Morning Prayer for Anglicans and Methodists

A detailed look at the Daily Office of Morning Prayer in the Book of Common Prayer, John Wesley's revision of the Prayerbook, and how it continues to influence United Methodist liturgy.

The Daily Office & John Wesley's Common Prayer Book Revision

 This video is an introduction to the spiritual discipline of "The Daily Office" or "The Divine Hours", with a focus on the Biblical foundations of the practice, the practice of the Church of England in Wesley's day, and how the Daily Office was revised and passed along to the Methodists by John Wesley.

Liturgical Colors and the Christian Year

 

"Real Presence" and the Prayer of Humble access in Methodist liturgies

Have the Methodists actually remained Wesleyan when it comes to how our prayers express our faith in the Real Presence of Christ's Body and Blood in Holy Communion?

Well, yes...but...

In our official liturgies (and our informal acts of worship), I think there has sometimes been a tendency to downplay the real presence of Christ or any sense that we are really feeding (in a spiritual manner) on his body and blood, as is stated in our Articles of Religion (Article XVIII).

A great example of this tendency away from our original "high" sacramental theology is seen in the changes to the classic "Prayer of Humble Access." 

This prayer draws upon the very vivid - some disciples even thought TOO vivid, even scandalous - language that Jesus uses in John chapter 6.  This prayer is included in the various editions of the Anglican Book of Common Prayer (BCP) beginning with the original BCP of 1549 compiled by Archbishop Thomas Cranmer, and John Wesley retained it (from the 1662 BCP) without any change at all when he prepared the original Sunday Service book of the Methodists: 

We do not presume to come to this thy Table, O merciful Lord, trusting in our own righteousness, but in thy manifold and great mercies.  We are not worthy so much as to gather up the crumbs under thy table.  But thou art the same Lord, whose property is always to have mercy: Grant us therefore, gracious Lord, so to eat the flesh of thy dear Son Jesus Christ, and to drink his blood, that our sinful bodies may be made clean by his body, and our souls washed through his most precious blood, and that we may evermore dwell in him, and he in us.  Amen.

The theology here fits well with our Articles of Religion and such Charles Wesley hymns as "Come Sinners to the Gospel Feast," as well as other writings of John Wesley on Holy Communion. 

But the actual request (in italics) of this prayer was apparently TOO vivid for some Methodists as well (perhaps we'd spent too much time with the Baptists at the big tent revivals), for in The Book of Worship of 1944 we see this new version of the prayer, which represents a much "lower" sacramental theology: 

We do not presume to come to this thy Table, O merciful Lord, trusting in our own righteousness, but in thy manifold and great mercies.  We are not worthy so much as to gather up the crumbs under thy table.  But thou art the same Lord, whose mercy is unfailing: Grant us therefore, gracious Lord, so to partake of these memorials of thy Son Jesus Christ, that we may be filled with the fullness of his life, may grow into his likeness, and may evermore dwell in him, and he in us.  Amen.

This prayer represents a dramatic shift away from the "Real Presence" view of Holy Communion held by Wesley (and Anglicans more generally) toward a "Memorialism" view of the Supper, which is the view held by Baptists, that the signs of bread and wine merely remind us of Jesus' sacrifice and inspire our piety. 

However, during the 20th Century, United Methodists were influenced by the Liturgical Renewal, the Ecumenical movement, and also an attempt (led by Albert Outler and others) to recover a more authentically Wesleyan approach theology.  So the UMC's HYMNAL of 1989 gives us the new liturgies in modern English that much more clearly express a "Real Presence" theology, though they do not include The Prayer of Humble Access (or the accompanying Agnus Dei).  

At the same time, the "Traditional language" liturgy (on p.30) gives us a version of the Prayer of Humble Access that is a bit of a compromise, capable (at least at first glance) of being interpreted in either a more "Memorialist" OR a more "Real Presence" manner.  It is an improvement over the 1944 prayer, but does not return to the 'scandalous' language of Wesley's original Sunday Service book:

We do not presume to come to this thy Table, O merciful Lord, trusting in our own righteousness, but in thy manifold and great mercies.  We are not worthy so much as to gather up the crumbs under thy table.  But thou art the same Lord, whose property is always to have mercy: Grant us therefore, gracious Lord, so to partake of this Sacrament of thy Son Jesus Christ, that we may walk in newness of life, may grow in his likeness, and may evermore dwell in him, and he in us.  Amen.

Basically, the word "memorials" has been replaced with "Sacrament" with a couple of other minor changes.  This opens up the possibility that the phrase could be interpreted as "the sacrament that reminds us of Jesus Christ" (Memorialism) or "the Sacrament that is filled with & conveys the presence of Jesus Christ" (Real Presence).  However, the use of the word "Sacrament" makes the Real Presence interpretation more natural, since a Sacrament is traditionally defined as "an outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace that conveys the grace that it signifies."

