In this article, the fifth in the series, I will be offering suggestions for planning and celebrating the Holy Eucharist, using the Order for the Administration of the Lord’s Supper, Renewed Ancient Text, from The Anglican Church in North America’s The Book of Common Prayer (2019). I had originally planned six articles but subsequently decided to divide what was to be a single article on planning and celebrating the Holy Eucharist into two parts and discuss planning the Preparation for the Lord’s Supper and the Liturgy of the Table in a separate article.
It must be borne in mind that the 2019 Book of Common Prayer has no official standing in the Anglican Church in North America. It has never been adopted as the official Prayer Book of the ACNA and whether its use is permitted in a particular diocese of the ACNA is up to the bishop of that diocese. In some cases, the bishop of a diocese has authorized its use in his diocese and may have given specific instructions concerning its use. In other cases, clergy and congregations have the option of using other Anglican service books and in one case the Church of England’s Common Worship (2000) is the only service book whose use is permitted in the diocese for services of public worship.
If the bishop of the diocese has not given specific instructions concerning its use, then I recommend following the advice of William Palmer Ladd, American Episcopal priest, liturgical scholar, seminary dean, and the author of Prayer Book Interleaves: Some Reflections on How the Book of Common Prayer Might Be Made More Influential (1943, 1957), and disregarding the rubrics of the book and omit material from the book where it is necessary. The bold may choose to make other changes. I will suggest a few. The timid may choose to adhere to the rubrics but pare down the rite to make it more usable on the North American mission field.
The Gathering of God’s People. All celebrations of the Holy Eucharist begin with the gathering of God’s people. Their coming together begins outside of the building in which they will meet. It begins in their homes or places of employment or wherever they are, the day that a particular celebration is held and even the night before. As they assemble in the place where they will celebrate the Holy Eucharist, they may greet each other and chat with each other. This is itself a part of the gathering process—the coming together of a congregation of the faithful to celebrate the Holy Eucharist. The purpose of the introductory rite is to complete this process, in which a loose aggregate of people becomes a worshiping assembly, a visible manifestation of the Body of Christ. It enables those present to settle their thoughts and to focus their attention on God.
Worship planners can help those present make this transition in a number of ways. Let’s take a look at some options.
A traditional method of summoning a congregation to prayer in the Western Church is to ring a church bell several times twice with an interval in between and followed by a period of silence. The practice of ringing a bell to summon a congregation to prayer can be traced to the seventh century In the absence of a church bell, tubular bells or stacked bells struck with a rawhide mallet may be used or an audio recording of a church bell played. The tolling of a church bell not only calls the congregation to prayer but also sets the mood.
In the churches of the East, however, a semantron, a percussion instrument, consisting of a wooden plank or a metal plate, is struck instead of or in addition to a bell for this purpose. The different kinds of semantrons are described in this Wikipedia article. A wooden box drum struck with a pair of soft mallets might double as a semantron for congregations wishing to employ this method of summoning a congregation to prayer. A gong with a deep, resonate tone, Claves or a woodblock are other possibilities.
The performance of sacred music can also help a congregation make this transition. In some churches this music has typically been an organ voluntary. Rather than limit ourselves to one form of music, it is a good idea to use a variety of pre-service music. The time before the service provides an opportunity to introduce a new tune to the congregation or to use the musical talents of members of the congregation. The choir or a small ensemble might sing a choral call to worship. A soloist might sing a selection that introduces the theme of the celebration. For example, if the theme of the celebration is “Love One Another…,” a soloist might sing the Shaker song, “Love Is Little.” The congregation might be invited to join in singing a medley of simple worship songs. Songs from the Global Church like “Come All You People, Come and Praise Your Maker” and “Come O Holy Spirit, Come” work well at this juncture.
