Instructed Eucharist #1; Lent 1 2019

Lent Instructed Eucharist

Used During Sermon Time

Session 1: Opening to the Gospel

Upon Entering the Church

People have different forms of personal piety, your mileage may vary.

Upon entering the church, some may cross themselves as a recognition that they are entering a holy place: God the Father (the Mind of God), God the Son (the Word of God), God the Holy Spirit (the Spirit of God). Some may also genuflect as a gesture of respect for the presence of Christ (in this understanding, genuflection would only occur when the Blessed Sacrament is present [red light]).

Because this is a holy space, people are expected to maintain a quiet dignity.

The Entrance Rite (323-325; 355-357)

A type of entrance rite was formalized after Constantine.

A hymn, psalm, or anthem may be sung

Opening procession w/music was introduced by Pope Celestine (422-32).

It's how we get the vested ministers from There to Here.

Liturgical processions practically and symbolically gathers the people together at the altar. There are regular processions and solemn processions (used mainly on important feast days).

Procession is designed so the most important person/thing (crucifix/empty cross) goes first, and the least important person goes last (“whoever wishes to be great among you must be your servant” Matt. 20:26; “the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve” Matt. 20:28).

We may have forgotten that the last person (priest/bishop) is the servant of all.

In Lent, St. John's makes use of a silent procession at the 10:15 service to set the tone that this service and season is more penitential and subdued in nature from other times of the year.

As the cross passes, many people will bow as a sign of respect/deference.

Opening Acclamation

This is the official beginning of the service.

There are three options:

#1 is Trinitarian in nature and has roots in the Eastern Church;

#2 is based in the Resurrection and taken from Easter day (in general) and Luke 24:34 (in particular);

#3 is penitential in nature and is drawn from Ps. 103:1-3 & Ps. 136's responses.

It is customary, but not mandatory, for people to make the sign of the cross during the opening acclamation as a sign of reverence and physical preparation as we enter holy space and begin our worship.

Other Options:

Penitential Rite and Decalogue (319, 317; 351, 350)

Has the same three opening Acclamations.

During Lent, I opt to begin the service here. I use the Exhortation on Lent 1 (discussed later), the Decalogue on Lent 2-4, and the Great Litany on Lent 5.

When using the Penitential Order, the Confession happens at the beginning of the service and is followed by the Gloria (not used in Lent), the Kyrie, or the Trisagion

Collect for Purity

This is omitted when using the Penitential Order.

On all other occasions it is mandatory after the opening acclamation in Rite 1 and optional in Rite 2.

It is based on Ps. 51 (David's psalm of penitence after the Bathsheba affair) and has been in the BCP since 1549.

Summary of the Law

Rite 1 allows for either the Ten Commandments to be said here or the Summary of the Law. It was added to the US BCP in 1789, and became optional in 1979. It is not used in Rite 2.

As I said, I typically use the Penitential Order in Lent, and the Decalogue on Lent 2-4 in both Rites.

Three Options

What follows is either the Kyrie, Trisagion, or the Gloria.

The Kyrie has been in the BCP since 1549 (and in the service before that);

It has Eastern roots;

It can be said/sung in a 3, 6, or 9-fold style;

I use it during Lent.

The Trisagion also has Eastern roots;

It is new to the 1979 BCP;

It can be sung once or thrice;

I use it in Advent.

The Gloria has been used in morning services since the 4^th Century;

It's use became customary in the 11^th Century;

It is not used during Advent or Lent (due to those seasons' penitential nature);

It can be replaced by some other song of praise (we use Hymn 96 [Angels we have heard on high] during Christmas; 421 [All glory be to God on high] during Epiphany]; and parts of 400 [All creatures of our God and King] during Easter just to keep from getting bored).

Notice that the sequence is Kyrie, Trisagion, Gloria in Rite 1; and Gloria, Kyrie, Trisagion in Rite 2. This has to do with seeing Rite 1 as a more penitential service than Rite 2, and why Rite 1 is often used during Lent in many churches.

