The ongoing challenge of faithfulness…

While they were going, some of the guard went into the city and told the chief priests everything that had happened. After the priests had assembled with the elders, they devised a plan to give a large sum of money to the soldiers, telling them, ‘You must say, “His disciples came by night and stole him away while we were asleep.” If this comes to the governor’s ears, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.’ So they took the money and did as they were directed. And this story is still told among the Jews to this day. Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. When they saw him, they worshipped him; but some doubted. (Matthew 28: 11-16, NRSV translation)

The way the Gospels place stories together is often extremely important and revealing. As we come to the end of the Gospel according to Matthew in the Daily Office cycle, it is always tempting to focus only on the immediate story of the Resurrection and then the Great Commission. But due attention should be paid to the little vignette about the way the Gospel puts side-by-side these two things: the falsification of the guards’ report to the Sanhedrin and the doubt of some of the disciples when Jesus appears to them in Galilee.

It is significant, I believe, that as Matthew winds up towards the Great Commission, these examples are places just before the climax. The power of the Resurrection, manifested to so many in Jerusalem through natural and supernatural phenomena, can be denied…all it appears to take is some money and some effective “spin.” The power of that same Resurrected Jesus, so striking to many a disciple, can be denied by others. Doubt, loss of faith, rejection…it is always an option in discipleship. The text makes no further comment on it. It is just presented as a reality.

As I look out into the Christian world, I often detect an implicit assumption that good Christians never struggle with doubt, or that once we “come to faith,” all will be clear. I think we need to be reminded of these unnamed disciples in Matthew 28, who appear to have had doubts even in the face of the Risen Lord. We need to pray for and be supportive of our brothers and sisters in their doubts, listening to them in ways that help them through their struggles while neither condemning them out of hand or losing our own connection to Christ’s living presence.

It also seems to me that we need to accept that the gift of faith is neither universally shared, nor an easy path. Temptation, human frailty, and spiritual sickness all assault the Christian, and these struggles can intensify suddenly. The medicine of patient, prayerful care needs to be offered perhaps more frequently than it is.

Then there is the matter of lies fueled by fear. The lies told by Jerusalem's religious leadership after the Resurrection are understandable. Christ’s rising ended their monopoly on access to God. In their panic, they resorted to bribery and deceit. This temptation is always before the “institutional” and the non-institutional Christian alike. When God challenges our comfort, our power, our sense of entitlement, our response is frequently one of cunning rather than humility. Most of the sad chapters in Christian history are in some way a replay of this story, and thus a sharing in the denial of the Resurrection. Pointing fingers at the Jews is neither the real purpose or value of this account. We need to realize that it is a story equally about us, today.

Matthew 28 ends with Christ’s words of commissioning: to go forth and baptize all nations into the living relationship with God the Trinity made possible through Christ. That commission ends with the reminder that Christ is with us, always. So, too, is the challenge of faithfulness to the Gospel way of life—always. The only way we will ever be able to live up to that challenge is through an intimate communion with God, based on prayer, humility, and love. For Christ to be with us always, we must be open and responsive participants. Those doubting disciples and bribing leaders are reminders that the human heart can grow very hard very quickly. Becoming arrogant about faith is never a good idea.

Episcopal Weddings 101

Episcopal Weddings 101

Here is an introduction to weddings at St. Timothy’s. If you are interested in marrying in the Episcopal tradition, remember that it is something we take very seriously. It is a sacramental union, a holy commitment—as well as an occasion of great joy.

Please contact the parish office if you would like to learn more about  having a wedding at our parish.

Preparing

Popular culture:

Live together, save up, set the date, make the plans, spend an enormous amount of money, and then shop for a “venue” and a person to “officiate.” After all, it’s all about the event.

The Church’s view:

Get engaged, connect with a church and start attending, contact the priest about setting a wedding date, attend pre-marital counseling, learn about marriage as a sacrament, make arrangements about the service with the priest, keep a healthy perspective about the wedding costs…after all, its not only about the wedding but the marriage that begins at the wedding.

The wedding itself

Popular culture:

Why we are here: To have a party for the couple’s “big day.” And, oh, yeah, there’s also that “ceremony thing” you first have to do….

Role of those present: audience, onlookers, & party-goers.

The Church’s view:

Why we are here: A service of worship (liturgy) to glorify God for the gift of marriage, to witness this couple enter into marriage through making vows, exchanging rings, and receiving God’s blessing as they begin the rest of their life together. This is the important part. Then comes the party….