Key is not to do the same thing Sunday after Sunday. One of the risks of doing the same thing every Sunday (or whenever the congregation celebrates the Holy Eucharist) is that congregation may come to pay no attention to the pre-service music, treat it as background music, and continue to socialize. Regardless of whether the congregation participates in the music, we want to engage them with the music, employ it to shift their attention to God and to put them in the right frame of mind for what is to follow.
An effective way of helping a congregation to begin the transition from a loose aggregate of people to a worshiping assembly is to conduct a preservice congregational rehearsal. Such rehearsals enable congregations to learn new hymns, other forms of liturgical songs, and service music and to practice unfamiliar ones. They convey to the congregation that congregational singing is an important part of a congregation’s weekly celebration of the Holy Eucharist and that the congregation as a worshiping assembly is the principal musical instrument of the congregation.
The most effective musical instrument for teaching new lyrics and new tunes to a congregation is a high quality upright piano or electric piano. It is also the best instrument to accompany congregational singing particularly in small congregation in rented facilities and other non-traditional worship settings. The notes of a tune sound crisper and sharper on a well-tuned piano than they do on an organ and are easier to follow. The advantage of an upright piano over a grand piano is that the sound travels outward and not upward. Pianists are easier to find than organists. Many people learn to play the piano but very few learn to play the organ.
Despite its popularity an acoustic or electric guitar is not the best instrument for teaching new lyrics and new tunes or leading and accompanying congregational singing. The chords the guitarist plays on the guitar are not the melody of the tune. Unless the guitarist is able to sing and has the right kind of voice to lead congregational singing or has a vocalist who knows the lyrics and who can sing them to the guitar accompaniment, the congregation has nothing to follow. This is one of the reasons that we are seeing a decline in congregational singing in churches were the guitar is used. This is not to say that we should not use the guitar in corporate worship, but we should be mindful of its limitations. When a music group leads congregational singing, it is the keyboard and the vocalists who actually lead the singing.
In liturgical forms of services, a percussionist who can play a variety of percussion instruments—box drum, claves, conga drums, djembe, gongs, stacked bells, tube bells, woodblock, xylophone, and like is preferable to a percussionist who is familiar only with a drum kit.
Among the ways that a church can help its congregation or its congregations if it has more than one weekly celebration of the Holy Eucharist to learn new music is to post audios or videos of the music on its website. This also conveys to a congregation that the church is serious about its participation in the music of the liturgy.
Whether a congregation has a choir or a musical ensemble (also known as a music group or a musical group) or both, it is best to have the choir and the musical ensemble assume their places quietly and unobtrusively before the service. This will enable them to lead and support the congregational singing when it is time to sing the opening song of the service. It is also desirable for the bishop or priest who is presiding over the celebration and the other liturgical ministers to assume their places at the same time. It is best to leave processions with choir, incense, lights, and a processional cross to solemn occasions such as church festivals and major feast days. In many non-traditional worship settings, a procession decidedly looks out of place, especially when it consists of a priest and one assisting liturgical minister carrying a processional cross. What may have been customary in one setting may not be the best choice for another setting. When we fail to consider the setting and other key factors in planning a celebration of the Holy Eucharist, the celebration will be weak and unsatisfactory in more ways than one.
There are several misunderstandings about the function or role of the opening song, or gathering song, in a celebration of the Holy Eucharist. One of these misunderstandings is that the purpose of this song is to accompany the entrance of the ministers. Its real purpose is to be the first thing that a congregation does together as a worshipping assembly. It is the first ritual action of the liturgy. As well as creating an atmosphere of celebration, its function or role is to help put the congregation in the right frame of mind for hearing the Scripture readings and the sermon. The opening song “serves to galvanize the room of individuals into a connected community of faith and prayer.” It helps them see themselves as a worshipping assembly. The opening song is also, in a very real sense, the opening prayer for all who have gathered to celebrate the Holy Eucharist.
