Common Prayer: A Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals

by Shane Claiborne, Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove, Enuma Okoro

Experience a deeper prayer life through this fresh take on ancient liturgy for believers today. Designed to help individuals, families, and congregations pray together across denominations, this book of common prayer will help you and your community join together each day with the same songs, scriptures, and prayers. Composed under an advisory team of liturgy experts, these three influential and inspiring authors have created Common Prayer-- a tapestry of prayer that will help the church be one as God is one. This universal prayer book allows readers to greet each day together, remembering significant dates and Christian heroes in church history, as well as important historic dates in the struggle for freedom and justice. There are morning prayers for each day of the year, evening prayers for each of the seven days of the week, a midday prayer to be repeated throughout the year, and prayers for special occasions. In addition, there are morning prayers for Holy Week. Common Prayer also includes a unique songbook composed of music and classic lyrics to more than fifty songs from various traditions, including African spirituals, traditional hymns, Mennonite gathering songs, and Taize chants. Tools for prayer are scattered throughout to aid those who are unfamiliar with liturgy and to deepen the prayer life of those who are familiar with liturgical prayer. Ultimately, Common Prayer makes liturgy dance, taking the best of the old and bringing new life to it with a fresh fingerprint for the contemporary renewal of the church.

Genres: Prayer, Christian, Theology, Faith, Spirituality, Christianity, Nonfiction

592 pages, Hardcover

First published November 9, 2010

About the author

Shane Claiborne is a prominent speaker, activist, and best-selling author. Shane worked with Mother Teresa in Calcutta, and founded The Simple Way in Philadelphia. He heads up Red Letter Christians, a movement of folks who are committed to living "as if Jesus meant the things he said." Shane is a champion for grace which has led him to jail advocating for the homeless, and to places like Iraq and Afghanistan to stand against war. And now grace fuels his passion to end the death penalty.

Shane’s books include Jesus for President, Red Letter Revolution, Common Prayer, Follow Me to Freedom, Jesus, Bombs and Ice Cream, Becoming the Answer to Our Prayers, his classic The Irresistible Revolution and his newest book, Executing Grace. He has been featured in a number of films including "Another World Is Possible" and "Ordinary Radicals." His books have been translated into more than a dozen languages. Shane speaks over one hundred times a year, nationally and internationally. His work has appeared in Esquire, SPIN, Christianity Today, and The Wall Street Journal, and he has been on everything from Fox News and Al Jazeera to CNN and NPR. He’s given academic lectures at Harvard, Princeton, Liberty, Duke, and Notre Dame.

Shane speaks regularly at denominational gatherings, festivals, and conferences around the globe.

Reviews

[Adam · Rating 5 out of 5]

I finally ordered a hard copy of this prayer book. I have been using the online version (commonprayer.net) for the past year. Whether you are new to fixed hour/liturgical prayer or not this book has the potential to change your prayer life. The book is itself a beautiful work of art. Well made. The pages are nice and sturdy which should make for great daily usage. As for content: There is one Evening Prayer for each day of the week. Each day has the Our Father as a border in both English and in one of the seven most widely used languages in the world. There is then one Morning Prayer for every day of the year. Each prayer includes a psalm, Old Testament and New Testament reading, remembrances drawn from both the church year and from world history, as well as little nuggets of wisdom. There is then a short Midday Prayer, Occasional Prayers and in the back there is a Songbook compiled from different traditions. In addition, each month has a piece of art, a reflection on one of the twelve "Marks of New Monasticism" and a list of suggested reading for the month. As for the actually prayers themselves: Well, let's just say that they have been drawn from some of the oldest and richest traditions of Christian prayer. That being said, I will treasure this book for years to come and hope to pick up a few more copies so that I can pray with friends and family.

[Marie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this book disappointing, although perhaps those who are not familiar with The Book of Common Prayer or daily office books might find the material fresh and useful. I was hoping for more inclusive language and postmodern theology, as well as more depth. I much prefer the St. Helena Breviary for personal use.

[Gideon Yutzy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic. The 'dates read' doesn't compute because I use it on an ongoing basis, in case it makes any difference to you, which I seriously doubt it does (sadly). Anyway, I use this book in the morning to get the day off to a good start. Well worth your money, I can assure you.

Everything about Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals is perfect--the length and selections of scripture passages, the prayers, the history... everything. If you want to expand the liturgy, you can print off other hymns and prayers and keep/paste them in the book (such as St. Francis' peace prayer, the Anglican collect for purity, etc.). Also, another way I adapt it is that I often read the entire psalm rather than just the few verses given in the book, since I am of the persuasion that the psalms should be the foundation of our prayer life. But I won't go into detail because it's beyond the scope of this review and plus I don't want to bore you (is that assuming you have a short attention span and thus are not superbly intelligent as you might be? hm).

