Lutheran Rite breviary, used in the Lutheran Churches, in four volumes Like the
Mass (liturgy) itself, the Daily Office within the Lutheran Church has had considerable variety, in both language and form. In the Reformation era, the Daily Office was largely consolidated into Matins, Vespers, and sometimes Compline, though there are notable exceptions. The
Missale Germanicum of 1568, for example, simply translated the pre-Reformation breviary into German, retaining all of the canonical hours. The 1613
Cantica Sacra of the
Magdeburg Cathedral, on the other hand, provides for Matins, Lauds, Prime, Terce, Sext, None, Vespers, and Compline to be sung in Latin every day of the year, including
plainsong melodies and text for Latin invitatories, responsories, and antiphons provided. As a result, a rural Lutheran parish church in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries might pray Saturday Vespers, Sunday Matins, and Sunday Vespers in the vernacular, while the nearby cathedral and city churches could be found praying the eight canonical hours in Latin with polyphony and Gregorian chant on a daily basis throughout the year. The movement of
Pietism emphasized a personal holiness over formal liturgy in Lutheran Germany, including the Daily Office, as described in Paul Graff's
Geschichte der Auflösung der alten gottesdienstlichen Formen in der evangelischen Kirche Deutschlands. Nevertheless, a Latin choir hymnal was published in
Nuremberg in 1724, and weekday observations of Matins and Vespers continued in many German Lutheran parishes. A renewal in the Daily Office took place in the nineteenth century as a part of the
confessional revival among Lutherans, particularly as a result of the work of such figures as
Johann Konrad Wilhelm Löhe. Among English-speaking Lutherans in North America, this influence helped give rise to traditional forms of Matins and Vespers, based on sixteenth century Lutheran precedents, found in the
Common Service of 1888, which were then included in English-language Lutheran
hymnals in America prior to the 1970s. In 1969, the
Worship Supplement of the
Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod reintroduced the offices of
Prime,
Sext, and
Compline, though only Compline was retained in subsequent hymnals. In 1978, the
Lutheran Book of Worship was published, containing newly revised forms of the Daily Office influenced by liturgical reforms in vogue following the
Second Vatican Council, with an order of Evening Prayer that includes a "Service of Light". Both the 2006
Lutheran Service Book of the
Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod and the 2006
Evangelical Lutheran Worship of the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America provide forms of the modern Daily Office rites introduced in
Lutheran Book of Worship, though
Lutheran Service Book also provides traditional forms of Matins and Vespers patterned on those found in the
Common Service of 1888. Today, in addition to denominational hymnals, there are a variety of books and resources used by Lutherans around the world to pray the hours. In Germany, the
Diakonie Neuendettelsau religious institute uses a breviary unique to the order, and the
Evangelisch-Lutherische Gebetsbruderschaft uses its
Breviarium Lipsiensae: Tagzeitengebete. Among English-speaking Lutherans in the United States, the twentieth century saw a proliferation in breviaries and prayer books alongside renewed interest in praying the canonical hours. Among the volumes presently in use is a translation of the
Breviarum Lipsiensae: Tagzeitengebete, entitled
The Brotherhood Prayer Book, which provides for eight canonical hours and includes a psalter, responsories, and antiphons set to Gregorian chant. It is largely used by clergy and laity within the
Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod.
For All the Saints: A Prayer Book for and by the Church was published in 1995, and follows the daily lectionary of the 1978
Lutheran Book of Worship, providing three scriptural readings and a non-Scriptural reading from a Christian theologian or source for each day of the year in a two year cycle. In 2008, the
Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod published
The Treasury of Daily Prayer, the only current denominational effort among Lutherans to reinvigorate the observation of the Daily Office. For each day, it provides a psalm (or a portion thereof), an Old Testament reading, a New Testament reading, a writing from a Christian theologian or writer, a hymn stanza, and a collect. In a further effort to encourage widespread use of the Daily Office, the
Treasury of Daily Prayer has also been made available as a mobile app called "PrayNow".