This is where the prayer stands in our official liturgy at present.

I propose adding one further change: adding the words "of the body and blood of" after the word "Sacrament".  So here is how it would read (in a bit more modernized English): 

We do not presume to come to this your table, O merciful Lord, trusting in our own righteousness, but in your abundant and great mercies.  We are not worthy so much as to gather up the crumbs under your table, but you are the same Lord who always delights in showing mercy.  Grant us, therefore, gracious Lord, so to partake of this Sacrament of the body and blood of your Son Jesus Christ, that we may walk in newness of life, may grow into his likeness, and may evermore dwell in him and he in us.  Amen.

This is not a return to the full blown "eat the flesh" language of Wesley's original Prayerbook (and John chapter 6), but I believe that the petition "grant us...so to partake of this Sacrament of the body and blood of your Son Jesus Christ..." is nevertheless a significant step in a more Wesleyan direction, and more clearly articulates a theology of Christ's "real presence" and of "spiritually feasting on his Body and Blood" as explained in our Articles of Religion and Confession of Faith.

If there is a liturgical revision or a new Hymnal/Worship Book after the (apparently) looming schism, I hope that something like this prayer (along with the Agnus Dei) will be included in all of the Communion Services.  

It is the Wesleyan thing to do. 

The Book of Common Prayer and John Wesley

 

Bishop Jones on Methodist Unity

In the liturgy for the consecration of bishops in our Book of Worship, the ministry of the bishop is described (in part) as follows:

"You are called to guard the faith, to seek the unity, and to exercise the discipline of the whole Church; and to supervise and support the Church's life, work, and mission throughout the world."

The idea that bishops are the primary guardians of the faith and unity and ordered life of the church is not a Methodist innovation, but has been inherited from the ancient and ecumenical church.  And yet in recent years more and more bishops have undermined the unity and the faith of the denomination by putting their private agendas, opinions, and goals above the common and historic teachings of the church.  Examples range from Bishop Sprague who very publicly denied the Resurrection, Virgin birth, atonement, and the Deity of Christ to Bishop Talbert who has now repeatedly officiated at same-gender civil 'marriages' in direct contradiction to the very Discipline and Covenant that all of our bishops vowed to uphold at their consecrations.

In these instances many spoke out calling for accountability, while some other bishops and clergy stood by silently doing nothing, or in some cases even cheered these acts of infidelity.

People have been wringing hands for years - and especially in the last couple of years - over the unity of The United Methodist Church, asking if the denomination will split.
I believe that unity and relationship is always based upon trust.  According to the classic Protestant teaching of justification by faith (affirmed by Methodists) it takes faith - that is, trust - for me to be in right relationship with God.  Indeed it truly takes trust for me to be in a healthy relationship with anyone else.  How can a wife have a good and life-giving relationship with her husband if she thinks he is cheating on her - if she doesn't trust him?  The answer is that she cannot.

How can we work side by side in common mission if we do not trust one another?  How can we follow the missional leadership of our bishops if we are suspicious of their motives?  We obviously cannot.

There is a crisis of trust in The United Methodist Church right now that is a direct result of the kinds of actions mentioned above and the "mixed signals" coming from other leaders in response to these actions.
If the denomination does split it will be because we simply no longer trust one another.

There is only one way that trust can be regained, and it is simple: practice honest.  Let your "yes" mean "yes" as the Lord Jesus says.  Do not make a rash vow to God you do not intend to keep as the Book of Ecclesiastes says.  Simple honesty and integrity is the only way this crisis of trust in our church will begin to heal.

If bishops and other officials will simply uphold their vows, keep their promises, and do those things that they swore an oath to do (regardless of their own personal opinions) it will go a long way toward rebuilding trust.  If they do not - if they find some rationalization for breaking their promises to the covenant community - then I believe a breakdown of the covenant that binds us together (and thus, a denominational break-up) is inevitable.

One of our most outstanding and godly (as well as scholarly) bishops these days is Scott Jones.  He has written a frank and much-needed post on this very issue.  Here is the opening section (read it all HERE):

During the last four months, I have had multiple invitations to break my vows. Many people have suggested that, in the name of protesting against perceived injustice, I should disobey the discipline of The United Methodist Church and violate the sacred promises I have made at two key points in my life — ordination as an elder and consecration as a bishop.

I decline those invitations.

I will keep my promises.

I will be faithful to God’s calling on my life as a leader in our church.

Because American culture so little values obedience and discipline today, and because too many persons in the UMC are following the culture in this direction, it is important that I explain why such a refusal to participate in disobedience is the right course of action...

Read the full Article HERE.