Role of those present: worshippers, witnesses, active participants, guests at a celebration.

Parts of an Episcopal Wedding

Getting into the church (the procession)

This is usually what people obsess over, but it really is pretty simple and isn’t the point.

The Address & Betrothal (“Dearly beloved,” &c.)

The priest explains the purposes of marriage and its significance; the bride and groom are identified and give their assent to the terms of marriage, declaring they are free to make this commitment; the assembled community gives its consent.

The Ministry of the Word (readings from Holy Scripture)

The priest offers a prayer for the bride and groom. Lessons from Scripture are read. A sermon about marriage helps apply what we learn about marriage at the wedding to our own lives.

The Marriage (the vows and rings)

The couple exchange vows as they hold each other’s right hand; the wedding rings are blessed and given as symbols of the vows, and the couple is declared husband and wife by the priest (wrapping the stole around the bride and groom’s right hands).

The Prayers

The Lord’s Prayer is followed by a series of prayers for this and all marriages. These prayers deal with what it means to live in holy matrimony for the “long haul.”

The Blessing of the Marriage

The couple kneel to receive God’s blessing. This is the high point of the liturgy.

The Peace

“The kiss” shared between the bride and groom—hugs and handshakes for all others.

The Eucharist

Holy Communion is the way the Church celebrates sacraments. The first thing a newly-married couple in the Episcopal Church do is share in the Eucharist together, with Christ as their host and Lord. All other baptized Christians are invited to share in the Eucharist, and those who do not are still invited to come forward for a blessing.

The procession out

Music is played while the wedding and altar parties leave the church.

Witnessing and signing the licenses & other documents immediately follows in the chapel

The Psalms, in course...

The Book of Common Prayer provides for two different ways to read the Psalms at Morning and Evening Prayer. The most common way is to use the lectionary in the back of the BCP, which divides up the Psalter into fairly small-sized portions, often appropriate for the season of the year, the time of day or the particular day in the week, and allowing for some verses (or whole Psalms) we might find objectionable to be dropped. It takes about two months to make it through the (mostly) complete Book of Psalms this way.

The other way is to go through all 150 Psalms in a thirty-day cycle—called praying the Psalms “in course.” The Prayer Book makes this easy by putting notations in the Psalter indicating where each set of Psalms for morning and evening prayer begins and ends. Praying the Psalms this way means we see and experience everything…wrestling with difficult and obscure passages as well as delighting in familiar or popular sections. This is the way ancient Christians often experienced the Psalms. Celtic monks, for instance, would have had all 150 memorized for recitation each day!

As a modern and admittedly at times lukewarm Christian, during much of the year I use the Lectionary for my daily Psalmody, but in the summer I tend to use the 30 day Psalter.* This was how I initially learned the Psalms, and I remain convinced that the orderly walk through what the Early Church called the greatest commentary on the Gospel is essential to understanding these ancient hymns and prayers from a Christian perspective. It also sharpens our understanding of the entire Christian faith. I find I need the depth of exposure and the level of prayerful focus I receive only in the monthly cycle of Psalms. Those monks knew what they were doing!

Whenever we enter into the Psalms, we are going to find a world both familiar and radically different. Some of the concepts found here are comforting and instantly recognizable. Others are seem completely at odds with the Gospel. Still others are so remote from our own way of life as to appear irrelevant at the outset.

The Psalms are ancient Hebrew texts, and have an intellectual and cultural context that must be studied and understood in order to be appreciated with the mind. But, when prayed by Christians, these hymns must also be approached in the light of the risen Christ. After all, the Psalms are widely quoted throughout the New Testament, and they form much of the earliest Christian commentary on the faith.

St. Augustine, for instance, wrote a commentary on the Psalms with the assumption that they all could be viewed as prayers of Christ. This led to some extraordinary reflections on their contents and application. Others have viewed the Psalms as the Prayer of the Church to its Lord. Still others have interpreted them as a kind of Encyclopedia of the Christian life. Many, many other approaches have been taken.

Anglican prayer forms all take the Psalms as an essential starting-place. In order for us to do this, having them in our heart is important and the traditional Monthly Psalter is a good way to get there. Give it a try and tell me what you think…

*In those months with 31 days, it is customary to say the Psalms for the 30^th day again on the 31^st day.

Prayers before a journey

These prayers, collectively referred to as the “Itinerary” (sound familiar?), may be offered privately or as a group when setting out on a journey.

