Much of How We Worship As Episcopalians Today Is Based on the 1549 and 1552 Prayer Books

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Instructional Eucharist

October 15, 2017

PRELUDE: Clair de lune Louis Vierne

ANTHEM: Rejoice in the Lord alwaysAnonymous (16.c.)

HYMN 557 All stand.tune: Vineyard Haven

Please be seated.

Today our celebration of the Holy Eucharist willinclude detailed explanations of what we are doing (and why we are doing it)with the hope that when we gatheragain for this important celebration we will do so with a deeper sense of its meaning. Eucharist is a Greek word; it means to give thanks. There are other names for this ritual. It can be called the Mass, High or Low, the Holy Communion, or simply Communion, or it can be referred to as the Lord’s Supper. Whatever it is called, the Eucharist is a great mystery instituted by Jesus, and like all mysteries in the Christian life, the Holy Eucharist is not meant to be fully understood but to be entered into with an open heart and mind.

Today we will look at the traditions handed down to us from the time of Jesus and the Apostles and consider some of the actions and gestures that have evolved since that time. The form,as well as the prominent language,of Christian worship has undergone a number of changes throughoutthe Church’s history.Much of how we worship as Episcopalians today is based on the 1549 and 1552 prayer books commissioned for use in England under King Edward VI, the son of Henry VIII. The American 1979 Book of Common Prayer has Rite I (traditional English) and Rite II (contemporary English) services. At Incarnation’s 11:00 am service, Rite I is standard.

Please bear in mind that this Instructional Eucharist is not an attempt to impose a certain type of piety upon anyone but to explain some customs that you may witness here at Incarnation.

The Eucharist can be divided into two basic parts. The first is the Liturgy of the Word. The focus is on the Word of God, as recorded in the Bible, and our response to it. The second part is the Liturgy of the Table. Its focus is upon the Meal, Christ coming to us in the sharing of the Bread and the Wine.

Our worship will now begin.The Opening Acclamation is determined by the season of church year. Today’s is based on the opening greeting from the Eastern Orthodox liturgy. Please stand and join in the response.

Celebrant:Blessed be God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

People:And blessed be his kingdom, now and for ever. Amen.

The Collect for Purity follows. It is reminiscent of Psalm 51. The Collect for Purity was originally said in private, by the celebrant alone, but was made part of the public rite after the Reformation in order that all may prepare to offer thanks to God in a worthy manner.

Celebrant:Almighty God, unto whom all hearts are open, all desires known, and from whom no secrets are hid: Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of thy Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love thee, and worthily magnify thy holy Name; through Christ our Lord. Amen.

The Summary of the Law replaced a practice of reciting the Ten Commandments at the beginning of the Eucharist. The words are from the Gospel of Matthew chapter 22, when Jesus is asked, “Teacher, which commandment in the law is greatest?”

Hear what our Lord Jesus Christ saith: Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it: Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.

Kyrie Eleison is Greek for “Christ have mercy (upon us.)” Alternatively, the Trisagion (“Thrice Holy”: “Holy God, Holy and Mighty, Holy Immortal One, have mercy upon us.”), or the Gloria (“Glory be to God on high…”) may be sung. Please remain standing to sing S91.Hymn numbers preceded with “S” are pieces of service music and are found at the front of the hymnal.

KYRIE ELEISON (sung by all)S 91

COLLECT FOR THE DAY

The word Collect comes from the Latin “collecta” or assembly; a collect is a prayer said during the entrance rite, as the community is assembling. These prayers also tend to collect the themes of the lessons to be read or the emphases of the day or season. The Collectsare listed in the Book of Common Prayer; today’s is also conveniently printed on the leaflet insert.

Celebrant:The Lord be with you.

People: And with thy Spirit.

Celebrant:Let us pray. …

People:Amen.

You may be seated. The greeting we just shared, "The Lord be with you," comes from the book of Ruth (2:4).You will notice we use it as the Liturgy of the Word begins and as the Liturgy of the Table begins.

Reading Scripture during worship is a continuation of Jewish practices. The lessons are set according to a three-year cycle of readings known as the Revised Common Lectionary (RCL); today’s can be found on the leaflet insert.

FIRST LESSON: Exodus 32:1-14 All sit.

Psalms come from the collection of 150 songs found in the Old Testament. The Book of Psalms was the ancient hymnal of the church. In our parish, we recite the psalm responsively by whole verse.

