Speak to God in a heartfelt, ordinary way.
Last year was the 400th anniversary of the King James Bible – the first translation of the Bible into English placed in every church in the country so people could hear the message of the Bible for themselves, not what priests told them it said!
This year it’s the 350th Anniversary of the 1662 Book Of Common Prayer (BCP), which is still used for some services in the Church of England today - one of the earliest books that taught people to pray in (almost) everyday English. The BCP says worship should always be in the everyday words we use, not in fancy words or phrases or prayers that sound clever.
Though many churches still use set prayers, the message our oldest prayer book gives is that the most important thing about praying is to be simple, clear and honest. Speak to God in heartfelt, ordinary, words both you and God understand!
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