V. X In the Name of God.

R. Amen.

Antiphon

May the Almighty and merciful Lord direct us into the way of peace and prosperity, and may the Angel Raphael go with us on the way, that we may return to our home in peace, joy, and safety.

The Song of Zechariah Benedictus Dominus Deus (Luke 1: 68 79)

X Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; *

   he has come to his people and set them free.

He has raised up for us a mighty savior, *

   born of the house of his servant David.

Through his holy prophets he promised of old,

that he would save us from our enemies, *

   from the hands of all who hate us.

He promised to show mercy to our fathers *

   and to remember his holy covenant.

This was the oath he swore to our father Abraham, *

   to set us free from the hands of our enemies,

Free to worship him without fear, *

   holy and righteous in his sight

   all the days of our life.

You, my child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High, *

   for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way,

To give people knowledge of salvation *

   by the forgiveness of their sins.

In the tender compassion of our God *

   the dawn from on high shall break upon us,

To shine on those who dwell in darkness and the

            shadow of death, *

   and to guide our feet into the way of peace.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: *

   as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever.  Amen.

Antiphon

May the Almighty and merciful Lord direct us into the way of peace and prosperity, and may the Angel Raphael go with us on the way, that we may return to our home in peace, joy, and safety.

Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.

            Christ, have mercy. Christ, have mercy.

Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.

Our Father, who art in heaven,

   hallowed be thy Name,

   thy kingdom come,

   thy will be done,

      on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our trespasses,

   as we forgive those who trespass against us.

And lead us not into temptation,

   but deliver us from evil.  Amen.

V. Send us help from your sanctuary.

R. And strengthen us out of Zion.

V. Be unto us, O Lord, a strong tower.

R. Let the enemy have no advantage over us.

V. Blessed be the Lord day by day.

R. May the God of our salvation make our journey safe.

V. Show us you ways, O Lord.

R. And teach us your paths.

V. O that my ways were made so direct.

R. That I might keep your statues.

V. The crooked shall be made straight.

R. And the rough places plain.

V. O Lord, hear my prayer.

R. And let my cry come to you.

V. The Lord be with you.

R. And also with you.

Let us pray.

(Any or all of these prayers may be offered)

O God, who made the children of Israel pass on dry ground through the midst of the sea, and who by the leading of a star opened to the Magi the way to yourself: grant us, we pray, a good journey and calm weather, that, attended by your holy Angel, we may safely reach the place we go, and happily attain the haven of eternal salvation.; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Assist us mercifully, O Lord, in all our supplications and prayers, and dispose the way of your servants towards the attainment of everlasting salvation: that, among all the changes and chances of this mortal life, they may ever be defended by your most gracious and ready help; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Almighty God, we pray you would grant your servants to walk in the way of salvation: that they may attain unto him whom blessed John the Forerunner foretold, your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

O God, our heavenly Father, whose glory fills the whole creation, and whose presence we find wherever we go: Preserve those who travel [in particular _____________]; surround them with your loving care; protect them from every danger; accompany them with an angel of peace and an angel of blessing; and bring them in safety to their journey’s end; through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

V. Let us go forth in peace.

R. X In the Name of the Lord. Amen.

Praying for the State, the Church, and Others

One of the main reasons I work on this blog is to get various traditional Anglican prayer tools “out there” in circulation again. While there are many new prayers being written, and a whole host of trial/provisional/supplemental “liturgies” being drafted and flung around in the contemporary Church, I often find that when I introduce people to the classical prayer resources, they are amazed that something so useful has been kept so hidden. 

It is my belief that, eventually, we are going to have to stop running from our own tradition and begin to engage it in a more positive, organic manner. Much that is good has been forgotten and should be recovered. I hope that these and other tools found on this blog for a grounded, rich prayer life will be found useful when that time comes.

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Below are prayers that were once part of Morning and Evening Prayer in the Episcopal Church’s Book of Common Prayer. In the current (1979) U.S. version of the BCP, they have been moved to the “Prayers and Thanksgivings” section, which while making sense has also tended to bury them, obscuring their value.

The Daily Office provides for various kinds of intercessions and thanksgivings following the Lord’s Prayer/Suffrages/Collects near the end of the service. While there are many options available in the Prayer Book and beyond for this, I often find it helpful to return to these earlier prayers, especially in the summer. They are extremely well-written, bear repeated use, and open many doors for reflection and action in Christian life.

