Better Gatherings

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  • A sign of regeneration

    Article 27 goes on to explain how baptism is a God-given sign of the new birth that is made possible because of the saving work of the Lord Jesus and the gift of the Holy Spirit: ‘as by an instrument, they that receive Baptism rightly are grafted into the Church; the promises of forgiveness of sin, and of our adoption to be the sons of God by the Holy Ghost, are visibly signed and sealed; Faith is confirmed and Grace increased by virtue of prayer unto God.’

    Just as the Lord’s Supper must be received with faith and repentance if it is to be a genuine assurance of our relationship with God, so baptism is only ‘an instrument’ of salvation if it is rightly received. The vertical dimension of baptism is God’s offer of the benefits of the gospel in symbolic form, to invite and confirm saving faith.

    Consequently, in the Prayer Book services there is a great emphasis on congregational prayer for the persons being baptized.

    The opening exhortation expresses the need to pray for their regeneration by the Holy Spirit and a genuine participation in Christ’s Church. In the conservative revision in An Australian Prayer Book (1978), the invitation is:

    Let us then pray that God will grant to this person that which by nature he cannot have, that he may be baptized with water and the Holy Spirit, and received into Christ’s holy Church, and be made a living member of his body.

    Various prayers then take up this challenge, adding the perspective that the candidates may be washed clean from sin and delivered from its power. Thus, the water of baptism is taken to represent the washing of forgiveness and the new life of the Spirit. The congregation is invited to give thanks to God for calling them to know his grace and have faith in him. God is asked to ‘increase this knowledge and confirm this faith in us evermore’, and to give his Holy Spirit to those seeking baptism, ‘that they may be born again, and be made heirs of everlasting salvation’.

    Just before the baptism, there is a prayer asking God to ‘sanctify this water to the mystical washing away of sin’, so that those baptized therein may receive the fullness of God’s grace and ever remain in the number of his faithful and elect children. This can best be understood by comparison with the Prayer of Consecration in the Communion Service:

    • There, the bread and wine are set apart or consecrated for a special use with words recalling what Jesus said at the Last Supper. 
    • Here, the water is set apart to represent the washing from sin and regeneration by the Spirit that Jesus associated with the making of disciples (Matthew 28:19-20; John 3:1-8; Titus 3:5). 

    A change is indicated in the use and purpose of the thing consecrated, not in the thing itself. ‘Mystical’ in this context means ‘spiritual’ or ‘transcending human comprehension’, not ‘magical’.

     

  • Thanksgiving for the Birth of a Child

    The Prayer Book service entitled ‘The Thanksgiving of Women after Child-Birth, commonly called the Churching of Women’ was adapted in An Australian Prayer Book and published as ‘Thanksgiving for the Birth of a Child, before the Baptism’. This is often offered to parents who do not attend church and are unwilling to make the more specific baptismal promises, or to engage in the period of preparation expected by the minister before making such promises.

    Inserting this brief service into the regular Sunday gathering can be a way of encouraging such parents to seek Christ for themselves and their child. It should be made clear, that this is not an alternative to baptism, and that baptism for the child following acceptable preparation is a desirable goal for the parents to pursue.

  • A stimulus to faith

    It is surprising that modern rites and locally-constructed services tend to reduce the petitionary element. This tends to put the focus on the human activity of making promises and downplays the need for God to act in the lives of the candidates. It suggests that baptism is merely ‘a sign of profession, and mark of difference’, and not an effectual sign of grace.

    On this view, the baptism of infants is hardly more than a dedication to God, and the baptism of adults merely a confirmation of their commitment to Christ. However, Article 27 insists that the promises of the gospel are visibly ‘signed and sealed’ in baptism, faith is confirmed and grace increased ‘by virtue of prayer unto God‘.

    The Prayer Book expresses confidence that God has answered the prayers of his people in a way that many have found uncomfortable. After the baptism, an exhortation to give thanks to God and pray for the candidates to lead the rest of their life ‘according to this beginning’ is preceded by the claim that they are ‘regenerate and grafted into the body of Christ’s Church’. This confidence is reflected in the prayer that follows, and it becomes the basis for vigorous petitions about dying to sin and living to righteousness, so that finally they may inherit God’s everlasting kingdom. But is such confidence appropriate in the case of infant baptism?

