Dependent
"Abide in me and I in you... whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit."
(JOHN 15:4-5)
Maintaining a vital connection to the Lord Jesus lies at the heart of a living faith in him and that connection is found by allowing Jesus' words to penetrate deep into our hearts and lives: "If you abide in me and my words abide in you..." (John 15v7).
When Archbishop Thomas Cranmer compiled the Book of Common Prayer he sought to recover the church’s ancient heritage of regular prayer, beautifully saturated with the Bible. He was convinced that the Scriptures “ought to be much in our hands, in our eyes, in our ears, in our mouths, but most of all in our hearts.” So he created a framework, through Morning and Evening Prayer, for people to pray together regularly, fuelled by the Bible, allowing it to sink deep into our minds, hearts and lives.
Praying together and reading the Bible in concert, following the same calendar with others, deepens our partnership together. As we ponder, reflect and meditate on the same part of God’s word each day, it opens up opportunities to share insights and encouragements from our common reading which in turn will deepen our bonds and build our fellowship as we seek to follow the Lord Jesus Christ together.
Building on that centuries long Anglican heritage, and using material derived from the BCP, ‘Dwell richly’ is intended as a simple framework to help us “let the word of Christ dwell … richly” among us (Colossians 3:16) and pray together, connected both to one another and to the witness of saints who have gone before and now cheer us onto the finish line.