Last Sunday was my first opportunity since my licensing to wear my blue scarf with vestments at the cathedral for a friends ordination as deacon.
Regular readers will know that my own church doesn't use vestments, and so I had to borrow a cassock and surplice from another church for the occasion. So as I set off to the cathedral, i grabbed the borrowed things and set off.
Come the moment to robe, I put on the cassock, put on the surplice, and then realise the scarf is still on the hook upstairs at home. AAARRRGGHH!
I asked to borrow one, and was directed to the main vestry upstairs - where f course I bumped into the bishop who challenged me on security grounds, and i had to explain to him what a total loser I am.
Finally, I found someone who had a spare one.
This guy does conjuring tricks as part of his preaching, and so the scarf had a picture of a magicians hat with a cross coming out instead of a rabbit, and loads of little pockets down the back to keep his tricks in. Now you can think what you want about using conjuring tricks ion a sermon, but isn't that idea of pockets a handy hint?
Showing posts with label vestments. Show all posts
Showing posts with label vestments. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 4
Monday, April 23
Vestments on trial
I returned briefly to my placement church last night for Sunday evensong.
Well, if I am more honest, I went to see if I could borrow a cassock and surplice for my licensing next week [since I will wear them too rarely to purchase].
Coming home, it dawned on me that none of my family had ever seen me in robes. I guessed that they might find it amusing and even have a bit of a laugh, and decided that I should get this over and done with by modelling them at home, rather than have them burst out laughing at their Dad as I process up the aisle on Saturday.
Well, it’s a good thing I did. Child 3 has only two modes: Adoration of what he sees as cool (eg shiny football boots), and extreme mockery of what he sees as rubbish (eg anything unrelated to football). So I had to endure shrieks of laughter and ridicule from him. Next was Child 4 – more laughter. Child 5 “Dad, you look like a girl. Shall I get a ribbon for your hair?” Child 6 – ditto. Child 2 – normally the most respectful – “Face up to it Dad, you look really stupid”. Child 1 was shut in his study revising for exams. I opened the door and he looked at me for a fraction of a second then let out a long high pitched scream.
I turned to my wife for comfort – mistake. She was very much on their side.
So, I was glad to have got it over and done with, but it was worse than I expected and quite disappointing as I expected at least my some of own family would be more supportive and encouraging.
Worse, earlier in the day I had dropped off tickets for the event at my brother’s house. We live in the same town but our paths rarely cross in the business of life and I haven’t actually seen him for two years. His first words “Good to see you”? No such luck … “My goodness, you’ve aged!”
Well so has he but I’m too polite to say.
So I moaned to my parents about this on the phone. And they agreed with him, saying I look older than he does (and he is 5 years my senior). They blamed my former vasectomy – though I actually started going grey when my daughter was in hospital and the doctor thought she was dieing.
So, shall I abandon my family and go and live in a monastery somewhere?
Well, if I am more honest, I went to see if I could borrow a cassock and surplice for my licensing next week [since I will wear them too rarely to purchase].
Coming home, it dawned on me that none of my family had ever seen me in robes. I guessed that they might find it amusing and even have a bit of a laugh, and decided that I should get this over and done with by modelling them at home, rather than have them burst out laughing at their Dad as I process up the aisle on Saturday.
Well, it’s a good thing I did. Child 3 has only two modes: Adoration of what he sees as cool (eg shiny football boots), and extreme mockery of what he sees as rubbish (eg anything unrelated to football). So I had to endure shrieks of laughter and ridicule from him. Next was Child 4 – more laughter. Child 5 “Dad, you look like a girl. Shall I get a ribbon for your hair?” Child 6 – ditto. Child 2 – normally the most respectful – “Face up to it Dad, you look really stupid”. Child 1 was shut in his study revising for exams. I opened the door and he looked at me for a fraction of a second then let out a long high pitched scream.
I turned to my wife for comfort – mistake. She was very much on their side.
