Winter 2005CDQ

Book Review:
This Day: A Wesleyan Way of Prayer
by Laurence Hull Stookey
Reviewed by Steven W. Manskar

The United Methodist Book of Worship (published in 1992) is a help for planning worship and times of prayer for all United Methodist congregations and conferences. It is a rich source of liturgies and prayers for all occasions in the church's life. With the long-awaited publication of This Day: A Wesleyan Way of Prayer, we have a book of worship and prayer for the domestic church, the home.

Laurence Hull Stookey, Professor of Preaching and Worship at Wesley Theological Seminary, has given the church an invaluable devotional resource. Dr. Stookey writes with a pastor's heart because, in addition to his teaching post, he is also pastor of Asbury United Methodist Church in Allen, Maryland. He understands that worship and prayer are what Christians need to do together on Sunday mornings in the sanctuary and every day of the week in the home and workplace.

This Day is ideal for guiding daily prayer for individuals, families, and small groups. It includes 31 orders for daily prayer:

Day 1 looks ahead, recalling the many opportunities God gives to start afresh.
Days 2-4 reflect upon the nature of God.
Days 5 and 6 reflect on God's work of sanctification.
Days 7-14 reflect upon the various fruits of the Spirit named in Galatians 5:22.
Day 15 is a mid-month time for reflection and self-examination.
Days 16-23 reflect upon the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:3-12).
Day 24 reflects upon life in community.
Days 25-28 reflect upon the four characteristics of the church set forth in the Nicene Creed ("We believe in the one holy catholic and apostolic church.").
Day 29 reflects upon eternal hope.
Day 30 reflects upon thanksgiving to God in both word and deed.
Day 31 is end-of-month self-examination.

Accompanying the orders for daily prayer are prayers for each day of the week, seasons of the church and civic calendar, seasons of life, the life and mission of the church, for the world, and for times of the day. The author has composed many of the prayers. He has also collected historic prayers of the church.

This Day: A Wesleyan Way of Prayer is an excellent resource for teaching children and new Christians how to pray. It is an excellent guide for daily and family prayer for Christians of all ages and stages of life.

Available from Cokesbury, 800-672-1789, www.cokesbury.com.

Steven Manskar is Director of Accountable Discipleship at the General Board of Discipleship in Nashville, Tennessee.