Conference yukon::christian_v7

 I've aways enjoyed the Episcopal Church. One thing you might not exactly
 see eye to eye with them is infant baptism, altough you were involved 
 with the Methodist Church, they practise infant baptism. Along the same
 line, the high Anglican Church has doctrine that sounds a lot like RC
 baptismal regeneration, (the soul is wiped clean of original and actual
 sin at baptism). Other than that their worship services are beautiful 
 reserved and dignified, their ministers can marry, they have no official
 ties to the Pope, ive never seen any statues in their churches, although
 i remember some one telling me that you might happen upon one with some
 images.
                Hank

    Thank you .  Thats the impression I got.  I can deal with the baptism
    issue.  That seems to differ from church to church, and as you said the
    Methodists baptise babies too.  Personally I feel that you should be
    baptised when you accept Christ in your heart.  But getting into that
    discussion would be more appropriate in another topic.
    
    Thanks again for your response.
    
    
    Donna

From "The Episcopal Church" by Fr. Roy Pettway, S.S.P.:

  King Henry VIII was a loyal Catholic Churchman, who wrote a treatise
  on the sacraments to oppose the views of Martin Luther.  The Pope, pleased,
  conferred on him the title "Defender of the Faith," which English monarchs
  still use.  Henry considered his marriage to Catharine of Aragon an invalid
  one, and appealed for an annulment of it.  The Pope, for political reasons,
  refused.  But in 1533, Archbishop Thomas Cranmer declared the marriage
  null and void.  The Convocations of Canterbury and York voted that no
  foreign bishop should have power in England, thus renouncing the authority
  of the Pope.  In 1534, Parliament passed the Act of Supremacy, which severed
  relations between the pope and England.  But no changes were made in the
  doctrines of the Church.  The usual sacraments and services continued.  The
  same priests carried on the same work they had been doing.  The continental
  protestants made no headway in England, and to prevent them doing so, the
  Six Articles were passed by Parliament in 1536.  Edward VII, 10 years old,
  became King in 1547.  During his reign, services were translated into English,
  and the Prayer Book was published in 1549 and revised in 1552.  In 1553, Mary
  became Monarch, restored the Papal authority over the English Church, and
  burned 280 persons at the stake, including Archbishop Cranmer.
  
  Elizabeth I ascended the throne in 1558.  Papal power was again renounced.
  The Prayer Book was restored.  Roman doctrines concerning the Intermediate
  State were eliminated.  Confession was made voluntary.  Granting of indul-
  gences was condemned.  Clergy were permitted to marry.  Communion was to be
  administered in both Bread and Wine.  Baptism and Holy Communion were declared
  generally necessary for salvation.  The Scriptures, practices, and Creeds of
  the early Church were declared the authority for right belief.  The Apostolic
  Succession was continued unbroken.
  
  No new Church was founded in England.  The Church of England simply became
  independent of the Roman Pope, and adopted certain reforms which were needed.
  Englishmen on the continent still received Communion in the Catholic Churches
  there, and continentals in England received Communion in the Catholic Church
  of England.  Communion was broken off in 1570, when the Pope excommunicated
  Queen Elizabeth, and forbade the use of the Prayer Book.  Of the 9,400 priests
  in the English Church at that time, only 189 followed the Pope and left the
  Church of England.
  
  In England, there were four religious attitudes:  (1) The Romanists, who
  wished to restore Papal power in England; (2) The Episcopalians, who wished
  to continue the Catholic Church, including the episcopate, but free of papal
  power; (3) The Puritans or Nonconformists, who wished to remain in the Church,
  but "purify" it of Catholic practices and protestantize it; and (4) The
  Congregationalists, who wished to eliminate the national Church and have each
  congregation to be independent.  The first group were predominant in Ireland;
  the second in England; the third in Scotland, where the Bishops were
  eliminated, and Presbyterian organization and theology adopted by the Scottish
  Church.  In Ireland, many people withdrew from the Episcopal Church and
  affiliated with Roman parishes.
  
  Attempts were made to keep all Englishmen in the one Church of England, but
  civil war raged from 1642 to 1649, and the Congregationalists, headed by
  Oliver Cromwell, won.  The monarchy was abolished.  The King, Charles I,
  was beheaded, and so was the Archbishop of Canterbury, William Laud.  Bishops
  were driven into exile, and the Prayer Book was forbidden.  In 1658, Cromwell
  died, the monarchy was restored, the Bishops returned from exile, the Prayer
  Book was revised and republished, and those who would not accept the doctrines
  and worship of the Church of England left the Church and affiliated with
  protestant denominations.  King James II tried to restore Papal power in
  England.  He was deposed and went into exile, and William and Mary were
  called to the throne.
  
  Many of the conscientious clergy of the Church, while disagreeing with
  James's Romanizing attempts, could not bring themselves to swear allegiance
  to William and Mary, while James II was still alive.  They were deprived of
  their offices, and many of them went to Scotland and became part of the new
  Scottish Episcopal Church, which had re-introduced the Apostolic Succession
  and the Catholic Faith into Scotland.  After this great loss of leadership,
  the Church of England went into a decline, became completely subservient to
  the government, and almost died.  The Methodist movement, led by John Wesley,
  a priest of the Church of England, tried to bring new life into the Church
  of England, but after Wesley's death, his followers left the Church and the
  Methodist societies became a separate denomination.  Some of his followers,
  however, remained in the Church, as Anglican Evangelicals.
  
  In the 19th century, the Anglo-Catholic movement began at Oxford University.
  This movement remained in the Church, revitalized the Anglican Churches
  throughout the world, usually against violent opposition from the Bishops
  and the government, revived a more faithful adherence to the Church's
  Catholic doctrine, discipline, and worship, and transformed the life of
  the Anglican Church all over the world.

                        THE EPISCOPAL SYNOD OF AMERICA
                                  EXISTS FOR
                                     YOU!

The Episcopal Synod of America is composed of members of the Episcopal
Church who have committed themselves to upholding the Christian Faith
for our children and our children's children.

In this "Decade of Evangelism" proclaimed by the Episcopal Church, we
remember the words of Jesus: 

	"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, bap- 
	 tizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son 
	 and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all 
	 that I have commanded you, and lo, I am with you 
	 always, to the close of the age." (Matthew 28:19-20)

When Jesus says "All that I have commanded you," He means the whole
Faith -- that is, doctrine, practice, and morality.  Today, every one
of these elements of the Faith is under attack. 

Jesus warned us: 

	"Beware of false prophets, who come to you in 
	 sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You 
	 will know them by their fruits .... Not everyone who 
	 says to me "Lord, Lord," shall enter the kingdom of 
	 heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who is 
	 in heaven." (Matthew 7:15,16,21)

The Early Church experienced what Jesus warned against. And so, in his
epistle, St. Jude warned against false teachers who, "following their
own ungodly passions, ... set up division," (vv. 18-19) and he appealed 
to Christians "to contend for the faith which was once for all delivered
to the saints." (v. 3). This faith is binding doctrine, which was
delivered _for_all_time_, _for_everyone_.

For 2000 years, in the midst of the struggle against attack both from
within (heresy and schism) and without (persecution), the Faith has been
handed on, at the risk of torture and death, so that we might share in
the promises of God.  The situation is no different today.  Members of
the Episcopal Church are persecuted and harrassed because they seek to
maintain this Faith.

The Episcopal Synod of America affirms this Faith "once for all delivered
to the saints," stands with those persecuted for this Faith, and rejects
alteration of this Faith demanded by those who question the authority
of Holy Scripture in order to advocate 20th century secular values.

The Episcopal Synod of America 			The remainder of this
6300 Ridglea Place, Suite 910 			document is posted in
Fort Worth, Texas 76116				the CATHOLIC-THEOLOGY
817-735-1675					conference, topic 883.

Donna, 

At least in the UK you're liable to find a proportion of Episcopalian
churches will not accept baptism - they only permit you to take their
communion if you have been through a church of England 'confirmation'
ceremony.  When our niece was baptized by immersion in a local
(evangelical) Church of England, they followed up the (3) baptisms with a
confirmation ceremony for 5 people.  We have a nephew who attended another
Church of England church with his parents, having gone to brethren
assemblies where they lived previously.  The nephew was refused communion
(I need to check on the parents' position). 

It's just something to be aware of, and may vary from place to place. The
form of the communion service is a bit different too - going up
individually to receive it from the officiating minister, rather than
having it brought round the pews.  A minor point, though I'm not sure if
there's more significance there - a personal blessing included, for
instance.  I believe that both bread and wine are dispensed to all in the
Church of England ceremony, though I believe that only bread is given in
the Catholic mass, only the priest partaking of the wine (John might be
able to confirm or refute this point ;-) 

								Andrew 

Donna is in Dallas.

The Episcopal Church in the United States and The Anglican Church in Canada
both formally state that all baptised Christians who are penitent may receive
the Holy Eucharist.

She is welcome in any parish in North America as well as in most of the world.

In 1979 the House of Bishops of the Episcopal Church in the United States
issued guidelines for occasional visitors from other Churches which ask them
to (a) be baptised with water in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and
of the Holy Spirit and have been previously admitted to the Holy Communion
in their own Church, (b) make an examination of their lives, repent of their
since, and be in love and charity with their neighbors, (c) approach the Holy
Communion as an expression of the Real Presence of Jesus Christ whose sacrifice
upon the cross was sufficient for all mankind, (d) find in this Communion the
means to strengthen their life within the Christian family through the
forgiveness of their sins, to strengthen their union with Christ and one
another, and the foretaste of the heavenly banquet, (e) and require Anglicans
to respect their individual consciences as well as the right of their own
Church to determine the sacramental discipline of its members.

These are only guidelines.  The only canonical requirement in the United
States is that no unbaptised person is eligible to receive the Eucharist
in the Episcopal Church.

Visitors are welcome as often as they wish to come.  Only if someone wishes
to hold a parish office is it necessary to formally become an Episcopalian.
This is done by completing a course of instruction and then being presented
to the bishop.  Someone previously confirmed in the Roman Catholic or the
Eastern Orthodox Church will be received by the bishop, all others will be
given the sacrament of Confirmation, which imparts the seven-fold gift of
the Holy Spirit.

In the Church of England, a visitor need not be confirmed.  The requirement
stated in the 1662 English Book of Common Prayer that only one who has been
confirmed or is desirous of being confirmed no longer applies to visitors,
though in England it does apply to all Anglicans, which produces the peculiar
situation that an unconfirmed visitor may receive communion, but an Anglican
child, not yet confirmed but previously admitted to communion in the United
States or Canada, theoretically may not receive Communion while a visitor
to England.

/john

There is a great deal of discussion of the Episcopal Church in the
HASTUR::CATHOLIC-THEOLOGY conference.  (KP7, etc., and use DIR/TITLE
to look for "Episcopal" and "Anglican".)

The only major differences between the official doctrines of the Episcopal
Church and the Roman Catholic Church are the following:

1. Anglicans consider the Bishop of Rome to be simply the Patriarch of
   the West, a bishop like any other, having no special prerogative
   other than the presidency of any councils.

2. Two Marian doctrines (that I would prefer not to discuss in this
   conference) that were declared within the last 150 years by the Roman
   Catholic Church to be binding on all believers are considered traditional
   but optional in the Episcopal Church, accepted by many, but not a
   requirement to be believed.

As (1) indicates, there is much less central control than in the Roman
Catholic Church, and this has some benefits, but a great deal of problems.
For example, it is almost impossible to discipline priests and bishops who
openly violate the laws of the Church or teach heresy.

For this reason, you will find that the practices vary dramatically from
parish to parish.  My parish will not allow a woman who purports to be in
Holy Orders to exercise those orders within the building -- this includes
Barbara Harris, the assistant to the bishop.  My parish celebrates the Holy
Eucharist eleven times each week; it is always the principal service on any
Sunday or Feast Day; we also have Morning and Evening Prayer almost every day.
Other parishes might only celebrate the Eucharist at 8AM on Sunday plus once
per month at the main Sunday service.

Although the official doctrine of the Episcopal Church with respect to
all of the seven sacraments is nearly identical with that of the Roman
Catholic Church (in fact, just last month the Anglican-Roman Catholic
ecumenical dialogue in the USA reaffirmed common understanding of the
Eucharist and stated that nothing in our Eucharistic theology separates
us) you will find that a great deal of variation in what individual lay
people and clergy actually believe.

Neither Anglicans nor Roman Catholics pray _to_ Mary and other saints.
Just as we ask each other to pray for us, and since the bible tells us
that the prayers of a righteous person are very effective, and since we
believe that those who have died are still part of the mystical communion of
all faithful believers, we believe that requests for them to pray for us will
be effective.  But most of our prayer is directly to God, through Jesus.

However, as I said, practices vary from parish to parish.  Noone is required
to ask anyone else to pray for them, and in some parishes you will never hear
a request for the prayers of the Saints.  You will find that Saints are held
up as good examples of Christian life, to be emulated, to be learned about,
to help us focus on our own personal relationship with Christ.

In the next several years there is going to be a great deal of turmoil in
the Episcopal Church over various serious issues (see reply .6).  People are
already openly violating the official teaching of the Church and many are
lobbying for change.  Some of us are leaving because of this; others plan
to stay as the faithful remnant, witnessing to biblical Truth until we are
thrown out or can no longer stand it.

/john

>I believe that both bread and wine are dispensed to all in the Church of
>England ceremony, though I believe that only bread is given in the Catholic
>mass, only the priest partaking of the wine (John might be able to confirm
>or refute this point ;-) 

In all Anglican Churches the Body and Blood of Our Lord may be received under
both species of bread and wine.  However, the Church has taught since the
earliest centuries that the full divinity of Christ, both his Body and his
Blood, is contained in the tiniest morsel of bread or the tiniest drop of
wine.  Since we receive from a common cup, if I have a serious cold and
fear that I might sneeze or cough as the cup is brought to me, I fold my
arms over my breast, bow my head, and allow the cup to pass me by.  Here
I am not so much concerned with the transmission of disease, for we believe
that God will prevent such transmission, but more with the external aspects
of a cough or a sneeze offending someone or even causing the minister of the
cup to drop it.  Yet I am sure that I have made a full communion.

