BOOK REVIEW: The Book of Common Prayer: A Spiritual Treasure Chest

This book would be an excellent gift for anyone spiritually inclined, not just Episcopalians. The book contains selections from the 1979 Book of Common Prayer, annotated by The Rev. Canon C. K. Robertson, PhD. The selections are very well chosen. Each one can stand on its own as a short, eloquent prayer. Many come from parts of the BCP you may not normally read. Some come from other Anglican prayer books, such as the New Zealand Prayer Book.

The annotations are interesting and informative. Did you know that Prayers of the People began with the 1549 Prayer Book? Or that the first part of the General Thanksgiving is supposedly from a private prayer by Queen Elizabeth I? Regarding the church year calendar, Rev. Canon Robertson tells us “Time matters because we matter…We are beloved of God, and the days and seasons of our lives are all part of the divine design.”

This book is short, well laid out, and designed for lay readers. It really is a little treasure chest!