So, I was glad to have got it over and done with, but it was worse than I expected and quite disappointing as I expected at least my some of own family would be more supportive and encouraging.
Worse, earlier in the day I had dropped off tickets for the event at my brother’s house. We live in the same town but our paths rarely cross in the business of life and I haven’t actually seen him for two years. His first words “Good to see you”? No such luck … “My goodness, you’ve aged!”
Well so has he but I’m too polite to say.
So I moaned to my parents about this on the phone. And they agreed with him, saying I look older than he does (and he is 5 years my senior). They blamed my former vasectomy – though I actually started going grey when my daughter was in hospital and the doctor thought she was dieing.
So, shall I abandon my family and go and live in a monastery somewhere?
Thursday, April 5
Easter
I am away on Holiday for a week, so you can all have a break from me adding irritating comments to your blogs.
I have never really been one for celebrating the church calendar. In the 1980s My Aunt once called me "Godless" because my church at that time didn't have a service on Good Friday. In turn I diapproved of her attention to such ritualism with its 'pagan' connotations. I am happy to sing about the Incarnation (Christmas carols) in summer. The death and resuurection of Christ is of equal importance to me throughout the year - it is not less important in winter than spring. I tend to see the faith in terms of lifestyle, holiness, witness, walk with God etc, which are not measured in terms of days of the week or year any more than you can measure sound with a theodolite.
However, as part of my training and particlarly through reading Kyle's 'Vindicated' blog, I have come to appreciate the value of a calendar, re-enacting the faith, as a form of witness. And Easter does have important cultural links to the wider society to help us present the message of the cross. also, although I very much doubt that Jesus was born on 25th December, Easter does have some chronological relevance to the events it commemorates.
So, we don't want to be enslaved by a calendar (Gal 4v9-10), but we are perfectly entitled to use one where appropriate and desirable (Rom 14 v5-7).
Therefore, whether you celebrate your freedom in Christ by spending time with your family or by vestments and insence in a decorated church, I pray that you will both experience and share the blessing of being found in Christ at this time.
What does Easter mean to us?
I have never really been one for celebrating the church calendar. In the 1980s My Aunt once called me "Godless" because my church at that time didn't have a service on Good Friday. In turn I diapproved of her attention to such ritualism with its 'pagan' connotations. I am happy to sing about the Incarnation (Christmas carols) in summer. The death and resuurection of Christ is of equal importance to me throughout the year - it is not less important in winter than spring. I tend to see the faith in terms of lifestyle, holiness, witness, walk with God etc, which are not measured in terms of days of the week or year any more than you can measure sound with a theodolite.
However, as part of my training and particlarly through reading Kyle's 'Vindicated' blog, I have come to appreciate the value of a calendar, re-enacting the faith, as a form of witness. And Easter does have important cultural links to the wider society to help us present the message of the cross. also, although I very much doubt that Jesus was born on 25th December, Easter does have some chronological relevance to the events it commemorates.
So, we don't want to be enslaved by a calendar (Gal 4v9-10), but we are perfectly entitled to use one where appropriate and desirable (Rom 14 v5-7).
Therefore, whether you celebrate your freedom in Christ by spending time with your family or by vestments and insence in a decorated church, I pray that you will both experience and share the blessing of being found in Christ at this time.
Wednesday, November 29
End of Placement
Tonight I attended Evensong for the last [official] time.
I was supposed to be doing the prayers, but had forgotten and not prepared anything. So surprise surprise I ended up doing the readings again. {Which I did quite well for once}.
Afterwards I overheard a Lady complaining that on Sunday the collect for 'Stir up Sunday' had not been used. I was also told that someone else had complained that we had talked about it being "Christ the King" Sunday, but had not said that it was the first Sunday of Advent next week.
I can see the benefit of a church calander, but these episodes make me worry that sometimes the tail is wagging the dog.
So, that is it. I have finished my placement.
It was with a tinge of sadness that I took off my vestments for the last time, and walked out of that building.