The practice of allowing the congregation to receive under both species in
the Roman Catholic Church has made a comeback since Vatican II.  It is not
available in every parish, but it certainly is very widespread.  It should
be noted that since the word "Communion" means "Close Union", which implies
not only a union with Christ and the Communion of Saints but also with the
local community, Roman Catholics do not permit other Christians to receive
Communion because the necessary unity does not exist.  There are exceptions
for Eastern Orthodox (which the Eastern Orthodox Church forbids their
members to take advantage of) and for others special permission may be
obtained -- from the bishop only, and in urgent specific individual cases
only -- to allow someone not in full communion with the Roman Catholic
Church to receive in the Roman Catholic Church.  Roman Catholics are
forbidden to receive communion in any other Church except for the
Eastern Orthodox Church (which won't admit them anyway), and then only
in the case of serious need an unavailability of a Roman Catholic priest.
Anglicans attending Roman Catholic masses are encouraged to make an act
of spiritual communion, praying that even though reception is not possible
at this time, that we believe that we can spiritually unite ourselves with
God by faith and desire alone.

/john

    
    
    I have deleted my reply (.4) as Mr. Covert has "changed" his reply
    (.3).
    
        Thank you.
    
           Greg

.4

It seems to me that Fr. Pettway skipped over the parts in the history of the
Anglican church where doctrine swung between almost Calvinistic Puritanism 
and its antipode, Catholicism, back and forth several times.  Doctrines shifted
back and forth from one to another; when one king ascended, he demanded on
penalty of imprisonment (or death) that everyone accept one set of doctrines,
and then the next monarch imposed the same penalty if one did not confess the 
opposite set of doctrines.  The church never maintained the same doctrines all
the way through its history, although today it has come closer to the pure
and unadulterated orthodox faith than in times past.  Unfortunately this purer
form of faith is not accepted by all Anglicans, nor are they expected to accept
it.  It would be wonderful if the Anglican church was just as Fr. Pettway
described it; however, it seems to me his description was his own idealized,
revised history (sorry John!).

.0

> I have too many differences with the Catholic belief system to ever go to a 
> Catholic church without feeling a hypocrite. (to myself)

Well, you may have to sit down and determine what your differences with the
Catholic faith are, since within the Anglican Church, there are various groups
who believe virtually everything in the Catholic faith and regard these things
as part of the Anglican faith as well; on the other hand, there are those who
reject these things as pursue a more or less evangelical Protestant doctrine 
and spirituality, who are hardly distinguishable from your Methodist or even
non-denominational friends.  It all depends on who you hang out with.  The 
Anglican Church takes the "Big Tent" approach: it accepts people of many 
different Christian traditions and beliefs.

> They don't have any statues, don't seem to stress any focus on the virgin mary.

This is not entirely true.  There are lots of Episcopal churches with Marian
statues, and they even have Marian shrines, and many Episcopalians venerate
Mary above all other creatures.  If I am not mistaken, correct me if I am wrong
John, but even in the Book of Common Prayer there is expressed in certain places
honor for the Virgin Mary, and there are special feast days and solemnities
dedicated to her as well (as well as to other saints as well).  

.7

> I believe that both bread and wine are dispensed to all in the
> Church of England ceremony, though I believe that only bread is given in
> the Catholic mass, only the priest partaking of the wine (John might be
> able to confirm or refute this point ;-) 

There is no bread or wine given the Catholic Mass -- only the Body and Blood of
Christ (at least, so we believe).  In some, but not all, places, these are 
given not only under the species of bread but also under the species of wine.

Just being nit-picky, since we believe that the bread and wine cease to exist
in essential form after consecration, and are converted into the divine Essence
of Christ's Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity.

re Eric

I think Fr. Pettway covered all the major shifts.  The separation under
Henry VIII, the shift under Edward, the Restoration under Mary, the
Settlement under Elizabeth, the rise of Puritanism during the English
Civil War, the restoration of the Prayer Book under James II, the heavy
Calvinist influence under William and Mary (the last monarchs to exercise
any control over the Church), the Scottish preservation of the faith, and
the Wesleyan and Anglo-Catholic renewals.

>even in the Book of Common Prayer there is expressed in certain places
>honor for the Virgin Mary, and there are special feast days and solemnities
>dedicated to her as well (as well as to other saints as well).  

Of course.  And as you well know, all Feasts of Our Lady are Feasts of the
Incarnation, and therefore really Feasts of Our Lord.  All honor we give to
Mary redounds to the glory of her Son.  All honor to other saints serves to
instruct us in the ways we as Christians are to dedicate our lives to the
service of God.

/john

    Thank you again for all of the comments.  
    
    In the church I attended this past Sunday it had no statues--and as pointed 
    out, each church is obviously different and some may have them.  The 
    church I visited only requires to rec. that you are a baptised in a 
    Christian church before you can rec. the wine and bread.  They welcome 
    visitors.  
    
    The only thing I don't totally agree with, and quite frankly am not that 
    knowledgeable about is the Common Book of Prayer.  It is very good, 
    and quotes scripture from the bible, but seems a bit legalistic to say 
    a written prayer for the morning, another for the evening, etc etc.  
    Am I wrong in that that's what is done?  I don't feel like becoming a 
    member of the church, but do enjoy going to the service.
    
    
    Donna

re .13

Do not think that the _only_ kind of prayer one should say are the
written prayers in the Book of Common Prayer.  This book contains
the traditional forms of public worship based on the way the Church
has worshipped throughout the ages.

It also contains outlines for private devotion and private daily prayers.

Certainly a good way to learn to pray is to read prayers that others
have written and use them both as actual prayers and as examples.

After all, Our Lord did give us a specific prayer to use.  And we use
this most famous of all prayers over and over and do not object to the
fact that it has specific words.  Both it and other formal prayers also
teach and inspire us to make our own private prayers.

/john

    So, you do not think that saying the prayers in the book is legalistic? 
    I've always had a problem for some reason at being too legalistic about
    things, am trying not to do that anymore, and don't want to get "into"
    it again.
    
    Donna

  Hi Donna,

  I wouldnt worry about the Common Book of Prayer, Ive read through it and 
  found nothing offensive in its content. Did you know that the Psalms were
  the Hebrew's book of songs and prayers? This was a common practise to
  recite prayers in the day when the Anglican Church was organised. 
  No church is perfect.

  Apparently you'll have to check out each local episcopal church to see if its 
  "orthodox".

  BTW, (from a fellow "protestant") The Scripture says of Mary,
  "all generations shall call me blessed". 


              Hank

    .16 Yes, I agree with your statements.  My husband and I went to the
    library at one of the colleges last night (UTD) and I had time to look
    at the 1979 Book of Common Prayer.  Nothing in it is offensive, and
    many verses from the bible are in it.  Its the idea of being legalistic
    that bothers me.  (I sound like a broken record) But in one of the 
    replies something hit me (so to speak).  Jesus did tell us how to pray.  
    He said to pray "Our Father, who art in heaven....." etc. .........
    
    Hmm... Bottom line whats bothering me is that in the bible Jesus
    rebukes (there may be a better term) the Pharisee's for being too into
    looking good, reciting prayers without saying prayers from the heart. 
    Doing things to look good in front of others. (I may be answering my
    own questions here)
    
    Does this mean its ok to recite prayers if you are being sincere, and
    you are to also pray from your heart too?  I'm starting to get the idea
    that its bad if your being hypocritical, but not bad if its from the
    heart.
    
    Can someone help me here?
    
    
    Donna
    
    

    re: .17
    
    Donna, many years ago, I was worshipping in a Presbyterian Church, and
    we felt that the congregation had gotten too "legalistic", as evidenced
    by the rote recitation of the Lord's Prayer, or responsive readings from 
    the Bible, etc.  The point you are discovering, that it depends not on
    the specific prayer, but on the heart of the individual came to us.  To
    help the entire congregation, we started changing the Lord's Prayer. 
    The obvious change of words "debtor"/"trespasser" was first, and then
    other "versions" were used in the worship service.  Bottom line was to
    get people to think what they were saying - not just reciting.  The
    model Jesus gave us should be used for all prayer and we led the
    congregation to that way of thinking.  Printed prayers are not "bad",
    or "legalistic" - the reading, thinking, feeling of each individual is
    the most important.
    
    In His Love,
    
    Daryl

>    Does this mean its ok to recite prayers if you are being sincere, and
>    you are to also pray from your heart too?  I'm starting to get the idea
>    that its bad if your being hypocritical, but not bad if its from the
>    heart.

Exactly.  Also, remember that every one of those prayers in the Book of
Common Prayer was once a spontaneous prayer.  Even the Lord's Prayer was
once spontaneous, but now something Our Lord wants us to use each day.

The Book of Common Prayer contains some of the most uplifting prayers
ever written by some of the literary masters of the English Language.
Many of England's most famous poets (John Donne, for example) were
Anglican priests.  And many of the prayers are traditional prayers
that have been said in the Church since its beginning.

Use the prayers to inspire your own personal prayers.

	Almighty God, unto whom all hearts are open, all desires
	known, and from whom no secrets are hid: Cleanse the thoughts
	of our hearts by the inspiration of thy Holy Spirit, that we
	may perfectly love thee, and worthily magnify thy holy Name;
	through Christ our Lord.  Amen.

/john

    Thank you all again for helping me with this.  It is much appreciated.
    
    
    (I'll let you know if I have other questions)
    
    
    Donna

    Thank you for postiing that, it was boo-ti-ful.  Everytime I read one
    of the prayers in the Common book of prayer it makes me feel better. 
    Lifts my spirits and makes me feel even closer to God.
    
    Donna

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.

         Almighty God, Father of all mercies,
         we thine unworthy servants
         do give thee most humble and hearty thanks
         for all thy goodness and loving-kindness
         to us and to all men.
         We bless thee for our creation, preservation,
         and all the blessings of this life;
         but above all for thine inestimable love
         in the redemption of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ,
         for the means of grace, and for the hope of glory.
         And, we beseech thee,
         give us that due sense of all thy mercies,
         that our hearts may be unfeignedly thankful;
         and that we show forth thy praise,
         not only with our lips, but in our lives,
         by giving up ourselves to thy service,
         and by walking before thee
         in holiness and righteousness all our days;
         through Jesus Christ our Lord,
         to whom, with thee and the Holy Ghost,
         be all honor and glory, world without end.  Amen.

	Almighty God, whose blessed Son was led by the Spirit to be
	tempted of Satan: Make speed to help thy servants who are
	assaulted by manifold temptations; and, as thou knowest
	their several infirmities, let each one find thee mighty
	to save; through Jesus Christ thy Son our Lord, who liveth
	and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, now
	and for ever.  Amen.

�	Almighty God, whose blessed Son was led by the Spirit to be
�	tempted of Satan: Make speed to help thy servants who are
�	assaulted by manifold temptations; 

So comforting to be reminded that the temptation is not the sin; yielding 
is.  He can sympathise with us in our infirmities.... Hebrews 2:18, 4:15

Thanks John ...
							Andrew

	O God, who art the author of peace and lover of concord, in
	knowledge of whom standeth our eternal life, whose service
	is perfect freedom: Defend us, thy humble servants, in all
	assaults of our enemies; that we, surely trusting in thy
	defense, may not fear the power of any adversaries; through
	the might of Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

	O Eternal God, bless all schools, colleges, and universities
	[and especially ____*____], that they may be lively centers for
	sound learning, new discovery, and the pursuit of wisdom;
	and grant that those who teach and those who learn may find
	thee to be the source of all truth; through Jesus Christ our
	Lord.  Amen.


	* let us fill in "private and home schools" at this time.

	O God, who hast made of one blood all the peoples of the
	earth, and didst send thy blessed Son to preach peace to those
	who are far off and to those who are near: Grant that people
	everywhere may seek after thee and find thee; bring the
	nations into thy fold; pour out thy Spirit upon all flesh; and
	hasten the coming of thy kingdom; through the same thy
	Son Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

	Almighty God, whose most dear Son went not up to joy but
	first 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 none other than the way of life
	and peace; through the same thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord.
	Amen.

	O God, whose glory it is always to have mercy: Be gracious
	to all who have gone astray from thy ways, and bring them
	again with penitent hearts and steadfast faith to embrace and
	hold fast the unchangeable truth of thy Word, Jesus Christ
	thy Son; who with thee and the Holy Ghost liveth and
	reigneth, one God, for ever and ever.   Amen.

Although some Episcopal parishes do not have statues or do not have
very many, almost all of them have stained glass windows depicting
biblical scenes and saints of the bible or of later Church history.
These serve to teach the stories in the bible, or to remind us of
famous people who have served God, and to inspire us to lead the
Christian life serving God as they have.

Here is a list of the windows in my parish, The Church of the Advent in
Boston:

The Jesse window over the West (rear) entrance shows Our Lord's lineage
from Jesse (Matt 1:6-10):

		      Madonna and Child

	(5) Abijah	(4) Rehoboam	(9) Uzziah

	(12) Hezekiah	(3) Solomon	(8) Jehoram

	(7) Jehosaphat	(2) David	(10) Jotham

	(6) Asa		(1) Jesse	(11) Ahaz


The South Gallery window shows the twelve apostles:

	St. Thomas	St. John	St. Matthias

	St. Barth	St. James	St. Jude

	St. James Less	St. Andrew	St. Simon

	St. Philip	St. Peter	St. Matthew

The North Transept depicts a number of women who have served God in
His Church:

			St. Ursula

	St. Hilda	St. Barbara	St. Elizabeth of Hungary

	St. Dorothy	St. Cecilia	St. Faith

	St. Agatha	St. Margaret	St. Winifred

	St. Osith	St. Agnes	St. Ebba

	St. Lucy	St. Catherine	St. Bridget

In the aisle below this window are four windows depicting prophets holding
scrolls with well-known prophecies:

	Isaiah, Behold a virgin shall conceive... (7:14)
	Jeremiah, The Lord hath created a new thing... (31:22)
	Ezekiel, I will set up one shepherd over them... (34:23)
	Daniel, Seventy weeks are decreed (9:24)

At the west end of the north aisle is a triple window depicting the Nativity
and Epiphany:

	Mary holding the Christ Child (center)
	Adoring Shepherds (right)
	Adoring Magi (left)

The windows in the Lady Chapel apse depict people who figure prominently
in the biblical account of the Incarnation, plus John the Evangelist, whose
gospel unfolds the mystery of the Incarnation.

