Tag Archive for 'lectionary'

Special Sundays

Published on August 30, 2010 in liturgy. 8 Comments Tags: , , , .

Someone told me that General Synod of the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia has authorised 38 “special Sundays”. IMO, the General Synod is irresponsible in its liturgical governance and leadership.

I strongly support the three year lectionary in its RCL and RC forms. And I notice that this doesn’t work as well when people are constantly looking for themes. Or abandoning the Sunday readings for a “special Sunday”.

It is difficult for me to understand, for example, why, in New Zealand, National Bible Sunday gets its own readings which, rather than encouraging systematic reading of the scriptures actually models the opposite by departing from the RCL’s systematic reading of the scriptures!!!

By all means, add a special intention into the prayers, or pick up a focus in a hymn, or make a connection between the set readings and such a focus, or have a visiting preacher from a particular organisation, or add something to the pew sheet, or alter the worship environment, … but don’t force the service into a constraining theme; and don’t depart from the three year lectionary, in a community that meets weekly, without good cause.

Here are some of the “special Sundays” that spring to mind:

AAW SUNDAY (1st Sunday in February)
ASIA SUNDAY (nearest Sunday to 20 May)
Te Pouhere Sunday – Second Sunday after Pentecost
DISABILITY AWARENESS SUNDAY (3rd Sunday in June)
REFUGEE SUNDAY (1st Sunday in July)
Sea Sunday (2nd Sunday in July
NATIONAL BIBLE SUNDAY (3rd Sunday in July)
Social Services Sunday (4th Sunday in July)
RELIGIOUS VOCATION SUNDAY (3RD Sunday in August)
ANGLICAN COMMUNION SUNDAY (last Sunday in August)
BATTLE OF BRITAIN SUNDAY (Sunday nearest 15 September)
Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation
if date unknownFeast of Dedication or Consecration
TIKANGA YOUTH SUNDAY
REMEMBRANCE SUNDAY (2nd Sunday in November)
Feast of Christ in All Creation
Aotearoa Sunday

the homily

Published on July 8, 2010 in liturgy. 7 Comments Tags: , , .

In 2008 the Roman Catholic Church had a Synod of Bishops on the Bible. Earlier this year a book, “The Word of God” was published as one of the results of this synod. It includes advice on homilies (sermons) by Archbishop Nikola Eterovic, secretary-general of the Synod of Bishops.

“Homilies should be no longer than eight minutes, a listener’s average attention span”, Nikola Eterovic said.

“Priests and deacons should also avoid reading straight from a text and instead work from notes so that they can have eye contact with the people in the pews.”

In his book, Nikola Eterovic wrote that it’s not unusual for preachers to recognise that they have less-than-perfect communications skills or that they struggle with preparing homilies. “Everyone should spend an appropriate amount of time to craft a well-prepared and relevant sermon for Mass”.

While he explained that Pope Benedict XVI starts working on his Sunday homilies on the preceding Monday so that there is plenty of time to reflect on the Scripture readings from which the homily will draw, I wondered how his advice about reading from a text related here. Does the pope avoid reading straight from a text and instead work from notes so that he can have eye contact with the people? Also, I am not convinced that a week is actually sufficient time. I think planning needs to be over a far longer period of time so that the scriptures and sermons from one week to the next are not disconnected or repetitive.

The lectionary encourages an ongoing series of sermons. If connections are to be made with the prayers being prepared by someone else, with music, with choir, hymns, and even the look of the worship environment, far more than the pope’s practice of six days, IMO, will be required. There needs also to be an overview of what is being covered in sermons. Over the longer term, what messages, applicable in ordinary daily life, are being given to a regular worshipper in your community? Over an extensive period, what messages are not being talked about? Thought about?

Two hints: in my sermons I normally try to include something to think about, something that touches the heart, something to do.

If you use a full text, I once read the helpful suggestion that in rehearsing it you read the last paragraph, then the last two paragraphs, then the last three, until you reach the start of your sermon – that way as you get further into actually preaching it you reach increasingly well-rehearsed material.

What ideas and practices can you suggest for others in the comments here?