Key learing points have been:
1) Always go to the toilet BEFORE you put the vestments on
2) People who do things differently form yourself are not ALL superstitious and ignorant of the Scriptures and the true path of salvation. Some of them are quite intelligent people who do these things for a reason, and find that it helps them, without compromising their faith in the work of Christ on the cross. God's church is diverse, and needs to be to fully express his glory. As well as this meaning that the traditional churches I have objected to are OK, it also means that the non-conformist churches they object to are OK.
3) God made the psalms to be sung. Hence they work better sung by a high church choir than read by a low church semi-literate unrehearsed reader.
4) It is not a sin to cross yourself.
What next?
Umm.... read the training manual and check...! I think I have to do a written report on the placement, and then a presentation at the next year group meeting sometime in January.
I was supposed to be doing the prayers, but had forgotten and not prepared anything. So surprise surprise I ended up doing the readings again. {Which I did quite well for once}.
Afterwards I overheard a Lady complaining that on Sunday the collect for 'Stir up Sunday' had not been used. I was also told that someone else had complained that we had talked about it being "Christ the King" Sunday, but had not said that it was the first Sunday of Advent next week.
I can see the benefit of a church calander, but these episodes make me worry that sometimes the tail is wagging the dog.
So, that is it. I have finished my placement.
It was with a tinge of sadness that I took off my vestments for the last time, and walked out of that building.
Key learing points have been:
1) Always go to the toilet BEFORE you put the vestments on
2) People who do things differently form yourself are not ALL superstitious and ignorant of the Scriptures and the true path of salvation. Some of them are quite intelligent people who do these things for a reason, and find that it helps them, without compromising their faith in the work of Christ on the cross. God's church is diverse, and needs to be to fully express his glory. As well as this meaning that the traditional churches I have objected to are OK, it also means that the non-conformist churches they object to are OK.
3) God made the psalms to be sung. Hence they work better sung by a high church choir than read by a low church semi-literate unrehearsed reader.
4) It is not a sin to cross yourself.
What next?
Umm.... read the training manual and check...! I think I have to do a written report on the placement, and then a presentation at the next year group meeting sometime in January.
Monday, November 6
Sanctify a party
Hey, what?! – perfection! Did the second chalice this Sunday without tripping and without spilling! Had my lessons in Genuflecting. Crossed myself for the first time ever. Did the reading at the right time form the version requested.
At evening prayers, lead the liturgy with only two, unimportant, mistakes.
I might be beginning to look like an Anglo-Catholic. Except for the theology of course.
After the very formal, quiet and solemn morning communion I went back to my own church to collect the kids. The service hadn’t finished so I waited in the foyer. It was a packed family service. The whole congregation was dancing and singing. Flags were waving, and balloons were going up to the ceiling. As a continuation of the Light Party held to provide an alternative to Halloween trick or treating on 31st October, there had been an election to decide whether the Vicar or the Children’s Church leader should get gunged (for those of you who are sane/not British, gunging is when you pour brightly coloured [if you’re lucky] or smelly and slimy fluids over your victim). The Vicar was chosen, but at the very last minute someone else, dressed up as ‘Jesus’ came and took his place in the gunging booth.
Formal Liturgical Ceremony v Wild Party.
Which was the true reflection of God’s Glory? Which was true worship?
The party bunch look down on the ‘dead’ ceremony.
The ceremonialists look down on the irreverent antics of the party.
I am convinced that BOTH are essential.
God is so magnificent and infinite that unity cannot hold him. He expresses himself as trinity. When he makes man in his own image, he makes THEM, male AND female (and kids). When he made dogs, he did Alsatians, Chihuahuas, Beagles, Rottweilers, and everything in between. Can solemnity on its own communicate what He is? Can a party on its own express what He is?
“Sanctify a fast – call a solemn assembly” say the same scriptures that record how David danced before the Lord and how a wide variety of musical instruments were used in the temple.
At evening prayers, lead the liturgy with only two, unimportant, mistakes.
I might be beginning to look like an Anglo-Catholic. Except for the theology of course.