Collect of the Day

This is officially the first prayer of the service. It changes every week so that what is read and prayed is proper for the day (hence the term “Propers”).

It begins with the Salutation which is taken from Ruth 2:4.

It calls the people to attention and initiates the Liturgy of the Word.

Hypothetically the Collect focuses on the theme of the day, but not necessarily.

After the Collect, the people sit.

This concludes the Entrance Rite

The Lessons (325-326; 357-358)

As Christianity developed, it borrowed from what its earliest followers knew/experienced in synagogues.

Scriptural readings and commentary (next week).

One or two lessons, as appointed, are read before the Gospel.

Scriptural readings follow a set pattern, called the Lectionary.

Before 1979 (1928, 1892, 1798, 1662, 1559, 1552, 1549) H.E. had a single-year lectionary with two readings (NT and Gospel); that is, the same readings were read every year.

1979 BCP adopted a three-year lectionary for H.E. (Years A, B, & C) and included OT:

All Years begin on Advent 1;

Ignoring Advent & Christmas, take the number of the year (2019) and divide by 3. A remainder of 1 = Year A; remainder of 2 = Year B; remainder of 3 = Year C; then back into Advent and Christmas.

1994 GC authorized trial use of the Revised Common Lectionary.

Plan was to get mainline churches reading the same lessons every Sunday.

2006 GC directed that the RCL become the official lectionary of TEC on Advent 1 of 2007.

Liturgical Time (Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Easter): Season shapes the Lessons.

Ordinary Time (Season after Pentecost): Lessons shape the Season.

RCL gives us a two-track system during Ordinary Time for the Old Testament:

Semi-continuous track:

Year A: Major narratives of Genesis/Exodus;

Year B: Davidic narrative and Wisdom literature;

Year C: Prophets (chronologically) with a focus on Jeremiah;

Each lesson has an appropriate Psalm

Gospel track:

Lessons have been chosen that somehow tie to the Gospel reading for the day and can jump all over the place.

Psalms are chosen in the same way.

New Testament:

All Lessons are read in a semi-continuous format.

Year A: Romans, Philippians, 1 Thessalonians;

Year B: 2 Corinthians, Ephesians, James, Hebrews;

Year C: Galatians, Colossians, Hebrews, Philemon, 1&2 Timothy, 2 Thessalonians.

Before 1979, NT (remember, no OT lesson) reading was introduced by citing Chapter, Book, and Verse: ie, “The 15^th Chapter of Romans, beginning at the 4^th Verse.”

1979 changed the introduction to simply, “A Reading from Paul's Letter to the Romans.”

Before 1979, readings were ended, “Here ends (endeth) the Epistle.”

1979 added, “The Word of the Lord,” with the response, “Thanks be to God.”

Readings/Lessons can be ended either way.

1979 added a period of optional silence after each reading.

The appointed Psalm follows.

Referred to as the Gradual, because it was often read from the Gradus (steps).

This is liturgically the oldest placement of psalm usage.

Following each reading, a Psalm, hymn, or anthem may follow.

A hymn before the Gospel is traditionally known as the Sequence hymn because the notes of these hymns were of sequential nature.

Gospel:

Year A: Matthew;

Year B: Mark (with supplements from John);

Year C: Luke.

In many places it is customary to place the Gospel book on the Altar to signify its importance.

The announcement and conclusion of the Gospel have remained basically unchanged.

At the announcement of the Gospel, some people will make a small sign of the cross on their foreheads (God be in my mind), on their lips (God be in my mouth), and on their hearts (God be in my heart).

To give proper honor to the Gospel, the people stand during its reading.

Since the 4^th Century, it has been the prerogative of the Deacon to proclaim the Gospel.

The Gospel is traditionally read from among the people.

At the conclusion of the Gospel, the Deacon or Priest returns the book to its place.

Note there is nothing between the Gospel and the Sermon.

Second or final two verses of a hymn or announcements are no longer allowed.

This is so there is no distraction between the proclamation of the Gospel and the Sermon.

This concludes Session 1. Next week: The Sermon to the Absolution.