Resources Corpus Christi; etc

Published on June 1, 2010 in liturgy. 1 Comment Tags: , , , , .

fOn Thursday June 3 is the feast of Corpus Christi. Many transfer this feast to Sunday June 6.

Here is a reflection on the collect/opening prayer for Corpus Christi

Corpus Christi is, of course, a feast day – a single day, hence it is not appropriate to use its collect for the days following, just as you would not use the collect of the Day of Pentecost for the days following, nor the collect for Trinity Sunday for the days following.

Common Worship (CofE) has this collect/opening prayer for the First Sunday after Trinity, and hence the week following.

NZPB has this collect for the week following Sunday June 6.

BCP (TEC) has the following collect for the week following Sunday June 6:

O God,
from whom all good proceeds:
Grant that by your inspiration we may think those things that are right,
and by your merciful guiding may do them;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

The Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia (ACANZP) has the second Sunday after Pentecost as Te Pouhere Sunday, “Designated by General Synod to celebrate our life as a three Tikanga Church”. This has its own readings etc. The lectionary states “Resources are available on the General Synod website” and how to find them. That may have been true at the printing of this lectionary, but the resources are no longer there. The Dunedin diocesan site has possibly the best of NZ’s liturgical resources available, but even there the links appear broken. I think it possible that this is the document that used to be on the General Synod site, that the lectionary is referring to. Someone has told me that ACANZP has 38 special Sundays during the 52 week year – I can almost believe it. This is one of these 38.

Please in the comments feel free to add hymns, prayers, resources, etc. for Corpus Christi etc.

Proper Ordinary Time

Published on May 28, 2010 in liturgy. 6 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , .

I am receiving a lot of questions: why is this the 8th week in Ordinary Time? Why is my church using Proper 3 for the office? (from someone in TEC USA). The answer is not simple.

There are 52 or 53 Sundays in a year, depending on the year. 4 are for Advent, 1 or 2 for Christmas (depending on the year), 6 for Lent, 8 for Easter = a total of at least 19 Sundays. In a year of 53 Sundays we would need another 34 Sundays – that’s the maximum number we need. Sometimes we won’t need 34 – where do we drop a Sunday not needed? The contemporary lectionary system has decided to drop such a Sunday in the moving Lent-Easter period, so that the Church Year always ends on the 34th Sunday. Do the maths and you’ll find the Sunday before Advent, the Last Sunday of the Church Year (#34), is always between November 20 and 26. It is also the Sunday closest to November 23. Counting backwards #33 is always between November 13 and 19. It is also the Sunday closest to November 16. And so on backwards.

Ordinary Time numbering:

(used, for example by the Roman Catholic Church. The Canadian BAS calls them “propers” ie. the 7th Sunday in Ordinary Time BAS calls “Proper 7”)

There is nothing “ordinary” about “Ordinary Time”. Ordinary Time is not about common, regular, mundane, or run of the mill. Ordinary Time comes from the word “ordinal” as in “ordinal numbers”. Remember your Maths: Cardinal numbers answer “how many?” “Ordinal Numbers” tell the rank, they answer “what position?” Ordinal Numbers are first, second, third, fourth, etc.

Ordinary weeks count forward from The Baptism of the Lord. After the Day of Pentecost, however, they are checked backwards from the last week of the Church’s Year which is always the 34th week of Ordinary Time. So sometimes a week is dropped out – as in 2010. In 2010 the week prior to Lent was the 6th week in Ordinary Time. The week following the Day of Pentecost is the 8th week in Ordinary Time. Next week (following Trinity Sunday) is the 9th week in Ordinary Time. Hence, one can see why Sunday 13 June is the 11th Sunday in Ordinary Time (actually technically the Sunday in the 11th week of Ordinary Time).

The Episcopal Church:

has decided not to title the earlier Sundays in Ordinary Time like that. They are numbering the earlier ones Sundays after Epiphany. They realize that the earliest the Day of Pentecost can be is May 10. So they number “Propers” from the Sunday “closest to May 11”. But the readings are actually the same as above. ie. you either use the readings before Lent, or after Pentecost. Hence for TEC the readings for Proper 1 are just the same as the readings set for the 6th Sunday after Epiphany; Proper 2 is identical with the seventh Sunday after Epiphany. This continues to the ninth Sunday after Epiphany, the greatest number of Sundays possible after Epiphany. (TEC has a “Last Sunday after Epiphany). [TEC's proper number plus 5 = the Ordinary Sunday number which is the same as BAS proper number].

