Lectio Divina and Daily Office Readings
As we find ourselves with a new level of time on our hands, and looking to fill our schedules when we are confined to our dwellings we thought we would share some ways to use this time taking on some new Spiritual practices - or recommitting to some old and familiar ones.
A great resource that the church has used for over 1,000 years is something called the Daily Offices. Another name for this is fixed hour prayer. There are a lot of ways to practice this, but in simple terms, it is setting a few times throughout the day when you stop to pray. The Anglican Book of Common Prayer has a set of daily readings that can be used at this fix hours or read all together - they are called Daily Office Readings.
Here are the readings for the remainder of the week:
Thurs.: Ps. 83, 42, 43 • 85, 86 | Gen. 46:1-7,28-34 | 1 Cor. 9:1-15 | Mark 6:30-46
Friday: Ps. 95, 88 • 91, 92 | Gen. 47:1-26 | 1 Cor. 9:16-27 | Mark 6:47-56
Saturday: Ps. 87, 90 • 136 | Gen. 47:27-48:7 | 1 Cor. 10:1-13 | Mark 7:1-23
Sunday: Ps. 66, 67 • 19, 46 | Gen. 48:8-22 | Rom. 8:11-25 | John 6:27-40
A typical approach is to read some of the Psalms in the morning, and the other half in the evening (you can see how they are separated in the list above). You can then split the Old Testament reading, New Testament reading, and Gospel reading throughout the day or read them all at once. These readings are set thematically to the season of the church calendar that we find ourselves in.
As you read, practicing Lectio Devina can be very beneficial. You are not reading all of these passages for deep bible study or gaining some knowledge. It is a moment to open up the word of God and allow it to speak to you.
Lectio Divina
Lectio Divina is a Latin phrase meaning ‘divine reading’. This is a form of meditation on the word of God that trains us to hear from God and to let our reading of scripture bring us near to God himself. This divine reading is a reflective and repetitive way to read the Bible, that is not so much focused on becoming informed by the text but rather being transformed by it.
As you read your assign readings from the daily office, pick one reading that stuck out to you, that draws you in, and read it again. As you read it, begin to focus in on one part that is speaking to you. Read it over a few more times pausing in between each time to reflect on the truths and asking God to speak to you through it. You chew on it and meditate on it letting it form within you.
What we are wanting to accomplish here is reading purely in the devotional sense – reading for relationship rather than a type of mental assent to learn more. All in all, if you read the assigned readings and then spend time reflecting and meditating on a passage, part of a passage, or even just one verse, we are talking about 15-20 mins.
This is just one way to read scripture. We will be posting other options and ways to find yourself letting the word of God be a part of your daily and weekly life beyond just the gatherings we are used to.