	St. Elizabeth
	St. John the Baptist
	St. Mary the Virgin
	St. John the Evangelist
	St. Anna the Prophetess
	St. Simeon the Prophet
	
The windows in the chapel south wall depict scenes from the Fall and the
Redemption of man.

	Adam and Eve being expelled from the garden.
	Gabriel announcing unto Mary.

The Clerestory windows (high above the nave):

	St. Ambrose of Milan (Latin Branch of the Church)
	St. John Chrysostom of Constantinople (Greek Branch)
	St. Columba, Abbott of Iona (Celtic Branch)
	St. Ignatius of Antioch (Syrian Branch)
	St. Athanasius of Alexandria (African Branch)

In a window high above the main altar:

	Christ the King

Flanking this window on the left and right are two windows with:

	St. Michael the Archangel
	St. Gabriel

Some other day I'll list the statues in the parish.  Like the windows,
they serve to teach the Gospel and to focus our prayer on the bible
stories they represent (especially the importance of the Cross in
securing our redemption) and the Christian lives of the saints depicted.

/john

    � To be said or sung, kneeling, standing, or in procession; before
      the Eucharist or after the Collects of Morning or Evening Prayer;
      or separately; especially in Lent and on Rogation days.

O God the Father, Creator of heaven and earth,
/Have mercy upon us./

O God the Son, Redeemer of the world,
/Have mercy upon us./

O God the Holy Ghost, Sanctifier of the faithful,
/Have mercy upon us./

Remember not, Lord Christ, our offenses, nor the offenses of our forefathers;
neither reward us according to our sins.  Spare us, good Lord, spare thy
people, whom thou hast redeemed with thy most precious blood, and by thy
mercy preserve us for ever.
/Spare us, good Lord./

From all evil and wickedness; from sin; from the crafts and assaults of the
devil; and from everlasting damnation,
/Good Lord, deliver us./

From all blindness of heart; from pride, vainglory, and hypocrisy; from envy,
hatred, and malice; and from all want of charity,
/Good Lord, deliver us./

From all inordinate and sinful affections; and from all the deceits of the
world, the flesh, and the devil,
/Good Lord, deliver us./

From all false doctrine, heresy, and schism; from hardness of heart, and
contempt of thy Word and commandment,
/Good Lord, deliver us./

From lightning and tempest; from earthquake, fire, and flood; from plague,
pestilence, and famine,
/Good Lord, deliver us./

From all oppression, conspiracy, and rebellion; from violence, battle, and
murder; and from dying suddenly and unprepared,
/Good Lord, deliver us./

By the mystery of thy holy Incarnation; by thy holy Nativity and submission
to the Law; by thy Baptism, Fasting, and Temptation,
/Good Lord, deliver us./

By thine Agony and Bloody Sweat; by thy Cross and Passion; by thy precious
Death and Burial; by thy glorious Resurrection and Ascension; and by the
Coming of the Holy Ghost,
/Good Lord, deliver us./

In all time of our tribulation; in all time of our prosperity; in the hour
of death, and in the day of judgment,
/Good Lord, deliver us./

								[continued]

    (Covers most issues...)  ;-)

[continued]

We sinners do beseech thee to hear us, O Lord God; and that it may
please thee to rule and govern thy holy Church Universal in the right way,
/We beseech thee to hear us, good Lord./

That it may please thee to illumine all bishops, priests, and deacons,
with true knowledge and understanding of thy Word; and that both by their
preaching and living, they may set it forth, and show it accordingly,
/We beseech thee to hear us, good Lord./

That it may please thee to bless and keep all thy people,
/We beseech thee to hear us, good Lord./

That it may please thee to send forth laborers into thy harvest, and to
draw all mankind into thy kingdom,
/We beseech thee to hear us, good Lord./

That it may please thee to give to all people increase of grace to hear
and receive thy Word, and to bring forth the fruits of the Spirit,
/We beseech thee to hear us, good Lord./

That it may please thee to bring into the way of truth all such as have
erred, and are deceived,
/We beseech thee to hear us, good Lord./

That it may please thee to give us a heart to love and fear thee, and
diligently to live after thy commandments,
/We beseech thee to hear us, good Lord./

That it may please thee so to rule the hearts of thy servants, the
President of the United States (/or/ of this nation), and all others
in authority, that they may do justice, and love mercy, and walk in
the ways of truth,
/We beseech thee to hear us, good Lord./

That it may please thee to make wars cease in all the world; to give to
all nations unity, peace, and concord; and to bestow freedom upon all
peoples,
/We beseech thee to hear us, good Lord./

That it may please thee to show thy pity upon all prisoners and captives,
the homeless and the hungry, and all who are desolate and oppressed,
/We beseech thee to hear us, good Lord./

That it may please thee to give and preserve to our use the bountiful fruits
of the earth, so that in due time all may enjoy them,
/We beseech thee to hear us, good Lord./

That it may please thee to inspire us, in our several callings, to do the
work which thou givest us to do with singleness of heart as thy servants,
and for the common good,
/We beseech thee to hear us, good Lord./

That it may please thee to preserve all who are in danger by reason of
their labor or their travel,
/We beseech thee to hear us, good Lord./

That it may please thee to preserve, and provide for, all women in
childbirth, young children and orphans, the widowed, and all whose homes
are broken or torn by strife,
/We beseech thee to hear us, good Lord./

That it may please thee to visit the lonely; to strengthen all who
suffer in mind, body, and spirit; and to comfort with thy presence
those who are failing and infirm,
/We beseech thee to hear us, good Lord./

That it may please thee to support, help, and comfort all who are in
danger, necessity, and tribulation,
/We beseech thee to hear us, good Lord./
								[continued]

[continued]

That it may please thee to have mercy upon all mankind,
/We beseech thee to hear us, good Lord./

That it may please thee to give us true repentance; to forgive us all our
sins, negligences, and ignorances; and to endue us with the grace of thy
Holy Spirit to amend our lives according to thy holy Word,
/We beseech thee to hear us, good Lord./

That it may please thee to forgive our enemies, persecutors, and slanderers,
and to turn their hearts,
/We beseech thee to hear us, good Lord./

That it may please thee to strengthen such as do stand; to comfort and help
the weak-hearted; to raise up those who fall; and finally to beat down
Satan under our feet,
/We beseech thee to hear us, good Lord./

That it may please thee to grant to all the faithful departed eternal life
and peace,
/We beseech thee to hear us, good Lord./

That it may please thee to grant that, in the fellowship of [________ and]
all the saints, we may attain to thy heavenly kingdom,
/We beseech thee to hear us, good Lord./

Son of God, we beseech thee to hear us.
/Son of God, we beseech thee to hear us./

O Lamb of God, that takest away the sins of the world,
/Have mercy upon us./

O Lamb of God, that takest away the sins of the world,
/Have mercy upon us./

O Lamb of God, that takest away the sins of the world,
/Grant us thy peace./

O Christ, hear us.
/O Christ, hear us./

Lord, have mercy upon us.		Kyrie eleison.
/Christ, have mercy upon us./	or	/Christe eleison./
Lord, have mercy upon us.		Kyrie eleison.

    � When the Litany is sung or said immediately before the
      Eucharist, the Litany concludes here, and the Eucharist
      begins with the Salutation and the Collect of the Day.

    � On all other occasions, the Officiant and People say together

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. O Lord, let thy mercy be showed upon us;
R. As we do put our trust in thee.

    � The Officiant concludes with the following or some other Collect

Let us pray.

Almighty God, who has promised to hear the petitions of those who ask in
thy Son's Name: We beseech thee mercifully to incline thine ear to us who
have now made our prayers and supplications unto thee; and grant that
those things which we have asked faithfully according to thy will, may be 
obtained effectually, to the relief of our necessity, and to the setting
forth of thy glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

    � The Officiant may add other Prayers, and end the Litany, saying

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship
of the Holy Ghost, be with us all evermore.  Amen.

    (Thanks John!)

On the first five Sundays in Lent at The Parish of the Advent in Boston,
the entrance hymn is replaced by The Great Litany in solemn procession.

The 11:00 celebration of the Eucharist begins with a silent entrance
procession using a simple wooden crucifix rather than the usual brass
processional crucifix.

The sacred ministers proceed to the altar and the choir takes its positions
in the stalls.  The congregation kneels; incense is blessed and placed into
the thurible, and the celebrant kneels and begins chanting The Great Litany.
After the response "Spare us, good Lord," all rise, and a solemn procession
at half-speed begins as the remainder of the litany is chanted.

The thurifer, crucifer, and torchbearers lead the procession through the
chancel where the choir joins the procession followed by the sacred ministers.
The slow procession proceeds down the central aisle of the nave, across the
back of the church to the north aisle, to the front of the nave, across the
transept to the south aisle, to the back, returning up the central aisle.

Everything is timed so that the sacred ministers will be back at the altar
at the Kyrie eleison.  The choir sings the Kyrie from the music selected for
the Sunday.  This year, 1st Sunday in Lent was Gabriel Faur�'s "Messe Basse";
2nd was Roland de Lassus' "Missa octavi toni"; the 3rd will be Alonso Lobo's
"Missa `Petre ego pro te rogavi'"; 4th Peter Mathews "Missa Brevis"; on the
5th Sunday the choir will have been working on its Palm Sunday and Easter
program and will not sing a classical selection but will lead the congregation
in singing the plainsong "Kyrie `Orbis factor'" from the Hymnal 1982.

The Eucharist then continues with the Salutation and Collect of the Day.

Processions have an important teaching purpose.  They remind us of Our
Lord's command to "go forth" and that we are not to be content to just
receive God's Word, but that we are to carry our prayers and our faith
throughout all the world.  They are led by a cross as a reminder that
as we do this, we are not on our own, but are led by Christ.

/john

	O Almighty God, who pourest out on all who desire it the
	spirit of grace and of supplication: Deliver us, when we
	draw near to thee, from coldness of heart and wanderings
	of mind, that with steadfast thoughts and kindled affections
	we may worship thee in spirit and in truth; through Jesus
	Christ our Lord.  Amen.

	Almighty God, who seest that we have no power of ourselves
	to help ourselves: Keep us both outwardly in our bodies and
	inwardly in our souls, that we may be defended from all
	adversities which may happen to the body, and from all evil
	thoughts which may assault and hurt the soul; through Jesus
	Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the
	Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.  Amen.

	O God and Father of all, whom the whole heavens adore:
	Let the whole earth also worship thee, all nations obey thee,
	all tongues confess and bless thee, and men and women everywhere
	love thee and serve thee in peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
	Amen.

	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.

	Gracious Father, whose blessed Son Jesus Christ came down
	from heaven to be the true bread which giveth life to the
	world: Evermore give us this bread, that he may live in us,
	and we in him; who liveth and reigneth with thee and the
	Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.  Amen.

My song is love unknown,		FF a b FF EE DDD	(C#, F#)
   my Savior's love to me,		   E F G a F bbb
love to the loveless shown		b c b a a d
   that they might lovely be.		   c b a aFF G# aaa
      O who am I			      a c% b GGG	(%=natural)
         that for my sake			 G b a DDD
	 my Lord should take			 E F G a
      frail flesh, and die?		   F FF EE DDDD


He came from his blest throne		Sometimes they strew his way,
   salvation to bestow,			   and his strong praises sing,
but men made strange, and none		resounding all the day
   the longed-for Christ would know.	   hosannas to their King.
      But O my friend,			      Then "Crucify!"
	 my friend indeed,			 is all their breath,
	 who at my need				 and for his death
      his life did spend.		      they thirst and cry.


Why, what hath my Lord done?		They rise, and needs will have
   What makes this rage and spite?	   my dear Lord made away;
He made the lame to run,		a murderer they save,
   he gave the blind their sight.	   the Prince of Life they slay.
      Sweet injuries!			      Yet steadfast he
	 Yet they at these			 to suffering goes,
	 themselves displease,			 that he his foes
      and 'gainst him rise.		      from thence might free.


In life no house, no home		Here might I stay and sing,
   my Lord on earth might have;		   no story so divine:
in death no friendly tomb		never was love, dear King,
   but what a stranger gave.		   never was grief like thine.
      What may I say?			      This is my friend,
	 Heaven was his home;			 in whose sweet praise
	 but mine the tomb			 I all my days
      wherein he lay.			      could gladly spend.

Words: Samuel Crossman (1624-1683), alt.		#458, The Hymnal 1982
Music: Love Unknown, John Ireland (1879-1962)		The Episcopal Church

	O God, the King eternal, who dividest the day from the
	night and turnest the shadow of death into the morning:
	Drive far from us all wrong desires, incline our hearts
	to keep thy law, and guide our feet into the way of peace;
	that, having done thy will with cheerfulness while it was
	day, we may, when the night cometh, rejoice to give thee
	thanks; through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

I bind unto myself today the strong name of the Trinity,
  by invocation of the same, the Three in One, and One in Three.

I bind this day to me for ever, by power of faith, Christ's Incarnation;
  his baptism in the Jordan river; his death on cross for my salvation;
  his bursting from the spiced tomb; his riding up the heavenly way;
  his coming at the day of doom: I bind unto myself today.

I bind unto myself the power of the great love of cherubim;
  the sweet "Well done" in judgment hour; the service of the seraphim;
  confessors' faith, apostles' word, the patriarchs' prayers,
	the prophets' scrolls;
  all good deeds done unto the Lord, and purity of virgin souls.

I bind unto myself today the virtues of the starlit heaven
  the glorious sun's life-giving ray, the whiteness of the moon at even,
  the flashing of the lightning free, the whirling wind's tempestuous shocks,
  the stable earth, the deep salt sea, around the old eternal rocks.

I bind unto myself today the power of God to hold and lead,
  his eye to watch, his might to stay, his ear to hearken to my need;
  the wisdom of my God to teach, his hand to guide, his shield to ward;
  the word of God to give me speech, his heavenly host to be my guard.

Christ be with me, Christ within me, Christ behind me, Christ before me,
  Christ beside me, Christ to win me, Christ to comfort and restore me,
Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ in quiet, Christ in danger,
  Christ in hearts of all that love me, Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.

I bind unto myself today the strong name of the Trinity,
  by invocation of the same, the Three in One, and One in Three.
  Of whom all nature hath creation, eternal Father, Spirit, Word:
  praise to the Lord of my salvation, salvation is of Christ the Lord.