Common Worship CofE:

essentially follows the same lectionary system as the above two. But whereas the above two systems link a collect/opening prayer to the readings, Common Worship acknowledges that there is no theme to the readings and so the collect is independent of the readings. The collect for Common Worship is found by counting Sundays after Trinity Sunday.

The New Zealand Lectionary (of the Anglican Church of Or)

won’t make its mind up. Sunday 6 June is given as “Te Pouhere Sunday” (“Designated by General Synod to celebrate our life as a three Tikanga Church.” complete with its own set of readings including four options for a gospel reading, and two options each for other readings. It calls the Acts of the Apostles an “epistle”). The lectionary also calls this the Second Sunday after Pentecost, the 10th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Te Ratapu Tekau ma tahi o He wa ano, and Proper 5 with its own RCL readings. No one will be told off if they call it the First Sunday after Trinity. And there will be a number of communities that will celebrate Corpus Christi on this Sunday with its own readings and collect. Of course if you have a particular thing about St Boniface and want to celebrate him this day, or this year you have a family service on the first Sunday of the month focusing on each of the twelve apostles in turn – no one will be at all surprised…

Further to our current week, the suggestion in the New Zealand Lectionary that the collect for the Day of Pentecost be used during the week following is confused and confusing. I cannot locate the formulary that would have this as advised by the lectionary. Nor can I see any logic in this. Nor can I understand the liturgical purpose of following its suggestion to have two collects.

The Day of Pentecost ends the fifty day season of Easter (that’s what the Greek word “Pentecost” means!) It does not begin a “Pentecost Season”. In the Nicene canons we are forbidden to kneel on Sundays and the Bishops at the Council of Nicaea were horrified to hear of people kneeling during Pentecost – by which they meant the fifty days of what we now call the Easter Season (Council of Nicaea, Canon 20).

During the week following the Day of Pentecost, the collect is that of the eigth week in Ordinary Time. During the week following Trinity Sunday the collect is that of the ninth week in Ordinary Time. Trinity Sunday also is a feast, not the start of a season (except possibly in the Church of England).

Have an extraordinary Ordinary Time.

white is right

Published on May 17, 2010 in liturgy. 18 Comments Tags: , , , , , , .

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”

liturgy at General Synod

Published on May 8, 2010 in liturgy. 6 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , .

I have been able to find out a bit more about debates relating to liturgy at the meeting of General Synod of the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia meeting in Gisborne from today. Motion 5 (below) is the one that confuses and concerns me most, followed by the bill on Ashes to Fire.

There is a bill to confirm the removal in the Prayer Book of
for all who through their own or others’ actions are deprived of fullness of life
for prisoners, refugees, the handicapped, and all who are sick.
and replacing it with
for all who are deprived of fullness of life,
for prisoners, refugees, and those who are sick.

There is a bill to confirm the addition of certain people to the formulary of our calendar:
Mary MacKillop, Brother Roger, Mother Teresa, CS Lewis, Thomas Merton (I set this process in motion, though my hope had been that, as well as these, a much larger revision of our calendar was undertaken)

There is a bill to confirm that the New Living Translation may be read in church.

There is a bill confirming authorisation of eight new Eucharistic Prayers (Alternative Great Thanksgiving A-F, and for use with Children A & B)

There is a bill proposing that a resource Ashes to Fire: Liturgy for the Seasons of Lent and Easter become Alternative Services. I’m not sure what it is “alternative to” as we’ve previously never authorised anything like this. Also I’m not sure of the intended status? Is this the start of the “twice round process” (passed by GS, by majority of pakeha dioceses, hui amorangi, and diocese of Polynesia, & back to GS, and then a year’s wait) through which this will be come a formulary? And if so, does that mean we must use this and nothing else during Lent and Easter? Or will this be a recommended resource, but we can continue to source excellent other material? I have not spent sufficient time with this material to give an opinion if the intention is that we will use this and nothing else from Lent through Easter. Also, even if that is the intention of General Synod, the reality will be that the church here would continue to use and create other material. You can download a PDF of Ashes to Fire here.

