OUR LITURGY E N T E R I N G 1. TABLE OF CONTENTS The Mass as Literary Formslide 3 Proper and...

1O U R L I T U R GY

E N T E R I N G

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

The Mass as Literary Form slide 3Proper and Ordinary slide 4Order of Service

Gathering the Community slide 5Proclamation of the Word slide 8Celebration of Eucharist slide 9

Comparison Rites 1, 2 and 3 slide 16Texts of the Ordinary slide 29The Altar slide 37

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THE MASS AS LITERARY FORM

• Episcopal/Anglican – known as Holy Eucharist, Holy Communion, The Lord’s Supper, and Divine Liturgy

• Catholic – known as The Mass or The Lord’s Supper

• Western Rite Orthodox

• Eastern Rite Orthodox – known as Divine Liturgy, Holy Qurbana, Badarak

• Russian Orthodox

• Lutheran – known as Divine Service

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PROPER AND ORDINARY

• Two types of prayers:

• Propers – texts that are specific to a given Sunday, i.e. they change most every Sunday and are codified in the Episcopal Lectionary and used by all Episcopal churches around the world on the designated Sunday• Collects – other than the Collect of Purity• Preface• Readings

• Ordinary – texts that remain the same each Sunday they’re done• Collect of Purity• Gloria• Kyrie (or Trisagion)• Sanctus• Agnus Dei

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EPISCOPAL ORDER OF SERVICE - 1

• Gathering of the Community

• Trinitarian Greeting – in the name of Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit

• Collect of Purity - the name traditionally given to the collect prayed near the beginning of the Eucharist in most Anglican rites. It was originally drafted in Latin for the Sarum missal and was part of the preparation prayers of priests before Mass. Thomas Cranmer translated the prayer into English and from there it has entered almost every Anglican prayer book in the world.• Almighty God, to you all hearts are open, all desires known, and from you

no secrets are hid: cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love you, and worthily magnify your holy Name; through Christ our Lord. Amen.

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• Gathering of the Community – continued

• Gloria – Glory to God in the highest and peace to his people on earth…

• Kyrie or Trisagion (or Agios O Theos)

• Trisagion Text• Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us.

• Kyrie Text• Lord have mercy, Lord have mercy, Lord have mercy.• Christ have mercy, Christ have mercy, Christ have mercy.• Lord have mercy, Lord have mercy, Lord have mercy.

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• Gathering of the Community – continued

• Collect of the Day - the liturgical collect is a dialog between the celebrant and the people. It follows a hymn of praise (such as the Gloria, if used) after the opening of the service, with a greeting by the celebrant "The Lord be with you", to which the people respond "And also with you" or "And with your spirit." The celebrant invites all to pray with "Let us pray". In the more ancient practice, an invitation to kneel was given, and the people spend some short time in silent prayer, after which they were invited to stand. Then, the celebrant concluded the time of prayer by "collecting" their prayers in a unified petition of a general form, referred to as a collect. Many of these still in use by churches of the West were originally composed in Latin, wherein they adhere to a flowing chanted style when they are sung.

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• Proclamation of the Word – The Lessons

• First Reading Old Testament

• Psalm or Canticle Old Testament

• Epistle New Testament

• Gospel New Testament

• Sermon

• Creed or Credo Apostle’s Creed or Nicene Creed

• Confession and Absolution

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• Celebration of the Eucharist

• Offertory• Eucharistic Prayer• Sursum Corda - The Sursum Corda (Latin for "Lift up your hearts") is the

opening dialogue to the Preface of the Eucharistic Prayer or Anaphora in the liturgies of the Christian Church, dating back to at least the third century and the Anaphora of the Apostolic Tradition. The dialogue is recorded in the earliest liturgies of the Christian Church, and is found in all ancient rites.

Though the detail varies slightly from rite to rite, the structure of the dialogue is generally threefold, comprising: (1) an exchange of formal greeting between priest and people, (2) an invitation to lift the heart to God, the people responding in agreement, and (3) an invitation to give thanks, the people answering that it is proper to do so. This third exchange indicates the people's assent to the priest continuing to offer the remainder of the Eucharistic Prayer on their behalf, and it is the necessity of such assent which accounts for the universality of the dialogue.

