The Prayer Book

Reform of worship and theology came to the Church of England with the publication of the first Book of Common Prayer in 1549. The Book of Common Prayer was composed with the idea that the people should be able to understand and participate in corporate worship. Before the Prayer Book, the standard form of worship in England was the Latin Mass. The Book of Common Prayer reformed and simplified the medieval services and placed a renewed emphasis on the Bible.

At Church of Our Savior, we use the 1928 Book of Common Prayer. The poetic language of the liturgy within it dates back to the sixteenth century, but the Eucharist itself, instituted by Christ, follows the form of even earlier Jewish services.

It can be purchased online for less than $25, for example at Amazon.com. It is also available in digital format on the Internet at episcopalnet.org. Additionally, you can use commonprayer.org as a resource if you want all of the Psalms, Lessons and Collects for the day conveniently arranged into one page.