The Show Must Go On

Yesterday up at 0400 in order to meet our friends at the designated carpool site by 0530 to drive to Baltimore to catch a 0730 bus to NYC.

Spent the day in NYC visiting Trinity Church, the 9/11 memorial, caught a showing of "Kinky Boots," had a late lunch at a Mexican place (good food, slow service), walked through a bit of Times Square, walked down to where we would catch the bus home, walked back to a diner for dessert (dessert was okay, service was slow, bathrooms were disgusting), walked back to catch the 8 p.m. bus to Baltimore, arrived at 11:30, drove back to the designated carpool site, dropped friends off, drove home, brushed teeth, into bed at 1:40 a.m.

Up at 0600 in order to get ready for Sunday.

Mrs. Ref is staying home for this one.

There is a L--O--N--G nap coming in about 6 hours.

#$!)

There are days, and then there are days.

This is one of those days.

That it may please thee to support, help, and comfort all who are in danger, necessity, and tribulation,
We beseech thee to hear us, good Lord.

7 from Venus

Just a quick between services post:

During the 8 a.m. service I noticed a new person in the congregation.  She had that "just in off the streets" look about her.

After service I introduced myself to her.  She informed me that her name was 7, and she was from the planet Venus who came here, with the rest of her people, before Venus falls into the black hole, like Mercury before it.  When that happens, then she will go to the planet Jerusalem where she will be the first to enter the heavenly gates of the new city.

Then she offered me her hand and, in a regal manner, instructed me to kiss her ring as a show of divine respect.

That was followed by a dissertation on how someone was playing subliminal messages that where destroying her body, beginning at her wrist and would I please pray for an end to this.

Just another day.

Some Fluff

With all of the political crap going on, and the general busyness of life in the new place, I thought I'd post up a fluff piece for all 3 readers.  This was in last week's local paper, and I was debating on whether or not to put it up here, but .... what the hey.

Enjoy ... or not.

Crises Averted

So a little while ago I posted about two people who wanted to come see me with some concerns they had.  One of them had issues with the bulletin and the other had an issue with a new program we started for the kids called, "Letters to God."

The Letters to God person thought that we were going to respond to the questions posed by the children with an actual letter from God . . . sort of like some parents give their kids an actual letter from Santa.

In my original writing about this program to the parish, I had thought I made it clear that that was not how this was going to work, but apparently I missed the mark.  However, the first time I did this I explained to the kids, "Now, you know that God really isn't writing you back, but this is a good way for you to ask questions."  One little girl was visibly relieve to hear that God would not be answering her directly.

When I was making that explanation to the kids, it suddenly dawned on the above-mentioned person exactly what it was I was doing.  Problem solved.  But he didn't want to cancel the appointment he had made, so he came in anyway and we had a grand time telling stories about all kinds of churchy stuff.

The other person was concerned that the bulletin was too hard to follow.  Before I arrived the parish had been printing the entire service, every week, into one comprehensive bulletin.  I told the Search Team that, should I be called, that would be one thing I would change immediately.  There's no reason to invest the time and expense needed to reprint everything that's already printed in the BCP and Hymnal.  I was called and I changed it.

She came in today and we looked over Sunday's bulletin.  In talking with her, it turns out that she was only concerned with the Christmas Lessons & Carols bulletin we did.  Granted, that one was different, so I cut her some slack.  And as we looked at the regular Sunday bulletin, she could only say, "Well, this really is laid out pretty good."  Cha-ching!

All potential crises have been averted.  Life is good.  Now if only every future problem in the parish were going to be that easy to solve . . .

The Second

Last week I received a message from a parishioner complaining about the bulletin format and how it can be fixed.

I dubbed that "The First," as in, the first complaint by a parishioner about something I had done.

Today I got the second complaint.

When I was on a site visit to another congregation they had what they called a "Letters to God" program where the children could "send" questions or comments and the priest or Christian Ed person would answer them.  I really liked the idea and was looking forward to either a) participating in it should I be called there, or b) beginning a similar program should I be called elsewhere.