Anglican usage sitting atop
The Anglican Breviary and the
Book of Common Prayer The daily offices have always had an important place in Anglican spirituality. Until comparatively recently Mattins and Evensong were the principal Sunday services in most Anglican churches, sung to settings by composers both ancient and modern. While Evensong with its musical repertory spanning five centuries continues to play an important role in Anglican worship, the
eucharist has replaced Morning Prayer as the principal service on Sunday mornings in most Anglican parishes and cathedrals. The
Book of Common Prayer, first published in 1549 and revised down the centuries, constitutes the basis of the liturgy for
Anglicans and
Anglican Use Roman Catholics. All Anglican prayer books provide offices for
Morning Prayer (often called Mattins or Matins) and
Evening Prayer (colloquially known as Evensong). The traditional structure of Matins and Evensong in most Anglican prayer books reflects the intention by the reforming Archbishop of Canterbury,
Thomas Cranmer, to return to the office's older roots as the daily prayer of parish churches. For this purpose, he followed some German Lutheran liturgies in eliminating the lesser hours and conflating the medieval offices of Matins and Lauds, while incorporating the canticles associated with each: the
Benedictus and
Te Deum. Similarly, Evening Prayer, also derived from German Lutheran liturgies, incorporated both the
Magnificat from Vespers and the
Nunc Dimittis from Compline. In Cranmer's adaptation of preceding Lutheran forms, each canticle was preceded by a reading from scripture. For the sake of simplicity, Cranmer also eliminated
responsories and
antiphons, although these have been restored in many contemporary Anglican prayer books. Since his time, every edition of the
Book of Common Prayer has included the complete psalter, usually arranged to be read over the course of a month. One distinctive contribution of Anglican worship is a broad repertory of
Anglican Chant settings for the psalms and canticles. Since the early 20th century, revised editions of the
Book of Common Prayer or supplemental service books published by Anglican churches have often added offices for midday prayer and
Compline. In England and other Anglican provinces, service books now include four offices: •
Morning Prayer, corresponding to
Matins and
Lauds. •
Prayer During the Day, conflating the lesser hours of
Terce,
Sext, and
None. •
Evening Prayer, corresponding to
Vespers. •
Night Prayer, or Compline. Some prayer books also include a selection of prayers and devotions specifically for family use. The 1979
Book of Common Prayer of the Episcopal Church in the U.S. also provides an "Order of Worship for the Evening" as a prelude to Evensong with blessings for the lighting of candles and the singing of the ancient Greek lamp-lighting hymn, the
Phos Hilaron. In the Church of England, the publication in 2005 of
Daily Prayer, the third volume of
Common Worship, adds "Prayer During the Day" to the services for Morning Prayer, Evening Prayer, and Compline, and adds a selection of antiphons and responsories for the seasons of the
Church Year. The 1989
New Zealand Prayer Book provides different outlines for Mattins and Evensong on each day of the week, as well as "Midday Prayer", "Night Prayer", and "Family Prayer". In 1995, the
Episcopal Church (United States) published the
Contemporary Office Book in one volume with the complete psalter and all readings from the two-year Daily Office lectionary. Most Anglican monastic communities use a Daily Office based on the
Book of Common Prayer or on
Common Worship but with additional antiphons and devotions. The
Order of the Holy Cross and
Order of St. Helena published
A Monastic Breviary (Wilton, Conn.: Morehouse-Barlow) in 1976. The Order of St. Helena published the
St. Helena Breviary (New York: Church Publishing) in 2006 with a revised psalter eliminating male pronouns in reference to God. The
All Saints Sisters of the Poor also use an elaborated version of the Anglican Daily Office. The
Society of St. Francis publishes
Celebrating Common Prayer, which has become especially popular for use among Anglicans. Some
Anglo-Catholics use the Anglican Breviary, an adaptation of the Pre-Vatican II Roman Rite and the
Sarum Rite in the style of Cranmer's original