	O merciful Father, who hast taught us in thy holy Word that
	thou dost not willingly afflict or grieve the children of men:
	Look with pity upon the sorrows of thy servant for whom our
	prayers are offered.  Remember him, O Lord, in mercy, nourish
	his soul with patience, comfort him with a sense of thy
	goodness, lift up thy countenance upon him, and give him
	peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

	O Almighty God, who alone canst order the unruly wills and
	affections of sinful men: Grant unto thy people that they
	may love the thing which thou commandest, and desire that
	which thou dost promise; that so, among the sundry and
	manifold changes of the world, our hearts may surely there
	be fixed where true joys are to be found; through Jesus
	Christ Our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the
	Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.  Amen.

                          March 27 - Palm Sunday
               8:00 a.m. - Blessing of Palms and Said Mass
   9:00 a.m. - Blessing and Procession of Palms and Sung Mass (Rite II)
                    The Passion according to St. Mark
   11:00 a.m. - Blessing and Procession of Palms and Sung Mass (Rite I)
                   The Passion according to St. Matthew
   Pueri Hebraeorum..............................Tomas Luis de Victoria
   Missa "Pange lingua".................................Josquin Desprez
   Fuerwahr er trug unser' Krankheit................Christoph Demantius
   Ecce quomodo moritur.....................................Jakob Handl

            March 28 and 29 - Monday and Tuesday in Holy Week
                    Low Masses 7:30 a.m. and 6:00 p.m.

                    March 30 - Wednesday in Holy Week
                    Low Masses 7:30 a.m. and 6:00 p.m.
                      7:00 p.m. - Tenebrae (Shadows)
   Gregorian chant
   Eram quasi agnus..............................Tomas Luis de Victoria
   Ecce quomodo moritur.....................................Jakob Handl
   O vos omnes...........................................Carlo Gesualdo

                        March 31 - Maundy Thursday
               6:30 p.m. - The Liturgy of Maundy Thursday:
             Solemn Mass, Foot Washing, Solemn Procession to
             the Altar of Repose and Stripping of the Altars
       (A watch before the Sacrament will continue until midnight.)
   Missa "Pange lingua".................................Josquin Desprez
   O vos omnes...........................................Carlo Gesualdo
   Eram quasi agnus..............................Tomas Luis de Victoria

                          April 1 - Good Friday
         12:00 - 3:00 p.m. - Meditations on The Seven Last Words
   Dr. Royal W. Rhodes, Associate Professor of Religion, Kenyon College
                  6:30 p.m. - The Liturgy of Good Friday
   The Reproaches................................Tomas Luis de Victoria
   Chants
      (Confessions at 3:00 p.m. and following the evening liturgy.)

                         April 2 - Holy Saturday
                9:00 a.m. - Service of the Lord's Sabbath
           7:00 p.m. - The Great Vigil and First Mass of Easter
   Sicut cervus desiderat..............Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina
   Messe solonnelle.......................................Jean Langlais
   Regina coeli.........................................Josquin Desprez
   Haec dies...............................................William Byrd

                           April 3 - Easter Day
                          8:00 a.m. - Said Mass
              9:00 a.m. - Procession and Sung Mass (Rite II)
              11:00 a.m. - Procession and Sung Mass (Rite I)
   Messe solonnelle.......................................Jean Langlais
   Regina coeli.........................................Josquin Desprez
   Haec dies...............................................William Byrd

	O God our heavenly Father, you have blessed us and given us
	dominion over all the earth: Increase our reverence before
	the mystery of life; and give us new insight into your purposes
	for the human race, and new wisdom and determination in
	making provision for its future in accordance with your will;
	through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

	We beseech thee, O Lord, pour thy grace into our hearts, that
	we who have known the incarnation of thy Son Jesus Christ,
	announced by an angel to the Virgin Mary, may by his cross
	and passion be brought unto the glory of his resurrection;
	who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy
	Spirit, one God, now and for ever.  Amen.

	Almighty and everlasting God, who, of thy tender love
	towards mankind, hast sent thy Son our Savior Jesus Christ
	to take upon him our flesh, and to suffer death upon the
	cross, that all mankind should follow the example of his
	great humility: Mercifully grant that we may both follow the
	example of his patience, and also be made partakers of his
	resurrection; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord, who
	liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God,
	for ever and ever.  Amen.

                                 ---=---

	Blessed is he who cometh in the name of the Lord!
	
	Hosanna in the highest!

	Almighty God, whose most dear Son went not up to joy but
	first 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 none other than the way of life
	and peace; through the same thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord,
	who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one
	God, for ever and ever.  Amen.

O sacred head, sore wounded,            Thy beauty long desired,
  Defiled and put to scorn;               Hath vanished from our sight;
O kingly head, surrounded               Thy power is all expired,
  With mocking crown of thorn:            And quenched the light of light.
What sorrow mars thy grandeur?          Ah me! for whom thou diest,
  Can death thy bloom deflower?           Hide not so far thy grace:
O countenance whose splendor            Show me, O Love most highest,
  The hosts of heaven adore!              The brightness of thy face.

                    In thy most bitter passion
                      My heart to share doth cry,
                    With thee for my salvation
                      Upon the cross to die.
                    Ah, keep my heart thus moved
                      To stand thy cross beneath,
                    To mourn thee, well-beloved,
                      Yet thank thee for thy death.

What language shall I borrow            My days are few, O fail not,
  To thank thee, dearest friend,          With thine immortal power,
For this thy dying sorrow,              To hold me that I quail not
  Thy pity without end?                   In death's most fearful hour;
Oh, make me thine for ever!             That I may fight befriended,
  And should I fainting be,               And see in my last strife
Lord, let me never, never,              To me thine arms extended
  Outlive my love for thee.               Upon the cross of life.

Thank you John.

			- Appreciated.

						Andrew

	O God, who by the passion of thy blessed Son didst make an
	instrument of shameful death to be unto us the means of life:
	Grant us so to glory in the cross of Christ, that we may gladly
	suffer shame and loss for the sake of thy Son our Savior Jesus
	Christ; who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit,
	one God, for ever and ever.  Amen.

�	O God, who by the passion of thy blessed Son didst make an
�	instrument of shameful death to be unto us the means of life:

It always amazes me that the most heinous act of mankind - deicide - should
be turned by the very God Who suffered, into man's opportunity for
redemption from that very guilt...  The one thing you would think would
have to be unforgivable - and He turns it into the perfect sacrifice....
Leaves me feeling like Job 40:4, 42:3,5-6 "I am unworthy - how can I reply
to You? ... things too wonderful for me to know. My ears had heard of you
but now my eyes have seen You.  Therefore I despise myself and repent in
dust and ashes." 

							Andrew 

		Ah, holy Jesus, how hast thou offended,
		That man to judge thee hath in hate pretended?
		By foes derided, by thine own rejected,
		O most afflicted!

		Who was the guilty?  Who brought this upon thee?
		Alas my treason, Jesus hath undone thee.
		'Twas I, Lord Jesus, I it was denied thee:
		I crucified thee.

		Lo, the Good Shepherd for the sheep is offered;
		The slave hath sinned, and the Son hath suffered;
		For our atonement, while we nothing heeded,
		God interceded.

		For me kind Jesus, was thy incarnation,
		Thy mortal sorrow, and thy life's oblation;
		Thy death of anguish and thy bitter passion,
		For my salvation.

		Therefore, kind Jesus, since I cannot pay thee,
		I do adore thee, and will ever pray thee,
		Think on thy pity and thy love unswerving,
		Not my deserving.

At The Parish of the Advent in Boston, "Ah, holy Jesus" is always the
closing hymn on Palm Sunday.

At the last verse, the organ fades out over the first line, leaving us
singing the remainder of the hymn without accompaniment.  Then the
sacred ministers and choir process out in absolute silence as altar
guild members, wearing black cassocks, enter and rip down the palms.

Everyone else then leaves in silence.  The organ will not play again
until the first Eucharist of Easter.

Through Holy Week, everything becomes starker and starker, as bits
and pieces of morning and evening prayer are gradually omitted (such
as the doxology at the end of the Lord's Prayer, the Glory be at the
end of psalms, etc.)  On Thursday night the altar is stripped and the
violet coverings on the crosses, crucifixes, and other statues are
changed to black.  On Friday the crucifixion can be felt in the somber
air; Saturday night the Easter vigil liturgy begins in absolute darkness
as we review the Old Testament history of God's plan of salvation and
lead up to the announcement of the Resurrection, shouting "Alleluia"
accompanied by bells, organ, brass, timpani, and joyous singing.

/john

    Re: Note 404.59 by COVERT::COVERT
    
>On Thursday night the altar is stripped and the
>violet coverings on the crosses, crucifixes, and other statues are
>changed to black.  
    
    We were encouraged *not* to talk to each other after the service for
    this one, in order to maintain the mood...  (this is back in '87 when I
    was going to such a church)
    
    James

	O Lord God, whose blessed Son our Savior gave his back to
	the smiters and hid not his face from shame: Grant us grace
	to take joyfully the sufferings of the present time, in full
	assurance of the glory that shall be revealed; through the
	same thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth
	with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.  Amen.

	Almighty Father, whose dear Son, on the night before he
	suffered, did institute the Sacrament of his Body and Blood:
	Mercifully grant that we may thankfully receive the same in
	remembrance of him who in these holy mysteries giveth us a
	pledge of life eternal, the same thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord;
	who now liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit
	ever, one God, world without end.  Amen.

                    Now my tongue, the mystery telling
                      Of the glorious Body sing,
                    And the Blood, all price excelling
                      Which the Gentiles' Lord and King,
                    Once on earth among us dwelling,
                      Shed for this world's ransoming.

                    Given for us, and condescending
                      To be born for us below,
                    He with us in converse blending
                      dwelt, the seed of truth to sow,
                    Till he closed with wondrous ending
                      His most patient life of woe.

                    That last night at supper lying
                      Mid the twelve, his chosen band,
                    Jesus, with the Law complying,
                      Keeps the feast its rites demand;
                    Then more precious food supplying,
                      Gives himself with his own hand.

                    Word made flesh, the bread he taketh,
                      By his word his Flesh to be;
                    Wine his sacred Blood he maketh,
                      Though the senses fail to see;
                    Faith alone the true heart waketh
                      To behold the mystery.

                    Therefore we, before him bending,
                      This great Sacrament revere;
                    Types and shadows have their ending,
                      For the newer rite is here;
                    Faith our outward sense befriending,
                      Makes our inward vision clear.

                    Glory let us give and blessing
                      To the Father and the Son,
                    Honor, thanks and praise addressing,
                      While eternal ages run;
                    Ever too his love confessing
                      Who from both with both is One.

	Visit this place, O Lord, and drive far from it all snares
	of the enemy; let your holy angels dwell with us to preserve
	us in peace; and let your blessing be upon us always; through
	Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

	Almighty God, we pray you graciously to behold this your
	family, for whom our Lord Jesus Christ was willing to be
	betrayed, and given into the hands of sinners, and to suffer
	death upon the cross; who now lives and reigns with you and
	the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.  Amen.

                    Sing, my tongue, the glorious battle;
                      Sing the winning of the fray;
                    Now above the cross, the trophy,
                      Sound the high triumphal lay:
                    Tell how Christ, the world's Redeemer
                      As a victim won the day.

                    Thirty years he dwelt among us,
                      His appointed time fullfilled,
                    Born for this, he met his passion,
                      This the Savior freely willed:
                    On the cross the Lamb was lifted,
                      Where his precious blood was spilled.

                    He endured the nails, the spitting,
                      Vinegar, and spear, and reed;
                    From that holy body broken
                      Blood and water forth proceed:
                    Earth, and stars, and sky, and ocean,
                      By that flood from stain are freed.

                    Faithful cross! above all other,
                      One and only noble tree!
                    None in foliage, none in blossom,
                      None in fruit thy peer may be:
                    Sweetest wood and sweetest iron!
                      Sweetest weight is hung on thee.

                    Bend thy boughs, O tree of glory!
                      Thy relaxing sinews bend;
                    For awhile the ancient rigor
                      That thy birth bestowed, suspend;
                    And the King of heav'nly beauty
                      On thy bosom gently tend!

                    To the Trinity be glory
                      Everlasting, as is meet:
                    Equal to the Father, equal
                      To the Son, and Paraclete:
		    God the Three in One, whose praises
		      All created things repeat.

Let us pray for all who have not received the Gospel of Christ;

  For those who have never heard the word of salvation
  For those who have lost their faith
  For those hardened by sin or indifference
  For the contemptuous and the scornful
  For those who are enemies of the cross of Christ and persecutors
    of his disciples
  For those who in the name of Christ have persecuted others

That God will open their hearts to the truth, and lead them to faith and
obedience.

Merciful God, Creator of all the peoples of the earth and lover of souls:
Have compassion on all who do not know you as you are revealed in your Son
Jesus Christ; let your Gospel be preached with grace and power to those who
have not heard it; turn the hearts of those who resist it; and bring home
to your fold those who have gone astray; that there may be one flock under
one shepherd, Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

	O Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, we pray thee to
	set thy passion, cross, and death between thy judgment and
	our souls, now and in the hour of our death.  Give mercy and
	grace to the living, pardon and rest to the dead, to thy holy
	Church peace and concord, and to us sinners everlasting life
	and glory; who with the Father and the Holy Spirit livest and
	reignest, one God, now and for ever.  Amen.

	O God, Creator of heaven and earth: Grant that, as the
	crucified body of thy dear Son was laid in the tomb and
	rested on this holy Sabbath, so we may await with him the
	coming of the third day, and rise with him to newness of
	life; who now liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy
	Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.  Amen.

	O God, who made this most holy night to shine with the
	glory of the Lord's resurrection: Stir up in your Church
	that Spirit of adoption which is given to us in Baptism,
	that we, being renewed both in body and mind, may worship
	you in sincerity and truth; through Jesus Christ our Lord,
	who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy
	Spirit, one God, now and for ever.  Amen.

	Almighty God, who through thine only-begotten Son Jesus
	Christ hast overcome death and opened unto us the gate of
	everlasting life: Grant that we, who celebrate with joy
	the day of the Lord's resurrection, may be raised from
	the death of sin by thy life-giving Spirit; through the
	same Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with
	thee and the same Spirit ever, one God, world without
	end.  Amen.

	Grant, we beseech thee, Almighty God, that we who
	celebrate with reverence the Paschal feast may be
	found worthy to attain to everlasting joys; through
	Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with
	thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.
	Amen.