Anyway, go read this book daily, be changed by its liturgies and become a person who creates shalom (unlike Pol Pot, Stalin, and a few other world leaders past and present whom we will not name because of your short attention span--and for other reasons--tee hee). Bye!

[Donna Craig · Rating 5 out of 5]

I hesitated to mark this book as finished, because I’m a stickler, and this was a daily liturgy that I did with my husband. Naturally, we missed some days.
I realized, however, that missing the occasional day is a natural part of practicing a liturgy. This liturgy is made for small groups to practice in homes or casual meeting places. It really touched our low-church (non-denominational) souls. The writings have a regular rhythm and flow, as well as parts that vary. The scriptures are well-covered, and we enjoyed the bits of Christian history included.
In addition, the book has sections explaining liturgy, illuminating Christian traditions and belief, suggestions for living your faith, and simply enriching writings sprinkled throughout. The linen cover adds to the book’s appeal.

[Nicole Walters · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've come back to this book in various forms over the past few years. I use the app but my favorite is the audio book. I know the liturgy is meant for community but I don't have a community to practice it with right now. So, I immerse myself in the sounds and pray right along, especially when I am feeling the most isolated. These words ground me and are always timely prayers. It isn't a read through kind of book but is one that has become part of my life.

[Josh Santel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Haven't read every single liturgy, but I'm sure I'll come back to this a lot in the future. I know it's probably not the intended use, but it served me well as a daily devotional since last Christmas

[Ben Smitthimedhin · Rating 2 out of 5]

A little too social-justicey for a prayer book. Because of its emphasis on prayers for racial reconciliation, end of class oppression, etc., the liturgy tends to become a little overbearing. To add to this weight, Claiborne has decided to negate confession-absolution altogether for morning prayer (which is the majority of this book). Rather than receiving the comforting and liberating words of the Gospel, the reader is reminded frequently of her unearned privilege (if she happens to be white or middle class), which is a guilt she cannot confess and a sin she does not receive forgiveness for.

Don't get me wrong, I enjoy good liberation theology. It just becomes toxic when it's liturgical, or when it replaces Jesus' invitation for all to come eat at his table.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you have an evangelical background and are just dipping your toes into liturgy, this is the book for you.

[Rev. Val Ohle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book. It's inspirational. My teenage daughter liked it so well, she has her own copy of it. I can't wait to use it to plan vesper services, and just as a daily devotional, it is so very good.

[Riley Pearson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful, beautiful prayer book I used for a year as part of my daily devotional time. As a practicing liturgical Christian (Roman Catholic), I am delighted! Thank you Shane Claiborne for compiling this beautiful book. It helped my spirituality tremendously.

[Lori Connell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read through this yearly.

[Kyle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I haven’t read this entire thing yet and I do certainly hope and intend to eventually have done that a year from now. I grew up (and still largely align with) Southern Baptist—about as Southern Baptist as you can get actually. You know how Paul establishes his credit as a Jew among Jews? Yeah. Me with being a Southern Baptist.

Anyway.

Being from the particular strain of Protestant evangelicalism I’m from, liturgy was something I kind of straight up never got much exposure to. And this book was more or less pitched to me as a good “Baptist’s first prayer book” and after about a week of regular use I can say with relative confidence that I think I’ll be incorporating liturgical texts into my prayer life for probably the rest of my life.

I’ve done some reading and research on other, more widely recognized prayer books and I think I’d like to graduate to The Book of Common Prayer 2019 after I’ve gotten into the rhythm and stride of this less formal liturgy. Probably after I’ve finished a year with this text.

I think of this book very much as an introduction to the wider world of Christian liturgy. And it’s certainly been helpful to me in that regard.

[Chrystal · Rating 5 out of 5]

I started this devotional last June and loved it so much, I am starting it over again.

[Meghan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although I haven't used this in community, as intended, I've been using it as my daily devotional for some time now. I appreciate the biographical notes, the songs, the daily Bible readings (based on the lectionary), and the various prayers.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I call it "Liturgy for Dummies" and it's a perfect introduction to the traditions of the church for a dummy like myself. I am enjoying having a new morning rhythm with this book.

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this prayer book for Christmas last year and have used it for the bulk of 2020. I like the inclusion of stories of the saints and I like its bent towards social justice. The sections at the start and end of each month with practical ways to live out one's faith have been encouraging in the politically fraught climate of 2020.

All that being said, there are things I don't love. I understand the desire to create a lectionary that is annually instead of a three year cycle, but that leads to scripture readings that are often dry. (Additionally, November spends a great deal of time in Revelations - something I just can't do right now with the way the world is.)

I tend to enjoy the way the Psalms are rendered and the repetition of a phrase for each day and I think someone who loves music might enjoy the inclusion of a song each day.

