My lovely wife put together a Word document of the Family Prayer section of The Book of Common Prayer. It includes short prayer services for morning, midday, evening, and the close of the day. This is how we occasionally practice the Daily Office as a family. Typically, we’ll use the one for the end of the day, often called “compline.” Sometimes I like using the early evening one instead, with its focus on Jesus as the light and use of the Phos Hilaron.

I should say that using this sort of resource doesn’t make us an especially spiritual family. Our family life is messy, often loud, and not all of us get along perfectly all the time. So our use of the Daily Office takes place within our family life as it is. More than anything, using the Daily Office forces you to slow down and stop and reflect—and to acknowledge intentionally that God is at the centre of our lives. Even when you don’t always want to or don’t feel especially holy or spiritual.

If you’re interested, here’s the link to the Family Prayer part of the Daily Office. There’s also an app for The Book of Common Prayer (2019). Below you can download the document my wife put together.

Maybe you wouldn’t normally use a resource like this for all kinds of reasons. But if you find that your usual way of doing devotions, reading Scripture, and spending time in prayer isn’t working like it once did, it’s ok to change things up a bit. Or as we say in our family, “Mix it up a little!”

Perhaps this will bless you. If it does, feel free to share the blessing with others.