Prayers for Holy Week

This was posted last year, and it is that time again: Click here to see prayers for each day in Holy Week from the United Methodist Church's Book of Worship.

Visitation of Mary to Elizabeth

Last year my wife Christene and I were blessed with the chance to take a pilgrimage to the Holy Land.  One of the final places we visited on that journey was the Church of the Visitation where (perhaps) the Virgin Mary came to visit her elderly but pregnant relative Elizabeth (it certainly is the location of the cool statue pictured here).  In the Western Church, the Visitation is traditionally celebrated today, May 31. 

The Visitation is recorded in Luke chapter 1 and gives us some of the Bible's loftiest language in celebration of the Virgin Mary and her unique place in salvation history: Elizabeth calls Mary by the title "Mother of my Lord" and greets her (by the Holy Spirit's prompting) with the words: "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb..." (v.42)  I might also suggest that when John the Baptist "jumps" in the womb for joy at the presence of Mary and (presumably) of the fetal Jesus as well in this passage (v.41 & 44) we are also given a very profound insight into the sacred humanity of unborn children still in the womb. 

While Mariology has often been a dividing point between Roman Catholic (and Orthodox) and Protestant Christians, these verses provide us with the core of a Mariology that is both catholic and reformed: catholic in that we seek to celebrate Mary as the church across the ages has always done (not ignore her as some Protestants have done), and reformed in that we want our celebration of Mary to be in keeping with the Biblical witness so as not to stray into the worship of Mary or exalting her out of proportion - which she herself would flatly reject and abhor.

It is on this occasion that Mary, the Mother of our Lord, speaks the words now known as The Magnificat: "My soul magnifies the Lord..." (see Luke 1:46-55); these words of St. Mary the Virgin have come to be recited and sung all across the ecumenical church as one example of a truly "catholic" and thoroughly Biblical way of honoring Mary.  The Visitation is one of two "Marian feasts" (the other being the Anunciation) for which our United Methodist Book of Worship provides liturgical resources, including this prayer:

Almighty God, you inspired the Virgin Mary, mother of your Son, to visit Elizabeth and assist her in her need.  Keep us open to the working of your Spirit, and with Mary may we praise you for ever.  We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.  Amen.    (The United Methodist Book of Worship, 257)

In celebration of the Visitation today, there is a video below of the choir at Westminster Abbey singing an arrangement of the "Magnificat" at Evensong (Vespers/Evening Prayer) on the occasion of Pope Benedict's visit to England in 2012.  The "Magnificat" is a standard element of the Anglican Evening Prayer service (see The Book of Common Prayer 1979, p. 119 and 113) and also of the United Methodist Order for Evening Praise and Prayer (see The United Methodist Book of Worship, p. 575) because the Methodist service - like most all of our liturgy - flows out of the Anglican liturgical tradition.

Hallelujah!

It is of course a common tradition across the English-speaking church (at least among Protestants) to sing Handel's "Hallelujah Chorus" at Easter.  I've been driving around listening to the Holy Week sections of "Messiah" the last few days.  In the video below, gathered in their beautiful gothic sanctuary, the chapel and chancel choirs of the First United Methodist Church of Wichita Falls herald the Resurrection with this great chorus.

A Prayer for Resurrection Sunday:

Almighty God, through Jesus Christ you overcame death and opened to us the gate of everlasting life. Grant that we, who celebrate the day of our Lord's Resurrection, may, by the renewing of your Spirit arise from the death of sin to the life of righteousness; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
-The United Methodist Hymnal, 320 (see also The Book of Common Prayer, 1979, p. 222)

Prayers for Holy Week meditation

Among the many liturgical treasures in the (under-utilized) United Methodist Book of Worship are the prayers for Holy Week (these prayers are sometimes called "collects" - because they "collect" together the needs of the faithful community into a single prayer).  The Collects for Monday-Thursday are found in one section together in the Book of Worship (346-349) and those for Friday and Saturday are on pages 362 and 367, respectively.  In keeping with that larger Anglican liturgical heritage that we Methodists have preserved and adapted in our official worship books, most of these are taken from or inspired by The Book of Common Prayer, which was so beloved by John and Charles Wesley.

There are also alternative prayers for Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday in the Hymnal.

Monday of Holy Week
God of strength and mercy, by the suffering and death of your Son, free us from slavery to sin and death and protect us in all our weakness; through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

Tuesday of Holy Week
Holy and compassionate God, your dear Son went not up to joy before he suffered pain, and entered not into glory before he was crucified.  Mercifully grant that we, walking in the way of the cross may find it the way of life and peace; through Jesus Christ your Son, our Savior.  Amen.