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• Celebration of the Eucharist – continued

• Preface• Sanctus and Benedictus – Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty• Words of Institution – Epiclesis or invocation – The

Consecration• Doxology

• Lord’s Prayer• Fraction – the breaking of the bread• Prayer of Humble Access and/or Agnus Dei• Communion• Dismissal and Blessing (Ite Missa Est)

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EUCHARISTIC PRAYER A, BCP 361-363

• Opens with traditional Sursum corda and common preface from 1549.• During principal seasons of the year, a proper preface is inserted.• Preface leads to Sanctus, followed by thanksgiving for creation and the

incarnation, and a statement of the human condition (“fallen into sin”).• “He stretched out his arms” – symbolic of redemption (from Hippolytus).• “…the mystery of faith…” drawn from I Tim 3:9 and used as part of the

Eucharistic Prayer since the 7th century. English text by Capt. Howard E. Galley from the draft of Dr. H. Boone Porter.

• “Sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving” has been part of the Anglican Prayer Books since 1549.

• “Do this for the remembrance of me.” (Anamnesis - refers to a key concept in the liturgical theology: in the worship the faithful make memory of God's saving deeds. This memorial aspect is not simply a passive process but one by which the Christian can actually enter into the Paschal Mystery.)

• “Sanctify them by the Holy Spirit…” (Epiclesis – calling down for the blessing of the Holy Spirit on the consubstantiated elements.

• “Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again.” – memorial acclamation.

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CONSUBSTANTIATION

Consubstantiation is a theological doctrine that (like Transubstantiation) attempts to describe the nature of the Christian Eucharist in concrete metaphysical terms. It holds that during the sacrament, the fundamental "substance" of the body and blood of Christ are present alongside the substance of the bread and wine, which remain present. The doctrine of consubstantiation is often held in contrast to the doctrine of transubstantiation.

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EUCHARISTIC PRAYER B – BCP 367-369

• Begins with traditional Sursum corda and common preface.• Proper prefaces for seasonal times emphasize salvation history, the

calling of Israel, and the incarnation of the Lord.• Followed by Sanctus and then thanksgiving for god’s goodness and

love shown to creation.• Based on Eucharistic prayer of Hippolytus as drafted by Rev. Frank T.

Griswold III.• Memorial acclamation (“We remember his death. We proclaim his

resurrection. We await his coming in glory.”)is a literal the Eastern memorial acclamation and it constitutes an anamnesis.

• The epiclesis is explicit on the gifts and subtle on the people: “…send your Holy Spirit upon these gifts that they may be the Sacrament of the Body of Christ and his Blood of the new Covenant.”

• The Eucharistic Prayer B ends with an eschatological beseeching for God “to put all things in subjection under Christ.”

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EUCHARISTIC PRAYER C – BCP 369-372

• Distinctive in that it contains much congregation response, more than A, B or D.

• No proper preface, but a fixed preface that recites the salvation history.

• Special emphasis on creation, more than any other Eucharistic Prayer in either Rite 1 or 2.

• Prayer is reminiscent of the Old Testament drama of God’s continuing effort to draw us back to himself. Textual references from: Gen 26:7, Ex 3:15-16, I Chron 12:17 and 28:18, Acts 3:13, 5:30 and 7:32, and I Peter 1:3.

• The epiclesis is direct: “Sanctify them by your Holy Spirit to be the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ our Lord.”

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EUCHARISTIC PRAYER D – BCP 372-375

• Adapted from the Liturgy of St. Basil dated to the time of Basil the Great (d. 379).

• This version is used for special feast days in the Greek and Slavic churches, as well as among Coptic churches.

• In 1974 American Anglican, Catholic and Protestant scholars gathered to draft a prayer for use in American churches. They studied the St. Basil version as well as the prayers of Eastern churches and adapted this version, which was also later accepted by the Inter-Lutheran Commission and the United Methodist Church.