    Various explanations have been offered for this teaching, but the one that fits best takes account of the instruction to godparents that follows. They are to teach children about the vows made on their behalf and encourage them to lead a godly and Christian life, ‘remembering always, that Baptism doth represent unto us our profession: which is to follow the example of our Saviour Christ, and to be made like unto him’. Regeneration is offered to children in baptism and prayed for with faith. Those baptised should be nurtured with the confidence that God will answer such prayer.

    In An Australian Prayer Book, a pastorally helpful alternative is provided, with a more general expression of praise reflecting 1 Peter 1:3, and a request for God to finish the work of salvation begun in the candidates reflecting Philippians 1:6:

    Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus for birth from above and for the remission of sins. May almighty God, according to his gracious promise, finish the work of salvation begun in you, bringing you to the joyful resurrection and to the fulfilment of his eternal kingdom.

    The service concludes with further prayer for the candidates and their sponsors. The reality that baptism represents ‘washing from sin and regeneration by the Spirit’ needs to be grasped by faith and its implications passed on to children as they come to understand what has been promised on their behalf and received in their name.

  • A public testimony

    Each service assumes that baptism should normally be administered in a public context. The rubric before the first service says that this should be ‘when the most number of people come together’, and advises how to incorporate Baptism into Morning or Evening Prayer.

    Two related reasons are given for this:

    • so that ‘the congregation there present may testify the receiving of them that be newly baptized into the number of Christ’s Church’, 
    • because in the Baptism of Infants ‘every man present may be put in remembrance of his own profession to God made in his Baptism’. 

    When ministers choose to administer baptism at other times, they need to consider how these two aims can be fulfilled.

    This horizontal or congregational aspect of baptism is identified in Article 27, when it is stated that baptism is ‘a sign of profession, and mark of difference, whereby Christian men are discerned from others that be not christened’.

    In the Prayer Book services, this is particularly expresse

    • when the vows are made before the congregation, 
    • when the teaching of the Creed is affirmed, 
    • when the person baptized is marked with the sign of the cross and received ‘into the congregation of Christ’s flock‘.

    Baptism is a testimony to the faith and commitment of the person being baptized or, in the case of infant baptism, a testimony to the faith and commitment of the sponsors.

    Much discussion has taken place about the role of godparents in the baptism of infants. The genuineness of their commitment to Christ in bringing their godchild to baptism is assumed when the service asks them to make the vows ‘in the name of this child’.

    There are biblical reasons for suggesting that parents should actually be the sponsors and believing relatives or friends their supporters in this role. The covenantal promise to families in Acts 2:38-39 (‘for you and your children’) anticipates the practice of baptizing households in Acts 16:15, 31-3; 18:8. Believing parents can grasp the promises of the gospel for their children and make vows for them on the basis of their own faith and determination to bring up their children ‘in the discipline and instruction of the Lord’ (Ephesians 6:4).

  • Learning from the Baptismal Services

    There are three baptismal orders in the Prayer Book: ‘The Ministration of Public Baptism of Infants to be used in the Church’, ‘The Ministration of Private Baptism of Children in Houses’, and ‘The Ministration of Baptism to such as are of Riper Years and Able to Answer for Themselves’. In addition, there is a Catechism and an order for Confirmation. Private baptism is only meant to be conducted in emergencies, and so this order contains the provision for such baptisms to be ratified later in a public service. The order for the baptism of those able to answer for themselves mainly differs from the order for infant baptism only in the Bible readings and exhortations.

  • Modern revisions

    Adapting the Prayer Book model, some modern revisions have made significant additions and subtractions to the ‘eucharistic’ or thanksgiving sequence at the centre of the rite.

    For example, in the Second Order of the Holy Communion in An Australian Prayer Book, a more Trinitarian shape has been sought, praising God as Creator, celebrating every aspect of the Son’s redemptive work (his sacrifice, resurrection, ascension, and coming again), and praying for the renewing work of the Holy Spirit in all God’s people.

    More congregational involvement has been achieved by providing praise responses throughout.

    For example, all may say together, Christ has died; Christ is risen; Christ will come again.

