The Book of Common Prayer Made Simple

You don’t have to know it all to begin.

The Book of Common Prayer brings our voices together in worship and gives us words when we are unsure how to pray. This beginner’s guide focuses on the Episcopal Church’s 1979 Book of Common Prayer.

Follow six lessons at your own pace. Each pairs a video resource with a short explanation and something to try. Press Play in a video to begin. Choose Watch Full Screen to enlarge it, then Exit Full Screen to return to your lesson. YouTube lessons also have a direct Watch on YouTube link. The Eucharist lesson opens on Vimeo. Longer classes can be watched in small portions.

1. Begin with the big picture
2. Find your way around the book
3. Understand Sunday Holy Communion
4. Try a simple daily prayer
5. Grow into Morning Prayer
6. End the day with Compline

Keep a prayer book nearby, or open the prayer book online ↗. All page numbers below refer to the 1979 edition.

LESSON 1 OF 6 · Start with the table of contents

Begin with the big picture

The prayer book helps us pray together. It holds services for Sundays, prayers for ordinary days, the Psalms, and services for important moments in life. You do not have to read it from cover to cover. Begin with one service and let the rest become familiar over time.

Try it yourself
Open the table of contents. Find Holy Eucharist, Daily Office, and Prayers and Thanksgivings. These are three places you can return to often.

LESSON 2 OF 6 · BCP pp. 323 and 355

Find your way around the book

Think of the prayer book as a collection of paths into worship. Some sections guide the whole congregation; others help you pray on your own. Rite I uses traditional language, while Rite II uses contemporary language. The small printed directions, called rubrics, explain what to do and which choices are available.

Try it yourself
After watching, compare the opening of Holy Eucharist on page 323 with page 355. Notice how both invite us into the same act of worship.

LESSON 3 OF 6 · Rite II begins on p. 355; Rite I on p. 323

Understand Sunday Holy Communion

The Eucharist has two main movements. In the Word of God, we listen to Scripture, hear the sermon, affirm our faith, and pray. In Holy Communion, we give thanks over bread and wine, receive Communion, and are sent out to serve. “Eucharist” means thanksgiving. Use the parish bulletin to follow the particular prayers and music chosen for that Sunday.

Try it yourself
Follow the service from page 355. Find the heading “The Holy Communion” on page 361. Watch for that change from listening and responding to sharing at the Lord’s Table.

LESSON 4 OF 6 · BCP pp. 136–140

Try a simple daily prayer

Daily Devotions offer a gentle beginning: a short portion of a psalm, a Bible reading, prayer, and a collect. A collect is a brief prayer that gathers our requests into words addressed to God. Choose morning, noon, early evening, or the close of day. A few quiet minutes are enough to begin.

Try it yourself
After watching, open page 137 and try the morning devotion. Pause to name someone you would like to pray for.

LESSON 5 OF 6 · Morning Prayer, Rite II: BCP pp. 75–102

Grow into Morning Prayer

Morning Prayer gives the day a pattern of Scripture and prayer. It includes psalms, readings, songs of praise called canticles, and prayers. The Daily Office Lectionary is a reading plan that tells us which psalms and Bible passages to use. It is fine to learn one part at a time.

Try it yourself
Follow the video with your prayer book open to page 75. For help with the appointed readings, use our Today’s Worship page.

LESSON 6 OF 6 · BCP pp. 127–135

End the day with Compline

Compline is a short service for the end of the day. Its psalms and prayers invite us to place our cares in God’s hands and rest. You can pray it alone, with family, or with a group. You do not need to be an expert or have the day perfectly sorted out before you begin.

Try it yourself
Follow the video with your prayer book open to page 127. Afterward, sit quietly for a moment and entrust tomorrow to God.

Your prayer book page guide

Make it part of your week

Choose one small practice: bring a prayer book to church, pray a daily devotion, or end one evening with Compline. Return to the lessons whenever you need a reminder.