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Bishop encourages commuters to get to work on prayer

4 November 2009

 

The Church of England has published a book of prayers and reflections to help frazzled commuters prepare for the winter ahead – and then unwind on the way home.

To mark the launch, the bishop who prepared the book has recorded an extract for a special podcast, downloadable from the Church of England website, to help commuters get into the habit through their iPods.

The Rt Revd Christopher Herbert, newly-retired Bishop of St Albans, wrote the book after reflecting on the “turbulence” of the modern working day, beginning with the search for a space to park: “It might have been dark, wet and miserable,” suggests the bishop, “and then, once on the train, the carriage was packed. It’s not exactly a stress-free or easy way to begin the day, is it?”

On the way home, commuters have to deal with “crowds in the street hurrying, heads down, eager to get to the station or the bus. The subdued hubbub in the station concourse, and then an infuriatingly unruffled and disembodied voice saying, ‘We apologise for the late arrival of…’. It’s a turbulent way to live.” All this, the bishop argues, means “some of the things that might give you a moment of peace or a time for reflection are crowded out”.

Bishop Christopher Herbert with his book, outside Waterloo station in London.

In Pocket Prayers for Commuters, published today by Church House Publishing, the bishop sets out a month-long set of brief reflections and prayers for the morning rush and evening exodus, drawing on the idea that in spite of all the hassle and stress of commuting, “real peace is waiting to be found”. “Put it another way,” he writes in his introduction, “suppose that God himself is actually present with you, waiting to be discovered; that still, small voice hidden inside all the turbulence that you and your fellow-commuters face each day?”

Bishop Christopher has collected together material for five weeks of morning and evening prayer for each day of the working week, with a prayer, Bible reading and reflection for the way into work, focusing on how readers can get into the right frame of mind for the day ahead. The reflections are written to prompt Christians to consider some of the big questions that it is easy to forget in the grind of the daily commute, including:

  • The need for patience when working out what God is calling us to do;
  • The need to face up to the things in our lives that ‘imprison’ us and lead to inaction;
  • What we can do to increase a spirit of generosity in society;
  • What is it about the person of Jesus, as revealed in the Gospels, that claims our attention, and what questions do we still have about him?

For the journey home, the book offers another chance to rest and take stock, with a further Bible reading followed by opportunity for reflection on the day and the chance to bring to God those things have “left you uneasy or with a troubled conscience” through the form of a confessional prayer.

Bishop Christopher’s special podcast is available at: http://cofe.anglican.org/podcast.

Bishop Christopher is the author of the original Pocket Prayers series also published by Church House Publishing, which has been continuously in print since 1993, selling more than 20,000 copies.

Pocket Prayers for Commuters, priced £5.99 (ISBN 978-07151-41946), is available from Christian bookshops or by mail order via the web.