Motion 5 I think needs even more clarification. It is unclear to me whether it is intended to replace everything in our Prayer Book from pages 549 to 723 as it appears to be suggesting. Certainly it cannot do that as those pages are formularies of our church. If the intention is that this is yet another resource for liturgy in this province, I can live with that, even though I do not agree with the way that many prayers are associated with the lectionary as if they are collects.

The central prayer of the Liturgy of the Eucharist is the Eucharistic Prayer, in which we clearly, in Christ, are in relationship with God (the First Person of the Trinity, the Father/Matua), in the power of the Spirit. The central prayer of the Liturgy of the Word, the collect, normatively has this same dynamic. In the collect the tradition has us clearly, in Christ, in relationship with God (the First Person of the Trinity, the Father/Matua), in the power of the Spirit. The collect is not another nice little prayer addressed to whatever person of the Trinity your liturgical bottle has stopped spinning at. Many “collects” in our Prayer Book have neither this dynamic (they are, rather, addressed to Jesus or the Holy Spirit), nor (of lesser significance) the structure of a collect, however we have always been free to choose a collect which does have this dynamic. This resource in motion 5 spreads the three collects provided for each Sunday in the Prayer Book across the three years of the lectionary. I hope that our province will work towards a better way to associate collects with the lectionary. And that such collects associated follow the structure and dynamics of the inherited tradition. This motion is clearly not a formulary, and I would strongly oppose any development that would make it compulsory to use the suggestions, not leaving open the option of following the structure and dynamics of our inherited tradition.

I would speak against motion 5 because it is confused and merely increases liturgical confusion in our province. It also encourages the use of nice little prayers to Jesus and the Holy Spirit which may be wonderful in other contexts but inappropriate as the core prayer for the Liturgy of the Word.

Here is an earlier article I wrote on collect vandalism. This includes PDFs of what motion 5 is proposing be “authorised” as “replacing” our formulary pages (something, of course, that cannot be done in this manner).
Here is an explanation of the collect in my book Celebrating Eucharist.
Further reading on the collect.

Here is my call for General Synod information to be available online.
Here is my General Synod wish-list.

A participant’s blog

And don’t forget to pray for the meeting of General Synod.

Resources for Easter 4

Published on April 20, 2010 in liturgy. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , .

buen_pastor_17See 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.

Resources for Easter 3

Published on April 13, 2010 in liturgy. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , .

3pasc

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.

Resources for Easter 2

Published on April 7, 2010 in liturgy. 3 Comments Tags: , , , , , .

Thomas

Sadly, the eighth day of Easter (and I may blog about the significance of 8), is often referred to as “Low” Sunday – even in the New Zealand Lectionary!

Commentary on the collect/opening prayer for Sunday April 11.

I am firmly in favour of calling this the “Second Sunday of Easter” and opposed to it being the “First Sunday after Easter” (in spite of that being in our NZ formularies). Easter is 50 days. Join the Facebook event and encourage others to do so. Add the “Easter is 50 days” badge to your website or blog.

Note, the first reading during the season is not from the First Testament as usual, but from the Acts of the Apostles. The Gospel reading this Sunday is the same every year: John 20:19-31. The image, above, is by Caravaggio (1601-1602). When I chose it for this post I muttered, look Richard Dawkins examining the Resurrection. No, was the reply, Dawkins doesn’t look that carefully.

Those baptised at the Easter Vigil would wear their white baptismal gowns until this day. Hence the Latin title for this Sunday is Dominica in Albis [Depositis] – “Sunday in [Setting Aside the] White Garments”. In the East this is known as Thomas Sunday. Delightfully, East and West read the same Gospel reading on this Sunday, and furthermore, this year the Eastern and Western celebrations of Easter are identical. So Sunday April 11 East and West Christians proclaim John 20:19-31. Whilst in the West there is a focus on “Doubting Thomas”, the East focuses more on Thomas’ declaration “my Lord and my God”. This week from Pascha to Thomas Sunday is called Bright Week (or Renewal Week). It is celebrated as one continuous day (similar to my advocating the whole 50 days of the Easter Season be regarded). During Bright Week the Royal Doors on the Iconostasis are kept open. Another title for this Sunday is Antipascha (meaning “in the place of Pascha”). Those who for good reason were unable to attend the Paschal Vigil, attend services on this day instead.