Wednesday of Holy Week
Most merciful God, your blessed Son, our Savior, was betrayed, whipped, and his face spat upon.  Grant us grace to endure the sufferings of the present time, to overcome all that seeks to overwhelm us, confident of the glory that shall yet be revealed; through Jesus Christ our Redeemer.  Amen.

Holy Thursday
O God, by the example of your Son, our Savior Jesus Christ, you taught us the greatness of true humility, and call us to watch with him in his passion.  Give us grace to serve one another in all lowliness, and to enter into the fellowship of his suffering; in his name and for his sake.  Amen.

Good Friday
Almighty God, your Son Jesus Christ was lifted high upon the cross so that he might draw the whole world to himself.  Grant that we, who glory in this death for our salvation, may also glory in his call to take up our cross and follow him; through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

Holy Saturday
Merciful and everliving God, Creator of heaven and earth, the crucified body of your Son was laid in the tomb and rested on this holy day.  Grant that we may await with him the dawning of the third day and rise in newness of life, through Jesus Christ our Redeemer.  Amen.

Bringing the Old Language into the New Rite

Like a great many United Methodist clergy, I regularly lead in celebrating Holy Communion using the rite in The United Methodist Hymnal (p. 12-15) called Word and Table II (or Rite II, presented in part below).  This rite gives a "standard" format for celebrating the Lord's Supper, while also allowing for variation at four points that marked by an asterisk ( * - you will see these in the presentation of Rite II below).  Thus we Methodists stay true to our Anglican liturgical heritage (Rite II reflects the 1979 Book of Common Prayer liturgy) while also staying true to our evangelical heritage of flexibility and openess to the Holy Spirit.

Word and Table Rite I and Rite III are variations of the same rite; Rite III is a more "bare bones" rite requiring the celebrant to "fill in" several parts of the prayer with pre-selected or sponteneous words (Rite III requires additonal words beyond simply what is written), allowing for even more flexibility and adaptation, while Rite I is the same rite completely 'fleshed out' and is to be prayed exactly as written.  Churches that use the Great Thanksgiving Prayers for the various liturgical seasons and holy-days of the Christian year in our Book of Worship (p. 54-79) will generally have the congregation follow Rite II.

While Word and Table I-III are basically longer and shorter versions of the same Rite, our Hymnal and our Book of Worship also contain a very different rite for celebrating the sacrament called Word and Table IV (Rite IV) which gives us the older "King James English" of John Wesley's Sunday Service Book and of the classic 1662 Book of Common Prayer of the Anglican tradtion.
In the Book(s) of Common Prayer of the Anglican tradition, just before the Sanctus there is a "Proper Preface," a part of the prayer that changes seasonally, recalling an aspect of who God is and what he has done that evokes our praise and thanksgiving.  The "old English" rite in the Methodist liturgy (Rite IV) also contains these seasonal prefaces (see The United Methodist Book of Worship p.46-48).   

In the classic Anglican rite the portion of the prayer immediately following the Sanctus ("Holy Holy Holy..."), which recalls the Father sending the Son as redeemer, is always the same going back to Archbishop Thomas Cranmer's original Book of Common Prayer of the mid-1500s.  This part of the prayer is also maintained almost without change in the "old language" rite (Rite IV) in the Methodist worship books.  Many of us who value our Anglican liturgical heritage may find ourselves wanting to use Rite IV more often precisely because the precise wording does more perfectly reflect the Book of Common Prayer liturgy of the last 500 years; however this desire runs somewhat counter to our desire to celebrate the sacrament in a language understood by contemporary people. 

However, with only a little bit of planning ahead, the classic language of the Anglican liturgy contained in Wesley's Sunday Service Book and in Rite IV can be integrated into the newer rites in a way that does not run afoul of the 'rubrics' (the instructions printed in red italics).  What follows is Rite II in regular font with wording based on Rite IV (the old liturgy) inserted in italics as the "appropriate words" that the pastor may add.  This approach not only preserves the old language, but also marries the strong theology of the cross emphasized in Rite IV with that of Christ's presence in the Supper which is more emphasized in Rite II (note: the responses of the congregation are in bold).
_____________________
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them up to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give our thanks and praise.

It is right, and a good and joyful thing, always and everywhere to give thanks to you, Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth.*

And so, with your people on earth and all the company of heaven we praise your name and join their unending hymn:

Holy, Holy, Holy Lord, God of power and might, heaven and earth are full of your glory.  Hosanna in the highest.  Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.  Hosanna in the Highest.

Holy are you, and blessed is your Son Jesus Christ.*

Almighty Father, in your tender mercy you did give him, your only Son,
to suffer death upon the cross for our redemption:
He made there, by the one offering of himself,
a full, perfect, and sufficient sacrifice for the sins of the whole world;
He did institute, and in his holy gospel command us to continue,
a perpetual memory of his precious death until his coming again.