For these reasons this song should be easy to sing and familiar to the congregations, a song in which all who are present should be able to participate. It may be a hymn, a psalm, a canticle, the Kyrie, the Trisagion, or some other worship song. It should not be too long or too slow. It also should not be cut off abruptly partway through. In selecting the song, worship planners should carefully choose what stanzas of the song will be sung so that the stanzas selected to be sung make sense together. We do not honor God when we ask the congregation to sing nonsense.
The choice of the opening song is an important one. How well it goes will often determine how well the liturgy goes. If the liturgy gets off to a slow start, it may drag throughout.
During penitential seasons like Advent and Lent worship planners may wish to choose a nine-fold or twelve-fold Kyrie or Trisagion for the opening song. A second option is profound silence.
On some occasions it may be appropriate to sing a medley of worship songs in place of a single opening song, in which case it is a good idea to start with an upbeat song of praise and transition to a slower song of adoration. Care should be taken that the focus of these songs is God and not ourselves.
In planning the songs of the liturgy, I recommend first choosing the song between the first two lessons and the song before the Great Thanksgiving, then communion songs and the final song, and last of all, the opening song. During seasons like Advent, Christmas, Lent, and Easter, the service music can be selected for the entire season. In the longer seasons of ordinary time, the season after Epiphany and the season after Pentecost, it can be chosen for several Sundays in a row. By service music, I mean the Kyrie or Trisagion, the Gloria in Excelsis or some other song of praise, the Alleluia or Gospel Acclamation before the Gospel reading, the Sanctus-Benedictus, Memorial Acclamation, the Great Amen, and the Fraction Anthem if one is used.
Unless the bishop has given specific directions regarding the use of the rites and services in the 2019 BCP, I recommend going immediately from the opening song to a very brief introduction to the celebration in which the president over the celebration welcomes all present and those viewing on cable TV and online, followed by the greeting and response, “The Lord be with you; and also with you” or “The Lord be with you; the Lord bless you” and the Collect for the Day. If the Sunday or other occasion is a special occasion, a collect related to the occasion may be said immediately after the Collect of the Day or after the Post-Communion Prayer. These two junctures are where such prayers are most commonly said in Anglican service books. Saying one or more such prayers before the sermon as directed in the rubrics of the 1928 BCP adds needlessly to the gap between the reading of God’s Word and its exposition and is not recommended. An alternative is to include a special petition or thanksgiving in the Prayers of the People.
For worship planners who feel rubric-bound, the Renewed Ancient Text does not offer many options for the introductory rite. They are given the choice of one of three penitential opening rites or an opening rite suitable for a papal visit.
Option #1. After the opening song the minister presiding over the celebration say an opening acclamation and the congregation say the response. It is recommended that only one of the three opening acclamations printed in the rite itself be used. The president alone or the president and the congregation together say the Collect for Purity, after which the president or some other minister reads the Decalogue, and the congregation say the responses. The Decalogue may also be sung instead of being read. The president and the congregation then sing or say the Kyrie or the Trisagion. The president then greets the congregation with the salutation “The Lord be with you” to which the congregation responds, “And with your spirit,” as in the 2011 translation of the Roman Rite, or “And also with you,” as in the lion’s share of Anglican rites from the 1970s on. The president then says, “Let us pray,” followed by the Collect of the Day.
While the rubrics do not make provision for a period of silence before the president says the Collect, it is strongly recommended. Having invited the congregation to pray, it is highly appropriate to give the congregation an opportunity to do so. The function of a Collect is “to gather the intentions of the people and the focus of worship into a succinct prayer.”
This option is rather lengthy and is best reserved for Lent. The Kyrie and the Trisagion are songs, and they should be sung, rather than said. Many settings of these two songs can be sung without accompaniment. The Kyrie is best sung in its nine-fold or twelve-fold form and the Trisagion in its three-fold form at a minimum. A perfunctory “Lord, have mercy upon us, Christ, have mercy upon us, Lord, have mercy upon us” falls short as does singing or saying the Trisagion only once. Since the compilers of the rite have saw fit to make one of these songs a requisite part of the opening of the service, worship planners should make the best use of the song as an opening devotion.