The text of the traditional Introit for this Sunday is drawn from 1 Peter 2:2 and begins “Quasi modo geniti infantes…” (”As if in this manner newborn infants…” In Victo Hugo’s novel, The Hunchback of Notre Dame Quasimodo  was found on the doorsteps of Notre Dame on this Sunday.

He [Archdeacon Claude Frollo, Quasimodo's adoptive father] baptized his adopted child and called him Quasimodo; whether it was that he chose thereby to commemorate the day when he had found him, or that he meant to mark by that name how incomplete and imperfectly molded the poor little creature was. Indeed, Quasimodo, one-eyed, hunchbacked, and bow-legged, could hardly be considered as anything more than an almost.

Since 2000 this Octave of Easter for Roman Catholics has also been designated as Divine Mercy Sunday.

Please add hymns, prayers, ideas, resources in the comments.

Tuesday but not Wednesday in Easter Week?

Published on April 6, 2010 in liturgy. 1 Comment Tags: , , , , , , , .
New Zealand Lectionary today

New Zealand Lectionary today

Yesterday was “Monday in Easter Week” in the official Anglican Prayer Book, A New Zealand Prayer Book He Karakia Mihinare o Aotearoa (NZPB page 593). Today is “Tuesday in Easter Week” (page 594). Tomorrow is… ummm… well not mentioned actually! This “tradition” goes all the way back to the First Prayer Book of Edward VI. But, as far as I know, not before that. As far as I know the missals have always provided propers for every day of Easter week. Anyone know otherwise?

So why stop at Tuesday? And what about contemporary revisions? As far as I know all reputable contemporary revisions have abandoned this Sunday-Monday-Tuesday-then-nothing “tradition”. Anyone know other examples than New Zealand? NZPB has many other quirky things, but no one has yet completed a commentary to explain them. So, if you know the answer to this one – do please tell.

The New Zealand Lectionary often overrides NZPB quirkiness. But not this time – as you see in the image above. In fact towards the end of what I and most contemporary liturgy regard as a 50-day Easter Season, the lectionary abandons “common” prayer, allowing for either “Ascensiontide” (with a change recommended in the non-formulary Daily Office, “Celebrating Common Prayer”) or (in smaller type) continuing for people like me (and majority Christianity) to celebrate Easter until the Day of Pentecost (in smaller type).

Easter ends today?

I know it is hard to keep those Alleluias resounding for 50 days. We have a culture that finds it much easier to grovel and do without for 40 days (46 days including Sundays) than to celebrate and party for 50 days! [NZPB as previous BCPs all call the next proper "after Easter"] But is there something particular about Englishness that we can only celebrate for Sunday, Monday, Tuesday?

If you agree with me that Easter lasts 50 days then join the Facebook event “Easter is 50 days“, encourage others to join, put the “Easter is 50 days” badge on your blog or website, correct people these 50 days whenever they inappropriately use “after Easter” – including clergy :-)

Passion Sunday?

Published on March 19, 2010 in liturgy. 6 Comments Tags: , , , , , .

A recent comment asked why Lent 5 (this coming Sunday), the Sunday before Palm Sunday, was previously called “Passion Sunday”. Was there at some stage of Christian history a reading of the Passion on this day? The Church of England continues to call this “Passion Sunday”. The NZ Lectionary also calls this “Passion Sunday” and the (now-nearly-never-used- does-anyone-at-all-still-us-it?) NZ home-grown “Two Year Series” of readings also calls Lent 5 “Passion Sunday” (with the theme “the cross”) NZPB page 579. I have looked in some books, looked around online, and tweeted the question, but have not received what I regard as a sufficient explanation. Personally, I’m with the renewed lectionary that sees Palm Sunday as Passion Sunday and each year has a different reading of the passion story on Palm/Passion Sunday. This aside, in this post I’m more interested in the history of calling Lent 5 “Passion Sunday”. Please add in the comments what you know.