Book of Common Prayer, along with supplemental material from other western sources, including a common of Octaves, a common of Holy Women, and other material. It provides for the eight historical offices in one volume, but does not include the
Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which was bound along with many editions of the
Breviarium Romanum. Other Anglo-Catholics use the Roman Catholic
Liturgy of the Hours (US) or
Divine Office (UK). Various Anglican adaptations of pre-Vatican II Roman office-books have appeared over the years, among the best known being Canon W. Douglas' translation of the 'Monastic Diurnal' into the idiom of the 'Book of Common Prayer'. Historically, Anglican clergy have vested in
cassock,
surplice, and
tippet for Morning and Evening Prayer, while bishops wear the
rochet and
chimere. In some monastic communities and Anglo-Catholic parishes, the officiant wears a surplice or an
alb with stole and
cope when Evensong is celebrated solemnly. The canons of the Church of England and some other Anglican provinces require clergy to read Morning and Evening Prayer daily, either in public worship or privately. According to Canon C.24, "Every priest having a cure of souls shall provide that, in the absence of reasonable hindrance, Morning and Evening Prayer daily and on appointed days the Litany shall be said in the church, or one of the churches, of which he is the minister." Canon C.26 stipulates that, "Every clerk (cleric) in Holy Orders is under obligation, not being let (prevented) by sickness or some other urgent cause, to say daily the Morning and Evening Prayer...." In other Anglican provinces, the Daily Office is not a canonical obligation but is strongly encouraged.
Methodist usage F. W. Macdonald, the biographer of
The Rt. Rev. John Fletcher Hurst, stated that Oxford Methodism "with its almost monastic rigors, its living by rule, its canonical hours of prayer, is a fair and noble phase of the many-sided life of the Church of England". The traditional 1784 Methodist Daily Office is contained in
The Sunday Service of the Methodists, which was written by
John Wesley himself. It was consequently updated in the
Book of Offices, published in 1936 in Great Britain, and
The United Methodist Book of Worship, published in 1992 in the United States. Some Methodist religious orders publish the Daily Office to be used for that community, for example,
The Book of Offices and Services of The Order of Saint Luke contains
Morning,
Mid-Morning,
Noon,
Mid-Afternoon,
Evening,
Compline and
Vigil. Certain Methodist parishes, such as Saint Paul's Free Methodist Church, offer a daily corporate praying of the canonical hours at church.
Reformed usage Some Reformed churches—notably the
Presbyterian Church (USA) and the
United Church of Christ—have published daily office books adapted from the ancient structure of morning and evening prayer in the Western church, usually revised for the purpose of
inclusive language.
The New Century Psalter, published in 1999 by The Pilgrim Press, includes an inclusive-language revision of the psalms adapted from the
New Revised Standard Version of the Bible with refrains and complete orders for Morning and Evening Prayer. Simple family prayers for morning, evening and the close of day are also provided.
Book of Common Worship Daily Prayer, published in 1994 by
Westminster John Knox Press, includes the daily offices from
The Book of Common Worship of 1993, the liturgy of the
Presbyterian Church USA. In addition to Morning and Evening Prayer there is a complete service for Compline. Its psalter—an inclusive-language revision of the psalter from the 1979 American
Book of Common Prayer—also includes a collect for each psalm. Antiphons and litanies are provided for the seasons of the church year. A new
Book of Common Worship Daily Prayer with expanded content was published in 2018. It adds a service for Mid-Day Prayer. Its new psalter is from
Evangelical Lutheran Worship. Both books are intended for ecumenical use and can be used with any daily lectionary.
Anabaptism In
Anabaptist Christianity, Mennonites (especially
Old Order Mennonites and
Conservative Mennonites) and Amish have family prayer every morning and evening, which is done kneeling; the
Christenpflicht prayer book is used for this purpose. Bible readings may be read after this, often after the evening prayer; to this end, the
Tägliches Manna devotional is used by many Anabaptists. == See also ==