• The word of institution are distinctive: “…the bread of life and the cup of salvation, the Body and blood of your son Jesus Christ…”

• The only Eucharistic Prayer of the Episcopal church that ends with a true doxology: “Through Christ, and with Christ, and in Christ, all honor and glory are yours, Almighty God and Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, for ever and ever. Amen.”

• This prayer has both historical and ecumenical significance.

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COMPARISON OF RITES - 1

Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost - CONFESSION Rite 1 – 8:00am Service Rite II – 11:00am Service Rite III – Life Streams – 9:00am Service

Most merciful God, we confess that we have sinned against thee in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done, and by what we have left undone. We have not loved thee with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We are truly sorry and we earnestly repent. For the sake of thy Son Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and forgive us; that we may delight in thy will, and walk in thy ways, to the glory of thy Name. Amen. BCP 331

Most merciful God, we confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done, and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We are truly sorry and we humbly repent. For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and forgive us; that we may delight in your will, and walk in your ways, to the glory of your Name. Amen. BCP 365

Merciful God, We have turned away from You. We have turned away from Your intended purpose for our lives, in what we have thought and said, in the wrong we have done, and in the good we've not done. We have turned away from You. In our ignorance we've not loved You best; in our weakness we have loved ourselves most and we have turned away deliberately. We are truly sorry. We turn back towards You now. Forgive us, we ask, for our Savior Christ's sake, and renew our lives to the glory of Your name. Amen.

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Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost - ABSOLUTION Rite 1 – 8:00am Service Rite II – 11:00am Service Rite III – Life Streams – 9:00am Service

Almighty God, our heavenly Father, who of his great mercy hath promised forgiveness of sins to all those who with hearty repentance and true faith turn unto him, have mercy upon you, pardon and deliver you from all your sins, confirm and strengthen you in all goodness, and bring you to everlasting life; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. BCP 332

Almighty God have mercy on you, forgive you all your sins through our Lord Jesus Christ, strengthen you in all goodness, and by the power of the Holy Spirit keep you in eternal life. Amen. BCP 360

Through the cross of Christ, God have mercy on you, pardon you and set you free. Know that you are forgiven and be at peace. God strengthen you in all goodness and keep you in life eternal. Amen.

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Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost – OFFERTORY SENTENCE Rite 1 – 8:00am Service Rite II – 11:00am Service Rite III – Life Streams – 9:00am Service

I beseech you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present yourselves as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Romans 12:1 BCP 343

Walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself for us, an offering and sacrifice to God. Ephesians 5:2 BCP376

Let us with gladness present the offerings and oblations of our life and labor to the Lord. BCP 377

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Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost – GREAT THANKSGIVING Rite 1 – 8:00am Service Rite II – 11:00am Service Rite III – Life Streams – 9:00am Service

It is very meet, right, and our bounden duty, that we should at all times, and in all places, give thanks unto thee, O Lord, holy Father, almighty, everlasting God. The Preface: Creator of the light and source of life, who hast made us in thine image, and called us to new life in Jesus Christ our Lord. Therefore with Angels and Archangels, and with all the company of heaven, we laud and magnify thy glorious Name; evermore praising thee, and saying, The Sanctus is said… BCP333-334 and 344 (Preface)

It is right, and a good and joyful thing, always and everywhere to give thanks to you, Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth. The Preface: Through Jesus Christ our Lord; who on the first day of the week overcame death and the grave, and by his glorious resurrection opened to us the way of everlasting life. Therefore we praise you, joining our voices with Angels and Archangels and with all the company of heaven, who forever sing this hymn to proclaim the glory of your Name: The Sanctus is sung… BCP 361-362 and 377 (Preface)