Option #2. After the opening song the president says an opening acclamation and the congregation says the response after which the president alone or the president and the congregation together say the Collect for Purity The president reads the Summary of the Law, and the congregation says the response. All sing or say the Kyrie or Trisagion.
This option is the shortest and the least front-heavy and is the option that is likely to see the most use. The recommendations which I made for Option #1 apply to this option and the remaining two options.
The Kyrie and the Trisagion are congregational songs and consequently, the settings used should not be too elaborate or difficult. The setting should have a straightforward melody that the congregation can learn and sing. This does not mean that the setting cannot have embellishments that choir or musical ensemble sings but these embellishments should not obscure the melody. During the long seasons of ordinary time, the Season after Epiphany and the Season after Pentecost several settings may be used during the season, each setting for several Sundays in a row. While relatively new to the opening rite of the Holy Eucharist in the Anglican Church the Trisagion has long been used at the opening of the service in the Eastern Churches and was used at the beginning of the service in the early Gallican rites, It is a good choice for these seasons of the Church Year. The Kyrie might be best saved for Advent and Lent and for the occasions when Option #4 is used.
Option #3. The Additional Directions Concerning Holy Communion make provision for a rather lengthy Penitential Order, for use at the opening of the liturgy, or for use on other occasions. After the opening song the president says an opening acclamation and the congregation says the response after which the president alone or the president and the congregation together say the Collect for Purity. After the Collect for Purity the Additional Directions then state “then kneeling as able.” This direction presumably refers to the congregation, but the Additional Directions do not specify. The president reads the Decalogue or Summary of the Law, and the congregation says the responses. It is a longstanding practice for the minister who reads the Decalogue or the Summary of the Law to remain standing. The Exhortation may then be read.
It would have made sense to have omitted the direction to kneel since a congregation might be gathered to celebrate the Holy Eucharist in a setting that does not permit kneeling. For example, they may be using a rented sanctuary of some other church, which is not equipped with kneelers or hassocks. A rubric at the beginning of the service pointing out that the rubrics are suggestions only as in An Australian Prayer Book (1978) would have been a useful addition to the rite.
The Additional Directions make no provision for a deacon or the person appointed to invite the congregation to confess their sins or for a period of silence following the bidding in which the congregation can examine themselves before God and confess specific wrongdoings and sins to God. The Penitential Order goes immediately from the Kyrie or Trisagion or the Exhortation if it is used. It is strongly recommended that a deacon or the person appointed giving the invitation to confession allow the congregation ample time to examine themselves and confess their sins in silence before proceeding to the Confession of Sin.
While the rubrics permit a deacon to lead the Confession of Sin in the penitential preparation before the exchange of the Peace, the Additional Directions do not specify who may lead the Confession of Sin in the Penitential Order. One of the weaknesses of the 2019 BCP is that, like the 2011 translation of the Roman Rite, it assumes that every congregation has a deacon and does not make provision for authorized lay persons to lead the Confession of Sin and perform other functions in the liturgy in the absence of a deacon as do many other Anglican service books. It has a very limited view of the role of the laity in the liturgy, which is after all “the work of the people.” This constricted view of the laity’s role reflects the Anglo-Catholic influence in its rites and services.
The Confession of Sin is followed by the Absolution and may be followed by the Comfortable Words. The Additional Directions specify that the Kyrie follow the Absolution or the Comfortable Words if used. They make no mention of the Trisagion. They also make no mention of the president and the congregation exchanging the greeting of the salutation before Collect of the Day or the president inviting the congregation to pray. As the rubrics are presently written, the president may immediately go to the Collect of the Day after the Kyrie.
I do not recommend the use of this Penitential Order except on the First Sunday of Lent and the First Sunday of Advent and then with the Decalogue. If it is used on those occasions, I recommend that the opening song should be omitted, and the service should be proceeded by a profound silence. If the liturgical ministers normally enter in procession, they should enter in a silent procession. The processional cross, if one is used, should be veiled. during Lent as should be all crosses in the sanctuary or worship center.
