Dependent
"Abide in me and I in you... whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit."
(JOHN 15:4-5)
Maintaining a vital connection to the Lord Jesus lies at the heart of a living faith in him and that connection is found by allowing Jesus' words to penetrate deep into our hearts and lives: "If you abide in me and my words abide in you..." (John 15v7).
When Archbishop Thomas Cranmer compiled the Book of Common Prayer he sought to recover the church’s ancient heritage of regular prayer, beautifully saturated with the Bible. So he created a framework, through Morning and Evening Prayer, for people to pray together regularly, fuelled by the Bible, allowing it to sink deep into our minds, hearts and lives.
Building on that centuries long Anglican heritage, and using material derived from the BCP, ‘Let us pray’ is intended as a simple framework to help us pray together, connected both to one another and to the witness of saints who have gone before and now cheer us onto the finish line.
In addition, Cranmer’s intention in the Book of Common Prayer was to read the Old Testament once, the New Testament twice every year. A companion volume, Dwell Richly, suggests 4 readings (along with a 60 day cycle of Psalms) which could be spread across the 4 sessions of ‘Let us pray…’ or used with the version of Morning or Evening Prayer included.