It is indeed right and good to give you thanks and praise, holy and everlasting God, through Jesus Christ your Son. For when he humbled himself to come among us in human flesh, he fulfilled the plan you formed before the foundation of the world to open for us the way of salvation. Confident that your promise will be fulfilled, we now watch for the day when Christ our Lord will come again in glory. And so we join our voices with angels and archangels and with all the company of heaven to proclaim your glory, forever praising you and singing: The Sanctus is sung…

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Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost – GREAT THANKSGIVING FOLLOWING THE SANCTUS Rite 1 – 8:00am Service Rite II – 11:00am Service Rite III – Life Streams – 9:00am Service

All glory be to thee, O Lord our God, for that thou didst create heaven and earth, and didst make us in thine own image; and, of thy tender mercy, didst give thine only Son Jesus Christ to take our nature upon him, and to suffer death upon the cross for our redemption. He made there a full and perfect sacrifice for the whole world; and did institute, and in his holy Gospel command us to continue, a perpetual memory of that his precious death and sacrifice, until his coming again. BCP 341

We give thanks to you, O God, for the goodness and love which you have made known to us in creation; in the calling of Israel to be your people; in your Word spoken through the prophets; and above all in the Word made flesh, Jesus, your Son. For in these last days you sent him to be incarnate from the Virgin Mary, to be the Savior and Redeemer of the world. In him, you have delivered us from evil, and made us worthy to stand before you. In him, you have brought us out of error into truth, out of sin into righteousness, out of death into life. BCP 368

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Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost – CONSECRATION OF THE ELEMENTS

Rite 1 – 8:00am Service For in the night in which he was betrayed, he took bread; and when he had given thanks, he brake it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, "Take, eat, this is my Body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me." Likewise, after supper, he took the cup; and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, "Drink ye all of this; for this is my Blood of the New Testament, which is shed for you, and for many, for the remission of sins. Do this, as oft as ye shall drink it, in remembrance of me." Wherefore, O Lord and heavenly Father, according to the institution of thy dearly beloved Son our Savior Jesus Christ, we, thy humble servants, do celebrate and make here before thy divine Majesty, with these thy holy gifts, which we now offer unto thee, the memorial thy Son hath commanded us to make; having in remembrance his blessed passion and precious death, his mighty resurrection and glorious ascension; rendering unto thee most hearty thanks for the innumerable benefits procured unto us by the same. And we most humbly beseech thee, O merciful Father, to hear us; and, of thy almighty goodness, vouchsafe to bless and sanctify, with thy Word and Holy Spirit, these thy gifts and creatures of bread and wine; that we, receiving them according to thy Son our Savior Jesus Christ's holy institution, in remembrance of his death and passion, may be partakers of his most blessed Body and Blood.

And we earnestly desire thy fatherly goodness mercifully to accept this our sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving; most humbly beseeching thee to grant that, by the merits and death of thy Son Jesus Christ, and through faith in his blood, we, and all thy whole Church, may obtain remission of our sins, and all other benefits of his passion. And here we offer and present unto thee, O Lord, ourselves, our souls and bodies, to be a reasonable, holy, and living sacrifice unto thee; humbly beseeching thee that we, and all others who shall be partakers of this Holy Communion, may worthily receive the most precious Body and Blood of thy Son Jesus Christ, be filled with thy grace and heavenly benediction, and made one body with him, that he may dwell in us, and we in him. And although we are unworthy, through our manifold sins, to offer unto thee any sacrifice, yet we beseech thee to accept this our bounden duty and service, not weighing our merits, but pardoning our offences, through Jesus Christ our Lord; By whom, and with whom, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, all honor and glory be unto thee, O Father Almighty, world without end. AMEN. And now, as our Savior Christ hath taught us, we are bold to say, OUR FATHER BCP 334-336

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Rite 2 – 11:00am Service On the night he was handed over to suffering and death, our Lord Jesus Christ took bread; and when he had given thanks to you, he broke it, and gave it to his disciples, and said, "Take, eat: This is my Body, which is given for you. Do this for the remembrance of me." After supper he took the cup of wine; and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, and said, "Drink this, all of you: This is my Blood of the new Covenant, which is shed for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Whenever you drink it, do this for the remembrance of me." Therefore we proclaim the mystery of faith: Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again. We celebrate the memorial of our redemption, O Father, in this sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving. Recalling his death, resurrection, and ascension, we offer you these gifts.