I think this book is geared to protestants who haven't had a lot of exposure to liturgy. That's not me. And if there's one big disappointment with this book, it's that I find it pretty dry. In all the months of reading and using it, I've been educated and encouraged, but not moved. The style of the liturgy and the quotations offered are enlightening, but not necessarily inviting to me.

I think a more invitational prayer book is Celtic Daily Prayer: Prayers and Readings From the Northumbria Community. But if you fit that category of new to liturgy with a strong bent towards social justice, this book might be a good place to start.

[Amanda Schneider · Rating 5 out of 5]

Again, didn’t technically “finish”, but I deeply appreciate what is offered here in this particular liturgy. I especially enjoyed that at the beginning of each month, there was a “theme” and suggested reading material surrounding the theme. At the end of each month are suggested ways to become the answer to our prayers, actions to take. The morning office is simple, and there are tidbits of history regarding the universal church and Saints sprinkled throughout this volume. I will probably return to this at some time. I copied the sending that is at the end of every morning prayer and have started to use it for our family:

May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you : wherever he may send you;

may he guide you through the wilderness : protect you through the storm;

may he bring you home rejoicing : at the wonders he has shown you;

may he bring you home rejoicing : once again into our doors.

[Jacob Ballard · Rating 2 out of 5]

While I enjoyed the reading, after a year of going through the book, I find a few things problematic. 1. Not being a trinitarian myself, the language of the Trinity coats the books throughout, and needed to be cleaned for my family. 2. Though Trinitarian in *language* in actuality, there was quite a lot of “Christomonism” where Lord, LORD, and God were attributed to Christ alone, rather than the Father, or the Trinity together, just a different kind of acceptable heresy. 3. The book is very sad. While there are words of joy or statements of celebration, all of words are “remind us how terrible we are and how we are not worthy.” I expect sorrow and confession, but I also expected love, fire, joy, ecstasy in embracing the God who, despite our sins and unworthiness, loves us and changes us to be worthy.

The book was helpful, but I’m not sure that I will use it again as a full year devotional.

[Georgetown Lutheran Church · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite daily prayer companion - follows a set format for each day, with different scripture, responses, quotes, and history tie-ins. It feels like a good mid-ground between structured liturgy and more open-ended or general Christian writing. The quotes and "on this day" history pieces it includes will challenge and inspire - often toward a global, progressive perspective.
Get the book if you like having that, and it's nice to sit the book where you have your morning coffee or to be a tangible part of your daily routine, without reaching for the screens. OR find it for free, anytime at commonprayer.net - which simply shows that day's prayer.
- Pastor Brett

[Karina Cortes · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book! I learned so much about the saints that came before me and the early church. Each day has a devotion with scripture reading and each month gives you ideas how you can grow and serve. The book also comes with prayers for different events like baby dedications, adoptions, and for healing; as well as, prayers for different rooms in the house and workplace. Each day has a hymn to sing to go along with prayer/devotion/reading. It's meant to be done with other people, but I did it mostly alone. Great if you are looking for a family worship guide.

[Lynn Bingaman · Rating 4 out of 5]

A friend gave me this book. I started it in Advent 2021. I loved the monthly action section for each month and reading about the saints who were honored that month. The other prayers included were lovely also. I had problems getting into the routine of morning prayer, noonday prayer, evening prayer and compline

[M Christopher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Marked as "Read" but I will be using this book for personal devotionals and possibly as public liturgy for years to come. A delightful effort at an a la mode daily lectionary which can be utilized for private or public use.

[T Fisher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy on ramp to a daily rhythm of prayer.

If you are looking to bring some rhythm to your prayer life. This is a good tool to do that. Couple it with the app and experience a deeper awareness and rhythm with God.

[John Osborn Evans · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic liturgical resource for Christians interested in following the teachings of Christ rather than being conformed to the pathetic corruption of Christianity that has taken root, especially in America.

[Tyler Carr · Rating 5 out of 5]

I did the morning prayers in this book every day for a year. The prayers, scripture, stories, and quotes in this book challenged and helped form me in the way of Jesus over the course of a year. I highly recommend.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great prayer book. It is meant for small groups, house churches and families. I love to use it by my self too because of its language and focus.

[Michel Duarte · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book! We’ve been using it as family and the kids love it too. Well at first my son hated it but now he is the first to ask for for us to read it together in the morning.

[Beckie Hinze · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book met me during a unique year of my life. I will pick it up again and again.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Encourage your Faith

I recommend this book for those who want to improve their prayer life! The prayers are so inspiring and help me to see how great God is!

[Pamela Adam · Rating 4 out of 5]

A liturgy for every day. A good way to introduce people to daily liturgy. We are using this book for a weekly online prayer stop and breath. It has a good flow when read.