PSALM 106:1-6, 19-23

SECOND LESSON: Philippians 4:1-9

Traditionally a hymn is sung before the Holy Gospel. Hymns aid us in our praise of God and also accompany movement within worship. This hymn interval is often used to carry the Gospel Book into the congregation to demonstrate how Jesus came among us as the Incarnate Word. When the Gospel is proclaimed, all stand (as they are able) and turn to face the Gospel book to give the reading honor. Often, the gospel reader makes the sign of the cross on his or her forehead, lips and heart. These actions symbolically invite the Gospel to be in our minds, upon our lips and in our hearts. The gestures are sometimes repeated by those in the congregation. As always, making the sign of the cross is a matter of self-expression and personal piety. Please stand to sing Hymn 656.

HYMN 656 (stanzas 1-2) All stand.tune: Franconia

Clergy:The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew.

People:Glory be to thee, O Lord.

HOLY GOSPEL: Matthew 22:1-14

Clergy:The Gospel of the Lord.

People:Praise be to thee, O Christ.

HYMN 656 (stanzas 3-4) tune: Franconia

You may be seated. Typically a sermon would be preached at this point and expound upon themes within the appointed scripture texts or the church season and relate them to our daily lives. This commentary replaces the sermon today.

The Nicene Creed was formulated by a meeting of the entire church at Nicaea in present-day Turkey in the year 325. Each section speaks about one of the three persons of the Trinity. There are some actions which are traditionally associated with the Creed: a bow of the head at the mention of the name Jesus, a deeper bow from the waistat theproclamation of the Incarnation--during the words “and was incarnate by the Holy Ghost of the Virgin Mary, and was made man,”--and a sign of the cross at the mention of “the resurrection of the dead.”All are optional. Questions frequently arise about the word “Catholic” in the final section. Catholic here refers to the “universal” church, not the Roman Catholic Church.Let us now stand to affirm our faith.

NICENE CREED

All stand.

All:I believe in one God,

the Father Almighty,

maker of heaven and earth,

and of all things visible and invisible;

And in one Lord Jesus Christ,

the only-begotten Son of God,

begotten of the Father before all worlds,

God of God, light of light,

very God of very God.

begotten, not made,

being of one substance with the Father;

through him all things were made;

who for us and for our salvation

came down from heaven

and was incarnate by the Holy Ghost of the

Virgin Mary, and was made man;

and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate;

he suffered and was buried;

and the third day he rose again according to

the Scriptures,

and ascended into heaven,

and sitteth on the right hand of the Father;

and he shall come again, with glory,

to judge both the quick and the dead;

whose kingdom shall have no end.

And I believe in the Holy Ghost the Lord, and Giver of Life,

who proceedeth from the Father and the Son;

who with the Father and the Son together

is worshiped and glorified;

who spake by the Prophets.

And I believe in one holy Catholic and Apostolic Church;

I acknowledge one Baptism for the remission of sins;

and I look for the resurrection of the dead,

and the life of the world to come. Amen.

The Prayers of the People follow the Creed.Prayers are offered for the universal Church, its members and mission, for the nation and all those in authority, for the welfare of the world, for the concerns of the localcommunity, for the sick and all who suffer, and for the departed. It is customary to sit or kneel for these intercessions.

PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE Prayer Book, pages 328-330

All sit or kneel.

As an entire congregation, we corporately confess sins of commission (what we have done that we should not have done) and sins of omission (what we have failed to do that we ought to have done). We do so to prepare to receive Christ in the Eucharistic meal. At Incarnation,many kneel now--if we haven’t before and are able--as a sign of our penitence.

CONFESSION OF SIN

Celebrant:Let us humbly confess our sins unto Almighty God.

AllMost merciful God,

we confess that we have sinned against thee

in thought, word, and deed,

by what we have done,

and by what we have left undone.

We have not loved thee with our whole heart;

we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves.

We are truly sorry and we humbly repent.

For the sake of thy Son Jesus Christ,

have mercy on us and forgive us;

that we may delight in thy will,

and walk in thy ways,

to the Glory of thy Name. Amen.

Celebrant:Almighty God, our heavenly Father, who of his great mercy hath promised forgiveness of sins to all those who with hearty repentance and true faith turn unto him, have mercy upon you, pardon and deliver you from all your sins, confirm andstrengthen you in all goodness, and bring you to everlasting life; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The Rite I words of Absolution come directly from the 1549 prayer book; only a priest or bishop can make the declaration that our sins have been forgiven. As the words are spoken, the priest makes the sign of the cross over the congregation to remind us that our sins have been absolved by the cross of Christ. Many people repeat the sign of the cross themselves.

Following the absolution and forgiveness of our sins, Comfortable Words from the New Testament further remind us of the promises of God. From Matthew 11:

Hear the Word of God to all who truly turn to him. Come unto me, all ye that travail and are heavy laden, and I will refresh you.

In the Bible, the word “peace” (Hebrew “shalom” and Greek “eirene”) means wholeness, harmony and salvation. We are invited to offer a sign of peace to our neighbors to remind us of the reconciling love of God made known to us in Christ. The ancient custom of passing the peace expresses our unity in Christ and our readiness to receive Communion. It marks the end of the Liturgy of the Word.