By the baptism of his suffering, death, and resurrection you gave birth to your church, delivered us from slavery to sin and death, and made with us a new covenant by water and the Spirit.*

On the night in which he gave himself up for us he took bread, gave thanks to you, broke the bread, gave it to his disciples and said: "Take, eat; this is my body which is given for you.  Do this in remembrance of me."
When the Supper was over, he took the cup, gave thanks to you, gave it to his disciples, and said: "Drink from this, all of you; this is my blood of the new covenant, poured out for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins.  Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me."

And so, in remembrance of these your mighty acts in Jesus Christ, we offer ourselves in praise and thanksgiving as a holy and living sacrifice, in union with christ's offering for us, as we proclaim the mystery of faith.

Christ has died; Christ is risen; Christ will come again.

Pour out your Holy Spirit on us gathered here, and on these gifts of bread and wine.  Make them be for us the body and blood of Christ, that we may be for the world the body of Christ, redeemed by his blood.*

By your Spirit make us one with Christ, one with each other, and one in ministry to all the world, until Christ comes in final victory, and we feast at his heavenly banquet.
Through your Son Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit in your holy church, all honor and glory is yours Almighty Father, now and for ever.  Amen.
____________________

The resulting rite would be shorter than Word and Table I (the congregation could follow Rite II in the Hymnal) and would also contain more of the classic language and theology that we Methodists inherit from the larger Anglican tradition, without using an English idiom that (while quite beautiful) will strike some hearers as archaic or difficult to understand. 

The Friday-Tuesday Prayer

At least since being moved to my new ministry setting last year, I have endeavored to pray through the office of Morning Praise and Prayer from The United Methodist Book of Worship (BOW) as my primary prayer office each day.  I have long since come to believe that there is great spiritual value in the ordered rythms of daily prayer offered to us by the Daily Office, also called the Divine Hours.

In the past I have used similar forms of the Daily Office as such as the "Tan Card Rite" of the Order of St. Luke (of which I am a member) or the office of Morning Prayer from The Book of Common Prayer (BCP).  Using the rites of our Book of Worship over the last year has helped me to discover and celebrate the liturgical treasures of my own United Methodist Church, and has helped me to recognize that so much of our liturgy is nothing other than a maintaining of what we received from Anglicanism's Common Prayerbook.  At its best The United Methodist Church is a strand of the Anglican tradition that maintains its beautiful liturgical heritage as well as Anglicanism's "via media" vision of a church that is both reformed and catholic, while also putting a special - and evangelical - emphasis upon the personal experience of Christ and the transforming power of the Holy Spirit in the life of the Christian.

When I was frequently using The Book of Common Prayer (1979) form of the Daily Office, I discovered several wonderful prayers (such as the prayer for mission at the top of page 101).  One of my favorite prayers is The Collect for Fridays on page 99.  Friday is the day that Christ died for our salvation upon the cross, and the Friday collect reflects this.  This prayer is simple, yet very challenging to pray earnestly in a world where the Christian message is often reduced to a self-help technique of "getting prosperity and our best life now." 

I was delighted to discover that, like so much of Anglicanism's Book of Common Prayer, this prayer has also been 'inherited' by the Methodist tradition and is appointed in our worship book for the Tuesday of Holy Week (see BOW 347), though, of course, it may profitably be used on other occasions:

Almighty God, whose most dear Son went not up to joy but first he suffered pain, and entered not into glory before he was cruficied: Mercifully grant that we, walking in the way of the cross, may find it none other than the way of life and peace; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord.  Amen.

Ascension Day!

Today is Ascension Day! 

Today (and this coming Sunday for many of us) we celebrate what one of my professors called the fourth and final 'salvific mystery' or saving accomplishment of Christ that is recounted in the Creeds: after being born among us of the Virgin Mary, after suffering and dying to take away our sins on the cross, after rising from the dead with New Creation Life, Christ has also ascended into heaven, taking our fully restored human nature into the throne room, into the closest intimacy with the Father. 

When the divine Logos (Word) himself took on human nature and "became flesh and dwelt among us" he brought human nature and divine nature together in his person (as St. Athanasius emphasizes in his famous treatise, On the Incarnation).  Now he brings his human nature with him back into heaven, to the right hand of God the Father.  In so many different ways, it is Jesus Christ who brings God and humanity together, who reconciles us and makes "at-one-ment" to happen. 

For United Methodists, our books of worship and liturgy give us three prayer options for our Ascension celebration (Hymnal 323, Book of Worship 403 and 404).  Here is a prayer for this high holy day from The United Methodist Book of Worship:

Almighty God, your blessed Son, our Savior Jesus Christ, ascended far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.  Mercifully give us faith to perceive that, according to his promise, he abides with his Church on earth, even to the end of the world; through the same your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

(The United Methodist Book of Worship 403 - taken from the Scottish Book of Common Prayer)

Resurrection Day!

