Prayers for Every Season
I think everyone knows my deep affection for and constant use of Common Prayer for Children and Families. (TL;DR version: I found it when cleaning out my new office last summer. It’s from 2019 and couldn’t believe that I had never seen it before that day.) I get a little thrill when I am on Zoom or in physical rooms with people that pull the book out and tell me that they love this book and use it all the time. I pull that book out multiple times a week to use with my families from the parish where I serve, to start my own morning devotional times, and with my own children as we move through our bedtime liturgy. Perhaps you can imagine my glee when a little package arrived from Church Publishing, and after wrestling the wrapping open, I found a companion to this beloved book- Prayers for Every Season by Timothy J.S. Seamans. Perhaps you aren’t surprised that I used that book no fewer than 7 times on the first day that it arrived. Perhaps you can already guess that I love it.
Prayers for Every Season is a collection of prayers to be used throughout the seasons, both liturgical and calendar. The prayers are organized into five sections; praying through the day, praying through the year, praying through the growing season, praying through the church, and praying with creation. You’ll find prayers for thanksgiving, grace, forgiveness, the church holidays (for morning and evening prayer!), prayers for sacred and secular holidays throughout the year, for specific personal needs, for the community, for those that serve in churches, and more. The prayers are accessible to all ages, the pages presented with plenty of white space so that readers do not feel overwhelmed, and good sized headings to help assist people find exactly what they need. It comes in hardcover, which means it will lay flat and stand up to the rigors of your coffee table. You can also get it in an ebook format. It is written for those in the Episcopal tradition, but take it from this Methodist that is serving in an Episcopal parish and spends most of her working hours collaborating ecumenically, this book fits in your space. It spans the ages, stages, and denominations.
This resource brings flex to your ministry. You can use it in your children’s chapel and faith formation times. You can use it in corporate worship. You can choose a time of day to have the families you work with to stop and pray from a designated prayer together. You can gather virtually and hold multigenerational devotions at a time of your choosing. This will help you organize special observances in your congregation, both sacred and secular. It’s a resource you can give to families, pop on the classroom shelves, send to homebound members, and keep in your basket of resources for church council meetings. The prayers inside this book apply to just about every setting. It’s worth saving places on your bookshelves, coffee tables, and budgets for the purchase of this book.