THE PEACE All stand.

Celebrant:The peace of the Lord be always with you.

People:And with thy spirit.

You may be seated for the Rector’s Announcements.

GREETINGS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS The Rector

The Offertory marks the transition from the Liturgy of the Word to the Liturgy of the Table.A sentence of Scripture commends acts of giving; ushers collect the congregation’s offerings for the support of the Church, as the bread and wine to be consecrated (or blessed) are offered at the altar. An acolyte,often a young person here at Incarnation, is “one who helps.” Acolytes help prepare the altar for the Eucharist and also meet the ushers and bring the congregation’s offering to the priest. You will notice that the Celebrant and the acolyte acknowledge each other with slight bows. This is a silent way of saying thank you. After the Anthem, we will stand for the presentation of the gifts and sing stanza 3 of Hymn 380, commonly known as the Doxology which simply an expression of praise. For now, you may remain seated.

OFFERTORY SENTENCES

Walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself for us, an offering and sacrifice to God.(Ephesians 5:2)

ANTHEM: The Lord Bless You and Keep You John Rutter

HYMN 380 (stanza 3)tune: Old 100th

Our Worship continues with the Great Thanksgiving. Again, Eucharist is a Greek word meaning “Thanksgiving.” Holy Eucharist is one of the two Sacraments instituted by Christ; the other being Holy Baptism. A Sacrament is an outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace.

The Great Thanksgiving begins with a dialogue that was a part of Jewish worship and therefore known by many of the first Christians. It is referred to as the Sursum Corda, Latin forthe words,“Lift up your hearts,” a request that all stand for prayer. “Let us give thanks” was a request for the presider to be permitted to offer thanks in the name of the congregation.This is one of the most ancient parts of the liturgy.

THE GREAT THANKSGIVING

Celebrant:The Lord be with you.

People:And with thy Spirit.

Celebrant:Lift up your hearts.

People:We lift them up unto the Lord.

Celebrant:Let us give thanks unto our Lord God.

People:It is meet and right so to do.

Celebrant:It is very meet, right, and our bounden duty, that we should at all times, and in all places, give thanks unto thee, O Lord, holy Father, almighty, everlasting God. Creator of the light and source of life, who hast made us inthine image, and called us to new life in Jesus Christ ourLord. Therefore with Angels and Archangels, and with all thecompany of heaven, we laud and magnify thy glorious Name; evermore praising thee, and saying,

SANCTUS (sung by all)S 114

You may be seated. The Sanctus, Latin for “Holy,” echoes visions found in the book of Isaiah and the book ofRevelation that describe the heavenly host surrounding the throne of God with praise. Service music within the Liturgy of the Table will usually be the work of one composer. Church musicians compose Mass settings that may include a Sanctus, Fraction Anthem and Agnus Dei and sometimes even a Great Amen or a sung setting for the Lord’s Prayer.

The Eucharistic Prayer or Prayer of Consecration is about to continue. There are several forms of Eucharistic Prayers in the 1979 BCP as well as supplemental resources. The Rite I Eucharistic Prayer II is what we use. The prayer celebrates God’s presence among us in the person of Jesus, recalls Christ’s final actions and his instruction to “Do this in remembrance of me,” and asks the Holy Spirit to come upon the bread and wine and the gathered community. This is the greatest prayer of the Church.

PRAYER OF CONSECRATIONPrayer Book, pages 341-343

All sit or kneel.

All glory be to thee, O Lord our God, for that thou didst create heaven and earth, and didst make us in thine own image; and, of thy tender mercy, didst give thine only Son Jesus Christ to take our nature upon him, and to suffer death upon the cross for our redemption. He made there a full and perfect sacrifice for the whole world; and did institute, and in his holy Gospel command us to continue, a perpetual memory of that his precious death and sacrifice, until his coming again.

At the “Words of Institution” the priest repeats the words which Jesus said at final meal with his disciples; the narrative combines all the Gospel accounts of theLast Supper as well as Saint Paul’s description of an early church celebration of a Eucharist from his first letter to the Corinthians. At the words concerning the bread the Celebrant places a hand upon it and then faces the congregation with the bread elevated as he says, “Do this is remembrance of me,” The same is done with the cup of wine.

For in the night in which he was betrayed, he took bread; and when he had given thanks to thee, he broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, "Take, eat, this is my Body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me."

Likewise, after supper, he took the cup; and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, "Drink this, all of you; for this is my Blood of the New Covenant, which is shed for you, and for many, for the remission of sins. Do this, as oft as ye shall drink it, in remembrance of me."