H/t Bob Chapman posted on the Liturgy page
It is still Easter. I encourage you to “attend” this event, especially at a time when many are forgetting this.
Tag Archive for 'Easter'
The Day of Pentecost ends the Easter Season – it is the culmination of the Great Fifty Days of the Easter season.
Here is a reflection on the collect/opening prayer for the Day of Pentecost.
Here are suggestions that may be incorporated into a Day of Pentecost service.
Although the next time some Christians will hear reference to Ordinary Time may very well be June 13 which begins the 11th week in Ordinary (ie. “counting” – from “ordinal”) Time, Monday May 24 in fact is Monday in the 8th Ordinary Week. The 6th Ordinary Week began February 14, and the 7th Ordinary Week is not used this year (some years skip a week – why? is another blog post). IMO suggestions to use the collect for the Day of Pentecost on the days following should be ignored as it completely undermines the renewal of the Easter Season as fifty days concluding with the feast of the Day of Pentecost.
If you need a collect during this week, use the one appointed for the 8th Ordinary Week.
If you appreciate the badges I have produced for your blogsite or website, you can find HTML for three different options here.
The image above is by Duccio di Buoninsegna (b. ca. 1255, Siena, d. 1319, Siena). That website states
In the Pentecost Duccio goes back to traditional iconographic schemes and includes the Virgin, of whom no mention is made in the Acts of the Apostles, the source of the episode.
I think this goes too far. Acts 1:13-14 has, ” When they had entered the city, they went to the room upstairs where they were staying, Peter, and John, and James, and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James son of Alphaeus, and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James. All these were constantly devoting themselves to prayer, together with certain women, including Mary the mother of Jesus, as well as his brothers.” (my emphasis). Acts 2:1 then continues, “When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place.
In with the comments, please also remember to feel free to add links and suggestions for hymns, prayers, etc. for the Day of Pentecost.
As is not unusual, I have again had email questions about the NZ Anglican lectionary choice of the colour Red as the liturgical colour from after Ascension Day up to and including the Day of Pentecost, and hence including what the lectionary terms the “7th Sunday of Easter”.
Firstly let me reinforce what the lectionary itself says, page 4: “The colours suggested for each day… are not mandatory but reflect common practice in most parishes.” Hence, before proceeding, please complete – which colour was used in your community last Sunday?
The lectionary is stating it is not prescriptive but rather descriptive of the use in “most parishes.” Some issues arise in the correspondence I have received in multi-center parishes, where the travelling priest appears to have to go with a whole wardrobe. Remember, the NZ lectionary regularly provides several, even all four options.
Until 2002, the 7th Sunday of Easter has been white. Suddenly without explanation, the 2003 lectionary changed the 7th Sunday of Easter to red. Ascension Day has remained white. From Friday after Ascension Day to the Day of Pentecost has become red. Can someone please explain why? What caused this change to happen in “most parishes” that the lectionary is now reflecting? [If another feast falls within those days, the colour of that feast may be chosen].
It seems to me that the colour for Easter is white, gold, or “best”, and, hence, the colour for the 7th Sunday of Easter is white, gold, or “best”. Certainly all Roman Catholics wore white – so that’s “most parishes” in New Zealand, and disproportionately “most parishes” in the world 
The danger in this kind of discussion is to degenerate into liturgical rubrical fundamentalism, or accusations of such, on the one hand. The danger on the other, is the complete abandonment of any common prayer. With the diminishing of unity through common prayer comes the search for other ways to find, create, retain, enforce unity.
I understand that the General Synod Eucharist on Thursday May 13 celebrated not Ascension Day but Ihaia Te Ahu. Ascension Day is a Principal Feast of our church. General Synod makes all episcopal units debate and vote and agree to “Ascension Day…should not be displaced by any other celebration.” Again, the issue is not so much enforcing rules for rules’ sake, but how can we move forward creatively and constructively and unitedly in our life and worship together?
