Rule of Life (3) - A Rule About Worship

RULE OF LIFE (3) - A RULE ABOUT WORSHIP

Two weeks ago, I suggested that if we were serious about growing in the spiritual life we needed to be disciplined and that this was best expressed in the form of a Rule of Life.

Last week, I suggested that a Rule of Life seeks to give a pattern to our spiritual life which enables us to persevere, to assess spiritual growth and to set ourselves realistic goals.

This week, I want to begin to explore the possible content of a Rule of Life, and today, I want to talk about worship.

But first let me just say that any Rule we develop for ourselves needs to be personal. It needs to be like a made-to-measure suit and not a ready-made one bought from off the peg in a department store. Each person is different. Because we are different, and at different stages along our own spiritual journey, our particular needs are also different. These differences have to be recognised and owned, else we shall at best retard our spiritual growth. A Rule of Life then is not something which can be imposed by someone from outside but something we must work out for ourselves.

It is also a good idea to write down our personal Rule on a piece of paper so that we can remind ourselves of our intentions. I know we can always carry it in our head, and ultimately, we hope the keeping of it will become so much second nature that we don't even have to think about it. Nevertheless, by putting it down on a piece of paper, it will help us to focus our intentions more clearly. We shall be able to see more clearly the order or pattern which we wish to give to our spiritual life.

May I suggest that first of all part of our Rule should be about worship. The aim of this is to enable you to come to know God more clearly, so that you may discover the unique person he has created you and me to be. In other words, it is about enabling us to become whole persons - holy persons.

What then does this include?

Firstly; to know God through regular common prayer. By 'common prayer' I mean corporate prayer - prayer with others.

The focus of this will obviously be the Eucharistic life of the people of God. This raises the whole question of how frequently do I intend to participate in the Eucharist irrespective of whether I am serving, administering the Chalice, reading, leading the prayers or on Sidesmen duty. After all these are responsibilities undertaken as a result of attendance at the Eucharist and not the reason for attendance.

From the days of the New Testament, Christians have met together on the first day of the week - the day of the Resurrection – to break bread, to hear the word of God, to pray and to share fellowship. Is there a good reason why I should not follow their example? If there are to be exceptions, what are they and are they justified? And if I cannot make it on a Sunday, what do I intend to do about it? Do I attend the Tuesday morning celebration of the Eucharist at 9.15am or on the Thursday evening celebration at 7.30pm? If I am sick or infirm, am I going to ask the priest to come to me?

And what about the Greater Festivals such as Epiphany, Ash Wednesday, Holy Week, Ascension or the Major Saints Days? How do I intend to observe these and recall their significance to my life of faith? After all, the Church in its wisdom has set these days aside for observance because it is of the opinion that they can contribute towards my ongoing Christian formation. I have also, ever since the age of 13, been present at the Eucharist every day during Holy Week as a means of drawing closer to the crucified and Risen Christ.

Secondly: to know God through private prayer. Corporate prayer on a Sunday is not enough in itself. It needs to be reinforced by private prayer at other times of the week.

This raises the whole question of frequency? Should it be dally? Should it be more than once a day? And when should I pray? Should it be morning and evening or should I find some other time? After all, I suspect that most of us are in a rush first thing in the morning, trying to get the train, the children to school and so on. On the other hand, some of us are too tired last thing at night to give quality time to God. Prayer is not something to be rushed. Nor should God get only the fag end of the day. After all, if we were inviting an important person into our life, we would want to set aside adequate time that is what we are doing when we pray.

I recall when I was a teenager that I decided that the lunch hour was a good time. I used to cycle from my College of Further Education to the Town Centre Church, which was always open, and spend some time there, alone in prayer where I would not be disturbed or distracted. We all need to find place and space for prayer and the two are often linked.

We are most fortunate here in North Mymms insofar as this church is open daily between 9.00am - 5.30pm. People in the city of London are also most fortunate insofar as so many of our Anglican Churches are open at lunch time to provide a haven of peace and quiet amidst the hustle and bustle of city life.

How long should we set aside for prayer?

Again, I recall first setting aside ten minutes. At first it seemed an age and I kept looking at my watch to see if it was time to go. I very quickly became unaware of time and the ten minutes became fifteen, then twenty and then half an hour. The whole secret was the personal discipline of being serious about deliberately setting time aside to be alone with God.

What structure should I use to provide a spring board for my private prayer? Clergy are lucky insofar as they are obliged by Canon Law to say daily, Morning and Evening Prayer and this can form the basis of their regular prayer life.

I once knew a top businessman on Merseyside who also used to use the structure of Morning Prayer as a springboard for his own private prayers whilst commuting from the Wirral into Liverpool.

In his biography of Bishop John Robinson, Eric James records how John and his wife Ruth used to say the Office of Compline together in bed every night before going to sleep.

The point I am trying to make is that few people are able to sit down and use a period of time constructively, without having some minimum structure of a formal act of worship to launch them into deep personal prayer.

Finally: to know God through the private reading of the Bible.

Again, we need to reinforce our Biblical knowledge of God, which we derive from the readings in public worship on a Sunday, with our own private reading, study and reflection.

How frequently should I do this? Some people seek to read a portion of scripture every day. Others prefer to set aside a particular time of some length, in their weekly pattern of life, in order to read the Bible.

And what method am I going to use? It is not enough just to open the Bible and hope it will fall open at some useful and relevant passage. Some people use the Bible Reading Fellowship notes on a daily basis. At one time I used the Soldiers Armoury, produced by the Salvation Army. William Barclay's commentaries are inexpensive and useful. Through the reading of a passage of scripture, followed by notes to assist one's understanding, one is able to work one's way slowly through the New Testament.

Some people augment their Bible Reading with a devotional book. A book such as Thomas A'Kempis' Imitation of Christ or William Law's Serious Call to the Devout Life, or even John Bunyans Pilgrim’s Progress. These are books, not to be read hurriedly from cover to cover, but rather to be read slowly section by section at a time – or paragraph at a time - and then to mull over the words which have been read and to allow God to speak to us through them.

To sum up, part of our Rule of Life should include something about our intention as regards Worship. I suggest it should seek to enable us to get to know God through regular common prayer, private prayer and the reading of the Bible.

I know this may sound all rather old hat. But the point is simply this: if we are serious about wanting to grow in the spiritual life, we need to be disciplined about putting it into action, else it will remain just good intentions and good intentions do nothing towards our Christian formation.

So I invite you to go home and take the first step about putting those good intentions about worship into practice by including them in a personal Rule of Life.