Sanctify them by your Holy Spirit to be for your people the Body and Blood of your Son, the holy food and drink of new and unending life in him. Sanctify us also that we may faithfully receive this holy Sacrament, and serve you in unity, constancy, and peace; and at the last day bring us with all your saints into the joy of your eternal kingdom. All this we ask through your Son Jesus Christ: By him, and with him, and in him, in the unity of the Holy Spirit all honor and glory is yours, Almighty Father, now and forever. AMEN. And now, as our Savior Christ has taught us, we are bold to say… OUR FATHER BCP 362-363

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Rite 3 – Life Streams - 9:00am Service All glory and thanksgiving to You, holy God; on the night before He died Your son, Jesus Christ, took bread; when He had given You thanks, He broke it, gave it to His disciples, and said: Take, eat, this is my body which is given for you; do this to remember me. After supper He took the cup; when He had given You thanks, He gave it to them and said: Drink this, all of you, for this is my blood of the new covenant which is shed for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins; do this as often as you drink it, to remember me. Glory to You, Lord Christ; Your death we show forth; Your resurrection we proclaim; Your coming we await; Amen! Come Lord Jesus. Therefore loving God, recalling Your great goodness to us in Christ, His suffering and death, His resurrection and ascension, and looking for His coming in glory, we celebrate our redemption with this bread of life and this cup of salvation. Accept our sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving which we offer through Christ our great high priest.

Send Your Holy Spirit upon these gifts of bread and wine which we receive that they may be to us the body and blood of Christ, and that we, filled with the Spirit’s grace and power, may be renewed for the service of Your kingdom. United in Christ with all who stand before You in earth and heaven, we worship You, O God, in songs of everlasting praise. Blessing, honor and glory be Yours, here and everywhere, now and forever. Amen. As Christ teaches us we pray, singing: OUR FATHER

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Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost – FRACTION Rite 1 – 8:00am Service Rite II – 11:00am Service Rite III – Life Streams – 9:00am Service

The Breaking of the Bread Alleluia. Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us. Therefore let us keep the feast. Alleluia. 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.

[Optionally, the people may also recite the Prayer of Humble Access. BCP 337 – see below] The Invitation The Gifts of God for the People of God. Take them in remembrance that Christ died for you, and feed on him in your hearts by faith, with thanksgiving. BCP 337-338

The Breaking of the Bread Alleluia. Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us. Therefore let us keep the feast. Alleluia. The Invitation The Gifts of God for the People of God. Take them in remembrance that Christ died for you, and feed on him in your hearts by faith, with thanksgiving. BCP 364-365 NOTE: An Agnus Dei (Lamb of God) is optional in Rite 2. The Agnus Dei is sometimes sung during communion if there is a choir.

The Breaking of the Bread

We break this bread to share in the body of Christ. We who are many are one body, for we all share the one bread.

The Invitation

Draw near and receive the body and blood of our Savior Jesus Christ in remembrance that He died for us. Let us feed on Christ in our hearts by faith with thanksgiving.

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Prayer of Humble Access (Rite 1 prayer)

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

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PRAYER OF HUMBLE ACCESS

• First appeared in the Scottish Book of Common Prayer, 1637.• Origin of prayer comes from the Prayer of Worthy

Reception that first appeared in the Order of Communion, 1548 and 1549.• Texts drawn from Mark 7:28, the Liturgy of St.

Basil, a Gregorian collect, John 6:56, and the writing of St. Thomas Aquinas.• Came into the Anglican BCP in 1662 and was

revised several times before being codified in its present state in the American BCP 1979.