Fascinatingly, on May 13 Roman Catholics also did not celebration Ascension Day! They celebrated Our Lady of Fatima. Now there’s another option…
If you are on Facebook there’s no better time to attend “Easter is 50 days”
There is much to enrich us in monastic spirituality. Benedictine spirituality in many ways is the undergirding spirituality of Anglicanism. The monastic tradition of “fuga mundi” (“flee the world”), however, is too easily misinterpreted as an anti-creation, other-worldly, so-heavenly-minded-as-to-be-of-no-earthly-use spirituality. This has little validity in a world in ecological crisis, or in a religion that believes in Incarnation. And resurrection. And sacraments.
God did not dress up in a human body and then discard this at death, returning to some preferable spiritual state. God’s hypostatic union to creation is permanent. Christ retains his full, created, creaturely, humanity in the resurrection. Including his body. The Ascension proclaims and celebrates Christ takes this creation into the full presence of God. The metaphorical language of “up” must never allow for an escapist spirituality. If we do not find God in our everyday life of work, sport, friends, food, music, nature, bodies,… we do not find God at all.
The New Zealand Prayer Book Commission’s alteration of the Sursum Corda to “Lift your hearts to heaven/ where Christ in glory reigns” is one of the more unfortunate innovations, encouraging a dualistic as well as triumphalistic spirituality. Thankfully, General Synod 1987 had the wisdom to restore “Lift up your hearts/we lift them to the Lord” in several New Zealand Prayer Book Eucharistic rites.
Ascension is not a literal date – even Luke, whose chronology most quickly springs to mind, has the Ascension on Easter Day in his gospel, and forty days later in his volume two, the Acts of the Apostles. For John, Jesus ascends, is lifted up, on the throne of his cross. Roman Catholics, in New Zealand and elsewhere, celebrate Ascension 43 days after Easter Day!
Ascension Day is a feast, not a season. The Season is the fifty days of the Easter Season. The Easter Candle continues to burn until and including the Day of Pentecost. The Lectionary’s referring to it as “Ascensiontide” is confused and confusing. I cannot locate the formulary that would have this collect read daily from now until the following Thursday as advised by the New Zealand lectionary. Nor can I see any logic in this. Nor can I understand the liturgical purpose of following its suggestion to have two collects.
Ascension Day commences the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity in the Southern Hemisphere. That the Northern and Southern Hemisphere cannot even agree on dating the week of prayer for Christian Unity is in itself, sadly, worthy of reflection.
Let us pray (in silence) [that we may consciously live in the presence of the Risen Christ]
pause
Eternal and gracious God,
we believe your Son our Saviour Jesus Christ
to have ascended with triumph
into your kingdom in heaven;
may we also in heart and mind
ascend to where he is,
and with him continually dwell;who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God now and forever.
Amen.
As well as reflecting on this, you can add any other Ascension reflections or resources in the comments box below.
Ascension Day in the Southern Hemisphere commences the week of prayer for Christian unity.
There is also a temptation to stop celebrating Easter now, and extinguish the Easter Candle. Resist it. You can do it.
Sunday is the seventh Sunday in the Great 50 days of the Easter Season.
Ascension Day collect/opening prayer reflection
Seventh Sunday of Easter May 16 collect/opening prayer reflection
Seventh Sunday of Easter May 16 collect/opening prayer reflectin (BCP, TEC, USA; CofE Common Worship)
Add your reflections on the readings, prayers for Christian unity, resources, hymns, etc. in the comments box below.
Here’s a commentary for a collect/opening prayer for Easter 6.
Here’s a commentary for the BCP (TEC USA) collect/opening prayer for Easter 6.
Here’s a commentary for a collect/opening prayer for Ascension.
Add your prayers, ideas, hymns, and other suggestions for this coming Sunday, week, and Ascension.
Today is brought to you … by the numbers fifty and twenty-five
A couple of posts ago I wrote about the number 8.
8 = 7+1, so it is about abundance, fresh start, resurrection.