    And later, Blessing and honour and glory and power are yours for ever and ever. Amen.

    A simplification of the whole sequence has been promoted by putting the Prayer of Humble Access at another point in the service, avoiding repetition in the petitions, and drawing aspects of the prayers after Communion into ‘The Great Thanksgiving’ (an expansion of the ‘Prayer of Consecration’ in the 1662 service).

    Although some of these developments are defensible and helpful, certain problems have emerged. For example, celebrating every aspect of the Son’s redemptive work may lead to a diminishing of the significance of the cross. Reference to the Holy Spirit in some modern liturgies has suggested an effect on the bread and wine, rather than the transformation of believers. Including certain petitions in ‘The Great Thanksgiving’ has sometimes introduced a hint of ‘eucharistic sacrifice’ – the idea that we offer the consecrated bread and wine to God, together with our praise and our selves, in the one action. Such developments move away from the theology of the Prayer Book and create divisions amongst Anglicans.

    Next: Learning from the Baptismal Services

  • Theological significance in the prayers

    During the Reformation in the sixteenth century, great care was taken in revising the Communion Service, because of the widespread error and confusion about the significance of this action mentioned above. The biblical meaning of the Supper was expressed in the wording of the exhortations, in the ‘rubrics’ (instructions about the way the service is to be conducted), and in the content and structure of the prayers. For the sake of brevity, only certain prayers will be examined here.

    But it should be recognised that when people make up their own prayers, they may miss out on the depth of teaching expressed in the authorised services and leave room for possible misunderstandings about the Supper.  The conservative revision of this service in An Australian Prayer Book (1978) will be quoted in what follows.

    Preparation

    After the ministry of the word and intercessions, various exhortations precede a corporate confession of sin, a form of absolution, and the reassuring ‘comfortable words’ (Matthew 11:28; John 3:16; 1 Timothy 1:15; 1 John 2:1). As in Morning and Evening Prayer, the promises of the gospel are publicly applied to those who come to God with repentance and faith. In this position, confession of sin is specifically a form of preparation for Communion. The bread and the wine are then taken and received, as a means of proclaiming the Lord’s death ‘until he comes’ (1 Corinthians 11:26) and affirming the redemptive significance of his death for us.

    Praise and petition

    The invitation ‘Lift up your hearts’ begins a section of praise and thanksgiving, concluding with the congregational response ‘Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of hosts, heaven and earth are full of your glory. Glory to you, O Lord most high’ (Isaiah 6:3; Revelation 4:8, 11). ‘Proper prefaces’ for major celebrations in the Christian year can be inserted here, mostly highlighting key gospel events and focussing on different aspects of the work of the Lord Jesus Christ.

    Then the so-called ‘Prayer of Humble Access’ acknowledges that God’s mercy is the only basis on which we can come to his ‘table (1 Corinthians 10:21) and have a genuine relationship with him:

    We do not presume to come your table, merciful Lord, trusting in our own righteousness, but in your manifold and great mercies. We are not worthy so much as to gather up the crumbs under your table. But you are the same Lord whose nature is always to have mercy. Grant us, therefore, gracious Lord, so to eat the flesh of your dear Son Jesus Christ, and to drink his blood, that we may evermore dwell in him, and he in us.

    When we pray that we may ‘eat the flesh’ of Christ and ‘drink his blood’, the reference is not directly to the Lord’s Supper but to faith in the sacrifice of Christ that saves us. In John 6:53-6 Jesus reveals that all who would come to him must rely on his atoning death to have eternal life. The Lord’s Supper points us back to that gospel challenge. The words spoken at the time of the Communion make it clear that eating the bread and drinking the cup together is a way of remembering that Christ died for us, but also a way of continuing to feed on him ‘in our heart by faith with thanksgiving.’

    The so-called ‘Prayer of Consecration’ begins with praise for the achievement of the Lord Jesus in his death for us:

    All glory to you, our heavenly Father, for in your tender mercy you gave your only Son Jesus Christ to suffer death on the cross for our redemption: who made there, by his one oblation of himself once offered, a full, perfect, and sufficient sacrifice for the sins of the whole world.

    Then follows the recollection that Jesus instituted and commanded us to continue a ‘perpetual memory’ of his precious death until his coming again (Luke 22:14-20).  The apostle Paul calls this ‘the Lord’s Supper’ (1 Corinthians 11:23-6).