After the very formal, quiet and solemn morning communion I went back to my own church to collect the kids. The service hadn’t finished so I waited in the foyer. It was a packed family service. The whole congregation was dancing and singing. Flags were waving, and balloons were going up to the ceiling. As a continuation of the Light Party held to provide an alternative to Halloween trick or treating on 31st October, there had been an election to decide whether the Vicar or the Children’s Church leader should get gunged (for those of you who are sane/not British, gunging is when you pour brightly coloured [if you’re lucky] or smelly and slimy fluids over your victim). The Vicar was chosen, but at the very last minute someone else, dressed up as ‘Jesus’ came and took his place in the gunging booth.
Formal Liturgical Ceremony v Wild Party.
Which was the true reflection of God’s Glory? Which was true worship?
The party bunch look down on the ‘dead’ ceremony.
The ceremonialists look down on the irreverent antics of the party.
I am convinced that BOTH are essential.
God is so magnificent and infinite that unity cannot hold him. He expresses himself as trinity. When he makes man in his own image, he makes THEM, male AND female (and kids). When he made dogs, he did Alsatians, Chihuahuas, Beagles, Rottweilers, and everything in between. Can solemnity on its own communicate what He is? Can a party on its own express what He is?
“Sanctify a fast – call a solemn assembly” say the same scriptures that record how David danced before the Lord and how a wide variety of musical instruments were used in the temple.
Wednesday, November 1
God is working his purpose out
Today’s main news is the fulfilment of God’s purposes.
Followers of my blog will know that in answer to my prayers for an increased income, God showed me the path of working as an independent contractor, rather than as an employee.
Well here I am, in my new working arrangements. I should say new job, except that I am sting at the same desk doing the same thing, its just that instead of a multinational engineering consultancy getting the profit, I do! This has to be a gift from God!!
I have not yet reported on Sunday’s Church. This is because I have been spending the time (far too much time) participating in the vestments debate on Vindicated. Reading the debate you probably don’t appreciate just how much my views have changed as they are influenced by my placement church and by Kyle Potter’s Vindicated blog. I salute you, Kyle!
Sunday’s church was, well, different. The sound system failed, and instead of processing up the aisle to organ music with dignity, we processed up the aisle to the terrifying, deafening, horror science fiction feeeeeeedback!!!. The only thing whiter than the vestments was the silently panicked Vicar’s face.
Fortunately things came under control in time for the service to start properly shortly after we arrived at the end. In his sermon introduction the Vicar invoked the patron saint of PA systems, praying to him/her to keep the gremlins out, amen. So now all you Anglo-Catholics can set up blog debates as to why displacing our prayers to God onto the saints is not idolatrous. I can just about accommodate the idea that asking a saint to INTERCEDE for us is just like asking a living friend to pray for you, but I can’t stretch to praying directly to the saint for the saint to do something for you. That is to treat him/her as a god, and breaches the first commandment.
My own prayers, [after much editing-out of my favourite bits by the Vicar so that only the bland bits remained] seemed to go down well. People commented on how clearly they could hear – I think this was a polite way of saying I was too loud. But I have been trained to project my voice and there was also a microphone, and it takes practice to get the volume right.
I must spend less time blogging and commenting on blogs, and my resolution for today is to only check them once a day, and that must be during lunch break not working hours. It has been becoming too much of a compulsive addiction lately. Time for some self control.
Mrs is keeping quiet about whether she feels pregnant or not. We have had too many disappointments before, and it is not implantation time yet. We can but wait and see.
Followers of my blog will know that in answer to my prayers for an increased income, God showed me the path of working as an independent contractor, rather than as an employee.
Well here I am, in my new working arrangements. I should say new job, except that I am sting at the same desk doing the same thing, its just that instead of a multinational engineering consultancy getting the profit, I do! This has to be a gift from God!!
I have not yet reported on Sunday’s Church. This is because I have been spending the time (far too much time) participating in the vestments debate on Vindicated. Reading the debate you probably don’t appreciate just how much my views have changed as they are influenced by my placement church and by Kyle Potter’s Vindicated blog. I salute you, Kyle!