The first prayer is for our leaders and for all Civil Authority, which Holy Scripture enjoins us to pray for as Christians. In our partisan day, I think many fail to take this important duty in prayer seriously. In its current state, our nation certainly could use it. 

The second prayer is for the Church, something often taken for granted but intensely necessary as members of a common and interrelated Body. No Christian's prayers are complete without prayer for the Church (not merely the institution, but the Church in its widest sense).

The third is a form of intercession both for the Church to witness in authentic truth and love to the Gospel, and for the needs of others. 

Taken together, they address a wide variety of essential concerns in the Christian life. When praying them, say the prayers slowly and with attention; in the prayer for “All Sorts and Conditions,” space is made to bring to mind the specific concerns or people you wish to pray for. (I have cast this latter prayer in a slightly more modern idiom, for those wishing to use it in a Contemporary English setting). As with all ancient prayers, the focus is not on "tossing off" the prayer, but in a complete immersion in it, letting God transform us even as we offer the prayer to him.

The entire set may be concluded with the General Thanksgiving, the Prayer of Saint Chrysostom, and the Grace as found in the 1979 BCP.  It makes a rich, nuanced, and balanced “diet” of intercession as we respond to Our Lord’s call to be a Priestly People.

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Traditional Language:

For the President of the United States and all in Civil Authority

O Lord our Governor, whose glory is in all the world:  We commend this nation to thy merciful care, that, being guided by thy Providence, we may dwell secure in thy peace.  Grant to the President of the United States, the Governor of this State (or Commonwealth), and to all in authority, wisdom and strength to know and to do thy will. Fill them with the love of truth and righteousness, and make them ever mindful of their calling to serve this people in thy fear; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, world without end.  Amen.

For Clergy and People

Almighty and everlasting God, from whom cometh every good and perfect gift: Send down upon our bishops, and other clergy, and upon the congregations committed to their charge, the healthful Spirit of thy grace;  and, that they may truly please thee, pour upon them the continual dew of thy blessing.  Grant this, O Lord, for the honor of our Advocate and Mediator, Jesus Christ.  Amen.

For All Sorts and Conditions of Men

O God, the creator and preserver of all mankind, we humbly beseech thee for all sorts and conditions of men; that thou wouldest be pleased to make thy ways known unto them, thy saving health unto all nations. More especially we pray for thy holy Church universal; that it may be so guided and governed by thy good Spirit, that all who profess and call themselves Christians may be led into the way of truth, and hold the faith in unity of spirit, in the bond of peace, and in righteousness of life. Finally, we commend to thy fatherly goodness all those who are in any ways afflicted or distressed, in mind, body, or estate; [especially those for whom our prayers are desired]; that it may please thee to comfort and relieve them according to their several necessities, giving them patience under their sufferings, and a happy issue out of all their afflictions.  And this we beg for Jesus Christ’s sake.  Amen.

Contemporary Language

For the President of the United States and all in Civil Authority

O Lord our Governor, whose glory is in all the world:  We commend this nation to your merciful care, that, being guided by your Providence, we may dwell secure in your peace.  Grant to the President of the United States, the Governor of this State (or Commonwealth), and to all in authority, wisdom and strength to know and to do your will. Fill them with the love of truth and righteousness, and make them ever mindful of their calling to serve this people in your fear; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, world without end.  Amen.

For Clergy and People

Almighty and everlasting God, from whom comes every good and perfect gift: Send down upon our bishops, and other clergy, and upon the congregations committed to their charge, the healthful Spirit of your grace;  and, that they may truly please you, pour upon them the continual dew of your blessing.  Grant this, O Lord, for the honor of our Advocate and Mediator, Jesus Christ.  Amen.

For All Sorts and Conditions of People

O God, the creator and preserver of all, we pray for all sorts and conditions of people; that in your mercy you would make your ways known to them and your saving health to all nations. Especially we pray for your holy catholic Church; that it may be so guided and governed by your good Spirit, that all who profess and call themselves Christians may be led into the way of truth, and hold the faith in unity of spirit, in the bond of peace, and in righteousness of life. Finally, we commend to your fatherly goodness all those who are in any ways afflicted or distressed, in mind, body, or estate; [especially those for whom our prayers are desired]; that it may please you to comfort and relieve them according to their needs, giving them patience under their sufferings, and a happy outcome in all their afflictions. And this we beg for Jesus Christ’s sake.  Amen.

