Staff devotions

[peter_speckhard]

I've recently started having a combined morning devotions with the church and school staff. At my last church we used the Treasury of Daily Prayer, but that was with five people in my office and no real time constraints. This is a much larger group and the devotion takes place before school, so all the teachers have things to do and places to be on a tight schedule. My sense is that the Treasury would take too long on a typical day. Also, it tends to be a tad dry and I think some of the teachers would appreciate a less Latin-phrase-bedecked and more practical and/or uplifting, inspirational devotion, at least some of the time. Mind you, we're all perfectly capable and interested in the weightier stuff in the Treasury, but in the brief morning devotion with the kids about to arrive for class, I just think it is too much of a good thing for our purposes. But I also don't want a sappy, shallow good word for the day type of thing.

I'm thinking of doing the daily prayers from LSB with a reading and a hymn, but also want some sort of reflection appropriate for the church/school setting. Any suggestions?   

[J. Thomas Shelley]

ALPB's For All the Saints

A different setting, to be sure:  I am part of a local cluster of STS members and fellow travellers who assemble each Tuesday for Morning Prayer, usually finished in 20 minutes:

Versicles
Venite
Psalm & Psalm Prayer
Hymn
Lesson(s)
Reading(s)
Benedictus
Collects* & Lord's Prayer.

*almost always including one in which the participants may speak the names of those with special needs.

[NCLutheran]

Speaking as someone who would be in the audience for such a devotion, I would suggest:

The daily bible reading, either from the hymnal or one chosen relating to what's going on at the school at the time
Perhaps a brief, 1-2 min, devotional reading/words of encouragement from you
An ample time for prayer - structured, but with the ability for everyone to name their concerns and wishes
Close with the Lord's Prayer and the Benediction.

My thinking is, as a worker, I come to the job with all the worries and care of the day to come on my shoulders. Rather than hearing someone else's words, or trying to concentrate on a liturgy when my mind is elsewhere, I would much rather have time to verbalize all of my concerns in the presence of my pastor and peers. Sure, one can pray those things individually, but that is nowhere nearly as confidence-inspiring as having the prayers of others added and being lifted up by a pastor. Versicles and Latin and antiphons have their place, but it doesn't sound like this may be it.

As far as texts go, others will have better suggestions than I, but I have my grandmother's old copies of The Days Worship and The New Day's Worship (1933 and 1963, respectively) by Charles Foelsch and find them to be a much stronger alternative to today's Portals of Prayer-type devotionals.

[Weedon]

Peter,

Pick up

http://www.cph.org/p-18167-a-year-in-the-new-testament-meditations-for-each-day-of-the-church-year.aspx

And use part of the NT reading for each day from Treasury and then use the more modern devotions, and no, I get no royalties!

[J. Thomas Shelley]

Or lift something from Fr. Weedon's truly excellent blog:

http://www.weedon.blogspot.com/

[peter_speckhard]

Peter,

Pick up

http://www.cph.org/p-18167-a-year-in-the-new-testament-meditations-for-each-day-of-the-church-year.aspx

And use part of the NT reading for each day from Treasury and then use the more modern devotions, and no, I get no royalties!

Thanks. Ordered this morning.