Sunday’s church was, well, different. The sound system failed, and instead of processing up the aisle to organ music with dignity, we processed up the aisle to the terrifying, deafening, horror science fiction feeeeeeedback!!!. The only thing whiter than the vestments was the silently panicked Vicar’s face.
Fortunately things came under control in time for the service to start properly shortly after we arrived at the end. In his sermon introduction the Vicar invoked the patron saint of PA systems, praying to him/her to keep the gremlins out, amen. So now all you Anglo-Catholics can set up blog debates as to why displacing our prayers to God onto the saints is not idolatrous. I can just about accommodate the idea that asking a saint to INTERCEDE for us is just like asking a living friend to pray for you, but I can’t stretch to praying directly to the saint for the saint to do something for you. That is to treat him/her as a god, and breaches the first commandment.
My own prayers, [after much editing-out of my favourite bits by the Vicar so that only the bland bits remained] seemed to go down well. People commented on how clearly they could hear – I think this was a polite way of saying I was too loud. But I have been trained to project my voice and there was also a microphone, and it takes practice to get the volume right.
I must spend less time blogging and commenting on blogs, and my resolution for today is to only check them once a day, and that must be during lunch break not working hours. It has been becoming too much of a compulsive addiction lately. Time for some self control.
Mrs is keeping quiet about whether she feels pregnant or not. We have had too many disappointments before, and it is not implantation time yet. We can but wait and see.
Thursday, October 26
Hooks to Hang your Faith on
I haven’t posted for a while because it has been both busy and mundane.
On Sunday I negotiated to just sit in the congregation and watch things form that end for a while.
Observations: -
1) I was in the youngest 10% of the congregation. In my own church I am roughly in the middle, and sometimes feel too old for the evening service.
2) When you are not standing next to the choir, the hymn-singing sounds weak and feeble. This is not the fault of the people – the acoustics are bad, there are large gaps between the people, and hymns [in contrast to contemporary Christian songs] are set at a pitch where most men simply can’t reach. You don’t mind singing out of tune if your voice is drowned out, but when your voice will be heard by those near (well relatively near), you don’t have the nerve to sing with any energy. Especially if you suspect they like ‘contemplative worship’ and think loud singing is irreverent. So – quiet, feeble singing. From my charismatic perspective, reverence of God means making AT LEAST as much noise as you would when reverencing a victorious football (soccer) team returning with the World Cup. God has done more than kick a bag of air about!
3) The rood screen is an obstacle to the view, and sets an artificial division between the congregation and those with formal roles. In the words of the Sacristan – them and us. He says the screen arose in the middle ages when churches were used more as community centres (good) and would therefore have had animals staying the night in them from time to time and the screen was to keep the animals out of the sanctuary. I can see the point, though from my point of view I don’t consider one place more holy than another – God is everywhere – and I would also consider the animals made by god to be holy too. But I’m being picky there – its just a different perspective. Anyway, we are no longer in the middle ages with animals around, and I think the rood screen should go.
4) I was able to follow the service well (except for the bit where the middle pages fell out of my service book and confused me completely). I did appreciate the fact that a liturgical form of worship means that all can participate in more than just singing hymns.
I spent some time with the sacristan as arranged long ago. He explained a lot of the meanings of the vestments to me, and showed me the Aumbry, and stuff like that. He describes these things as ‘Hooks to hang your faith on’. In his former role as a surveyor, he used to remind himself of the key actions in a compulsory purchase by remembering each one hanging on a hook in a row of coats hooks. And so, in the church, the vestments and rituals are things that he uses to remind himself of the key points of the faith. I can see where he is coming from, and it makes sense. In my personality I am able to deal with things in a fairly abstract manner, but every one is wired up slightly differently, and for him these things are very helpful. Another key aspect, which I can endorse, is that they are physical representations, or re-enactments, of his faith, almost in the same way that he sees the bread and wine as incarnational. I am coming at it from a very different angle to him, yet I can respect his view as a legitimate one.