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Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost – PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION Rite 1 – 8:00am Service Rite II – 11:00am Service Rite III – Life Streams – 9:00am Service

Almighty and ever living 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 Savior Jesus Christ; and dost assure us thereby of thy favor 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 honor and glory, world without end. Amen. BCP 339

Eternal God, heavenly Father, you have graciously accepted us as living members of your Son our Savior Jesus Christ, and you have fed us with spiritual food in the Sacrament of his Body and Blood. Send us now into the world in peace, and grant us strength and courage to love and serve you with gladness and singleness of heart; through Christ our Lord. Amen. BCP 365

Generous God, you have fed us at your heavenly table. Kindle us with the fire of your Spirit that when Christ comes again we may shine like lights before his face; who is alive and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

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Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost – THE DISMISSAL Rite 1 – 8:00am Service Rite II – 11:00am Service Rite III – Life Streams – 9:00am Service

Alleluia. Alleluia. Let us go in peace to love and serve the Lord. Thanks be to God. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

Alleluia. Alleluia. Let us go in peace to love and serve the Lord. Thanks be to God. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

Go now to love and serve the Lord. Go in peace. Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Amen. We go in the name of Christ. Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

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TEXTS OF THE ORDINARY - 1

The texts of the Ordinary of the Mass are ancient within the Christian tradition, scripturally based, and sometimes from pre-Christian tradition, especially the Jewish (Sanctus) or Orthodox (Kyrie) traditions.

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TEXTS OF THE ORDINARY - KYRIE

History: The Kyrie was first a prayer that arose in the Eastern Orthodox tradition that was repeated over and over as a mantra. It entered the Mass in the 8th century AD from the Ordo of St. Amand, which set the limit at nine repetitions.

Scripture:• Old Testament: Psalms: 4:2, 6:3, 9:14, 25:11, 121:3, Is 33:2, and Tobit 8:10• New Testament: Mt 9:27, 20:30, 15:22, Mk 10:47, and Lk 16:24 and 17:13

Etymology: The word eleison derives from the Greek eleos, meaning ‘mercy’ or ‘pity’; but this is the same root word from which the Greek word elaio, meaning ‘oil’, is derived. The Kyrie is a prayer of contrition, but is also a calling down for anointment (as with oil) from God. As we say in Psalm 23: “…you have anointed my head with oil, my cup runs over…”

Metaphysical Meaning: To be anointed in the metaphysical sense represents the avenue through which the unitive God – the immanent Inner Light – can enter human consciousness.

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TEXTS OF THE ORDINARY - GLORIA

History: Gloria in excelsis Deo is the title and beginning of a hymn known also as the Greater Doxology (as distinguished from the "Minor Doxology" or Gloria Patri) and the Angelic Hymn. It is an example of the psalmi idiotici ("private psalms", i.e. compositions by individuals in imitation of the biblical Psalter) that were popular in the 2nd and 3rd centuries. Other surviving examples of this lyric poetry are the Te Deum and the Phos Hilaron.

Scripture: The Gloria text is found in the Christmas story from Luke 2:14 - Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased.

Etymology: Latin

Liturgical Note: In the Church of England's Book of Common Prayer of 1549, it was used in the same position it is today’s Episcopal liturgy but was later moved to the end of the service, immediately before the concluding blessing. The reason for this change was to remove the hymn from the preparation for Communion where it might suggest worship of the bread and wine rather than God himself. Revisions to the Prayer Book occurred in 1552 and 1662, but this placement was retained by the Anglican Communion until the twentieth century. The recently-created Common Worship provides two orders. In one of them, the hymn is in the earlier position.

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TEXTS OF THE ORDINARY - SANCTUS

History: The Sanctus is the oldest part of the ordinary of the Mass, entering the liturgy somewhere between the 1st and 4th centuries.

Scripture: The biblical origin is in Is 6:3 (And they were calling to one another: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.’), Rev 4:8 (Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!) and Mt 21:9 (And the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting, ‘Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!’). The text is older still than our Christian Mass and is found in the Jewish traditions in the 3rd of the 18 Benedictions for Sabbath Amidah (Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of Hosts: The whole earth is full of His glory.)