    Next comes a petition, which echoes the Prayer of Humble Access:

    Hear us, merciful Father, and grant that we who receive these gifts of your creation, this bread and this wine, according to your Son our Saviour Jesus Christ’s holy institution, in remembrance of his death and passion, may be partakers of his most blessed body and blood.

    Once again, the focus is on reception on the benefits of Christ’s death by faith, in accordance with his intention. Then follows a summary of what Jesus said and did at the Last Supper, as a means of setting aside or ‘consecrating’ the bread and wine to fulfil his purpose. The need to eat and drink by faith with thanksgiving is repeated when the bread and wine are delivered to the people:

    The words said to each participant begin with a form of prayer, followed by an exhortation about the way to receive the bread and wine:

    The body of our Lord Jesus Christ, which was given for you, preserve your body and soul to everlasting life. Take and eat this in remembrance that Christ died for you and feed on him in your heart by faith with thanksgiving.

    The blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, which was shed for you, preserve your body and soul to everlasting life. Drink this in remembrance that Christ’s blood was shed for you, and be thankful.

    Concluding prayers and praise

    When all have received the bread and wine, the Lord’s Prayer is said, reminding us of the coming kingdom and the need to live faithfully as we await his return. Then a choice of prayers enables us to thank God for the benefits conveyed to us by the Communion. These prayers give the opportunity for those present to rededicate themselves to the Lord’s service, in grateful acknowledgment of his mercy to them.

    It is important to notice that the only mention of sacrifice in the service takes place in one of the prayers after Communion: we offer the sacrifice consisting of our praise and thanksgiving (Hebrews 13:15), and we present ourselves to the Lord, ‘to be a reasonable, holy, and living sacrifice’ (Romans 12:1). There is no suggestion that the bread and wine are an offering to God. The ancient hymn ‘Glory be to God on high’ follows, pointing back again to the sacrificial death of the Lord Jesus as ‘the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world’ (John 1:29).

    In short, a cycle of praise, thanksgiving, faith and commitment surrounds the central prayer recalling the meaning of Christ’s death and his purpose in instituting the Supper. Eating the bread and drinking the cup together is presented as a means of drawing on the benefits of his once-for-all sacrifice and being renewed and strengthened in his service. Affirmation, thanksgiving, and petition are brought together to deliver us from misunderstanding the action and its significance.

    This whole structure represents a significant repudiation of the theology and practice of the Medieval Mass. It is a liturgical way of expressing the Reformation teaching about justification by grace alone, though faith in Jesus and his finished work. Leaving out parts of the sequence diminishes the theological balance and impact of the whole!

  • The Thirty-nine Articles

    ‘The Order for the Administration of the Lord’s Supper or Holy Communion’ is not specifically discussed in the prefaces of the Prayer Book, but something of its theological significance is set forth in Articles 25-31. It is important to read these to get a full picture of the biblical and Reformed theology reflected in the liturgy. These are printed as ‘The Articles of Religion’ at the back of the Prayer Book and in modern versions

    Only two ‘sacraments’ are recognised as having been ordained by Christ, namely Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. These are described as ‘badges or tokens’ of our profession to one another, and also as certain sure witnesses, and effectual signs of grace, and God’s will towards us, by the which he doth work invisibly in us, and doth not only quicken, but also strengthen and confirm our faith in him.’ There is thus a horizontal and a vertical dimension to these ordinances. The unworthiness of ministers does not hinder the effect of a sacrament, ‘because of Christ’s institution and promise’. Critically, these ‘signs of grace’ must be received by faith.

    The Lord’s Supper is described as ‘a sign of the love that Christians ought to have among themselves one to another’, and also as ‘a sacrament of our redemption by Christ’s death: insomuch that to such as rightly, worthily, and with faith, receive the same, the bread which we break is a partaking of the Body of Christ; and likewise the Cup of Blessing is a partaking of the Blood of Christ’ (1 Corinthians 10:16).

