22/10/2025
Here's a prayer, and some words to follow, for the 30th anniversary of the publication of A Prayer Book for Australia.
Thank you, God, for the wisdom of Anglican Prayer Books:
for the common prayer they support,
the faith they express,
the praise and prayer they put into our mouths,
and the stories of your grace
that they help to write on our hearts.
Renew our care for the truth and beauty of worship.
Shape our common prayer
for the life of the world and the church today,
as we lift our hearts to you
always and everywhere,
with the Holy Spirit to help us,
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Back in 1995, in the middle of a Melbourne winter, General Synod considered whether to approve a new Prayer Book and decided to approve a slightly tweaked version, “A Prayer Book for Australia,” affectionately known as the Red Brick. My first copy has “All Saints’ Day 1995” written inside the cover.
It doesn’t have quite the exalted status of 1662 or even Australia's 1978 "An Australian Prayer Book" - AAPB. General Synod gave it the subtitle “Liturgical Resources authorised by the General Synod.” Most Australian Anglicans have been using it ever since.
It's not perfect – no Prayer Book can be – but it’s pretty darn good as a foundation for our common prayer. Its language is simple and direct, catching the tone of today’s Australian English.
Its calendar and lectionary make sure our preachers can’t simply recycle their favourite bible passages every third Sunday. It provides simple daily prayer for all Christians to use, and now there’s even a free daily prayer app for your device.
Its funeral services are simple and dignified, and cover territory the BCP never dreamed of, like the funeral of a young child, or of a baby who’s born too soon. It’s got a marriage service that is absolutely equally balanced between what it asks of the woman and the man who are marrying.
Its ordination services clearly lay out the duties of the men and women whom God and the church call to be deacons, priests or bishops. Its orders for Holy Communion stand the test of repetition day by day and Sunday by Sunday, recalling Christ’s death and resurrection until he comes again.
There’s metaphorical blood on some of the pages, and some of it is a bit clunky, dealing with that, mostly in Baptism and Holy Communion. We tread carefully in the minefields of historical controversies. But there is also magnificent freedom embedded in this book, as it encourages us to adapt to our local situation, our local congregation, our local pastoral needs, using “these or other suitable words”.
This book is our best bet at expressing what Australian Anglicans believe. It’s not the last word we’ll pray, but it is a wonderful launching pad, framework, and foundation for all that we need to pray together. On its own it probably won’t convert anyone, but it is a resource for evangelism, because of the simple, clear, even beautiful ways it tells the stories of our faith.
For all the things we didn’t know, back in 1995, that we would need to pray about – and there are many! – you can call on people like me to come up with some of those “other suitable words.” We do it for today’s church, based on the theology, style and substance of A Prayer Book for Australia.