Symbolical: The Sanctus is the turning point in the poetry of the liturgy – where our Wholly [Holy] human nature transcends to the Wholly [Holy] divine. The 3-fold recitation of Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus or Holy, Holy, Holy is another encryption of the Trinity, the arcanum for the Unity of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

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TEXTS OF THE ORDINARY – OUR FATHER

Scripture: The gospels of Matthew and Luke both record the text of the Our Father in slightly different ways. The “for thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory” text arises from Rev 4:11 (Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created).

Metaphysical: The magnificence expressed here is so central to the very nature of the Wisdom Tradition. “Our Father who art” – God (the That Thou Art) is ours in the same way that we are ours – we are in oneness; and in the ‘who art’ we confirm our transcendent oneness with the absolute.

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OUR FATHER MATTHEW 6: 9-13 LUKE 11: 24-4

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

Father, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread, and forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation.

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OUR FATHER

Book of Common Prayer 1662 Book of Common Prayer 1928 English Language Liturgical Consultation (ELLC) - 1988

Our Father, which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come; thy will be done, in earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive them that trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.

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. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. Save us from the time of trial and deliver us from evil. For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours now and for ever. Amen.

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TEXTS OF THE ORDINARY – AGNUS DEI

History: The Agnus Dei was introduced into the Mass in the 7th century and is today part of the liturgy in the Anglican Communion, the Roman Rite, the Lutheran Church, and the Eastern Orthodox Church.

Scripture: The scriptural basis is found in John 1:29 and John 1:36 (…behold the Lamb of God…) and is evoked in the vision of the four beasts in Rev 5:6.

Metaphysical: The Lamb of God is metaphysically the substance of being - the timeless self – through which we overcome separation from our unitive consciousness; it awakens the knowledge (no, the memory) of oneness, and this substance of being sees across time from the “what” that we manifest at this exact moment to the “who” that we are reclaiming.

Historical Note: There is an interesting story about the Agnus Dei that, whether it is true or not, is revealing. This text, along with the Credo, was the last to be added to the ordinary of the Mass. It was added to Pope Sergius (687-701) as an act of defiance against the Byzantine Empire of Constantinople where it was ruled that Christ could not be depicted as an animal because it debased his God nature. Drawing upon the vast scriptural references of Christ as a lamb, Pope Sergius sought to once and for all codify this metaphor, which was so informative to the people.

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THEY BUILDED AN ALTAR

Noah Gen 8:20 Abraham Gen 12:7, 12:8, 12:18, 13:4, 22:9Isaac Gen 26:25Jacob Gen 33:20, 35:1, 35:3, 35:7Moses Ex 17:15, 24:4Balaam Num 23:1, 23:14, 23:19Joshua Joshua 8:30-31Tribe of Ruben Joshua 22:10Gideon Judges 6:26-27Israelites Judges 21:4Samuel 1Sam 7:17David 2Sam 24:21, 24:25Jeroboam 1Kings 12:33Ahaz 2Kings 16:10-12

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THE UNCUT STONE

• Ex 30:25 – “…make an altar of stones, do not build it of dressed stones.”

• Deut 27:5 – “…altar of stones. Do not use any iron tool upon them.”

• Joshua 8:31 – “…an altar of uncut stones…”

Why uncut stones:Uncut stones are raw and ready to be hewn into something new. They are receptive to change and ready to be made more beautiful. The altar is where we hewn into newness and this symbol remains to remind us of this reality.

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WHY AN ALTAR

From a metaphysical viewpoint, the altar is that place in consciousness where we are willing to give up the lower self and embrace – no, it is more than that, it is to become – the higher self.

The altar is the place where we move in consciousness from our human perception to our divine reality – for to become manifest within our being, our consciousness must first be changed. Through recognition of our non-dual nature – wherein we are both the human and the divine – we experience the greatest gladness and joy.

Psalm 42: We come to the altar of God, the God of our gladness and joy.

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QUESTIONS TO PONDER

At what point in the Holy Eucharist does the priest approach the altar?

Why; what does it symbolize?

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