January 21, 2026

Wednesday Word . . . Common Prayer

Joelene and I went away this past weekend for some much needed rest and lazy time.  We made a short trip to Thermopolis where we drove through the park taking pictures of a small bison herd and drove up to Cody to visit the Buffalo Bill museum.  Tickets there are good for two days because the museum is so massive.  Unfortunately that was about all we did because we both suffered from head colds.

Sunday morning we worshiped with the people at Holy Trinity.  As we walked in and grabbed our bulletins, I noticed it was Morning Prayer.  Holy Trinity, we discovered, will be advertising for a new priest shortly, having done the hard work of developing their parish profile.  During this interim time they rotate between supply priests for Eucharist and lay-led Morning Prayer.

I have often said that one of the things I like about the Episcopal church is that you can walk into almost any church and pretty much know what to expect.  There will be some differences (Rite 1 or Rite 2, Prayer A, B, C, or D) in the service, and there will be some local customs (placement of announcements, children’s time, birthday blessings, etc.) that a parish makes, but the same lessons are read and the flow is pretty much the same.  For me, that’s comforting because I can focus on the worship and not wonder what’s going to happen next.

That is our Common Prayer – that we are all bound together by the genius of the Prayer Book.  Not necessarily doing the exact same thing as each other, but praying together in commonality.

And this past Sunday, whether by fate, or luck, or divine scheduling, Joelene and I prayed and worshiped the service of Morning Prayer.  As we went through the service I had to smile knowing that the people of Holy Trinity and Saint Luke’s were praying this same service.

Once again I was reminded that we are all bound together through our Common Prayer, and that is a very good thing.

Blessings,