Option #4. This option follows the same pattern as options #1 and #2 with the addition of the Gloria in Excelsis or some other song of praise following the Kyrie or Trisagion.
This option is not suitable for Sundays in Ordinary Time, the Season after Epiphany and the Season after Pentecost, or in Advent or Lent. The combination of opening song, Kyrie, Gloria in Excelsis, Salutation, and Collect of the Day were the Medieval opening rite of the Latin Mass on the occasion of a visit from the Pope. It is best reserved for major church festivals and the seasons of Christmas and Easter. The rubrics of the 2019 BCP permit the use of some other song of praise in place of the Gloria in Excelsis and I strongly recommend worship planners take advantage of that permission. I recommend the following scheme for substituting some other song of praise for the Gloria in Excelsis/
Christmas Day and the Christmas Season: Gloria in Excelsis
Feast of the Epiphany: Gloria in Excelsis
Easter Sunday and the Easter Season: Dignus est (also known as the Song to the Lamb, Splendor and Honor, and Glory and Honour)
The Feast of Pentecost (or Whitsun): Veni Sancte Spiritus (Taizé); Holy Spirit, Lord of Light (Val Goldsack); or some other hymn to the Holy Spirit
Marian Feasts: Magnificat
Patronal Feasts: Gloria in Excelsis
A number of accessible settings of the Gloria in Excelsis and the other canticles of praise have been composed in the last 50 odd years. They include metrical versions of these canticles. The song of praise, like the opening song, the Kyrie, and the Trisagion are congregational songs, and with so many accessible settings of the canticles available, there is no reason that the song of praise should not be sung. It is, after all, a song of praise. Reciting the Gloria in Excelsis or some other song of praise is simply lame as is reciting the Kyrie and the Trisagion!
The Liturgy of the Word. The rubrics of the 2019 BCP permit the reading of two or three lections from Scripture at celebrations of the Holy Eucharist. On Sunday or the principal day on which a congregation celebrates the Holy Eucharist all three lections as appointed in the 2019 BCP’s lectionary should be read.
It is desirable that the first two lections should be read by lay people and that a different individual read each lection. It is a good idea to have different individuals read these two lections from those who lead the Prayers of the People or assist in the distribution of the communion elements. It is also desirable that the lay people reading these lections dress as they normally would for a church service and not wear vestments of any kind.
Regrettably the 2019 BCP does not permit an authorized lay person to read the gospel as do a number of recent Anglican service books but like the 2011 English translation of the Roman Missal only permits a deacon or priest to read the gospel.
It is highly recommended that a period of silence for reflection and prayer follow the reading of each lection, including the gospel. When the reading of a lection is immediately followed by the instrumental music or singing, the attention of the congregation is drawn away from what they just heard, and the words of the lection are not given an opportunity to percolate down to deeper levels of the minds of the congregation. Instrumental music or singing can act like the birds that flew down and gobbled up the seed in the Parable of the Sower. The Word is not given a chance to germinate and sprout, much less to grow. Silence has a place in the liturgy.
A psalm or canticle is customarily sung between the first two lections. The 2019 BCP’s lectionary recommends a psalm for use at this juncture in the service. If a canticle is sung in the place of a psalm, it should echo themes and imagery found in the psalm or serve as a reflection on the first lection or a response to it or as an introduction to the second lection. Ideally it should tie the two lections together but that may not always be possible.
If an anthem is sung instead of a psalm or canticle, the preceding criteria should be considered in its selection. A number of anthems are based on psalms or canticles.
Normally, however, the psalm or canticle sung between the first two lections is a congregational song. It may be a responsorial setting of the psalm or canticle, in which case a cantor, the musical ensemble, or the choir sing the verses and the congregations sing a repetitive refrain after each group of verses. Alternately, a metrical paraphrase of the psalm or canticle may be used. A number of settings are metrical and have a repetitive refrain. Refrains and repetitions permit the younger children in the congregation to participate in a song, and their presence in the congregation should be considered in selecting the music for a celebration.