50 has similarities, it is 7×7 +1
49 is a sabbath of sabbaths – 50 is the start of a new cycle of those
50 is the number of the Jubilee (Leviticus 25:8-55; 27:14-34; Numbers 36:1-9)
Pentecost πεντηκοστή ἡμέρα, pentekostē hēmera is the fiftieth day
In the early church the season of Pentecost was not the period following the Day of Pentecost, it was the 50 day season from Easter Day until the Day of Pentecost.
50 is approximately a seventh of the year – the 50 day season of Easter is celebrated as if it is one day – it is the Great Sunday of the year.
There is a connection with 8. There are 8 Sundays in the Easter Season. It has been suggested that the English expression “Whitsunday” derives from the French huit (eight), Pentecost being le huitième dimanche, the eighth Sunday of Easter.
Today is the 25th day of Easter, we are half way through the Easter Season.
You can join the facebook “event” Easter is 50 days here.
See here for a commentary on the collect/opening prayer for this Sunday.
The forty days of Lent are to prepare for the fifty days of Easter. Is that continuing to be your experience?
How was your experience of Easter 4? Where I worshiped I was again delighted that the Easter Greeting was used (Alleluia! Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!), and Alleluias were added to the dismissal, there were also two baptisms. The Easter candle continues to be lit. Will this be (able to be) maintained for the fifty days of the Easter Season?
You can also add your (or any) resources or suggestions, prayers, hymns, reflections on readings, etc. for this coming Sunday and the following week below.
Today is brought to you… by the number eight
In Greek 8= η (Eta)
In Hebrew 8= ח (Het)
8 = 7+1
ie. 8 is beginning again (as in the musical scale)
a new beginning
the eighth day is the beginning of a new week
The ark has 8 people saved through the water (2 Peter 2:5)
The Jewish male is circumcised on the eighth day
The Hebrew word for eight שְׁמוֹנֶה (Sh’moneh) is from a root meaning to make or to cover with fat – it is about superabundance.
In John, the Risen Jesus appears on the “eighth day” in John 20:26ff (poorly translated in NRSV, NIV, etc)
The Day of Pentecost is the eighth Sunday of the Easter Season.
It has been suggested that the English expression “Whitsunday” derives from the French huit (eight), Pentecost being le huitième dimanche, the eighth Sunday of Easter.
Octagonal (eight-sided) fonts are no accident. They occur from at least early in the fourth century and form one of the most common shapes for fonts and baptistries in Europe. This is not known in North Africa or the East. Octagonal fonts interpret baptism as resurrection with Christ, and new life in Christ (cf Rom 6:4b,9-11; Col 3:1)
Place the above story alongside the banning of a nurse in the UK from wearing a cross around her neck (as she has been for the last 30 years). I understand that in the same context Muslim workers are exempt from hygiene rules which stipulate their forearms must not be covered.
And we all know stories of the crosses being absent from Hot Cross Buns, I mean Easter Buns, I mean Holiday Buns…
See here for a commentary on the collect/opening prayer for this Sunday.
The forty days of Lent are to prepare for the fifty days of Easter. Is that continuing to be your experience?
I participated in worship with a different community for Easter 3 than for Easter 2. I was again delighted that the Easter Greeting was used (Alleluia! Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!), Alleluias added to the dismissal, and good strong Easter singing, again filled with Alleluias. The Easter candle continues to be lit. And this community has a large Easter icon surrounded by candles, as well as a children’s display of the empty tomb. Was your experience last Sunday like that? Will this be (able to be) maintained for the fifty days of the Easter Season?
This Sunday is also ANZAC Day here (good ANZAC hymn here). The NZ Anglican lectionary provides ANZAC Day readings alternative to Easter 4 readings. I disagree with this (unless, perhaps, you are running a solely-ANZAC-focused dawn service). Let us stay with the readings we have internationally and ecumenically agreed to. It is easy enough to incorporate ANZAC Day into an Easter 4 service – if you cannot do that you have no right to be leading worship.