But coming back to the meanings of things – I was surprised that he didn’t seem able to give me official definitions of the meanings of things – it seemed like it was a more personal interpretation, and that other interpretations were valid. I’m not sure if official meanings exist. I can see that these things might have been useful in earlier times to visually communicate the gospel to illiterate peoples, but if the meanings are flexible, how effective is the communications? And if the meanings are so flexible, do the rituals paradoxically end up actually meaningless?
I have also attended more Wednesday choral evensongs and more Sunday evening prayers.
I have come to appreciate the Choral Evensongs as an act of worship to God. So often we think church is there to entertain us, and when I told my family that there is only 5 in the congregation apart from the vicar, readers and choir, they wondered why we bother going to the effort for just five. But that is missing the point – it is for GOD, not us. Having said that, I have heard from god in these services. This week the singing of Psalm 94 really communicated to me in a way that would not have worked in my own congregation, where the psalm would be read not sung, and even if read with expression it wouldn’t have worked so well.
Where the Choral Evensong uses the Book of Common Prayer, the Sunday evening prayer uses the ASB, which was never officially approved by parliament. I always say the words wrong in this, and in a congregation of 4 including all the ‘staff’, this is embarrassing.
When I went to the church on Monday night for what I thought was a business meeting of the Readers, we did the ASB evening worship first, complete with homily, before we got down to business. Great, acknowledge God at the start of the meeting. But to sit through exactly the same stuff again was really tedious.
Common Worship says that repetition of services means that eventually you learn them by heart and then you can worship God without the need to read and shuffle papers, and can really enter into the spirit of the worship. Fair enough, but the stage after that is that you stop paying attention at all. Be honest now - how many of us really pay attention when we say the Lords Prayer? And in the passage where Jesus taught the prayer he warned us not to use repetitions (Matt 6 v 7 KJV) – so I always rebel when I am told to pray [repeat it word for word] as Jesus taught us – NO HE DIDN’T!
When I told friends (including former Anglicans) I was joining an Anglican Church, they warned me against it saying “It’s the same every week!” Their tone of voice was that of refugees from a disaster pouring out their woes to the media.
I have not experienced this sameness in my own Anglican Church, but after two months on my placement I am beginning to get the feel for what they mean and to be honest I am looking forward to the end.
End of Rant
For my last month, I have been given a more active role. I will be the one reading the Liturgy for next Sunday evening (ASB), and for the second Wednesday (BOCP) services, and will do the homily on the last Sunday Evening of my placement. I am also doing the prayers this Sunday.
After that, I have to prepare a report on my placement for the Year Group meeting in January. The report will be read by my supervisor at the placement church, so I shall have to be more balanced than I am in this post!
On Sunday I negotiated to just sit in the congregation and watch things form that end for a while.
Observations: -
1) I was in the youngest 10% of the congregation. In my own church I am roughly in the middle, and sometimes feel too old for the evening service.
2) When you are not standing next to the choir, the hymn-singing sounds weak and feeble. This is not the fault of the people – the acoustics are bad, there are large gaps between the people, and hymns [in contrast to contemporary Christian songs] are set at a pitch where most men simply can’t reach. You don’t mind singing out of tune if your voice is drowned out, but when your voice will be heard by those near (well relatively near), you don’t have the nerve to sing with any energy. Especially if you suspect they like ‘contemplative worship’ and think loud singing is irreverent. So – quiet, feeble singing. From my charismatic perspective, reverence of God means making AT LEAST as much noise as you would when reverencing a victorious football (soccer) team returning with the World Cup. God has done more than kick a bag of air about!
