring out our hearts to God. Even more important, prayer is the opportunity to listen to God. Regular daily prayer and bible reading can sustain us and nurture our faith.
The Daily Morning and Evening Prayer of the Scottish Episcopal Church – this is prayed by priests and congregations, both alone and in groups morning and evening every day throughout the year. It includes the daily readings. You would be most welcome to join a small group who meet at 9am Monday-Friday online for Morning Prayer.
Lectio 365 – this is a downloadable app which will lead you through a Bible passage each day and invite you to reflect on your life.
Sacred Space – a meditative daily prayer with music, reading and silence
Pray as you go – prayer using the practices of Ignatian spirituality, placing ourselves into Bible stories and finding space to hear God speaking to us. This is a daily prayer as well which can be downloaded and listend to on mobile devices.
Imaginative Contemplation – a section on the Pray as you go which guides the listener through a Bible story and helps to imagine yourself in the story as you encounter God.
All the formal public worship services of the Scottish Episcopal Church are also on line here. They include marriage and funeral services, daily prayer, our Eucharistic liturgy, readings and calendar.
The Bible
The Bible has been central to Christian life, faith and worship since the earliest days. There are many opportunities to read and download the Bible on line. There are both Android and Apple Apps so that they can be put on phones and tablets.
Oremus – here you can search for any passage from the Bible in the New Revised Standard Version, the version we tend to use during our worship at St Marks.
Bible Gateway – a searchable website of many versions, from old language to modern idioms. This includes Bible reading plans and verses of the day.
There are many different Bible reading plans online. Here is one from the International Bible Society.
During February and March 2017, St Marks engaged with the Community Bible Reading Experience, promoted by the Scottish Bible Society. Texts can be seen and listened to online. This is a 40 day reading of the New Testament.