I visited an Anglican church yesterday, and that caused me to reflect on the old prayer book which we used in services when I was a child. It was the Book of Common Prayer, published in 1662, and one of the three seminal works of English literature (the others being Shakespeare and the King James Bible).
The contents of the Book of Common Prayer were largely derived from Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury under Henry VIII. Cranmer led a team which produced a prayer book in 1552, but he was burned at the stake in 1556 while Mary (who was a Roman Catholic) was Queen. A revised version of Cranmer’s book was published in 1559 under Queen Elizabeth, and the 1662 Book of Common Prayer was a further revised version.
In addition to being a great work of literature, the Book of Common Prayer contains some inspiring words. One of my favourites was a verse often spoken before the offertory: “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your father which is in heaven.” If only Christians today would take this to heart!