I was obviously called elsewhere and I've been working with our youth director and another Sunday school teacher to get it up and running.  Considering I showed up just before Advent, it wasn't exactly number one on the priority list.  But this past week it was finished and I received the first four letters.

Two were love notes to God and two posed questions.  One was, "Hi!  Wassup?"  The other one asked, "Why do we have incense?"  It's the second one that I will address in church.

And today I got a phone call from a parishioner wanting to talk about this program because he doesn't agree with it.  To be fair, I'm not exactly sure what his concern is because he wanted to have a face-to-face meeting rather than over the phone; and he did tell me what the general topic of his concern was so that I wasn't blindsided.  So I set up an appointment with him for next week to talk about the Letters to God program.

I will listen.  And I will ask him why he has a problem with allowing theological inquiries from children.  And we will hopefully come to an understanding that this is an okay thing.  Really.

The First

Well, it had to happen sometime.  Someone, and something, had to make the first official complaint of my tenure at SJP, and it came today.

A parishioner made a complaint via our website wanting to know who was responsible for the change in the Sunday bulletin.  Um ... that would be me.

The bulletins are apparently now too difficult to follow, things mixed up and missing, and information too hard to find.  In general, they want to go back to the "all-in-one" bulletin where everything .... EVERYTHING ... copies of all the hymns, copies of every word of every prayer in the BCP and whatever all else deemed necessary to function .... was printed out in the bulletin.

You know, not everything's supposed to be easy.

But I invited them into the office to go over it to help get them unconfused and more comfortable with the new format.  They are looking forward to coming in and showing me how it can be fixed.

Thank you for your input.  Have a good day.

First Sunday after Christmas

Today is the First Sunday after Christmas.  It is also the 8th day of Christmas.  It is also the Feast of the Holy Name.  It is also the Feast of the Circumcision of Christ.

So many possibilities on which to preach -- which is why we had the service of Christmas Lessons and Carols.

We got to sing more Christmas music.  I didn't have to decide on a topic for a sermon.  And we all went home happy.

May you have a blessed Chrismastide.

Budget Processes

In a word ... well, two words ... They suck.

In more priestly news, had a good, holy conversation with a parishioner who has brain cancer around the issue of death, dying, and fear.

Other than the budget thing, it was a good day.

Double Woo Hoo

My first Sunday at St. John's was November 6, All Saints' Sunday.

It was a fantastic celebration and I upped the liturgical ante by including Sanctus bells at the service.  We had already planned on using incense, but you can't have smells without bells.

Imagine my surprise, though, when I discovered that SJP didn't have a set of bells.  Not only did I find that surprising, but totally unacceptable.  My organist came through, though, and borrowed a set of bells from our neighboring Catholic church.  This is a loaner set that needs to be returned after this coming Sunday.

So I did some looking around and discovered I could buy a set of bells relatively inexpensively.  I mentioned that I would be purchasing and donating a set for SJP at last night's vestry meeting.  The comments around the church have been positive about using them, so it seemed a good idea to just get a set.

The treasurer told me, "You know we have an account for that kind of stuff, so you don't have to buy them.  Just order what you want and have it billed to the church."

Woo Hoo.

I called the supplier today, set up an account with them, and order the bells.

Woo Hoo.

Color me happy.

Arrived

We hath arrived in H-town and the unpacking has commenced.  I am now in my office in the space between "organizing" and "destruction." 

While putting my things away, I came across a book entitled "Parishes of the Diocese of Maryland."  Being a little curious, I turned to my new parish to see what it had to say.

It was set apart as its own parish in 1806 and the present boundaries are as follows:

Beginning at the mouth of Licking Creek on the Potomac and following Licking Creek to the Pennsylvania line, thence eastward along the Pennsylvania line to the intersection of the Frederick County line at South Mountain, thence south with the crest of the South Mountain being the Frederick-Washington County line to the Funkstown and Smoketown Turnpike, thence following the line of Antietam Parish westward, i.e., following the Funkstown and Smoketown Turnpike northwestwardly to Beaver Creek, thence with Beaver Creek to a road leading to Roxbury Mills, thence with the said road to the Hagerstown and Sharpstown Turnpike, thence southerly with the said turnpike to Lapan's Cross Roads; thence westwardly with the Williamsport Road to the crossing of the Cumberland Valley Railroad, thence with the said railroad to the Potomac, thence with the Potomac to Licking Creek, the place of beginning.