	O God, who by the glorious resurrection of thy Son Jesus
	Christ destroyed death and brought life and immortality to
	light: Grant that we, who have been raised with him, may
	abide in his presence and rejoice in the hope of eternal
	glory; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom,
	with thee and the Holy Spirit, be dominion and praise for
	ever and ever.  Amen.

	O God, whose blessed Son did manifest himself to his disciples
	in the breaking of bread: Open, we pray thee, the eyes of our
	faith, that we may behold him in all his redeeming work;
	through the same thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth
	and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one
	God, now and forever.  Amen.

	Almighty and everlasting God, who in the Paschal mystery
	hast established the new covenant of reconciliation: Grant
	that all who have been reborn into the fellowship of Christ's
	Body may show forth in their lives what they profess by their
	faith; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and
	reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever
	and ever.  Amen.

	Almighty Father, who hast given thine only Son to die for our
	sins and to rise again for our justification: Grant us so to put
	away the leaven of malice and wickedness, that we may always
	serve thee in pureness of living and truth; through the same
	thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with
	thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.  Amen.

	We thank thee, heavenly Father, for that thou hast delivered
	us from the dominion of sin and death and hast brought us
	into the kingdom of thy Son; and we pray thee that, as by his
	death he hath recalled us to life, so by his love he may raise
	us to joys eternal; who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the
	unity of the Holy Spirity, one God, now and for ever.  Amen.

	Almighty and everlasting God, who in the Paschal mystery
	hast established the new covenant of reconciliation: Grant
	that all who have been reborn into the fellowship of Christ's
	Body may show forth in their lives what they profess by their
	faith; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and
	reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever
	and ever.  Amen.

	O God, whose blessed Son did manifest himself to his disciples
	in the breaking of bread: Open, we pray thee, the eyes of our
	faith, that we may behold him in all his redeeming work;
	through the same thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth
	and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one
	God, now and forever.  Amen.

	Oh God, whose Son Jesus is the good shepherd of thy people:
	Grant that when we hear his voice we may know him who
	calleth us each by name, and follow where he doth lead;
	who, with thee and the Holy Spirit, liveth and reigneth,
	one God, for ever and ever.  Amen.

		Let all the world in every corner sing,			G   A
		    My God and King!                                    e   n
		   The heavens are not too high,                        o   g
		   His praise may thither fly;                          r   l
		   The earth is not too low,                            g   i
		   His praises there may grow,                          e   c
		Let all the world in every corner sing,                     a
		    My God and King!                                    H   n
                                                                        e
		Let all the world in every corner sing,                 r   P
		    My God and King!                                    b   r
		   The Church with psalms must shout,                   e   i
		   No door can keep them out;                           r   e
		   But above all the heart                              t   s
		   Must bear the longest part.                              t
		Let all the world in every corner sing,
		    My God and King!                                     1632

	Oh Almighty God, whom truly to know is everlasting life:
	Grant us so perfectly to know thy Son Jesus Christ to be the
	way, the truth, and the life, that we may steadfastly follow
	his steps in the way that leadeth to eternal life; through the
	same thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth
	with thee, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever
	and ever.  Amen.

	O Lord Jesus Christ, who didst become poor for our sake,
	that we might be made rich through thy poverty: Guide and
	sanctify, we pray, those whom thou callest to follow thee
	under the vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience, that
	by their prayer and service they may enrich thy Church,
	and by their life and worship may glorify thy Name; who
	livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Spirit,
	one God, now and for ever.  Amen.

	O God, who hast prepared for those who love thee such
	good things as pass man's understanding: Pour into our
	hearts such love toward thee, that we, loving them in all
	things and above all things, may obtain thy promises, which
	exceed all that we can desire; through Jesus Christ our Lord,
	who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one
	God, for ever and ever.  Amen.

	O Father of mercies and God of all comfort, our only help in
	time of need: We humbly beseech thee to behold, visit, and
	relieve thy sick servant N. for whom our prayers are desired.
	Look upon /him/ with the eyes of thy mercy; comfort /him/ with
	a sense of thy goodness; perserve /him/ from the temptations
	of the enemy; and give /him/ patience under /his/ affliction.
	In thy good time, restore /him/ to health, and enable /him/
	to lead the residue of /his/ life in thy fear, and to thy
	glory; and grant that finally /he/ may dwell with thee in
	life everlasting; through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

	God be in my head, and in my understanding;
	God be in my eyes, and in my looking;
	God be in my mouth, and in my speaking;
	God be in my heart, and in my thinking;
	God be at my end, and at my departing.

	Almighty God, Lord of heaven and earth: We humbly pray
	that thy gracious providence may give and preserve to our
	use the harvests of the land and of the seas, and may prosper
	all who labor to gather them, that we, who constantly receive
	good things from thy hand, may always give thee thanks;
	through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with
	thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.  Amen.

	Almighty God, whose Son Jesus Christ in his earthly life
	shared our toil and hallowed our labor: Be present with
	thy people where they work; make those who carry on the
	industries and commerce of this land responsive to thy
	will; and give to us all a pride in what we do, and a
	just return for our labor; through Jesus Christ our Lord,
	who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the
	Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.  Amen.

	O merciful Creator, whose hand is open wide to satisfy the
	needs of every living creature: Make us, we beseech thee,
	ever thankful for thy loving providence; and grant that we,
	remembering the account that we must one day give, may be
	faithful stewards of thy bounty; through Jesus Christ our
	Lord, who with thee and the Holy Spirit liveth and reigneth
	one God, for ever and ever.  Amen.

	Grant, we beseech thee, Almighty God, that like as we do
	believe thy only-begotten Son our Lord Jesus Christ to have
	ascended into the heavens, so we may also thither ascend,
	and with him continually dwell; who liveth and reigneth
	with thee and the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end.  Amen.

	O God, the King of glory, who has exalted thine only Son
	Jesus Christ with great triumph unto thy kingdom in heaven:
	We beseech thee, leave us not comfortless, but send to us
	thine Holy Ghost to comfort us, and exalt us unto the same
	place whither our Saviour Christ is gone before; who liveth
	and reigneth with thee and the same Holy Ghost, one God,
	world without end.  Amen.

Thank You LORD, for keeping that wonderful promise, and sending us Your
Holy Spirit to dwell within, as the deposit, assuring us of the certainty
of participation in Your glory to be fully revealed, revealing all truth to
us, and working Your purposes through us that the kingdom will indeed
come... 

								...Amen 

	Almighty God, who on this day didst open the way of eternal
	life to every race and nation by the promised gift of thy Holy
	Spirit: Shed abroad this gift throughout the world by the
	preaching of the Gospel, that it may reach to the ends of the
	earth; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth
	with thee, in the unity of the same Spirit, one God, for ever
	and ever.  Amen.

Come, thou Holy Spirit, come; and	Thou who art the Light most blest,
  from thy celestial home send thy	  come fulfil their inmost breast,
  light and brilliancy.			  who believe most faithfully.
Come, thou father of the poor, come	For without thy Godhead's dower, man
  who givest all our store, come the	  hath nothing in his power, save to
  soul's true radiancy.			  work iniquity.

Come, of comforters the best, of the	What is filthy make thou pure, what
  soul the sweetest guest, sweetly	  is wounded work its cure, water
  and refreshingly.			  what is parched and dry.
Come, in labour rest most sweet, shade	Gently bend the stubborn will, warm
  and coolness in the heat, comfort	  to life the heart that's chill,
  in adversity.				  guide who goeth erringly.

		    Fill thy faithful who adore, and confess
		      thee evermore, with thy sevenfold
		      mystery.
                    Here thy grace and virtue send, grant
		      salvation in the end, and in heaven
		      felicity.  Amen.  Alleluia.

	Grant, we beseech thee, merciful God, that thy Church, being
	gathered together in unity by thy Holy Spirit, may manifest
	thy power among all peoples, to the glory of thy Name; through
	Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and
	the same Spirit, one God, world without end.  Amen.

    
    
    What's the question? :-)

    Leave him alone!  ;-)  These postings are quite informative, and they
    may help to reduce the number of "Questions" for the epiwossname
    church.  So they are sort of on-topic.  ;-)
    
    James

	Almighty and everlasting God, who hast given unto us
	thy servants grace, by the confession of a true faith,
	to acknowledge the glory of the eternal Trinity, and in
	the power of the Divine Majesty to worship the Unity: We
	beseech thee that thou wouldest keep us steadfast in this
	faith and worship, and bring us at last to see thee in thy
	one and eternal glory, O Father, who with the Son and the
	Holy Spirit livest and reignest, one God, for ever and ever.  Amen.

	Father in heaven, by whose grace the virgin mother of thy
	incarnate Son was blessed in bearing him, but still more blessed
	in keeping thy word: Grant us who honor the exaltation of her
	lowliness to follow the example of her devotion to thy will;
	through the same Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth
	with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.  Amen.

My soul doth magnify the Lord, * and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.
For he hath regarded * the lowliness of his handmaiden.
For behold, from henceforth * all generations shall call me blessed.
For he that is mighty hath magnified me; * and holy is his Name.
And his mercy is on them that fear him * throughout all generations.
He hath showed strength with his arm; * he hath scattered the proud in the
  imagination of their hearts.
He hath put down the mighty from their seat, * and hath exalted the humble
  and meek.
He hath filled the hungry with good things; * and the rich he hath sent empty
  away.
He remembering his mercy hath holpen his servant Israel; * as he promised to
  our forefathers, Abraham and his seed, for ever.

					Luke 2:46b-55, Tyndale/Coverdale ~1535

		Zion, praise thy Saviour singing
		  hymns with exultation ringing,
		  praise thy King and Shepherd true.

		Honor Christ, thy voice upraising,
		  who surpasseth all thy praising;
		  never canst thou reach his due.

		Let the Bread, life-giving, living,
		  be our theme of glad thanksgiving,
		  now in truth before thee set;

		As of old the Lord provided when
		  the Twelve, divinely guided, at
		  the holy table met.

		What he did, at supper seated, Christ
		  ordained to be repeated, his
		  memorial ne'er to cease;

		His command for guidance taking, bread
		  and wine we hallow, making thus
		  our Sacrifice of peace.

		Full and clear sing out thy praising,
		  gracious hymns of joy upraising
		  in thy heart and soul today;

		For today the new oblation of the
		  new King's revelation bids us
		  feast in glad array.

		Very Bread, good Shepherd tend us,
		  Jesus of thy love befriend us,
		  Lord refresh us and defend us,
		  thine eternal goodness send us
		  in the land of life to see:

		Thou, who all things canst and
		  knowest, who on earth such food
		  bestowest, grant us with thy
		  Saints, though lowest, where
		  the heavenly feast thou showest,
		  fellow-heirs and guests to be.

		Amen.  Alleluia.

	O God, from whom all good doth come: Grant that by thy
	inspiration we may think those things that are right, and
	by thy merciful guiding may perform the same; through
	Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee
	and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.  Amen.

	Keep, O Lord, we beseech thee, thy household the Church in
	thy steadfast faith and love, that by the help of thy grace
	we may proclaim thy truth with boldness, and minister thy
	justice with compassion; for the sake of our Saviour Jesus
	Christ, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit,
	one God, now and for ever.  Amen.

	Almighty, everlasting God, whose servant Basil steadfastly
	confessed thy Son our Saviour Jesus Christ to be Very God
	and Very Man: Grant that we may hold fast to this faith,
	and evermore magnify his holy Name; through the same thy
	Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with
	thee and the Holy Spirit, ever, one God, world without
	end.  Amen.

				------

		St. Basil was primarily responsible for
		saving the Church from attempts by the
		Emperor Valens to overrule the Council
		of Nicaea and to adopt Arianism.

	O Lord, we beseech thee, make us to have a perpetual fear
	and love of thy holy Name, for thou never failest to help
	and govern those whom thou hast set upon the sure foundation
	of thy loving-kindness; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who
	liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God,
	now and for ever.  Amen.

	O Almighty God, who hast built thy Church upon the
	foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ
	himself being the chief cornerstone: Grant us so to be
	joined together in unity of spirit by their doctrine,
	that we may be made an holy temple acceptable unto thee,
	through the same Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and
	reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for
	ever and ever.  Amen.

	Almighty God, whose blessed apostles Peter and Paul
	glorified thee by their martyrdom: Grant that thy Church,
	instructed by their teaching and example, and knit together
	in unity by thy Spirit, may ever stand firm upon the one
	foundation, which is Jesus Christ our Lord; who liveth and
	reigneth with thee, in the unity of the same Spirit, one
	God, for ever and ever.  Amen.

	O God, who hast taught us to keep all thy commandments by
	loving thee and our neighbor: Grant us the grace of thy
	Holy Spirit, that we may be devoted to thee with our whole
	heart, and united to one another with pure affection;
	through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with
	thee and the same Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.  Amen.

	Lord God Almighty, in whose Name the founders of this country
	won liberty for themselves and for us, and lit the torch of
	freedom for nations then unborn: Grant, we beseech thee, that
	we and all the people of this land may have grace to maintain
	these liberties in righteousness and peace; through Jesus
	Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the
	Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.  Amen.

	O Lord, we beseech thee mercifully to receive the prayers of
	thy people who call upon thee, and grant that they may both
	perceive and know what things they ought to do, and also
	may have grace and power faithfully to fulfill the same;
	through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with
	thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.  Amen.

	Almighty and everliving God, we most heartily thank thee
	for that thou dost feed us, in these holy mysteries, with the
	spiritual food of the most precious Body and Blood of thy
	Son our Saviour Jesus Christ; and dost assure us thereby of
	thy favour and goodness towards us; and that we are very
	members incorporate in the mystical body of thy Son, the
	blessed company of all faithful people; and are also heirs,
	through hope, of thy everlasting kingdom.  And we humbly
	beseech thee, O heavenly Father, so to assist us with thy
	grace, that we may continue in that holy fellowship, and do
	all such good works as thou hast prepared for us to walk in;
	through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with thee and the
	Holy Ghost, be all honour and glory, world without end.  Amen.

	Almighty God, the fountain of all wisdom, who knowest our
	necessities before we ask and our ignorance in asking: Have
	compassion, we beseech thee, upon our infirmities, and those
	things which for our unworthiness we dare not, and for our
	blindness we cannot ask, mercifully give us for the worthiness
	of thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with
	thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.  Amen.