    Various aspects of Medieval Catholic teaching are denied, such as transubstantiation (the supposed change of the substance of the bread and wine), and the sacrifice of masses (the view that the priest offers or re-presents the sacrifice of Christ to the Father). Positively, it is claimed that, ‘the Body of Christ is given, taken, and eaten, in the Supper, only after an heavenly and spiritual manner. And the mean whereby the Body of Christ is received and eaten in the Supper is Faith.’

  • Biblical patterns of prayer

    Confession of sin and Assurance of Forgiveness

    There could hardly be any more obvious or central activity in a gospel-driven service than to confess our sins together, to be reminded of God’s forgiveness, and to pray for renewed obedience to his will. Despite the teaching of 1 John 1:5-10, some people who lead services today seem to feel that it is unnecessary or inappropriate for us to do this on a regular basis. Even when a confession is provided, they sometimes unthinkingly fail to offer any assurance of forgiveness to complete the sequence.

    In the Exhortation at the beginning of Morning and Evening Prayer, we are reminded that we can only draw near to ‘the throne of the heavenly grace’ as those who are truly penitent and trust in the work of the Lord Jesus Christ for pardon and renewal (Hebrews 4:14-16; 10:19-22). So praying for forgiveness is a way of acknowledging the basis of our relationship with God, before we come to him with our various petitions.

    The Absolution in An Australian Prayer Book declares God’s willingness to pardon and absolve ‘all who truly repent and believe his holy gospel’. This declaration encourages the congregation to pray for genuine repentance and the Spirit’s enabling to lead a pure and holy life. Following this pattern, confidence in the gospel can be renewed, and believers can be encouraged to persevere and grow in godliness.

    An Australian Prayer Book also provides this short prayer for use by the leader instead of an absolution or declaration of forgiveness.

    Merciful God, grant to your faithful people pardon and peace, that they may be cleansed from all their sins, and serve you with a quiet mind; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

    Although the Lord’s Supper begins with a penitential meditation on the Ten Commandments, the General Confession and Declaration of Forgiveness come later, after the sermon, the collection, and the prayers of intercession. In this position, they can function both as a response to the ministry of God’s Word and as a preparation for Communion, as the exhortations indicate.

    Modern liturgies have experimented with having a confession and absolution either at the beginning or in the middle of a service. This variation has been applied to Morning and Evening Prayer as well as to the Lord’s Supper. If the desire is to begin more on a note of praise and to express repentance after the teaching from Scripture, it works well to have the confession and absolution later in the service. The goal in each case is to have each part flow into the next with a certain gospel logic.

    The Lord’s Prayer

    The prayer of Jesus has always featured prominently in Anglican services. As his model, it enables disciples to reflect his priorities and to express their unity with one another in him. But when it is used at different places in a service, there can be different emphases or implications. In Morning and Evening Prayer, when it comes after the General Confession and Absolution, it repeats and reinforces the need for God’s help to live a forgiven and fruitful life. Later in the service, it occurs at the beginning of the intercessions, setting our prayers within the context of requests for God’s kingdom to come and God’s will to be done. There are several places where it can be used in a Communion Service.

    Short responsive prayers

    Another distinctive of Anglican liturgy has been the use of Scripture in responsive prayers called ‘versicles and responses’. So, for example, in An Australian Prayer Book, when the leader says ‘Open  our lips, O Lord’, and the congregation replies ‘And we shall declare your praise’, two parts of Psalm 51:15 are adapted for corporate prayer. This kind of dialogue involves the congregation in brief responses to specific requests. The longest example of responsive prayer in the Prayer Book and its successors is the Litany.

    In modern services, this pattern has been developed in various ways. There are patterns of intercession involving longer prayers by the leader on specific topics, with the congregation being asked to respond to an invitation like ‘Lord, in your mercy’ with words such as ‘Hear our prayer’. At the end of Bible readings, ‘This is the word of the Lord’ or something similar can be followed by a response like ‘Thanks be to God’.

    It is easier to concentrate on prayers that are not too long and invite a response on a regular basis. Spontaneous or extempore prayer can be broken up by such responses, signalling a change of topic. Short congregational responses can also be found in more recent versions of ‘˜The Great Thanksgiving’ in the Lord’s Supper. There are also prayers of dedication and dismissal available in a dialogue form.  Examples can be found in the Resources section of this website.