Some congregations are able to learn to sing plainsong or other simple forms of chant, in which case they can join in singing the verses of a responsorial setting of a psalm or canticle. In my experience if a responsorial setting of a psalm or canticle is repeated enough time, the congregation will learn the verses. This includes children as well as adults. During the time that I was involved in planning the worship of former parish, my congregation learned Richard Hillert's setting of the Dignus est, "This Is the Feast of Victory;" David Ashey White’s setting of the First Song of Isaiah, “Surely It is God Who Saves Me;” and Michael Jonas’s setting of Psalm 91, “On Eagle’s Wings.”
On occasion it is appropriate to have a soloist sing a psalm, psalm portion, or a solo based on a psalm. Some of the psalms, particularly the more personal and penitential ones may be best sung by a single voice.
On occasion a hymn or worship song based upon a psalm or canticle can also be used at this time in the service. It is a good idea to vary what is sung between the first two lections so as not to fall not the rut of doing the same thing Sunday after Sunday.
An important consideration in selecting a psalm or canticle to sing between the first two lections is its length. If it is too long, it can interrupt the flow of the service and cause this part of the service to fall apart.
As in the case of the lections, a period of silence for reflection and prayer should follow the psalm, canticle, anthem, solo, hymn, or worship song.
Normally the Gloria Patri is not sung at the end of a psalm or canticle at a celebration of the Holy Eucharist unless is a part of the setting itself.
Anglican chant is best left to choirs and reserved for Evensong.
The singing of a gospel acclamation before the reading of the gospel is strongly recommended. A gospel acclamation typically consists an alleluia sung by itself or with one or more verses in Advent, Christmas, the Season after the Epiphany, Easter the Season after Pentecost, and a Lenten acclamation sung by itself or with one or more verses in Lent and Holy Week. I introduced this practice at my former parish while it was a small mission congregation. The same gospel acclamation can be sung throughout the shorter seasons and a different gospel acclamation can be sung for several Sundays in a row in the longer seasons. Among the advantages of using gospel acclamations to introduce the reading of the gospel is that a congregation can learn a number of them in a relatively short period of time and they require only the musical leadership of a cantor. New ones can be taught to a congregation in a preservice congregational rehearsal before the service at which they are to be used. They can also be sung without any accompaniment. Children as well as adults are able to quickly master the tune.
If the gospel is read from the midst of the congregation, the gospel acclamation is sung before the reading of the gospel. The gospel procession sets out after the gospel acclamation is begun and the gospel is not read until the gospel acclamation is concluded. The gospel acclamation should not be cut off because the gospel procession has arrived at the location from which the gospel will be read. The gospel acclamation is not traveling music to cover the movement of the gospel procession! Its purpose is to herald the reading of the gospel and the presence of Christ in the Word. After the gospel is read, a profound silence should be allowed to settle over the congregation and the gospel procession should return in silence to the front or wherever its participants. were seated.
Among the practices that worship planners will wish to carefully avoid is sandwiching the gospel reading between two halves of a hymn and preceding the sermon with a hymn. Dividing a hymn into two parts and singing one part before the reading of the gospel and other part of it mutilates the sense of the hymn. Singing a part of a hymn after the reading of the gospel draws attention of the congregation away from what the congregation has just heard and does not give the congregation any time to digest what it heard. The gospel procession does not need traveling music to cover the return of its participants to the places where they sit. Rather they should return to their places in silence.
Singing a hymn before the sermon not only creates a gap between the reading of the lections and their exposition in the sermon but also the congregation will not see the connection between the hymn and the sermon.
As with the Scripture readings the sermon should be followed by a period of silence for reflection.