3) The rood screen is an obstacle to the view, and sets an artificial division between the congregation and those with formal roles. In the words of the Sacristan – them and us. He says the screen arose in the middle ages when churches were used more as community centres (good) and would therefore have had animals staying the night in them from time to time and the screen was to keep the animals out of the sanctuary. I can see the point, though from my point of view I don’t consider one place more holy than another – God is everywhere – and I would also consider the animals made by god to be holy too. But I’m being picky there – its just a different perspective. Anyway, we are no longer in the middle ages with animals around, and I think the rood screen should go.
4) I was able to follow the service well (except for the bit where the middle pages fell out of my service book and confused me completely). I did appreciate the fact that a liturgical form of worship means that all can participate in more than just singing hymns.
I spent some time with the sacristan as arranged long ago. He explained a lot of the meanings of the vestments to me, and showed me the Aumbry, and stuff like that. He describes these things as ‘Hooks to hang your faith on’. In his former role as a surveyor, he used to remind himself of the key actions in a compulsory purchase by remembering each one hanging on a hook in a row of coats hooks. And so, in the church, the vestments and rituals are things that he uses to remind himself of the key points of the faith. I can see where he is coming from, and it makes sense. In my personality I am able to deal with things in a fairly abstract manner, but every one is wired up slightly differently, and for him these things are very helpful. Another key aspect, which I can endorse, is that they are physical representations, or re-enactments, of his faith, almost in the same way that he sees the bread and wine as incarnational. I am coming at it from a very different angle to him, yet I can respect his view as a legitimate one.
But coming back to the meanings of things – I was surprised that he didn’t seem able to give me official definitions of the meanings of things – it seemed like it was a more personal interpretation, and that other interpretations were valid. I’m not sure if official meanings exist. I can see that these things might have been useful in earlier times to visually communicate the gospel to illiterate peoples, but if the meanings are flexible, how effective is the communications? And if the meanings are so flexible, do the rituals paradoxically end up actually meaningless?
I have also attended more Wednesday choral evensongs and more Sunday evening prayers.
I have come to appreciate the Choral Evensongs as an act of worship to God. So often we think church is there to entertain us, and when I told my family that there is only 5 in the congregation apart from the vicar, readers and choir, they wondered why we bother going to the effort for just five. But that is missing the point – it is for GOD, not us. Having said that, I have heard from god in these services. This week the singing of Psalm 94 really communicated to me in a way that would not have worked in my own congregation, where the psalm would be read not sung, and even if read with expression it wouldn’t have worked so well.
Where the Choral Evensong uses the Book of Common Prayer, the Sunday evening prayer uses the ASB, which was never officially approved by parliament. I always say the words wrong in this, and in a congregation of 4 including all the ‘staff’, this is embarrassing.
When I went to the church on Monday night for what I thought was a business meeting of the Readers, we did the ASB evening worship first, complete with homily, before we got down to business. Great, acknowledge God at the start of the meeting. But to sit through exactly the same stuff again was really tedious.
Common Worship says that repetition of services means that eventually you learn them by heart and then you can worship God without the need to read and shuffle papers, and can really enter into the spirit of the worship. Fair enough, but the stage after that is that you stop paying attention at all. Be honest now - how many of us really pay attention when we say the Lords Prayer? And in the passage where Jesus taught the prayer he warned us not to use repetitions (Matt 6 v 7 KJV) – so I always rebel when I am told to pray [repeat it word for word] as Jesus taught us – NO HE DIDN’T!
When I told friends (including former Anglicans) I was joining an Anglican Church, they warned me against it saying “It’s the same every week!” Their tone of voice was that of refugees from a disaster pouring out their woes to the media.
I have not experienced this sameness in my own Anglican Church, but after two months on my placement I am beginning to get the feel for what they mean and to be honest I am looking forward to the end.
End of Rant
For my last month, I have been given a more active role. I will be the one reading the Liturgy for next Sunday evening (ASB), and for the second Wednesday (BOCP) services, and will do the homily on the last Sunday Evening of my placement. I am also doing the prayers this Sunday.
After that, I have to prepare a report on my placement for the Year Group meeting in January. The report will be read by my supervisor at the placement church, so I shall have to be more balanced than I am in this post!
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