You may ask what liturgy has to do with being radical but take a look at Zondervan's review of "this modern take on an ancient way of practicing faith."
With the Christian faith home to more than 38,000 different denominations, it’s a known fact that the greatest barrier to becoming a Christian is the alarming amount of division seen within the church. Social activist, renowned author and the often controversial Shane Claiborne and sought after speaker and author Jonathon Wilson-Hartgrove are setting out to change that perception through an ancient and historical practice called “liturgy” in their newest release, Common Prayer: A Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals (Zondervan, November 2010). An all-inclusive invitation, Claiborne holds certain that liturgy, a traditional act of praying collectively, has the power to transcend culture, create community and move hearts.
“Liturgy,” the authors note “invites us into a new ‘we’…The Church actually reflects the most diverse community in the world—white, black, and all shades in between, rich and poor, all walks of life… called together to bring our lives and our cultures and become a new community.”
Although liturgy and prayer books evoke an antiqued, outdated image, Claiborne, along with co-authors Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove and Enuma Okoro, claim that this fresh take on the ancient practice is more than just a ritual – it’s powerfully transformative and, against most assumptions, relevant.
“The world the liturgy reveals may not seem relevant at first glance, but…the world it reveals is more real than the one we inhabit day by day…outlasting McDonalds and Wal-Mart, America and South Africa,” they write. “The songs and readings and prayers of the liturgy are more ancient and true than any culture or empire.”
Broken into easy-to-follow sections, Common Prayer is accessible to someone who’s followed the Christian faith their whole life and someone who’s never held a Bible in their hands. Divided into segments for different parts of the day, Common Prayer aims to connect people of faith around the globe, across cultures, theologies and continents. For one year, they will be praying the same prayers every day and subsequently discover the richness and power in this tradition. Common Prayer contains the following:
• Evening prayers: Seven prayers; one for each night of the week
• Morning prayers: 365 prayers; one for each morning of the year
• Midday prayer: One prayer; to pray during the day throughout the year
• Occasional prayers: Multiple prayers; to be used on special occasions like holidays and gatherings
• Songbook: Collection of best-loved songs of faith from all around the world“This is a different kind of book,” the authors share. “It’s not a book you try to pick up and read straight through. In fact, this book is not designed to be read alone. It is a book…meant to be spoken aloud and shared together in some form of community.”
In a world where social classes are extremely divided and cultures remain separate rather than unified, Common Prayer may just be the common prayer that a socially, racially and politically segregated world needs to be transformed. Zondervan Newsroom
If this has whet your appetite, why not come along? Here is your invite from the authors themselves!
We're so excited, in fact, that we've been working with friends across the country and around the globe to plan nearly 150 release parties. (We hope you can find one near you.) We wish we could be at every one of them (and, with a little technical assistance, we might be able say hi). But more importantly, we want you to come and see the beautiful art that's been created for this project. We want you to have a chance to pray these prayers with a gathering of friends. We want you to sing these songs and take them home with you, knowing that you're not alone, but part of an incredible family of fellow travelers that stretches all the way back to Abraham and Sarah.
Because our party hosts are graciously volunteering to open up a space and even provide some refreshments, we need you to register online to let them know you're coming. Signing up to come also puts you in a random drawing to receive one of the 1,000 copies of the book we have to give away at the parties.
Hope you can join us in this celebration!
