Wednesdays with Grace
Ancient Liturgy—New Look Service
The “Convictions” page on Grace Church’s website defines liturgy as “traditional elements such as set prayers, responses, and the ancient creeds.” With two thousand years of church history behind us, there’s no shortage of liturgy to choose from! For churches that value liturgy, it can be difficult to know what to include and what to leave out.
Grace Church’s liturgy has been drawn from the Anglican tradition, but even within that one tradition, there are choices to be made. The Leadership Team recently agreed to change some of the liturgy in Grace Church’s Sunday service. There was no new Grand Unified Theory, just a case-by-case consideration of some suggested alternatives. The changes are set out below, and they will take effect this Sunday.
ADDED:
A prayer of preparation, to be said by all before the opening hymn:
Almighty God, to whom all hearts are open, all desires known, and from whom no secrets are hidden, cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love you, and worthily magnify your holy name, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
ADDED:
The following responses, after the opening hymn:
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
O Lord, open our lips.
And our mouths shall declare your praise.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be: world without end. Amen.
REMOVED:
The word of explanation said by the service leader before the prayer of confession.
(This will be replaced with a brief Bible-based reflection by the service leader designed to stir up conviction of sin prior to the prayer of confession.)
ALTERED:
The familiar prayer of confession will be printed in a slightly altered form, which is designed to be a little more user-friendly. For example, the word “erred,” which is challenging to pronounce for a visitor praying the prayer for the first time, is removed.
REMOVED:
The ministerial prayer of absolution after the prayer of confession.
(Following a practice found in the 1662 Book of Common Prayer, the removed prayer will be replaced with “Words of Comfort,” i.e., selected Bible verses assuring those with faith that their sins are forgiven.)
ADDED:
The weekly collect from the 1662 Book of Common Prayer, with lightly modernized language.
We hope the church family will quickly feel at home with the new look service.
Bernard