The service itself is divided in two basic parts: the Liturgy of the Word
and the Liturgy of the Table. Much of what we do as Episcopalians today
is based on the prayer books of 1549 and 1552, both mandated for use in
all churches in England under Edward the VI, Henry VIII's son. These
first books of what we would call Anglican worship were not used during
Henry VIII's reign; so King Henry does not get credit for starting the
Episcopal Church. Many of the prayers translated from Latin to English by
Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury, in the 1549 and 1552 prayer
books had been used for centuries throughout Christendom.
In preparation for our liturgy of prayer and reverence, we hope that you
will see the time prior to the service as warming up, if you will, for the
worship. As part of that preparation, we ask conversation be limited to
the narthex, so that when people enter the church doors, they shift gears
to reverence and prayer. During that time, engage in something that works
for you so that your heart, head, and body are ready for the liturgy.
The liturgy itself has two parts, and both honor a tradition of a
community of prayer gathered to know Christ. The First tradition
remembers the promise of Jesus, that “when two or three are
gathered…Christ will be in their midst” (Matthew 18:20). The Second
tradition is that we know Jesus in the breaking of the bread, just as the
disciples did after their walk on the road to Emmaus. (Luke 24:13ff).
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Vestments
All our vestments are symbols. The lay readers and the priest wear a
white vestment called an alb. The color white symbolizes sinners standing
forgiven before God, as is mentioned in Revelation (7:9-10). It is the
same white of baptismal clothes. The priest also wears a scarf-like
garment called a stole, which is a symbol of his or her sacramental role
as ordained leader of the church. The priest who is the primary leader or
celebrant for the day wears a chasuble, a loose-fitting garment without
seam meant to represent Christ's seamless garment that the soldiers fought
over at the foot of the cross.
Other worship leaders include the acolytes, the choir, readers, and the
verger. At St. Aidan’s, the verger wears an scapular over her alb, and
she carries a verge, the symbol of the ministry, which is to make sure the
liturgy runs smoothly and with as few distractions as possible.
During the Reformation in the 15th and 16th centuries, many Protestants
jettisoned various traditions and kept only Scripture, to focus in worship
on the spoken Word in Bible and Sermon, and that is still true for many
denominations. However, for Episcopalians, the value of symbol and the
value of comprehensive worship remain central to our liturgy.
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The Church Year
The style and theme of our worship are determined by the seasons of the
church year, which begins with Advent and moves through the twelve days of
Christmas and the season after Epiphany. Lent is the next season,
followed by Easter, which is not just a day but the Great Fifty Days. The
longest season is the one following Pentecost; it usually lasts from the
first week in June until around Thanksgiving. Colors and prayers change
in due season as we remember different stages in our salvation history.
For more details,
click here or see the Book of Common
Prayer, pg. 15ff
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The
Entrance and Opening Acclamation—Page 323 or 355
At 10:30, we begin with song, usually one that echoes the theme or lessons
of the day. As the hymn ends, the priest formally greets the people with
an opening acclamation. There are three different acclamations used. We
use the penitential one based on Psalms 103 and 136 during Lent, "Bless
the Lord who forgives all our sins;" the second we use only during the
Great Fifty Days of Easter: “Alleluia, Christ is Risen.” The third one we
use during all other ordinary times: "Blessed be God, Father, Son, and
Holy Spirit." The priest will often make the sign of the cross over his
body as he says these words as a sign that we are marked as Christ's.
People in the congregation may mirror this gesture devotionally.
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The Collect for
Purity—BCP 323 or 355
This is a prayer for preparation, for the cleansing of heart and focus of
the mind during worship. A Collect (Kah-lect) is a "prayer on assembly"
and the word comes from the Latin,
collectum.
Years ago, this prayer for purity was said only by the priest as a means
of private preparation, but in the 1552 Book of Common Prayer, it became a
public prayer. It is based on Psalm 51.
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The Summary
of the Law, from Matthew 22:37–40
This became part of public worship first in the American book of 1789, and
the 1928 prayer book required it to be read at least once a month. It
reminds us of the focus of our lives as children of God: to love God and
neighbor. We say this only during a Rite I service.
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The Song of Praise:
Gloria
or
Kyrie
During Lent and Advent, church seasons of preparation, we sing the
Kyrie,
"Christ have mercy upon us." It is an affirmation of God's mercy and our
need to remember that we live under that mercy. The prayer book allows it
to be said in English or Greek. At other times, we sing a song of praise
to God for all God has done and is doing. It is called the
Gloria,
"Glory to God in the Highest." The shepherds heard the heavens singing
this as the good news of Christ's birth was proclaimed to them. It became
part of standard worship in the 11th and 12th centuries. The 1552 Book of
Common Prayer required it at every Eucharist.