                       The Archbishop's Voice

There is, of course, truth in that, so far as the Creeds are concerned,
Anglicans believe what the Universal Church believes.  It is true, too,
that we have always been reluctant to resort to too much doctrinal
definition.  Despite the honored place the Thirty-Nine Articles have
in our policy, the Church of England does not have the equivalent of
the Augsburg or the Westminster Confessions.  In that sense we are not
a `Confessional' Church, but that does not mean that the Church of
England is left without a firm identity when wrestling with matters
of doctrine.  From Jewell and Hooker onwards, the Anglican way has
been that of bringing to bear upon matters of truth the threefold
criteria of Scripture, reason, and tradition.

This distinctive methodology now needs confidently to be reasserted
so that no one of these three is lost.  For those who fear this is a
retreat into a dangerous form of radical liberalism, let me make it
clear that classic Anglicanism affirms the place of Scripture as the
cornerstone of our way of doing theology.  Reason then ensures that
we do not drift into an unthinking fundamentalism, and tradition
prevents us cutting ourselves off from the past.

What then is the vocation of Anglicanism as we face the last decade
of this century?

Our task is surely to rise to the challenges with which we are presented
and to share those very special insights and practices that characterise
Anglicanism.  I see no reason for uncertainty, dismay, or retreat.  Our
history, our theology, our resources and our strength are gifts to offer
our Lord and all those we serve both in the wider Church and in the world.

                        -- The Most Rev. and Rt. Hon. George L. Carey
                           Archbishop of Canterbury

    
    What's the question?!?!?!?! :-)

	Almighty God, whose blessed Son restored Mary Magdalene
	to health of body and mind, and called her to be a witness
	of his resurrection: Mercifully grant that by thy grace we
	may be healed of all our infirmities and know thee in the
	power of his endless life; who with thee and the Holy Spirit
	liveth and reigneth, one God, now and for ever.  Amen.

	O God, the protector of all that trust in thee, without whom
	nothing is strong, nothing is holy: Increase and multiply
	upon us thy mercy, that, thou being our ruler and guide, we
	may so pass through things temporal, that we finally lose not
	the things eternal; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth
	and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever
	and ever.  Amen.

	O gracious God, we remember before thee this day thy
	servant and apostle James, first among the Twelve to suffer
	martyrdom for the Name of Jesus Christ; and we pray that
	thou wilt pour out upon the leaders of thy Chruch that spirit
	of self-denying service by which alone they may have true
	authority among thy people; through the same Jesus Christ
	our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy
	Spirit, one God, now and for ever.  Amen.

	O Lord, we beseech thee, let thy continual pity cleanse and
	defend thy Church, and, because it cannot continue in safety
	without thy succor, preserve it evermore by thy help and
	goodness; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and
	reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever
	and ever.  Amen.

	O God, who on the holy mount didst reveal to chosen
	witnesses thy well-beloved Son, wonderfully transfigured, in
	raiment white and glistening: Mercifully grant that we, being
	delivered from the disquietude of this world, may by faith
	behold the King in his beauty; who with thee, O Father, and
	thee, O Holy Ghost, liveth and reigneth, one God, world
	without end.  Amen.

	Grant to us, Lord, we beseech thee, the spirit to think and do
	always such things as are right, that we, who cannot exist
	without thee, may by thee be enabled to live according to thy
	will; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth
	with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.  Amen.

	� If oil from the Anointing of the Sick is to be blessed,
	  the Priest says

	O Lord, holy Father, giver of health and salvation: Send thy
	Holy Spirit to sanctify this oil; that, as thy holy apostles
	anointed many that were sick and healed them, so may those
	who in faith and repentance receive this holy unction be
	made whole; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and
	reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever
	and ever.  Amen.

Saviour of the world, who by thy cross and precious blood hast redeemed us;
Save us and help us, we humbly beseech thee, O Lord.

� The Priest then lays hands upon the sick person, and says one of the
  following:

N., I lay my hands upon thee in the Name of the Father, and of the Son,
and of the Holy Spirit, beseeching our Lord Jesus Christ to sustain thee
with his presence, to drive away all sickness of body and spirit, and to
give thee that victory of life and peace which will enable thee to serve
him both now and evermore.  Amen.

  or this:

N., I lay my hands upon thee in the Name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus
Christ, beseeching him to uphold thee and fill thee with his grace, that
thou mayest know the healing power of his love.  Amen.

� If the person is to be anointed, the Priest dips a thumb in the holy oil,
  and makes the sign of the cross on the sick person's forehead, saying:

N., I anoint thee with oil in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and
of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

� The Priest may add

As thou art outwardly anointed with this holy oil, so may our heavenly
Father grant thee the inward anointing of the Holy Spirit.  Of his great
mercy, may he forgive thy sins, release thee from suffering and restore
thee to wholeness and strength.  May he deliver thee from all evil, preserve
thee in all goodness, and bring thee to everlasting life; through Jesus
Christ our Lord.  Amen.

� If Communion is not to follow, the Lord's Prayer is said here.

� The Priest concludes

The Almighty Lord, who is a strong tower to all who put their trust in him,
to whom all things in heaven, on earth, and under the earth bow and obey:
Be now evermore thy defense, and make thee know and feel that the only
Name under heaven given for health and salvation is the Name of our Lord
Jesus Christ.  Amen.

	Almighty God, who hast given thy only Son to be unto us both a
	sacrifice for sin and also an example of godly life: Give us
	grace that we may always most thankfully receive that his
	inestimable benefit, and also daily endeavor ourselves to
	follow the blessed steps of his most holy life; through the
	same Jesus Christ thy Son our Lord, who liveth and reigneth
	with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.  Amen.

	O God, who hast taken to thyself the blessed Virgin Mary,
	mother of thy incarnate Son: Grant that we, who have been
	redeemed by his blood, may share with her the glory of thine
	eternal kingdom; through the same thy Son Jesus Christ our
	Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the
	Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.  Amen.

                                -------

The honor paid to Mary, the virgin mother of Jesus Christ our Lord and
God, goes back to the earliest days of the Church.  Indeed, it goes back
further, for even before the birth of her Son, Mary prophesied, "From
this time forth, all generations shall call me blessed."

Matthew and Luke both tell us of the birth and infancy of Christ, and
the loving care he received as an infant from his mother Mary and her
husband Joseph.  Luke gives us a further glimpse of his boyhood and his
upbringing by them.  John reports how Jesus at Cana worked his first
miracle at her intercession.  At the end of his life, when most of his
disciples had fled, she stood loyally by his cross, and she was among
those present in the upper room when the Spirit descended at Pentecost.
Thus, her life was linked with the chief events in the life of her Son.

Besides Jesus himself, only two humans are mentioned by name in the
Creeds.  One is Pontius Pilate, Roman procurator of Judea from 26 to 36 AD. 
That Jesus was crucified by order of Pontius Pilate pins down the date of
his death within a few years, and certifies that we are not talking, like
the worshippers of Tammuz or Adonis, about a personification or symbol of
the annual death and resurrection of the crops.  His death is an event in
history, something that really happened.

The other name is that of Mary.  The Creeds say that Christ was "born of
the virgin Mary."  That is to say, they assert on the one hand that he
was truly and fully human, born of a woman and not descended from the
skies like an angel.  On the other hand, by telling us that his mother
was a virgin they exclude the theory that he was simply an ordinary man
who was so virtuous that he eventually, at his baptism, became filled
with the Spirit of God.  His virgin birth attests to the fact that he was
always more than merely human, always one whose presence among us was in
itself a miracle, from the first moment of his earthly existence.  In
Mary, Virgin and Mother, God gives us a sign that Jesus is both truly
God and truly Man.

Little is known of her life except insofar as it intersects with the
life of her Son, and there is an appropriateness in this.  The Scriptures
record her words to the angel Gabriel, to her kinswoman Elizabeth, to
her Son on two occasions.  But the only recorded saying of hers to what
may be called ordinary, run-of-the-mill hearers is her instruction to
the servants at the wedding feast, to whom she says simply, indicating
her Son, "Whatever he says to you, do it."

This we may take to be the summation of her message to the world.  If we
listen to her, she will tell us, "Listen to Him.  Listen to my Son.  Do
what He tells you."  When we see her, we see her pointing to her Son.  If
our regard for the Blessed Virgin does not have the immediate effect of
turning our attention from her to the One whom she carried in her womb
for nine months and suckled at her breast, to the Incarnate God, the
Word made flesh, then we may be sure that it is not the kind of regard
that she seeks.  A right regard for her will always direct us to Him Who
found in her His first earthly dwelling-place.

READING: Isaiah 61:10-11
 ("I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, who has clothed me with
 righteousness, as a bride is decked with rich jewels.")

PSALM 34:1-9
 ("O taste and see how gracious the LORD is; blessed are all they
 that put their trust in Him.")

EPISTLE: Galatians 4:4-7
 ("But when the fulness of time was come, God sent his Son, born of
 an earthly mother...that we might by adoption become the offspring
 of a Heavenly Father.")

THE HOLY GOSPEL: Luke 1:46-55
 (And Mary said: "My soul magnifies the LORD...for the Mighty One
 has done great things for me...as he promised to Abraham and his
 seed forever.")

	Grant, we beseech thee, merciful God, that thy Church,
	being gathered together in unity by thy Holy Spirit, may
	manifest thy power among all peoples, to the glory of thy
	Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and
	reigneth with thee and the same Spirit, one God, world
	without end.  Amen.

							[21 August 1994]

	O Almighty and everlasting God, who didst give to thine
	apostle Bartholomew grace truly to believe and to preach thy
	Word: Grant, we beseech thee, unto thy Church to love what
	he believed and to preach what he taught: through Jesus
	Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the
	Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.  Amen.

							[24 August]

	Lord of all power and might, who art the author and giver of
	all good things: Graft in our hearts the love of thy Name,
	increase in us true religion, nourish us with all goodness,
	and bring forth in us the fruit of good works; through Jesus
	Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the
	Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.  Amen.

							[28 August 1994]

	Grant us, O Lord, we pray thee, to trust in thee with all our
	heart; seeing that, as thou dost alway resist the proud who
	confide in their own strength, so thou dost not forsake those
	who make their boast of thy mercy; through Jesus Christ our
	Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit,
	one God, now and for ever.  Amen.

							[4 September 1994]

	O God, forasmuch as without thee we are not able to please
	thee, mercifully grant that thy Holy Spirit may in all things
	direct and rule our hearts; through Jesus Christ our Lord,
	who with thee and the same Spirit liveth and reigneth, one
	God, now and for ever.  Amen.

							[11 September 1994]

	Almighty God, whose Son our Saviour Jesus Christ was lifted
	high upon the cross that he might draw the whole world unto
	himself: Mercifully grant that we, who glory in the mystery
	of our redemption, may have grace to take up our cross and
	follow him; who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy
	Spirit, one God, in glory everlasting.  Amen.


	O God, who by the passion of thy blessed Son didst make an
	instrument of shameful death to be unto us the means of life
	and peace: Grant us so to glory in the cross of Christ, that
	we may gladly suffer shame and loss for the sake of thy Son
	our Saviour Jesus Christ; who liveth and reigneth with thee
	and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.  Amen.

	Grant us, O Lord, not to mind earthly things, but to love
	things heavenly; and even now, while we are placed among
	things that are passing away, to cleave to those that shall
	abide; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and
	reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever
	and ever.  Amen.

	We thank thee, heavenly Father, for the witness of thine
	apostle and evangelist Matthew to the Gospel of thy Son our
	Saviour; and we pray that, after his example, we may with
	ready wills and hearts obey the calling of our Lord to follow
	him; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth
	with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.  Amen.

	Almighty God, the giver of all good gifts, who of thy divine
	providence hast appointed various orders in thy Church:
	Give thy grace, we humbly beseech thee, to all who are
	called to any office and ministry for thy people; and so fill
	them with the truth of thy doctrine and clothe them with
	holiness of life, that they may faithfully serve before thee,
	to the glory of thy great Name and for the benefit of thy holy
	Church; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and
	reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one
	God, now and for ever.  Amen.

	O God of unchangeable power and eternal light:  Look
	favorably upon thy whole Church, that wonderful and sacred
	mystery; and by the tranquil operation of thy providence, carry
	out the work of man's salvation; let the whole world see and
	know that things which were cast down are being raised up,
	and things are being renewed unto the perfection of him through
	whom all things were made, thy Son our Lord Jesus Christ,
	who liveth and reigneth with thee in the unity of the Holy
	Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.  Amen.

	O God, who declarest thy almighty power chiefly in showing
	mercy and pity: Mercifully grant unto us such a measure of
	thy grace, that we, running to obtain thy promises, may be
	made partakers of thy heavenly treasure; through Jesus Christ
	our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy
	Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.  Amen.

LANCELOT ANDREWES, BISHOP AND SCHOLAR (26 SEPT 1626)

Lancelot Andrewes (1555-1626), Bishop of Winchester, was on the
committee of scholars that produced the King James Translation of
the Bible, and probably contributed more to that work than any other
single person. It is accordingly no surprise to find him not only a
devout writer but a learned and eloquent one, a master of English
prose, and learned in Latin, Greek, Hebrew and eighteen other
languages. His sermons were popular in his own day, but are perhaps
too academic for most modern readers. He prepared for his own use a
manuscript notebook of Private Prayers, which was published after
his death. The material was apparently intended, not to be read
aloud, but to serve as a guide and stimulus to devout meditation.

     What follows is a brief extract from the section for Thursday
Morning. The reader will note that he commemorates three events
associated with Thursday: (1) the creation of air and water animals
(mostly birds and fish) on the Fifth Day of Creation as described in
Genesis 1; (2) the institution of the Sacrament of the Lord's supper
by Our Lord Jesus Christ on the evening before He was crucified
(Matthew 26); and (3) the Ascension of Our Lord into heaven forty
days after His resurrection (Acts 1).

      COMMEMORATION

      Blessed art Thou, O Lord
      who didst bring forth of water
      moving creatures that have life,
      and whales,
      and winged fowls:
      and didst bless them,
      so as to increase and multiply.

      The things concerning the Ascension:
      Set up Thyself, O God, above the heavens
      and Thy glory above all the earth.
      By thine Ascension
      draw us withal unto Thee, O Lord,
      so as to set our affections on things above,
      and not on things on the earth.

      By the awful mystery of Thy Holy Body and Precious
      Blood in the evening of this day:
      Lord, have mercy.