The rubrics of the 2019 BCP direct that the Nicene Creed should be sung or read after the sermon except on when the Athanasia Creed may be read. The 2019 BCP breaks with the American Prayer Book’s long tradition of permitting the Apostles’ Creed to be sung or read in place of the Nicene Creed, a practice permitted by the rubrics of other Anglican service books and the 2011 translation of the Roman Missal. Traditionally the Nicene Creed is omitted at weekday celebrations of the Holy Eucharist.
William Palmer Ladd in Prayer Book Interleaves recommends the omission of the Nicene Creed at Sunday celebrations of the Holy Eucharist, noting that it was a late addition to the liturgy and serves no useful purpose. Attendees at celebrations of the Holy Eucharist who do not subscribe to what it affirms can recite it without hesitation!
Among the options from which worship planners who are not wed to the rubrics can choose is to follow the period of silence after the sermon with a hymn as is the Lutheran practice. This hymn should echo themes and imagery found in the lections and/or the sermon or should be appropriate to the season. Alternately the Te Deum laudamus or a metrical version of that canticle, which is itself a Trinitarian affirmation of faith might be sung. This last practice is permitted some more recent Anglican service books.
Bishop Timothy Dudley Smith, noted British hymn writer, was commissioned to write a metrical paraphrase of the Nicene Creed for the Church of England’ service book Common Worship (2000). Other metrical paraphrases of the Nicene Creed have been written.
A modern affirmation of faith as found in several recent Anglican service books might also be used.
If the Nicene Creed is sung or said, I do not recommend omitting the Filoque Clause. The Filoque Clause is retained in the versions of the Nicene Creed in the historic Anglican formularies—the 1571 Articles of Religion and the 1662 Book of Common Prayer. There is no agreement among the Anglican provinces on its omission. To my knowledge the Anglican Church in North America is the only Anglican province that permits its omission and therefore it must be regarded as an innovation particular to that province.
The Liturgy of the Table concludes with the Prayers of the People. In addition to the two forms printed in the eucharistic rites in the 2019 BCP, other forms may be used, taken from other recent Anglican service books or composed for the occasion, provided they meet the requirements in the Additional Directions Concerning Holy Communion.
Since they are the prayers of the people, the form used should encourage maximum congregational participation. They should also be led from the midst of the congregation, from the midst of the people. A lectern and a can be placed in their midst for this purpose. Or the appointed person or persons can lead the prayers from their places in the congregation.
A practice which is not recommended is the priest reading what are the prayers of the people as a single whole without congregational responses from the front of the room in which the church celebrates the Holy Eucharist. A different person should lead the prayers of the people from those who read the lections for the celebration, and if a deacon is not available, a lay person should be appointed to lead the prayers. Even if a deacon is available, there is no reason a lay person cannot be appointed to lead the prayers of the people. Indeed, two or more lay persons can be appointed to lead the prayers, each taking turns to read a petition or thanksgiving and bidding the congregational response after the petition or thanksgiving if the form includes a bidding after each petition or thanksgiving. The celebration of the Holy Eucharist is the celebration of the entire worshipping assembly, the gathered people of God, and not just that of a priest and an assisting minister. All who are present at the celebration are celebrants! A priest, or a bishop if he is present, presides over the celebration.
The priest or bishop presiding over the celebration concludes the Prayers of the People with these words or a suitable collect.
“Heavenly Father, grant these our prayers for the sake of Jesus Christ, our only Mediator and Advocate, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.”
In a number of Anglican service books the congregation joins with the president in saying these or similar words. This is a practice that a church may wish to adopt when these words are used.
In a number of Anglican service books the Lord’s Prayer may also be said after these words or similar words or the concluding collect. When the Lord’s Prayer is used at this juncture, it is omitted after the Great Thanksgiving or after the distribution of the communion elements or wherever else it may be used in the service. The advantage of singing or saying the Lord’s Prayer at this time in the service is that it reduces the delay between the consecration of the communion elements and their distribution.