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The Salutation
"The Lord be with you." This greeting comes from Ruth (2:4) . We use it
as the Liturgy of the Word begins and as the Liturgy of the Table begins.
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The Collect of the Day
This collect concludes the entering and preparation section of our
worship. These prayers are thematic and prescribed just as the lessons of
the day are—through the lectionary. Many of our collects have been used
in worship for centuries. The Liturgy of the Word continues with the
readings from Scripture. These in the Book of Common Prayer, page 211ff.
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The Lessons
Reading from scripture during worship goes back to Jewish traditions.
Again and again, we hear of Jesus in synagogue reading and preaching about
the prophets. Paul's letters were read to the assembly in Rome, Ephesus,
Corinth, and many other places.
Neither the clergy nor the worship committee choose the Sunday lessons.
We are using a three year cycle of lessons called the Revised Common
Lectionary, which many denominations use and which Bishop Alexander has
approved for use. It mirrors the Lectionary in the Book of Common
Prayer, page 888ff. With the lectionary, a good portion of the Hebrew
Scriptures and almost all the New Testament are read during that
three-year cycle.
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The Gospel
The Gospel is read in the midst of the congregation to show how Jesus came
to the people as the Word incarnate. We stand to give the reading honor,
as we would honor Christ himself. In truth, we are “hearing” and “seeing”
Jesus himself as we hear the stories of his life and ministry. The book
is elevated to elevate the Word of God, who is Christ himself (John 1).
It is appropriate to turn to face the reader.
Often, the gospel reader makes the sign of the cross on his forehead,
across his lips, and over his heart. These actions symbolically ask
Christ to be in our minds, on our lips, and in our hearts. The cross on
the text is to highlight the words of the Incarnate Word of God. Those
gestures are often repeated by those in the congregation. As always,
making the sign of the cross is a matter of self-expression and personal
piety. You are invited to choose either one.
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The Sermon
Then the Word is preached to proclaim the good news we have just
heard—tying ancient, sacred texts to our lives and exploring the issues of
faith that effect and shape those lives and call us to reconciliation and
communion with God.
A note about church courtesies:
Movement during a reading, a prayer, or the sermon can be disruptive the
worship of the ones around you. If you come to church late, please wait
at the back until a time between lessons or a during hymn. Please don't
be upset at the ushers if they ask you to wait a moment before finding
your seat.
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The Creed
Following the preacher's proclamation of the good news, the congregation
stands to proclaim its own faith in the Nicene Creed, which was written
and approved at the church council of Nicaea in 325 AD to describe the
basics of the Christian faith in the face of the many heresies working
their way through the body of Christ. It has many scriptural references,
though it is not found as a unit in Scripture, as the Lord’s Prayer is.
The Creed was not used regularly in worship until the 11th century. The
three sections—on the Father, on the Son, and on the Holy
Spirit—correspond to our being baptized in the name of Father, Son, and
Holy Spirit. Standing is an active posture for proclamation of the Creed.
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Prayers of the People
From what we know, prayers of the gathered community followed the readings
and sermons beginning in the 2nd century. These prayers come prior to
making an offering and prior to Eucharist as a matter of further
preparation. The 1979 prayer book prescribes that our prayers take a
certain form and order: first for the universal church, its members and
its mission; second, for the nation and all in authority; third, for the
welfare of the world; fourth, for the concerns of the local community;
fifth, for those who suffer and those in any trouble; and lastly, for the
departed. The prayers we usually use for Rite I are standard for that
service, but a parish is allowed to use Rite II prayers during Rite I,
conforming their wording to traditional language. There are six suggested
versions of prayer for Rite II, and adaptations can be made to include
thanksgivings for birthdays, anniversaries, or prayers for the sick. The
prayers may be said kneeling or standing.
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The Confession
This prayer is our corporate admission of sin. The prayer we use for
confession in Rite I comes from a 1548 prayer said only by the priest for
the congregation. By 1662, the confession was a public prayer by all
present. Before this time, the phrase from the Lord's Prayer, "forgive us
our sins," served as the phrase for corporate confession, and specific
confessions were made to a priest on an individual basis. At times like
the season of Easter, the confession as we have it may be omitted because
our giving thanks for redemption is itself an admission of our sinfulness
and the need we have for redemption. Many kneel for the confession of sin
as a sign of their penitence; others choose to stand.