No wonder I get lost easily.

My favorite part of that whole description is:  then with Beaver Creek to a road leading to Roxbury Mills.  Don't worry ... just pick a road.  It's all good.

Sermon . . . Not

Today was my last day at the parish.  I'm taking this upcoming week off as vacation while I work on the last of the details before we leave town.  Consequently I didn't do any sermon prep this past week and decided I'd just do it on the fly.

Luckily it was an easy gospel lesson:

"Jesus said, 'There was a rich man who dressed in purple and fine linen and feasted sumptuously every day.  Outside his gate lay Lazarus, a poor man, who wished for even some scraps from his table and even the dogs would come and lick his sores'."

The parable goes on to say they both died, the rich man being everlastingly tormented for how he treated Lazarus, and Lazarus being delivered to everlasting life.

In my last sermon to the parish I said two things:  Not only are we called to care for the less fortunate among us (as the rich man clearly did not), but we are also called to SEE those who are less fortunate than ourselves.  We may not be able to help a person, we may not be able to get them off the street, we may not be able to house everybody, we may not be able to employ everyone, but we can SEE them.  We can recognize them as people.  We can, as our baptismal covenant says, "Respect the dignity of every human being."

Don't neglect to see those outside our gates.

Service was followed by a potluck brunch with some lovely parting gifts and well-wishes all around.  There were some tears.  There was some laughter.  There was the acknowledgement that we were all taking off on a new adventure.

Teachable Moments

Yesterday I had a new official with me in the car.  Not always, but often, the conversation turns to religion in general and my job in particular.  That's especially the case when I have a newbie riding with me, or I'm the newbie and the guys want to learn about me.  Yesterday was the former.

"So will you be going to the same church or a different church when you move?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, are you going to the same type of church, or are you going to something totally different?"

"I'll be going to the same type of church, yes."

"And what religion are you again?"

"I'm a Christian."

"Well, yeah .... but what kind?"

"I'm an Episcopalian.  So I'll be going to another Episcopal church."

Silence ....

"An Epicospahwhut?"

"Episcopalian ... E -- pih -- Scuh -- Pay -- lian ... just like it's spelled."

"And what is that?"

Here we go .... "In short, we're basically in between the Roman Catholics and the Protestants."

"Huh . . . well I knew there were Catholics and Christians, but I didn't know ..."

"Stop right there ... Catholics ARE Christians."

"Yeah, okay ... but weren't there the Christians first and then the Catholics broke off from that."

**Sigh**  I refrained from slamming my head against the steering wheel.

"Where do you attend church?"

"I go to Local Independent Conservative Bible Believing Church."

"Ah ...."

Here's hoping his grasp of football rules is better than his grasp of Religion 101.

So this happened

St. John's Episcopal Church

How about that?

STOP IT!

I saw this on a FB post, then posted it to my own FB page, and now am posting it here for the rest of you:



Yes, there are some days.

Conflicted

Monday morning our sexton (that's janitor in church-language) told me that there was a "pretty good camp site going" behind the bushes alongside the building.

Oh goody.

I sat with that information all week, pondering what, if anything, to do.

On the one hand, homelessness in this town is a huge problem.  The Gospel Rescue Mission is always full.  It's also problematic in that they tend to make life difficult for people looking for shelter.  It has other issues as well, but I'll leave it at that.  The only other short-term shelter option is a warming center that is only open one night a week; and with the weather getting warmer, I don't know how long they plan on staying open.  People unwilling, unable, or not allowed, to sleep at the shelter find other places . . . various parks, city lawns, or nooks and crannies around town.  The camp that was set up on our property is well-hidden, so the people are protected from thievery and other attacks.  It provides soft ground, so they aren't sleeping on concrete.  And, because of the size of the bushes, it probably provides a decent, if not perfect, shelter from wind and rain.  In that respect, I'm glad there's a place for them.