    Collects

    A further distinctive of Anglican liturgy has been the ‘collect’, which is a short form of prayer, involving an invocation to God, a petition, and a pleading of Christ’s name or an ascription of glory to God. Some Prayer Book collects are revisions of ancient prayers, but many were composed by Cranmer and his successors. This pattern is illustrated in the prayer at the beginning of the Communion Service (printed here as in An Australian Prayer Book):

    Invocation to God Almighty God, to whom all hearts are open, all desires known, and from whom no secrets are hidden:
    Petition cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love you, and worthily magnify your holy name;
    Pleading of Christ’s name through Christ our Lord.

    The first virtue of this prayer is the way in which God is honoured by the address. Various scriptural allusions express the reason why we should come to him with our requests. Secondly, there are simple, but profound petitions, based on what has just been said about the character of God and our need to love and glorify him appropriately. Thirdly, there is a reminder that we can only approach God in this way because Jesus Christ as mediator has made it possible (Romans 8:31-5; Hebrews 7:25).

    Collects occur at significant points in Prayer Book services, such as at the end of Morning and Evening Prayer, where there are petitions appropriate to the time of day, prayers for peace, and prayers for deliverance from harm. The collect pattern is expanded in prayers for the monarch, the royal family, and the clergy. In a later section, there are many additional prayers for special events, ranging from famine and war to the opening of Parliament. These topics have been expanded in modern revisions.

    Formality and informality

    There is a formality about such prayers that does not suit every context or occasion. Even in modern translations, they can appear stilted. But the content is biblical and the structure and method of approach to God has much to teach us. In churches where people offer their own prayers at the time of intercession, selected collects could be introduced at significant moments, to bring requests to God in succinct, biblical terms. Alternatively, spontaneous prayer on chosen topics could be introduced by a series of invitations, and conclude with a summary collect or responsive prayer.

      In An Australian Prayer Book, this pattern of intercession is suggested in the Second Order for Holy Communion, when praying for the church:

      Invitation: We give thanks for . . . We pray for. . .

      The church in other countries; the church in Australia; this diocese; N our Bishop; this parish . . .

      Collect: Strengthen your people for their witness and work in the world, and empower your ministers faithfully to proclaim the gospel and to administer your holy sacraments. Unite in the truth all who confess your name, that we may live together in love and proclaim your glory in all the world.

      Concluding response: Father, hear our prayer, through Jesus Christ our Lord.

    Praying about the Christian life

    There is another form of collect in the Prayer Book associated with the Epistle and Gospel readings for Holy Communion. Some of these are seasonal, but most are topical and related to the readings for the day. They are meant to be used at Morning and Evening Prayer, even when there is no Communion to follow.

    These collects express profound truths about the Christian life and take seriously the struggles in which believers engage. For example, the collect for the Twelfth Sunday after Trinity recognises that our consciences may be afraid and we may feel unworthy to ask for the good things we need. The collect for the following Sunday asks that we may so faithfully serve God in this life that we fail not finally to attain to God’s heavenly promises. The collect for the Sunday after that acknowledges that if we are to obtain what God promises, he needs to make us love what he commands.

    Services that fail to draw on one version or another of this rich resource, deprive the congregation of the opportunity to pray about biblical issues at the heart of their discipleship. Spontaneous prayer can so easily be limited in its focus and bland in its manner of expression. We should include in our corporate prayers the many great subjects addressed in the Prayer Book collects and be guided by their biblical language and focus. In other words, those who lead in prayer would benefit from using collects for guidance and inspiration, even when preparing their own form of words.

    Thanksgivings

    Paralleling the provision of prayers for special events and needs, there is a section in the Prayer Book providing a series of thanksgivings. Most of these are designed to recognise answers to specific prayers, thus teaching the importance of regularly linking petition with thanksgiving (Philippians 4:6).

     

    However, the General Thanksgiving (as revised in An Australian Prayer Book) encourages us to acknowledges God’s goodness and loving-kindness in everything we receive at his hand (Ephesians 5:20; Colossians 3:17. It asks that we may have such a sense of all God’s mercies, that our hearts may be truly thankful, and that we may declare his praise, ‘not only with our lips, but in our lives, by giving up ourselves to your service, and by walking before you in holiness and righteousness all our days.’