Also, New Zealand Anglicanism (General Synod) decided, relatively recently, that for April 25 ANZAC Day took precedence over St Mark. Hence, rather than leaving the incorporation or transference of Mark to the competency of the local community and its particular context, General Synod decided to move St Mark to April 26. I, however, will be very very surprised to find a church named St Mark in New Zealand which is not disregarding the formulary and celebrating St Mark this Sunday, April 25, probably along with reference to ANZAC Day and Christ’s resurrection. Another signal to General Synod meeting soon: please stop messing around with liturgy.
The secret can finally be revealed: the Easter Bunny is not only Anglican, but actually a primate of the Anglican Communion: Archbishop Martin de Jesus Barahona, primate of the Anglican Church in Central America. h/t Fr Scott Gunn
One Voice York, a network of Christian churches and leaders of different denominations who work together in York, England, organised a baptism of eleven people for April 3. This is the fourth year of such ecumenical baptisms there. Each candidate for baptism had their minister join them in the water to baptise their candidate with Archbishop Sentamu.
After the baptisms, men from Teen Challenge told their stories of changed lives. Teen Challenge help young people with drug and alcohol addictions. Read the account in the York Press and the Church Times. ITV showed this video (only viewable from within UK).
See my post: baptism distracts from Easter?
It is always fascinating to pore over church service advertisements. Especially the way a community perceives itself, what it thinks it is important, and how it expresses itself to visitors and seekers:
- a devotional service
- Family service
- Festival Eucharist with Easter Hymns
- Traditional Holy Communion (BCP) with hymns
- Informal lively service with communion
But the prize in Holy week’s advertising goes to:
“Sung Festival Eucharist with incense”
I am not sure if the phrase, “with incense” is there as a warning or as an invitation! Possibly a warning as recently the Chichester District Council sent an Environmental Health Team to St Paul’s, Chichester, after a complaint that incense fumes made a parishioner unwell. The Rector, the Revd Richard Hunt, said that he would put up a notice about the use of incense.
A council spokeswoman said: “The investigation carried out by our team concluded that there is insufficient evidence to show that the occasional burning of incense, within St Paul’s Church, represents any significant hazard to health.” The church was large and airy; so the smoke would be “significantly dispersed”, it was well ventilated, and the blown-air heating system would “dilute” any smoke.
An interesting doctoral thesis (please credit me): correlating incense health issues and theological/liturgical perspectives. Remembering incense has been shown to cause antidepressive behaviour in mice. It also activates the poorly understood ion channels in the brain alleviating anxiety and depression.
When asked: what is incense for? The answer is: for the nose.
Remember in the afterlife the Bible speaks of there being two alternative smells: one is incense, the other… which do you prefer getting used to?
Reflection on the collect/opening prayer for the Third Sunday of Easter
The forty days of Lent are to prepare for the fifty days of Easter. Is that your experience?
Regularly people have a very intense Lent (study groups, extra services, disciplines, etc.) And then after Easter Day, the next Sunday (last Sunday) is “Low Sunday” and soon everything is “back to normal”. Thankfully the parish church I participated with for the Second Sunday of Easter continued from the Easter Vigil with the environment looking at its best, flower arrangements magnificent, five times the Easter Greeting was used in the service (Alleluia! Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!), Alleluias added to the dismissal, and good strong Easter singing, again filled with Alleluias. Was your experience last Sunday like that? Will this be (able to be) maintained for the fifty days of the Easter Season? What is it that for many sombreness is easy to maintain (the preparation) but celebration is difficult to maintain (what we have been preparing for)? And also let’s be clear: celebration of the Easter Season is not identical to the frothy, surface-level, superficial jolliness that our culture (and many communities and Christians?) can mistake and replace for the deep transformation, and transformative celebration that Easter is about.
Please add hymns, prayers, ideas, resources in the comments.
And join the facebook “event”, Easter is 50 days.
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