      FAITH

      Coming unto God,
      I believe that He is,
      and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him:
      I know that my Redeemer liveth;
      that He is the Christ the Son of the Living God;
      that He is indeed the Saviour of the world;
      that He came into the world to save sinners,
      of whom I am chief.
      Through the grace of Jesus Christ
      we believe that we shall be saved
      even as our fathers withal.
      I believe verily to see the goodness of the Lord
      in the land of the living.

      THANKSGIVING

      O my Lord, my Lord, I thank Thee
      for that I am,
        that I am alive,
        that I am rational:
      for nurture,
        preservation,
        governance:
      for education,
        citizenship,
        religion:
      for Thy gifts of grace,
               nature,
               estate:
      for redemption,
        regeneration,
        instruction:
      for calling,
        recalling,
        further calling manifold:
      for forbearance,
        longsuffering,
        long longsuffering towards me,
             many times,
             many years,
                   until now:
      for all good offices I have received,
          good speed I have gotten:
      for any good thing done:
        for the use of things present,
          thy promise
          and my hope
            touching the fruition of the good things to come:
      for my parents honest and good,
         teachers gentle,
         benefactors always to be had in remembrance,
         colleagues likeminded,
         hearers attentive,
         friends sincere,
         retainers faithful:
      for all who have stood me in good stead
        by their writings,
          their sermons,
             conversations,
             prayers,
             examples,
             rebukes,
             wrongs:
      for these things and all other,
        which I wot of, which I wot not of,
        open and secret,
        things I remember, things I have forgotten withal,
        things done to me after my will or yet against my will,
      I confess to Thee and bless Thee and give thanks unto Thee,
      and I will confess and bless and give thanks to Thee
      all the days of my life.
      What thanks can I render to God again
      for all the benefits that He hath done unto me?

           HOLY, HOLY, HOLY
      Thou are worthy, O Lord and our God, the Holy One,
       to receive the glory and the honour and the power:
        for Thou hast created all things,
         and for Thy pleasure they are and were created.

PRAYER

   O Lord and Father, our King and God, by whose grace the Church
   was enriched by the great learning and eloquent preaching of
   thy servant Lancelot Andrewes, but even more by his example of
   biblical and liturgical prayer: Conform our lives, like his,
   we beseech thee, to the image of Christ, that our hearts may
   love thee, our minds serve thee, and our lips proclaim the
   greatness of thy mercy; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord,
   who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God,
   now and for ever.  Amen.

	O everlasting God, who hast ordained and constituted the
	ministries of angels and men in a wonderful order: Mercifully
	grant that, as thy holy angels always serve and worship thee
	in heaven, so by thy appointment they may help and defend us
	on earth; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and
	reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever
	and ever.  Amen.

	Almighty and everlasting God, who art always more ready to
	hear than we to pray, and art wont to give more than either
	we desire or deserve: Pour down upon us the abundance of
	thy mercy, forgiving us those things whereof our conscience
	is afraid, and giving us those good things which we are not
	worthy to ask, but through the merits and mediation of Jesus
	Christ thy Son our Lord; who liveth and reigneth with thee
	and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.  Amen.

	Lord, we pray thee that thy grace may always precede and
	follow us, and make us continually to be given to all good
	works; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and
	reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and
	for ever.  Amen.

	Almighty and everlasting God, who in Christ hast revealed
	thy glory among the nations: Preserve the works of thy
	mercy, that thy Church throughout the world may persevere
	with steadfast faith in the confession of thy Name; through
	the same Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with
	thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.  Amen.

    What are "the works of thy mercy?"

>    What are "the works of thy mercy?"

All that God has created.

Here is an older (and more clear) translation of that same prayer:

        Almighty and everlasting God, who hast in Christ made manifest
        thy glory unto all mankind: we beseech thee that thou wouldest
        preserve those things which of thy mercy thou hast created;
        that thy Church, being spread abroad through all the world,
        may steadfastly abide in the confession of thy holy Name.
        Through the same Christ our Lord...  Amen.

	Almighty God, who didst inspire thy servant Luke the
	physician to set forth in the Gospel the love and healing
	power of thy Son: Graciously continue in thy Church the like
	love and power to heal, to the praise and glory of thy Name;
	through the same thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth
	and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one
	God, now and for ever.  Amen.

	Almighty and everlasting God, give unto us the increase of
	faith, hope, and charity; and, that we may obtain that which
	thou dost promise, make us to love that which thou dost
	command; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and
	reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever
	and ever.  Amen.

	Grant, we beseech thee, O God, that after the example of thy
	servant James the Just, brother of our Lord, thy Church may
	give itself continually to prayer and to the reconciliation of
	all who are at variance and enmity; through the same our
	Lord Jesus Christ, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the
	Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.  Amen.

    No offense intended, but it seems a lot of these are rote prayers.  Do 
    they ever pray from the heart?  It seems to me that Abba Father would
    want to hear from our hearts as well.  It seems to make the relationship 
    so much more personal.
    
    Mike

Every rote prayer was a prayer from the heart first.

Every rote prayer can be made a prayer from the heart again.

It's perfectly true that we can easily slip into rote mode when repeating
pre-written prayers.  We just mumble the words, and our hearts are far from
God.  And probably more often that not pre-written prayers sadly wind up
being prayed in just this way.  Most of our prayers can and should come from
the heart - telling God what is pressing on our hearts, and what we want to
pour out to Him and hear from Him.

But pre-written prayers have a function too.  It's sort of like preaching
from a lexicon - it challenges us to think of things and pray in ways that we
might not otherwise do.  A preacher can easily fall into preaching and
re-preaching the same messages that are important ones to him, missing and
leaving out whole segments of truth that needs to be preached because it's
not "on his heart."  Using a lexicon that makes a preacher think about
scriptures they might not otherwise address.

In the same way, a pre-written prayer, if you put your heart into it, can
lead you in directions that you might otherwise miss, into pastures you might
otherwise overlook.

I wouldn't want to focus my prayer life around pre-written prayers, but I
wouldn't scorn them either.

As an aside, perhaps all these prayers could be moved to a topic with an
appropriate title?  "Question on Episcopal Church" doesn't describe at all
the content of nearly all the replies to this note.

Paul

I grew up in the church that sang the doxology every Sunday.  It was committed
to memory.

One day, as an adult, the words struck me as if for the very first time.

Praise God from whom all blessings flow!
Praise Him all creatures here below!
Praise Him above, ye heavenly host!
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost!

I learned it as rote.  One day it became alive in me.

Mark

     I'm not sure at what time period this began, but Judaism is also
     rich in liturgy.  There are prayer books known as siddurs with
     many pre-written prayers for just about every occasion and event
     in Jewish life.  

     But the rabbis have stressed something known as kavanah or intent - 
     it doesn't matter just what you do or what you say, but you must do
     and say the prayers, liturgy, or deeds (service to the Lord, mitzvah)
     with all your heart and mind, your intentions must be from the heart 
     and not from rote.  You need to focus on what you're doing and why 
     you're doing it.

     We've been going to a Messianic Jewish synagogue for the last 
     several months, and several times over the course of that time 
     the rabbi has admonished the congregation to really pay attention
     to what we are saying while reciting the liturgy.  During one 
     service, he interupted the liturgy, and said something along the lines
     of, "I want everyone to slow down, we're going through this too 
     fast, you need to be able think about it as you say it."

     I used to be dis-satisfied with services that followed a liturgy -
     whether it was the Lutheran church my family went to when I was a
     youngster, or other churches I visited with friends.  Now I can accept 
     pre-written prayers and liturgy, but only when they are done 
     with kavanah.  

     Also, in a group worship situation, its possible for someone to allow 
     their mind to wander while someone is speaking, or a song is being song,
     or prayer is said, whether or not its part of a pre-written liturgy.
     It is up to each individual to direct and focus their thoughts in 
     either situation.

     Leslie

re .145

No, they are not "rote" prayers.  They are "written" prayers.  Formal,
liturgical prayers.  "Rote" would mean memorized or said mechanically
with no attention paid to the meaning.

That's not the case at all.  They are often related to the scripture
readings for the day; they can be interwoven and discussed in the
sermon.

The last few replies have been good; this was also already discussed
in this topic back about replies .13-.19.

/john

P.S.: It would be nice if a moderator could please change the topic title
      to simply "The Episcopal Church" instead of "Question on..."

� P.S.: It would be nice if a moderator could please change the topic title
�       to simply "The Episcopal Church" instead of "Question on..."

  Done.

								Andrew

	Almighty God, unto whom all hearts are open, all desires
	known, and from whom no secrets are hid:  Cleanse the thoughts
	of our hearts by the inspiration of thy Holy Spirit, that we
	may perfectly love thee, and worthily magnify thy holy Name;
	through Christ our Lord.  Amen.


		This is possibly the quintessential Anglican
		prayer; it is said at the beginning of every
		celebration of the Holy Eucharist.

    Same application for the Lutheran Church.  Many other similarities 
    as well.
    
    Otto

	O God, we thank thee for the glorious company of the
	apostles, and especially on this day for Simon and Jude;
	and we pray that, as they were faithful and zealous in
	their mission, so we may with ardent devotion make known
	the love and mercy of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ;
	who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one
	God, for ever and ever.  Amen.

	Almighty and merciful God, of whose only gift it cometh that
	thy faithful people do unto thee true and laudable service:
	Grant, we beseech thee, that we may run without stumbling
	to obtain thy heavenly promises; through Jesus Christ our
	Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit,
	one God, now and for ever.  Amen.

	O Almighty God, who hast knit together thine elect in one
	communion and fellowship in the mystical body of thy Son
	Christ our Lord:  Grant us grace so to follow thy blessed
	saints in all virtuous and godly living, that we may come
	to those ineffable joys which thou hast prepared for those
	who unfeignedly love thee: through the same Jesus Christ our
	Lord, who with thee and the Holy Spirit liveth and reigneth,
	one God, in glory everlasting.  Amen.

	O eternal Lord God, who holdest all souls in life: Give,
	we beseech thee, to thy whole Church in paradise and on
	earth thy light and peace; and grant that we, following
	the good examples of those who have served thee here and
	are now at rest, may at the last enter with them into
	thine unending joy; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who
	liveth and riegneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy
	Ghost, one God, now and for ever.  Amen.

	O God, whose blessed Son was manifested that he might
	destroy the words of the devil and make us the children of
	God and heirs of eternal life: Grant us, we beseech thee, that,
	having this hope, we may purify ourselves even as he is pure;
	that, when he shall appear again with power and great glory,
	we may be made like unto him in his eternal and glorious
	kingdom; where with thee, O Father, and thee, O Holy Ghost,
	he liveth and reigneth ever, one God, world without end.  Amen.

	O Lord our Governor, we beseech thee to bless the leaders of
	our land, that we may be a people at peace among ourselves
	and a blessing to other nations of the earth.

	R. Lord, keep this nation under thy care.

	To the President and members of the Cabinet, to Governors of
	States, Mayors of Cities, and to all in administrative authority,
	grant wisdom and grace in the exercise of their duties.

	R. Give grace to thy servants, O Lord.

	To Senators and Representatives, and those who make our laws
	in States, Cities, and Towns, give courage, wisdom, and
	forsight to provide for the needs of all our people, and to
	fulfill our obligations in the community of nations.

	R. Give grace to thy servants, O Lord.

	To the Judges and officers of our Courts give understanding
	and integrity, that human rights may be safeguarded and
	justice served.

	R. Give grace to thy servants, O Lord.

	And finally, teach our people to rely on thy strength and to
	accept their responsibilities to their fellow citizens, that they
	may elect trustworthy leaders and make wise decisions for the
	well-being of our society; that we may serve thee faithfully in
	our generation and honor thy Holy Name.

	R. For thine is the kingdom, O Lord, and thou art exalted as
	head above all.  Amen.

	Blessed Lord, who hast caused all holy Scriptures to be
	written for our learning: Grant that we may in such wise
	hear them, read mark, learn, and inwardly digest them; that,
	by patience and comfort of thy holy Word, we may embrace
	and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life, which
	thou hast given us in our Saviour Jesus Christ; who liveth and
	reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, one God, for ever and
	ever.  Amen.

	Almighty and everlasting God, whose will it is to restore all
	things in thy well-beloved Son, the King of kings and Lord of
	lords: Mercifully grant that the peoples of the earth, divided
	and enslaved by sin, may be freed and brought together under
	his most gracious rule; who liveth and reigneth with thee and
	the Holy Ghost, one God, now and for ever.  Amen.

	Most gracious God, by whose knowledge the depths are broken
	up and the clouds drop down the dew:  We yield thee hearty
	thanks and praise for the return of seedtime and harvest,
	for the increase of the ground and the gathering in of its
	fruits, and for all the other blessings of thy merciful
	providence upon this nation and people.  And, we beseech
	thee, give us a just sense of these great mercies, such as
	may appear in our lives by a humble, holy, and obedient
	walking before thee all our days; through Jesus Christ our
	Lord, to whom, with thee and the Holy Ghost be all glory
	and honor, world without end.  Amen.

	Almighty God, give us grace that we may cast away the
	works of darkness, and put upon us the armor of light, now
	in the time of this mortal life in which thy Son Jesus Christ
	came to visit us in great humility; that in the last day, when
	he shall come again in his glorious majesty to judge both the
	quick and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal; through
	him who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost,
	one God, now and for ever.  Amen.

	Almighty God, who gave such grace to your apostle Andrew
	that he readily obeyed the call of your Son Jesus Christ, and
	brought his brother with him:  Give us, who are called by
	your holy Word, grace to follow him without delay, and to
	bring those near to us into his gracious presence; who lives
	and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and
	for ever.  Amen.

	Merciful God, who sent thy messengers the prophets to
	preach repentance and prepare the way for our salvation:
	Give us grace to heed their warnings and forsake our sins,
	that we may greet with joy the coming of Jesus Christ our
	Redeemer; who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy
	Spirit, one God, now and for ever.  Amen.

	Almighty and eternal God, so draw our hearts to thee, so guide
	our minds, so fill our imaginations, so control our wills, that
	we may be wholly thine, utterly dedicated unto thee; and then
	use us, we pray thee, as thou wilt, and always to thy glory and
	the welfare of thy people; through our Lord and Saviour Jesus
	Christ.  Amen.