Christ the Lord is Risen Today, Alleluia!
Earth and heaven in chorus say, Alleluia!
Raise your joys and triumphs high, Alleluia!
Sing, ye heavens, and earth reply, Alleluia!
-Charles Wesley

Almighty God, through your only Son you overcame death and opened to us the gate of everlasting life. Grant that we who celebrate our Lord's resurrection, by the renewing of your Spirit, arise from the death of sin to the life of righteousness; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
(The United Methodist Book of Worship, 393 - from a 5th century Gelasian Sacramentary)

Enjoy this video from Bishop and professor N.T., who is one of the great proclaimers of the Resurrection for our contemporary world.

Prayer for the third Sunday in Lent

From the United Methodist Book of Worship (#336):

O merciful Father, in compassion for your sinful children, you sent your Son Jesus Christ to be the Savior of the world. Grant us grace to feel and to lament our share in the evil that made it necessary for him to suffer and die for our salvation. Help us by self-denial, prayer, and meditation to prepare our hearts for deeper pentience and a better life. And give us a true longing to be free from sin, through the deliverance won by Jesus Christ our Redeemer. Amen.

Prayer on the Sixth Sunday after Epiphany

The following collect is one of the prayers given for the season of Epiphany in The United Methodist Book of Worship, and one of many with origins in Anglicanism's Book(s) of Common Prayer. I'll be opening our worship services with it today, especially as it fits with the Old Testament lesson from 2 Kings 5, where God reaches out with is healing grace to Naaman, the outsider to his covenant people.

O God, you made of one blood all nations that dwell on the face of the whole earth, and sent your blessed Son to preach peace to them that are afar off and to them that are near. Grant that all people everywhere may seek after you and find you. Bring the nations into your fold, pour out your Spirit on all flesh, and hasten your kingdom; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

-The United Methodist Book of Worship, 315 (taken from the 1928 Book of Common Prayer, p.38)

Prayer for the 5th Sunday after Epiphany

Since being assigned by my bishop to a regular parish church last year (I had been serving a campus ministry for 4 years before that), I have been all the more careful to make more extensive use of The United Methodist Book of Worship (BOW), which is the official book of liturgy of The United Methodist Church, just as The Book of Common Prayer (BCP) is the book of the Anglican churches. Indeed, most of the structure and a good deal of the content of our Book of Worship is ultimately derived from the Common Prayer as well (a service-by-service comparisson between the BOW and the 1979 BCP will demonstrate the structural emulation).

I have continuously found that there is a great deal of liturgical treasure in the Book of Worship (to be sure, there is some less-useful stuff as well), that seems often neglected in ordering the corporate worship of our congregations. I believe that, as we try to renew our Wesleyan heritage, our seminaries should be more intentional in forming and training seminarians in the spirituality and use of the Book of Worship tradition (we have had several liturgy books over the centuries, going all the way back to Wesley's revision of the Common Prayer). For my part, I try to highlight some aspects of the Book of Worship from time to time as part of the work of this blog.

One aspect that can be easily integrated into any service is the collect or prayer of the day. As the Book of Common Prayer has a "collect" or prayer of the day for each Sunday of the year (that is also used at Morning Prayer throughout the following week), so the Book of Worship has a number of seasonal collects to be used throughout the year. The Board of Discipleship website often makes recommendations about which prayers to use, since there are several options given for each liturgical season, but not always specific prayers for specific Sundays.

Here is one of the recommendations for tomorrow, the 5th Sunday after Epiphany:

O Christ, who commanded the apostles to go into all the world, and to preach the gospel to every creature, let your name be great among the nations from the rising up of the sun to its going down, now and forever. Amen.

- Book of Worship #308, a prayer of Lancelot Andrewes

The Daily Hours at Sewanee

When I was a sophomore in college I attended a retreat with the St. Alban's chapel college group. We went to Sewanee, TN, where we stayed at the St. Mary's retreat house and spent our days hiking and cave-exploring or bumming around the campus of The University of the South. Each day included some of the divine hours or daily office - whether it was the morning prayer said with our little group at the retreat house, or the Sung Compline by candle-light in the glorious cathedral-like chapel at the University. It was there, on what they like to call "the holy mountain," that I seriously began to consider that God's still small voice might be calling me into a vocational ministry, much like what Father Patrick (St Alban's pastor) was doing. In the years since, Sewanee has become for me a place of pilgrimage and renewal.