NZ Lectionary online

Published on March 12, 2010 in lectionary and liturgy. 1 Comment Tags: , , , , .

I have not previously put a link from this site to this year’s online lectionary from the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia.

Click here to download a PDF of this year’s lectionary (4 MB)

Saturday in the First Week of Lent

Published on February 27, 2010 in liturgy. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , .

Read – reflect – respond (in prayer, silence, possibly a comment)

Lectio Divina – sacred reading

Matthew 5:43-48

43 [Jesus said] “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’
44 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
45 so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous.
46 For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?
47 And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?
48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

O God, by your Word you marvelously carry out the work of reconciliation:
Grant that in our Lenten fast we may be devoted to you with all our hearts,
and united with one another in prayer and holy love;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

George Herbert, Priest, 1633

Our God and King,
who called your servant George Herbert from the pursuit of worldly honors to be a pastor of souls, a poet, and a priest in your temple:
Give us grace, we pray, joyfully to perform the tasks you give us to do,
knowing that nothing is menial or common that is done for your sake;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

The Temple: The Poetry of George Herbert (Christian Classic)

Hymns

  1. Come, My Way, My Truth, My Life
  2. God of Love My Shepherd Is, The
  3. King of Glory, King of Peace
  4. Let All the World in Every Corner Sing
  5. Teach Me, My God and King

Selected poems

Tuesday in the First Week of Lent

Published on February 23, 2010 in liturgy. 1 Comment Tags: , , , , , , , , , , .

Read – reflect – respond (in prayer, silence, possibly a comment)

Lectio Divina – sacred reading

Matthew 6:7-15

7 [Jesus said] “When you are praying, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard because of their many words.

8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

9 “Pray then in this way: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.

10 Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

11 Give us this day our daily bread.

12 And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.

13 And do not bring us to the time of trial, but rescue us from the evil one.

14 For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you;

15 but if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

Grant to your people, Lord, grace to withstand the temptations of the world, the flesh ad the devil, and with pure hearts and minds to follow you, the only True God; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Polycarp, Bishop and Martyr of Smyrna, 156

O God, the maker of heaven and earth, who gave to your venerable servant, the holy and gentle Polycarp, boldness to confess Jesus Christ as King and Saviour, and steadfastness to die for his faith: Give us grace, following his example, to share the cup of Christ and rise to eternal life; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.

SOAP Lectio Divina

Published on January 25, 2010 in liturgy, liturgy of the hours and spirituality. 1 Comment Tags: , , , , , , .

For all I know some readers of this post may wonder where I have been living all this time, or maybe that I move in far too small circles! Recently I was reading some comments of a woman who was taking for granted that all her readers knew what the “SOAP” Bible-reading method was. Well I had never heard of it. So I got in touch with her and she explained it stands for:

Scripture – pick your passage, follow a system, use a lectionary
Observation – what particularly touched you in the scripture passage?
Application – how can you apply your observation to your life?
Prayer

Recommendations are that all this be written in a journal – starting each section S, O, A, P
In my correspondence with her I mentioned how it has similarities to the great tradition of Lectio Divina, “Spiritual Reading”. She had never heard of that :-)

Lectio Divina has four movements
Lectio – read the passage
Meditatio – reflect on the passage
Oratio – respond in prayer
Contemplatio – rest in God

Previously I have written some more on Lectio Divina
There is also a good introduction to Lectio Divina here.

One comment I found suggested that the SOAP method started here.
A website for storing your SOAP is here.

A couple of final points: SOAP and Lectio Divina do not replace serious academic study of the scriptures – it prayerfully complements study. IMO the Christian spiritual life flourishes when there is a regular balance and variety of prayer styles: Eucharist, lectio divina, intercession, Daily Office, silent prayer,… There is a danger when only one or few from this list are present to nourish our spiritual life.

Comments below, as well as responding to this post, might include other ideas, websites, and resources.