THE ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY'S CHRISTMAS MESSAGE

The Most Reverend and Right Honourable George L Carey

I wonder where you were last Christmas! My experience was quite unique.

    It began normally enough with Christmas in Canterbury. There seemed to
be more people than ever celebrating Christmas. In the shopping precincts
on Christmas Eve I joined with three thousand people singing carols. The
Cathedral, also, was packed with worshippers on Christmas Eve and Christmas
Day. As I preached at the Eucharist, I could see the faces of young and
old, from all walks of life, gathered before the altar to hear once again
the message of peace and joy that this season brings. It is clear that in
this Decade of Evangelism we are being made aware that people are yearning
to hear the proclamation that God loves them and sent his Son into the
world that we might have life.

    The usual round of family activities followed the cathedral service.
But during the festivities, we were planning for a rather unusual New Year.
My wife and I, together with colleagues, were to spend a few days over the
New Year with the wonderful people of Sudan. I had accepted an invitation
from the Archbishop and the people of the Episcopal Church to visit their
Province. Many of you will have read about the visit. It was a vigorous and
exhilarating time and I was sad not to be able to visit the whole country.
People in the Sudan, and many other places, suffer enormously from the
effects of war and famine, and are crying out for help, so I was delighted
recently to find that the Appeal to help the people of Sudan which I set up
on my return has raised over �300,000.

    My heart bleeds for Rwanda at this time. For me the agony of that
suffering land is caught by a sad letter from the wife of a former student
who was murdered in the terrible massacre. She has five children and her
letter to me says simply: 'Please, please, help us'. How can we help her
and the many thousands of Anglicans and others who are still enduring
untold miseries?  How may we build up our Communion so that we may move
faster when fellow Anglicans need help? I am conscious from my experience
of the Sudan and my feelings of impotence with regard to Rwanda that we
need structures that will truly make us a Communion. As plans are being
made for Lambeth 98 this is one practical thing that ought to engage the
minds of all bishops. In the meantime pray for Rwanda and let us all seek
to assist the Church there.

    So my dear friends, whoever you are and wherever you are, may your
Christmas this year lead you to transcend all the uncertainties of this
suffering and sinful, yet beautiful, world, to live in a Communion of
unbroken joy with a Father who loves, a Son who is one with us and a Spirit
who indwells us.

    I pray that our Communion will remain faithful to God's call as we look
to 1995, and begin to prepare for the next Lambeth Conference in 1998.

    My wife, Eileen, joins me in wishing you a happy and holy Christmas and
a New Year filled with peace and joy.

+Cantuar

   
   	Stir up thy power, O Lord, and with great might come
   	among us; and, because we are sorely hindered by our sins,
   	let thy bountiful grace and mercy speedily help and deliver
   	us; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with thee and
   	the Holy Ghost, be honor and glory, world without end.
   	Amen.
   

	We beseech thee, Almighty God, to purify our consciences by
	thy daily visitation, that when thy Son our Lord cometh he
	may find in us a mansion prepared for himself; through the
	same Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with
	thee, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for
	ever.  Amen.

	Almighty and everliving God, who didst strengthen thine apostle
	Thomas with sure and certain faith in thy Son's resurrection:
	Grant us so perfectly and without doubt to believe in Jesus
	Christ, our Lord and our God, that our faith may never be found
	wanting in thy sight; through him who liveth and reigneth with
	thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.  Amen.

	O God, who makest us glad with the yearly remembrance of
	the birth of thy only Son Jesus Christ: Grant that as we
	joyfully receive him for our Redeemer, so we may with sure
	confidence behold him when he shall come to be our Judge;
	who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, one
	God, world without end.  Amen.

	O God, who hast caused this holy night to shine with the
	illumination of the true Light: Grant us, we beseech thee,
	that as we have known the mystery of that Light upon earth,
	so may we also perfectly enjoy him in heaven; where with
	thee and the Holy Spirit he liveth and reigneth, one God,
	in glory everlasting.  Amen.

	Almighty God, who hast given us thy only-begotten Son to
	take our nature upon him and as at this time to be born of a
	pure virgin: Grant that we, being regenerate and made thy
	children by adoption and grace, may daily be renewed by thy
	Holy Spirit; through the same our Lord Jesus Christ, who
	liveth and reigneth with thee and the same Spirit ever, one
	God, world without end.  Amen.

	We give thee thanks, O Lord of glory, for the example of the
	first martyr Stephen, who looked up to heaven and prayed
	for his persecutors to thy Son Jesus Christ, who standeth at
	thy right hand; where he liveth and reigneth with thee and
	the Holy Ghost, one God, in glory everlasting.  Amen.

	Shed upon thy Church, we beseech thee, O Lord, the
	brightness of thy light; that we, being illumined by the
	teaching of thine apostle and evangelist John, may so walk
	in the light of thy truth, that we may at length attain to the
	fullness of life everlasting; through Jesus Christ our Lord,
	who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one
	God, for ever and ever.  Amen.

	We remember this day, O God, the slaughter of the holy
	innocents of Bethlehem by the order of King Herod.  Receive,
	we beseech thee, into the arms of thy mercy all innocent
	victims; and by thy great might frustrate the designs of evil
	tyrants and establish thy rule of justice, love, and peace;
	through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with
	thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, for ever and
	ever.  Amen.

	Eternal Father, who didst give to thine incarnate Son the holy
	name of Jesus to be the sign of our salvation: Plant in every
	heart, we beseech thee, the love of him who is the Saviour of
	the world, even our Lord Jesus Christ; who liveth and
	reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, in glory
	everlasting.  Amen.

	O God, who by the leading of a star didst manifest thy
	only-begotten Son to the peoples of the earth:  Lead us,
	who know thee now by faith, to thy presence, where we may
	behold thy glory face to face; through the same Jesus
	Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and
	the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.  Amen.

	Father in heaven, who at the baptism of Jesus in the River
	Jordan didst proclaim him thy beloved Son and anoint him
	with the Holy Spirit: Grant that all who are baptized into
	his Name may keep the covenant they have made, and boldly
	confess him as Lord and Saviour; who with thee and the same
	Spirit liveth and reigneth, one God, in glory everlasting.
	Amen.

	Almighty God, whose Son our Saviour Jesus Christ is the light
	of the world: Grant that thy people, illumined by thy Word
	and Sacraments, may shine with the radiance of Christ's
	glory, that he may be known, worshiped, and obeyed to the
	ends of the earth; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord,
	who with thee and the Holy Spirit liveth and reigneth, one
	God, now and for ever.  Amen.

	Give us grace, O Lord, to answer readily the call of our
	Saviour Jesus Christ and proclaim to all people the Good
	News of his salvation, that we and all the whole world may
	perceive the glory of his marvelous works; who liveth and
	reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever
	and ever.  Amen.

	Almighty and everlasting God, who dost govern all things in
	heaven and earth: Mercifully hear the supplications of thy
	people, and in our time grant us thy peace; through Jesus
	Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the
	Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.  Amen.

	Almighty and everliving God, we humbly beseech thee that,
	as thy only-begotten Son was this day presented in the
	temple, so we may be presented unto thee with pure and
	clean hearts by the same thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord; who
	liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God,
	now and for ever.  Amen.

	O God, the strength of all who put their trust in you:
	Mercifully accept our prayers; and because in our weakness
	we can do nothing good without you, give us the help of your
	grace, that in keeping your commandments we may please
	you both in will and deed; through Jesus Christ our Lord,
	who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God,
	for ever and ever.  Amen.

	O Lord, who hast taught us that all our doings without
	charity are nothing worth: Send thy Holy Ghost and pour
	into our hearts that most excellent gift of charity, the very
	bond of peace and of all virtues, without which whosoever
	liveth is counted dead before thee.  Grant this for thine only
	Son Jesus Christ's sake, who liveth and reigneth with thee
	and the same Holy Ghost, one God, now and for ever.  Amen.

	O God, who before the passion of thy only-begotten Son
	didst reveal his glory upon the holy mount:  Grant unto us
	that we, beholding by faith the light of his countenance, may
	be strengthened to bear our cross, and be changed into his
	likeness from glory to glory; through the same Jesus Christ
	our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy
	Ghost, one God, for ever and ever.  Amen.

	Almighty and everlasting God, who hatest nothing that thou
	hast made and dost forgive the sins of all those who are
	penitent:  Create and make in us new and contrite hearts,
	that we, worthily lamenting our sins and acknowledging our
	wretchedness, may obtain of thee, the God of all mercy,
	perfect remission and forgiveness; through Jesus Christ
	our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy
	Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.  Amen.

	Almighty God, whose blessed Son was led by the Spirit to be
	tempted of Satan: Make speed to help thy servants who are
	assaulted by manifold temptations; and, as thou knowest
	their several infirmities, let each one find thee mighty
	to save; through Jesus Christ thy Son our Lord, who liveth
	and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, now
	and for ever.  Amen.

	O God, whose glory it is always to have mercy: Be gracious
	to all who have gone astray from thy ways, and bring them
	again with penitent hearts and steadfast faith to embrace and
	hold fast the unchangeable truth of thy Word, Jesus Christ
	thy Son; who with thee and the Holy Ghost liveth and
	reigneth, one God, for ever and ever.   Amen.

            THE CHURCH OF THE ADVENT (ANGLICAN - EPISCOPAL) BOSTON

                         THE SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT
                              December 10, 1995
     
Solemn Mass                                                           11:00 a.m.
     
PRELUDE: Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland               Johann Pachelbel (1653-1706)
HYMN 76: On Jordan's bank the Baptist's cry                       Winchester New
INTROIT: Populus Sion                                                   Mode VII
     ANTIPHON: O people of Sion, behold, the Lord is nigh at hand to
     redeem the nations: and in the gladness of your heart the Lord shall
     cause his glorious voice to be heard. PSALM: Hear, O thou Shepherd of
     Israel: thou that leadest Joseph like a sheep. GLORIA PATRI. Repeat
     ANTIPHON.
OPENING ACCLAMATION                                        Prayer Book, page 323
COLLECT FOR PURITY                                         Prayer Book, page 323
SUMMARY OF THE LAW                                         Prayer Book, page 324
ORDINARY OF THE MASS: Messe basse                     *Gabriel Faur� (1845-1924)
*KYRIE ELEISON                                             Prayer Book, page 324
COLLECT OF THE DAY                                         Prayer Book, page 159
                           THE LITURGY OF THE WORD
FIRST READING: Isaiah 11:1-10                                 Lectionary, page 7
PSALM 72                                                                Tone VIc
     Give the King thy judgments, O God, * and thy righteousness unto the
     King's son. 2 Then shall he judge thy people according unto right, *
     and defend the poor. 3 The mountains also shall bring peace, * and
     the little hills righteousness unto the people. 4 He shall keep the
     simple folk by their right, * defend the children of the poor, and
     punish the wrong doer. 5 They shall fear thee, as long as the sun and
     moon endureth, * from one generation to another. 6 He shall come down
     like the rain upon the mown grass, * even as the drops that water the
     earth. 7 In his time shall the righteous flourish; * yea, and
     abundance of peace, so long as the moon endureth. 8 His dominion
     shall be also from one sea to the other, * and from the River unto
     the world's end. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, * and to the
     Holy Ghost; As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, *
     world without end. Amen.
SECOND READING: Romans 15:4-13                                Lectionary, page 7
GRADUAL: Ex Sion species                                                  Mode V
     Out of Sion hath God appeared: in perfect beauty. V. Gather my saints
     together unto me: those that have made a covenant with me with
     sacrifice.
ALLELUIA: Laetatus sum                                                   Mode VI
     V. Alleluia. R. Alleluia.
     V. I was glad when they said unto me: we will go into the house of
        the Lord. R. Alleluia.
THE HOLY GOSPEL: Matthew 3:1-12                               Lectionary, page 8
HYMN 60: Creator of the stars of night                     Conditor alme siderum
SERMON                                                                 Fr. Liias
NICENE CREED                                               Prayer Book, page 327
PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE                                      Prayer Book, page 328
CONFESSION OF SIN                                          Prayer Book, page 331
                         THE LITURGY OF THE EUCHARIST
OFFERTORY ANTHEM: Audivi vocem de coelo             John Sheppard (c. 1515-1558)
     I heard a voice from heaven: Come, all ye most wise virgins! Keep the
     oil in your jars, until the bridegroom cometh. At midnight came the
     cry: Behold the bridegroom cometh. Keep the oil in your jars, until
     the bridegroom cometh. (Matthew 25:4-6)
OFFERTORY SENTENCE: Deus tu convertens                                   Mode II
     Wilt not thou turn again, O God, and quicken us; that thy people may
     rejoice in thee: show us thy mercy, O Lord; and grant us thy
     salvation.
HYMN 56: O come, O come, Emmanuel                           Veni, veni, Emmanuel
SURSUM CORDA                                               Prayer Book, page 333
PROPER PREFACE
*SANCTUS AND BENEDICTUS                                    Prayer Book, page 334
PRAYER OF CONSECRATION
THE LORD'S PRAYER                                                  Hymnal, S-119
THE FRACTION                                               Prayer Book, page 337
PRAYER OF HUMBLE ACCESS AND *AGNUS DEI
INVITATION TO COMMUNION
COMMUNION SENTENCE: Jerusalem surge                                       Mode I
     Jerusalem, haste thee, and stand on high: and behold the joy of
     gladness that cometh unto thee from God thy Saviour.
HYMN 54: Savior of the nations, come!               Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland
MOTET: Up! Awake! from highest steeple       Wachet auf, tune by Philipp Nicolai
                                                       arranged by Philip Ledger
     Up! awake! from highest steeple, Awake! awake the bridegroom comes.
     The watchmen cry, awake! ye people, O Salem, from thy slumber rise.
     Hear those clarion voices knelling The hour of midnight loud forth
     telling, Say, where are ye, O virgins wise? The bridegroom comes,
     awake! Up! lamp and lantern take, Awake, alleluia! With ready light
     ye must tonight Go forth to join the marriage rite, Awake! awake! the
     bridegroom comes.
POSTCOMMUNION PRAYER                                       Prayer Book, page 339
BLESSING AND DISMISSAL                                     Prayer Book, page 339
HYMN 73: The King shall come when morning dawns                      St. Stephen
POSTLUDE: Fuga sopra: Magnificat, BWV 733      Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
           Rachel Bruhn, soprano, is the soloist in the Faur� Mass