My experiences there were also some of my very early experiences with praying the daily office of the historic church. Now, as a pastor and especially as a member of the Order of St. Luke, I have a commitment to use the daily office to shape my regular time of prayer (much like John and Charles Wesley themselves). Most days this means, for me, praying through the morning or mid-day office from The United Methodist Book of Worship (UMBOW). The four daily prayer services found in that worship book (morning, mid-day, evening, and night) are more flexible and (potentially) shortened forms of the offices as they are practiced by Anglicans.

One of the great things about the divine hours, as is mentioned below in the video, is how they connect our daily rythms to the great story of God. The morning service as the sun is rising reminds us of the women going to the tomb around sunrise to find Christ risen, and the rising sun points us back to the Rising Son and invites us to ponder it. The mid-day office (especially in some of the prayers found in the Book of Common Prayer) reminds us in part that Christ was hung on the cross at mid-day. As the lamps are lit for evening as the sun is setting, we remember the Light of Christ, to whom John the Baptist testified, taking flesh and dwelling among us in a dark world. At compline, or night prayer, we always (in the Methodist and Anglican rites) recite the Nunc Dimitis of Luke 2:28-32 before closing our eyes to sleep and, as the Archbishop of Canterbury once put it, we 'rehearse' in preparation for the end of our own lives, commending ourselves into the hands of God.

The video below is about the use of the Daily Office at Sewanee. Below that is a version of the United Methodist rite of Evening Praise and Prayer that can be easily printed on a single piece of card stock and used privately or in groups. The prayers of the people could come in the form of a pre-scribed litany (such as the "standard" litany included in the Evening service itself at UMBOW p. 575-6, or the suggested alternative litany at UMBOW p. 495), or the people could simply lift up names, concerns, and prayers extemporaneously, with the call and response said following each concern.



==============================================

Evening Praise and Prayer
As taken from The United Methodist Book of Worship, p.574 and The United Methodist Hymnal p.878

One: Light and Peace in Jesus Christ.
All: Thanks be to God.

[ Incense may be burned with these words:
I call upon you, O Lord; come quickly to me; give ear to my voice when I call to you.
Let my prayer be counted as incense before you;
and the lifting up of my hands as an evening sacrifice. (Psalm 141:1-2) ]

The Gloria Patri may be said or sung (see Hymnal #70):

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.

Hymn(s) may be sung

This or another prayer may be said by a leader or by all in unison:

We praise you and thank you, O God,
for you are without beginning and without end.
Through Christ, you created the whole world; through Christ you preserve it.
You made the day for the works of light
and the night for the refreshment of our minds and bodies.
Keep us now in Christ; grant us a peaceful evening,
a night free from sin; and bring us at last to eternal life;
Through Jesus Christ and in the Holy Spirit, we offer you all glory,
honor, and worship, now and forever. Amen. (4th Century Evening Liturgy)

Scripture Reading(s)

Silence

Song of Praise: traditionally, “Magnificat” (Hymnal #198-199); or another song may be used

Prayers for ourselves and others. After each prayer the people may respond:
One: Lord, in your mercy,
All: Hear our prayer.

The Lord's Prayer

One: The grace of Jesus Christ enfold you this night. Go in peace.
All: Thanks be to God.

Prayer for All Saints Day

We bless your holy name, O God, for all your servants who, having finished their course, now rest from their labors. Give us grace to follow the example of their steadfastness and faithfulness, to your honor and glory; through Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.

-from The United Methodist Book of Worship, 415

Prayers in the UM Hymnal

As I may have mentioned before, I went to a United Methodist Church as a child, where I was also confirmed. Throughout high school and the beginning of college, I attended other churches, mostly Baptist and independent evangelical churches. From these evangelical churches I learned most of what I know about the content and nuances of the Bible, and caught from them a desire to know God's book as well as I could, chapter and verse. During college, however, I got involved in St. Alban's (Episcopal/Anglican) Chapel and also fell in love with the beautiful, wise, and deeply-rooted liturgy of The Book of Common Prayer.

Knowing that the Anglicans were somehow connected to or similar to the Methodists I had grown up among, I eventually decided to attend the cathedral-like First United Methodist Church in downtown Baton Rouge, to take another look at Methodism. Imagine my delight upon attending a service and opening the hymnal to discover a variant of the same Anglican liturgy I had discovered at St. Alban's! This was a part of how I found my way back to the Methodist tradition of my childhood.

In my first year or so back in United Methodism, I made it my point to carefully study the Methodist hymnal and the liturgy. I had been using The Book of Common Prayer as a source for devotional material and hoped to use The United Methodist Hymnal (with the appropriate subtitle: Book of United Methodist Worship) in much the same way, and so I made careful comparisons between these two worship books.