    The General Thanksgiving provides a form of re-dedication to the service of God in everyday life (Romans 12:1). Although there are useful modern alternatives, there is a richness of theology and wording in the traditional thanksgiving that should not be ignored or neglected.

    Next: Learning from the Communion Service

  • Using Scripture to stimulate and express prayer

    Sentences

    Appropriate verses of Scripture are meant to be read aloud at the beginning of Morning and Evening Prayer, to prepare the congregation to confess their sins together. Together with the Exhortation that follows, these verses explain the ongoing need for repentance in the Christian life and the importance of approaching God with penitence when we meet together as his people. This pattern of preparation is designed to prevent an empty and meaningless recitation of the words of the General Confession.

    In An Australian Prayer Book, the updated version of the Exhortation begins like this:

    Dear friends, the Scriptures urge us to acknowledge our sins, and not to conceal them in the presence of God our heavenly Father, but to confess them with a penitent and obedient heart.

    It seems ironic that in some contemporary services, where the concern is to be authentic and real, there is little use of Scripture or any form of exhortation before a confession of sins. The solemnity of the Prayer Book challenge is often replaced with remarks about nobody being perfect, or the simple encouragement to bring to mind sins committed in the previous week. This is not the same as hearing what God says about the need to repent and confess our sins!

    Psalms and canticles

    Psalm 95 is provided in Morning Prayer to stimulate praise and encourage a careful hearing of God’s word. In both the daily services, portions of Scripture such as Luke 1:46-55 (The Song of Mary), 1:68-79 (The Song of Zechariah), and 2:29-32 (the Song of Simeon) are included, together with Psalms 67, 98 and 100, as ‘canticles’ or ‘little songs’ after the readings from the Bible. The aim is to respond to Scripture with Scripture! Furthermore, these passages provide a break between the lessons, to help the congregation respond to what they have heard.

    In some modern versions of these services, seasonal verses or extra passages of Scripture such as the songs in Revelation or Philippians 2:5-11 have been suggested as alternative canticles. However, in evangelical churches today it is rare to hear Scripture being employed in this way.

    Most of us use ‘hymns and spiritual songs’ without the ‘psalms’ mentioned by Paul in Ephesians 5:19 and Colossians 3:16! It’s worth asking ourselves whether we place too much reliance on contemporary music to edify the congregation and glorify God. Why do we consider that reciting portions of Scripture together is unhelpful? Is it simply a matter of culture and taste?

    Scriptural texts in the Communion Service

    The pattern of using Scripture to excite and express worship is extended in the Lord’s Supper or Holy Communion.

    At the beginning, the Ten Commandments are used to encourage repentance, though in modern versions, the commands to love God and neighbour are provided as alternatives. As well as offering a shorter form of meditation, the ‘two great commands’ focus on the essential requirements of the Mosaic Law (Matthew 22:34-40), while avoiding some of the complexities associated with applying the Ten Commandments to a Christian congregation.

    Scripture verses are then provided after the sermon to stimulate generous giving, and after the absolution or declaration of forgiveness to assure the congregation of God’s mercy.

    Some contemporary orders of service have developed these options further. Well-chosen verses give people a chance to reflect on the significance of what they are doing. They signal a change in the direction of the service and bring God’s will to bear on the whole experience. They can also be used to highlight the main theme of a song that is being introduced.

    Creeds as forms of praise

    Biblical teaching about God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit, is expressed in a summary way by the use of creeds. Confessing together what we believe about the character and will of God is a way of praising him (Hebrews 13:15). It is also a way of encouraging one another to hold fast to the hope we profess (Hebrews 3:1; 10:23).

    The historic creeds give voice to beliefs that unite us as believers, identifying us as part of mainstream Christianity.

    The Apostles’ Creed, which is the form of confession used in the baptismal services, is set down for regular use in Morning and Evening Prayer. Repeating it is a way of renewing our baptismal commitment and expressing unity with believers throughout the ages.

    The longer Nicene Creed is set down for use in the Holy Communion. Some modern liturgies suggest creedal passages from New Testament passages as possible alternatives (e.g. Colossians 1:15-20, 1 Corinthians 15:1-8; Philippians 2:5-11).