On the other hand, there are at least a few issues I need to consider:
First, they never did ask for permission to set up camp on our grounds.
Second, safety.  We have parishioners who care for our grounds.  What might happen if they stumble upon the campers?  Are my parishioners safe?
Third, health.  I don't sleep through the night.  Where are the campers taking care of business, and are they reliably cleaning up the area?

I called the public safety department this morning and asked them to come take care of the site.  The officer who showed up told me that, because of how it's set up, it's classified as a "camp site" and he needs to post a 24-hour eviction notice.  I can live with that.  When the campers come back tonight, they will at least have the opportunity to remain in possession of their sleeping bags and food items.

"When did we see you homeless and not offer shelter?"

The place between the gospel and the real world can be a bitch sometimes.

The Collect Call

Awhile ago I came across a podcast wherein the hosts, Holli and Brendan, break down and critique the various Collects in the BCP.  I have a link to it over there on the right under The Church, and it's listed as Acts 8 - The Collect Call.

If you're looking for some insight into the Collects, I suggest that you go check them out.

But that's not why I'm posting about TCC.

Last week TCC discussed the Collect for Aid Against Perils.  During the podcast Holli and Brendan discussed their Lenten disciplines which involved praying the Daily Offices.  They asked if anyone had any thoughts about praying the Offices to let them know.  So I did. 

I shot them an e-mail discussing my experience and how I make it work.  And they gave me a shout out on their latest podcast -- which I'm linking to here.

Go check it out, and check out their other posts as well; it's good stuff.

Quiet Day

A couple of years ago our parish chapter of the D.O.K. (Daughters of the King) asked if I would lead them in a Quiet Day retreat.  They enjoyed the first one so much that it has become a twice-yearly event for them.

Each day has a specific theme -- I find that much more better (as Kid Ref says) than simply coming and sitting quietly in the church for a day.  The themes so far have been "A Marian Advent," "The Collects for Easter 3 & 4," "Sayings of the Desert Fathers," "Praying the Psalms," and "Mary Magdalene."  The gals apparently enjoy it, because they keep asking for me to lead one.

The day centers around a theme, and we have three periods of silence -- one follows Morning Prayer, one follows Holy Eucharist, and one follows the silent lunch where I read selected pieces.  Evening Prayer closes out the day.  For each silent period, I give them something specific to think about.  Those are, of course, just suggestions to keep them focused.  Some read, some meditate, some journal, some pray.  And, I think and hope, each person leaves with something learned.

That includes me.  My piece of learning on this Quiet Day is this .... Quiet Days are LOUD.

People get up and walk around.  People cough.  People shuffle through papers or books.  Outside noises get noisier.

I wonder what would happen if we noticed God as much as we notice noises on a quiet day?

Moving Forward

Last month TEC received notice from the Anglican Primates that we were being put in a "time out" for a period of three years as a "consequence" for our modification of our canons to allow for marriage equality in the church.

Some primates saw this as a time out.  Others saw it as consequences.  Others saw it as sanctions or punishment.  And the question still remains as to whether or not it's even legal, since the primates have no official jurisdiction in the Anglican Communion.

There were two interesting stories that just came across the Anglican Communion News Service.

The first was this one from New Zealand in which the Anglican Church in New Zealand is finding a way forward to bless SSM's.

"These liturgies have been designed to allow for the blessing of couples who have been married in a civil ceremony – according either to New Zealand law, or to the law in the Pacific Island nations which form part of this church. These liturgies also create a pathway for the people in such relationships to become ordained."

The second comes from the Anglican Church in South Africa.

"Anglican bishops from across southern Africa have resolved that gay and lesbian partners who enter same-sex civil unions under South African law should be welcomed into congregations as full members of the church."

The ACSA is still divided as to whether or not they will allow marriages to take place in the church, but they are moving forward.

I'm no expert, but I'm thinking this is unwelcome news for the anti-equality group that called for TEC to go into a timeout.