January Grace Notes
Jan 01, 2010
What’s in a name? This can be a complicated question but the answer can be very enlightening. What’s in a prayer book? The answer to this question is also complicated but very enlightening indeed. I won’t even begin to give a complete answer to such a question here; but a historical overview is in order nonetheless. To date, our current prayer book, The Book of Common Prayer 1979, has been in use for thirty-one years. The one before that, The Book of Common Prayer 1928, was in use for fifty-one years. The predecessor of the 1928 was The Book of Common Prayer 1892 and was the standard for thirty-six years. Last but not least, the first American prayer book, The Book of Common Prayer 1789, was used in The Episcopal Church USA for 103 years and was adapted from The Episcopal Church of Scotland’s Book of Common Prayer 1637/1764 and The Church of England’s Book of Common Prayer 1662 (and there were/are three English/C of E prayer books before that—Books of Common Prayer 1549, 1552 and 1559). Now there are also numerous other international editions of the BCP in the over 160 countries in which the Episcopal/Anglican tradition finds a home.
Now this topic may seem strange for the first newsletter of 2010; however, a new year can be a time of new expectations, new commitments and new beginnings, and this year Grace Church will be reaching back into its history for something new to many, yet, at the same time, something old. Beginning the first Sunday in February 2010 at the 8:30 a.m. service and continuing on the first Sunday of each month thereafter at 8:30 a.m., we will begin using the Eucharistic Rite from the BCP 1928. You may ask how this is possible. Until ten years ago it was not possible. At the 2000 General Convention of The Episcopal Church in Denver a resolution was passed allowing the occasional use of the BCP 1928 and other authorized prayer books of the Anglican Communion as approved by the diocesan bishop.
New prayer books are actually not a new thing around here, as Grace Church has used all four American prayer books over the course of its 120 year history—1789, 1892, 1928 & 1979. Of course, we will continue to use the BCP 1979 for all other services; but using the 1928 Book of Common Prayer once a month in the 8:30 Sunday morning celebration of the Holy Eucharist will give us a chance to experience our history in a new way and enrich our worship as we reappropriate a piece of our heritage as Episcopalians. Happy New Year!!
Grace & peace,
Fr. Rod+
Now this topic may seem strange for the first newsletter of 2010; however, a new year can be a time of new expectations, new commitments and new beginnings, and this year Grace Church will be reaching back into its history for something new to many, yet, at the same time, something old. Beginning the first Sunday in February 2010 at the 8:30 a.m. service and continuing on the first Sunday of each month thereafter at 8:30 a.m., we will begin using the Eucharistic Rite from the BCP 1928. You may ask how this is possible. Until ten years ago it was not possible. At the 2000 General Convention of The Episcopal Church in Denver a resolution was passed allowing the occasional use of the BCP 1928 and other authorized prayer books of the Anglican Communion as approved by the diocesan bishop.
New prayer books are actually not a new thing around here, as Grace Church has used all four American prayer books over the course of its 120 year history—1789, 1892, 1928 & 1979. Of course, we will continue to use the BCP 1979 for all other services; but using the 1928 Book of Common Prayer once a month in the 8:30 Sunday morning celebration of the Holy Eucharist will give us a chance to experience our history in a new way and enrich our worship as we reappropriate a piece of our heritage as Episcopalians. Happy New Year!!
Grace & peace,
Fr. Rod+