While the Additional Directions Concerning Holy Communion contain instructions for what is sometimes called a “Deacon’s Mass,” in which a deacon administers Holy Communion from elements previously consecrated for later distribution, they do not make provision for a Service of the Word using the Introductory Rite and the Liturgy of the Word, one of a number of drawbacks of the 2019 BCP. All previous American Prayer Books made such provision as do most other Anglican service books. Congregations which do not find that the services of Morning Prayer, Evening Prayer, and Holy Communion meet their needs due to their particular circumstances have no alternatives to which they can turn. A growing number of Anglican service books provide such alternatives, recognizing that a need for them exists.
Bishop Timothy Dudley Smith, noted British hymn writer, was commissioned to write a metrical paraphrase of the Nicene Creed for the Church of England’ service book Common Worship (2000). Other metrical paraphrases of the Nicene Creed have been written.
A modern affirmation of faith as found in several recent Anglican service books might also be used.
If the Nicene Creed is sung or said, I do not recommend omitting the Filoque Clause. The Filoque Clause is retained in the versions of the Nicene Creed in the historic Anglican formularies—the 1571 Articles of Religion and the 1662 Book of Common Prayer. There is no agreement among the Anglican provinces on its omission. To my knowledge the Anglican Church in North America is the only Anglican province that permits its omission and therefore it must be regarded as an innovation particular to that province.
The Liturgy of the Table concludes with the Prayers of the People. In addition to the two forms printed in the eucharistic rites in the 2019 BCP, other forms may be used, taken from other recent Anglican service books or composed for the occasion, provided they meet the requirements in the Additional Directions Concerning Holy Communion.
Since they are the prayers of the people, the form used should encourage maximum congregational participation. They should also be led from the midst of the congregation, from the midst of the people. A lectern and a can be placed in their midst for this purpose. Or the appointed person or persons can lead the prayers from their places in the congregation.
A practice which is not recommended is the priest reading what are the prayers of the people as a single whole without congregational responses from the front of the room in which the church celebrates the Holy Eucharist. A different person should lead the prayers of the people from those who read the lections for the celebration, and if a deacon is not available, a lay person should be appointed to lead the prayers. Even if a deacon is available, there is no reason a lay person cannot be appointed to lead the prayers of the people. Indeed, two or more lay persons can be appointed to lead the prayers, each taking turns to read a petition or thanksgiving and bidding the congregational response after the petition or thanksgiving if the form includes a bidding after each petition or thanksgiving. The celebration of the Holy Eucharist is the celebration of the entire worshipping assembly, the gathered people of God, and not just that of a priest and an assisting minister. All who are present at the celebration are celebrants! A priest, or a bishop if he is present, presides over the celebration.
The priest or bishop presiding over the celebration concludes the Prayers of the People with these words or a suitable collect.
“Heavenly Father, grant these our prayers for the sake of Jesus Christ, our only Mediator and Advocate, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.”
In a number of Anglican service books the congregation joins with the president in saying these or similar words. This is a practice that a church may wish to adopt when these words are used.
In a number of Anglican service books the Lord’s Prayer may also be said after these words or similar words or the concluding collect. When the Lord’s Prayer is used at this juncture, it is omitted after the Great Thanksgiving or after the distribution of the communion elements or wherever else it may be used in the service. The advantage of singing or saying the Lord’s Prayer at this time in the service is that it reduces the delay between the consecration of the communion elements and their distribution.
While the Additional Directions Concerning Holy Communion contain instructions for what is sometimes called a “Deacon’s Mass,” in which a deacon administers Holy Communion from elements previously consecrated for later distribution, they do not make provision for a Service of the Word using the Introductory Rite and the Liturgy of the Word, one of a number of drawbacks of the 2019 BCP. All previous American Prayer Books made such provision as do most other Anglican service books. Congregations which do not find that the services of Morning Prayer, Evening Prayer, and Holy Communion meet their needs due to their particular circumstances have no alternatives to which they can turn. A growing number of Anglican service books provide such alternatives, recognizing that a need for them exists.
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