In any event, the service this morning was a moving experience, quiet and reverent yet deeply uplifting with a definite 1662 feel. Although the language was in modern English, it was unburdened by the cumbersome grotesqueness of sterile "inclusive language" which has plagued so many contemporary liturgies. The restoration of traditional elements which have been missing in the dumbed down liturgies of the age was quite refreshing. Most notable, perhaps because this is the season of Lent, was the prayer of confession and its accompanying invitation. For older generations, the words, though slightly updated, would be quite familiar. For even the most ostensibly orthodox among the younger and emerging generations, however, the language of repentance and reconciliation, of acknowledging and confessing our many sins and offenses, of provoking God's wrath and righteous anger may sound quite foreign.
I was reminded of a news report prior to the wedding of Prince Charles and Camilla Parker-Bowles in which secular-minded journalists reported the inclusion in the service of the traditional Anglican prayer of confession as some kind of major news event. A reporter with a deep British accent breathlessly declared, "The prayer being used in the service states, 'We acknowledge and bewail our manifold sins and wickedness.'" It was a sad commentary on a society in which human beings acknowledging and bewailing the fact that they are miserable sinners, even within the relatively safe context of an official church ritual, is an all too rare occurrence. Rite II in the 1979 Prayer Book deftly glosses over this uncomfortable fact, vaguely referencing things done and left undone and a failure to love God and neighbor wholeheartedly. Thankfully, it doesn't look like we're going to get off that light this time around.
The feel good liturgies which have come into vogue over the last 30-40 years may salve the consciences of comfortable, marginally religious church-goers, but they do not present the fullness of the Gospel which must puncture our hearts and pierce our souls in order to heal our wounds. While I will reiterate that this morning's liturgy may not be the finalized version that will appear in the ACNA Prayer Book, it certainly suggests a move in the right direction. Liturgy that is full of life must include language that acknowledges both our utter sinfulness and unworthiness and God's overwhelming grace and mercy.
CORRECTION: According to Bishop Thompson, the official name of the group is the Prayer Book and Common Liturgy Taskforce.
Is the liturgy used available at one of the links in the article or elsewhere?
ReplyDeleteHow sad to hear that there is "a 1662 feel" to a possible ACNA BCP. The 1552 was the victim of a wicked hatchet job carried forward in the 1559 and 1662 books so far as to make it questionable whether the eucharist actually is valid as written in those books. One can only pray that there will be a rescue from the forces of the protestant heresy. Surely it would be better to provide a solid eucharist as demonstrated on the Anglicani blog.
ReplyDeleteRichard+,
ReplyDeleteI would agree that there are essential elements in the actual 1662 rite which are missing. The liturgy used today, however, restored many of them. By "1662 feel," I was referring to the general theological themes and the more traditional prayer of confession.
Todd+,
I don't think the liturgy is available online yet.
As I said before, this liturgy is not the finished product and the actual ACNA Prayer Book may include something entirely different.