I discovered The United Methodist Hymnal to be one of the richest worship books you can find anywhere in Christendom (and probably one of the more under-appreciated): here you fill find evangelical revival hymns like "The Old Rugged Cross" and yet here you will also find the classic liturgy of Word and Table in the Anglican tradition; here you will find many prayers and hymns from many saints (even a pope or two) from across the Christian tradition, both East and West, yet you will also find the works of reforming figures like Martin Luther as well.

One resource I eventually created to help me use this wonderful and truly "catholic" worship book (drawing from the WHOLE church like none other), was a chart or index of the prayers found in the Hymnal that I could draw upon for personal and group use. There is a similar index found in The United Methodist Book of Worship (the UMC's other major worship book, p. 497-8), but whereas that chart is alphabetical this one below is arranged topically, which I find more helpful.

I found it useful to put this list into two columns on one page, print it on adhesive paper, and then stick it in the back cover of my United Methodist Hymnals. I hope it may be useful to you. If you would like me to send you this stuff (already in 2 columns) in a Word file, just email me and let me know.

---------------------------------------------

Some Prayers of The United Methodist Hymnal: Book of United Methodist Worship

Prayer - Page/Hymn number

The Christian Year:

1 Advent - 201*
2 Christmas - 231
3 Epiphany - 255
4 Baptism of the Lord - 253*
5 Transfiguration - 259
6 Lent - 268
7 Ash Wednesday - 353
8 Passion/Palm Sunday - 281
9 Holy Thursday - 283*
10 Good Friday - 284*
11 Easter Vigil of Day - 320
12 Sundays of Easter - 321
13 Ascension - 323
14 Day of Pentecost - 542
15 Trinity Sunday - 76*
16 All Saints - 713*
17 Christ the King - 721*

In Worship:

18 Collect for Purity (Opening Prayer) - 6*
19 For True Singing - 69
20 Bread and Justice (Eucharist) - 639
21 Post-Communion Prayer - 11
22 Apostolic Blessing (benediction) - 669
23 Prayer of St. John Chrysostom - 412*
24 Praising God of many names - 104

Morning:

24 For a New Day - 676
25 Listen Lord (morning prayer) - 677
26 For Help for the Forthcoming Day - 681*
27 Morning Thanksgiving - 877

Evening:

28 Evening Thanksgiving - 878
29 At the close of day (Dietrich Bonhoeffer) - 689
30 For protection at night - 691
31 For a peaceful night - 693

For Knowledge of God through Scripture:

32 For the Spirit of Truth - 597
33 Concerning the Scriptures - 602*
34 Prayer for Illumination - 6
35 Come Divine Interpreter - 594
36 Whether the Word be Preached or Read - 595

Confession, Assurance, Pardon:

37 We have sinned against you… - 890*
38 We have erred and strayed… - 891*
39 We have not loved thee… - 892
40 Litany of Confession - 893
41 New Rite Confession and Pardon - 8
42 Classic Rite Confession and Pardon - 26*
43 Psalm 25 - 756
44 Psalm 51 - 785
45 Psalm 90 - 809
46 Psalm 130 - 848
47 Psalm 139 - 854

For The Church:

48 For Unity of Christ’s Body - 564
49 For Renewal of the Church - 574
50 Litany for Christian Unity (Pope John Paul II/the Great) - 556
51 Prayer of St. Ignatius Loyola (discipleship) - 570

Fullness of Salvation, Holiness, and life with God:

52 An Invitation to Christ (St. Dimitri of Rostov) - 466
53 For Illumination - 477
54 A Covenant prayer in the Wesleyan Tradition - 607
55 Prayer to the Holy Spirit - 329
56 An invitation to the Holy Spirit - 335
57 Prayer for a New Heart - 392
58 For Holiness of Heart - 401
59 The Prayer of St. Francis - 481*
60 Three things we pray (St. Richard of Chichester) - 493
61 For True Life (St. Teresa of Avila) - 403
62 Freedom in Christ - 360
63 Finding Rest in God (St. Augustine of Hippo) - 423
64 Sufficiency of God (Dame Julian of Norwich) - 495

Prayers for various occasions:

65 God is able - 106
66 For overcoming Adversity (Savonarola) - 531
67 A refuge amid distraction - 535
68 For Direction - 705*
69 For Guidance - 366
70 For Grace to Labor (St. Thomas More) - 409
71 For our Country - 429
72 For Courage to do Justice - 456
73 Serving the Poor (Mother Teresa of Calcutta)- 446
74 The Serenity prayer - 459

75 For the Sick - 457*
76 In Times of Illness - 460
77 For those who mourn - 461

Life Events:

79 At the birth of a child 146
80 If Death my friend and me divide 656

See also:
The Lord’s Prayer: 894-896
Liturgical Psalter (100 selected Psalms): 735-862
Creeds and Affirmations of our Faith: 880-889

*Indicates a prayer inherited from The Book of Common Prayer