Reflections on Commemorating Bishop Scott

Almighty and everlasting Father, by whose grace and power your servant Thomas Fielding Scott triumphed over hardships and sufferings to bring your good news to the people living in a new land.  Grant us, who now remember him with true thanksgiving the courage and devotion to gently and persistently share the new life that you give through the love of your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

At its last Convention, the Episcopal Diocese of Oregon chose to make July 14^th of each year the annual commemoration of our first Bishop, Thomas Fielding Scott. Scott was not just another Bishop. He was a man of tremendous personal courage, skill, vision, and faithfulness.

This commemoration, currently locally observed and not yet part of the wider Episcopal Church’s calendar, is a good example of how the Episcopal Church remembers and celebrates those whose “heroic sanctity” serves as a model for all of us.

A local community or region discerns that a Christian known to many has lived a life worthy of being remembered by all. The local diocese or regional dioceses determine the validity of such claims and whether or not to place the commemoration on their local calendars. If so, a date for the commemoration is determined (often the date of the person’s “entrance into heaven” through death; but sometimes another appropriate date), a proper collect is drafted, scripture lessons selected, and a biography compiled. All of this is then accepted at Diocesan Convention.

 After a period of use on the local level, a diocese may then approach the wider Church (through appropriate governance committees and finally the General Convention) with the request that the commemoration be added to the National Church’s calendar. If the wider Church consents to this, the commemoration may then be officially used by anyone in the Church.

The proposed collect above deserves consideration and revision, in my opinion. It is a fine prayer that both recalls the person being commemorated and asks God for the grace to live holy lives based on Bishop Scott’s pattern. It uses language appropriate to the person and era being commemorated, and (perhaps often overlooked in the drafting of such prayers) it reads/prays aloud well. However, it uses language that has significant problems (I would think) for many Native Peoples. Oregon was not “a new land” to them, though it may have been for Euro-American settlers. I would suggest a re-write replacing “…a new land” with something like “the Oregon Country,” which was a geographical term used in that period that covered the area Bishop Scott served so well.

 

A fine overview of the bishops of our diocese may be found at the Diocesan web site here.

Remembering Christ in the Eucharist -- and God in our all our life

A Memorial of the Blessed Sacrament

To be used in daily prayers (at the conclusion of the Daily Office, especially on Thursdays), as a separate devotion, a devotion following communion, or when in the presence of the Reserved Sacrament.

Antiphon

O Sacred Banquet wherein Christ is received, the memory of his Passion is renewed; the mind is filled with grace and a pledge of future glory is given to us. (In Easter Season, add: Alleluia.)

V. Thou gavest them bread from heaven (ES: Alleluia)

R. Containing within itself all sweetness (ES: Alleluia)

Let us pray.

O Lord Jesus Christ, who in a wonderful Sacrament hast left unto us a memorial of thy passion: Grant us, we beseech thee, so to venerate the sacred mysteries of thy Body and Blood, that we may ever perceive within ourselves the fruit of thy redemption; who livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.  Amen.

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This devotion is an example of something called a Memorial…a way of remembering some important aspect of the Christian faith in our prayer life. It recalls the privilege and blessing of participating in the Holy Mysteries of Christ’s Body and Blood. It is particularly connected to Sundays (The Lord’s Day, the Day of Resurrection, the day when Christians are called especially to celebrate the Eucharist as a gathered community of faith) and Thursdays (the day when the Eucharist was instituted at the Last Supper).

This Memorial also bids us recollect the holiness of what we may, in our haste and lack of examination, come before in an unthinking manner. When we enter the Holy Temple of God, we must remember that we are coming into a place of consecrated, dedicated holiness and peace…not just another utilitarian “space.” Thus, it is our custom to genuflect or make a profound bow before the Blessed Sacrament  as an acknowledgement of the Presence of Christ in the Mysteries—and the truth that we who receive these Mysteries are to live lives worthy of Our Lord’s love, presence, and offering of his life for us. We then take this knowledge and purpose out with us as our Christian Mission.

Many modern American Christians, deeply conditioned by consumerism, have come to regard everything we see and use as so much “stuff,” implicitly rejecting the holiness of the Creation and the meaning of Christ’s Incarnation. Catholic Anglicanism, on the other hand, takes very seriously the holiness of Creation. This Memorial is but one tool in that vast array of resources for the “re-enchantment of the world” that can only happen when our scientific understanding of the universe is reunited with the revelation of God’s purpose and presence as made known in the Holy Scriptures and the sacramental life of Christ’s Body, the Church.