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The Absolution
The Rite I words of Absolution come from the 1549 prayer book. These
words are a declaration in the name of God and of the church of
forgiveness. They can be said by a bishop or priest, because the
disciples were given the gift to forgive or retain sins (John 20). As the
words of forgiveness are spoken, the priest makes the sign of the cross
over them. The cross is the sign of our forgiveness, and many people
repeat that sign on their bodies as the priest makes it. Our
understanding of confession and absolution is grounded in the words of 1
John 1:9, "If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will
forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
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The Comfortable Words (BCP
332)
In Rite I, one or all of these four verses from Scripture are spoken after
the absolution to remind people of the promises of God.
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The Peace
As the forgiven and cleansed, we stand and pass the Peace of God as an
expression of that forgiveness and even the restoration of relationships
once broken. As St. Paul writes, this is not peace of mind: it is the
peace of God which passes all understanding (Phil 4:7). It also is as
Jesus said to his disciples: "My peace I leave you; my own peace I give to
you.” Passing the peace is not so much about socializing but a moment
to turn and share the gift of reconciliation with others in the name of
Christ.
Note:
As the announcements are made, there is a transition from the Liturgy of
the Word to the Liturgy of the Table. It is specifically during this
time—between the announcements and the presentation hymn—that parents may
find it best to get their children from the nursery if they are going to
join you for communion.
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The Offertory
We offer the symbols of our life and labor to the Lord, and the choir
offers its song. The presentation of bread and wine is part of the
offertory, as is the offering of money, a fruit of our labor. We lift our
voices with an offertory hymn, and the altar is prepared with the gifts
that were brought forward.
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The Great Thanksgiving
Here we reach the point of giving "most hearty thanks" to God for all God
has done in creation and throughout history for the salvation of the world
through Jesus Christ. We call it Holy Communion or Holy Eucharist which
is the Greek term for "thanksgiving." Eucharist is one of the two
sacraments of the Church—one of the two outward and visible signs of
inward and spiritual grace offered by God. Baptism is the other.
In some Episcopal churches, like ours, the altar is away from the wall,
nearer the people, to symbolize the community gathered around the table
just as Jesus was with the disciples at the Last Supper. Many early
Christians worshipped this way, although altars moved against the wall in
the middle ages. Wherever the altar is, the prayers are nonetheless
addressed to God.
In truth, all Eucharistic prayers have roots in Jewish blessing over bread
and wine. These were the type of blessings Jesus said with his disciples
at the last supper as they celebrated the Passover.
From early Christian letters and histories, and from Scripture itself (1
Corinthians 11:23ff), we find the Eucharist to be the most frequent way
Christ was remembered and thanked as Christians gathered. It was not a
once a month service, but a regular way to give thanks.
Our earliest document of a Eucharist dates from 215, and our present
prayers follow much of that form, which has been passed down through the
years. That history—and the scriptural basis for it—is why communion
services from other denominations are similar to the ones we use. Their
origins are the same.
Our Eucharistic prayers start with a brief description of why it is “meet
and right” to give God thanks and praise on this day. We then sing or say
the
Sanctus,
an ancient song and a heavenly song, for according to Isaiah 6:1-3 and
Revelation 4:8, angels constantly sing this song to God. We are then told
by the italicized directions in the prayer book either to stand or kneel,
both being acceptable and traditional. In the early church, people stood,
which was the normal posture for Thanksgiving. We also stand to symbolize
that, as Rite II, Prayer B says, "we have been made worthy to stand before
God" by the work Christ did for us.
At this point, whether in Rite I or Rite II, we hear a brief retelling of
our history with God: our creation, our fall and sin, our judgment, and
our redemption. As our redemption through Christ is described, Jesus' own
words about Eucharist are retold. These words come from the night before
he was betrayed, and they are a conflation of all the gospel accounts at
the Last Supper. (Matthew, Mark, and Luke don’t use the same words!)
This is the Institution Narrative, and it’s an essential part of our
remembering Jesus.
Our remembering itself has a spiritual side that can't be missed. It's
called
anamnesis,
which is the exact opposite of amnesia. When we have amnesia, we forget
who we are, where we came from. With
anamnesis,
we remember in such a way as to bring Christ's death and resurrection
alive again in vivid, spiritual, even mystical ways—ways in which the
power of Jesus life and sacrifice 2,000 years ago is clear and alive
today,
As we recall Christ's gift to us, we make an offering ourselves "with
these thy holy gifts we offer unto thee." This
oblation
also includes the gifts of our selves, our souls, our bodies. Our prayer
then becomes a request for God to send the Holy Spirit upon the gifts we
have presented, making them for us to be the Body and Blood of Jesus
Christ. As the prayer is made, the sign of cross is made by the
celebrant to represent the holy blessing upon the bread and wine. Later,
as sign of the cross is made over the body, the celebrant asks that this
food will “fill us with God’s grace and heavenly benediction,” and make us
one body with Christ. Our understanding of what is happening spiritually
at this point comes from John 6, a highly Eucharistic chapter in that
gospel.
