C. W. McPherson has spent 20 years in the Anglican ministry and is also a spiritual director, a retreat leader, and a mentor for deacons and priests in formation. He has written an informative and very useful commentary, instruction manual, and devotional guide to praying the Daily Office in the Book of Common Prayer. Doing this regularly — it takes only 10 to 30 minutes — is a cornerstone of Christian spirituality, according to the author.
"From the opening verse, 'Lord, open our lips,' to the concluding blessing, 'Let us bless the Lord,' the Office has that mixture of deep feeling, beauty, relevance, and comfortable familiarity — balanced by delightful variety, understanding, and expectation — that is often involved in love." McPherson's overview of this grace-filled Christian practice examines its character and virtues, history, theology, and component parts. The Daily Office is an amphibious ritual that's both public and private.
McPherson believes that this practice expresses the incarnational aspects of faith, its baptismal and Eucharistic nature, and its theology of triumph. Praying the Daily Office is a conversation with God that opens believers up to the nourishment of the scriptures and the rich heritage of the communion of saints. Grace at This Time concludes with a section where McPherson answers a variety of questions on the Daily Office.