What does it mean to have blessed bread and wine?
Through the years, there have been many ideas about what “happens” to the
bread and wine at this blessing. Episcopalians are known for being in the
middle—between Roman Catholic views on an actual and literal change to
body and blood (known as Transubstantiation) and the Protestant view of
symbolic change.
What best describes the Episcopal Church's understanding of what this
blessing of bread and wine is all about is called "real presence." Jesus
said, "I am the bread of life,” and “This is my body," and "This is my
blood." Because Jesus said this, we believe it, and know (even though the
“how” is a mystery) that He is
really
present, not just symbolically present. Therefore, we call this belief
"real presence."
Because of this understanding of body/bread and wine/blood, we handle and
eat the body and blood of Christ reverently, knowing that Christ is
present for us — forgiving us, reconciling us, sustaining us, and
comforting us.
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The Great AMEN
As the prayers of thanksgiving and offering conclude here, the people join
in and give their consent by saying AMEN, which means, "I agree," or "So
be it." Notice in your prayer books that this AMEN is capitalized, to
steer the congregation toward an emphatic agreement of the prayers.
After the great AMEN, we say the Lord's Prayer, again recalling and
obeying a clear teaching of Jesus to pray using these words.
As, the bread is broken, a moment of silence is kept to consider the great
sacrifice and brokenness that Christ suffered for us. In Rite I, we
again ask for mercy for our part as human beings in sinfully rejecting
Jesus. We say, "O Lamb of God, that takest away the sins of the world,
have mercy upon us."
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Receiving Holy Communion
At this point, the celebrant invites the congregation forward to receive
"the gifts of God for the people of God." In the Episcopal Church, all
baptized persons are invited to receive communion.
It used to be that Confirmation was required for full initiation into the
church, and it was required prior to receiving communion, but the 1979
Prayer Book clearly states that baptism is “full initiation into the Body
of Christ” (BCP 298). Some families are used to the tradition of waiting
until after Confirmation to receive communion. Though that tradition is
understandable, you may consider the value of receiving the sacrament at
all ages. God’s Grace at communion helps and sustains baptized people
whether they are eight or eighty. No one has a full understanding of Holy
Communion; it’s part of the mystery of faith. An analogy to consider is
that we learn to speak English before we learn to read it or write it.
Language becomes part of us before we fully understand it. So it is with
grace, first at baptism, and then through communion.
We sing hymns as the congregation receives communion as a way of
preserving the tone and importance of what is happening. When your time
comes to receive communion, please put one hand on top of the other and
raise them up to receive. Also, please help the chalice bearer by gently
taking hold of the chalice and guiding it to your lips. They will not let
go of it, but you help will ensure all goes well. If you choose to
intinct (dip) your wafer, that's is fine. Please be mindful not to let
your fingers dip in too. If anyone prefers to come forward for a blessing
only, that is fine as well. Just place your arms across your chest as a
signal.
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After Receiving Holy
Communion
When everyone has received communion, the vergers, lay readers, and
celebrant clear the altar by consuming or reserving the blessed bread and
wine. The small cabinet against the wall to the left of the altar is
called a tabernacle or an aumbry. Small amounts of blessed bread and wine
are kept there so that blessed wine and bread from our table can be taken
to the sick or homebound if necessary. The rest is consumed out of
reverence.
Our post-communion prayer is our final thanks of the day. With either
Rite I or Rite II, we agree to be about God’s work in the world. The
prayer is followed by a blessing. Our concluding hymn and dismissal—the
call to go forth—end the liturgy.
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Conclusion
We hope these words of instruction have been helpful. If anyone asks you
about the Episcopal Church—what we believe, why we do what we do—we hope
you share these things and see the conversation as an opportunity to share
your faith. You may even get the chance to bring them here to show them
yourself.
If you would like to dive deeper into your understanding of our liturgy,
please consult the following books, which were used as resources for this
instructed Eucharist.
Commentary on the American Prayer Book,
by Marion Hatchett. San Francisco; Harper, 1995.
Praying Shapes Believing: A Theological Commentary on the Book of Common
Prayer,
by Leonel L. Mitchell. Harrisburg, PA; Morehouse Publishing, 1985.
Baptism, Eucharist, and Ministry.
Geneva: World Council of Churches, 1995.
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