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CHAPTER 5
Preparation
The Eucharist is a celebration of the whole community.
Hence, representatives of the whole community appropriately
plan and evaluate its liturgical life. Such a worship
committee can include regulars from the various service
times, representatives from servers, choir, music group,
ushers, and also the vestry (so that the committee can
report to that body). It can spend some time on studying
liturgical principles before beginning to plan the
community's worship.
The worship committee can discuss the worship environment,
worship times, baptism preparation, how best to celebrate
the liturgical year in this particular context, and so on.
As well as this, different planning groups can organise a
service week by week. Only those who are part of the
particular service (always including the presider) would be
members of its planning group.
Planning groups create liturgy out of the interchange
between two agendas: the liturgical material (liturgical
season, feast, appointed readings etc.) and the present
experience of the community (local, world events etc.). A
community may find a particular Eucharistic Liturgy
appropriate to a particular liturgical season. Some
communities will use one Liturgy more regularly so that its
responses are memorised or because it fits with a musical
setting this community normally uses. Other decisions will
not have to be made week by week as it is disconcerting to
congregations if there are too many surprises and there is
never a familiarity built up, and a sense of "common
prayer." Education and study of liturgy is an essential
component to all this preparation.
A pew leaflet can give all the information needed for a
service including page numbers from A New Zealand Prayer
Book and
hymn and song numbers. In a brief moment before the
service, any new songs can be learnt, or changes made to
the regular structure can be announced.
Preparation also involves regular training and rehearsal of
servers, readers, leaders of prayers, musicians, and those
who administer communion. The presider will be well
prepared. Regulars may prepare at home, maybe reading the
scriptures and praying either alone or with others. Someone
may be baking the bread that will be used.
Before the service, all the books for the service need to
be in place with the variant material marked, particularly
for the presider. Vessels and linen are placed on the
credence table. The bread and the pitcher or carafe of wine
is on the gifts table which may be in a central aisle or
near the entrance. Contributions of food for those in need
may be placed beside it. Some communities may choose to
place the collection plate here too, with people making
their offering as they enter.
All who have a leadership role gather well before the
celebration so that final preparation can be completed.
A
check list
Each community may produce its own check list for planning.
Such a list could include questions such as the following:
* On this occasion, do any changes need to be made to
the liturgical space (colour, banners, seating)?
* What will there be while the congregation assembles
(taped music, silence, performed music, choruses)?
* Is there a rehearsal time beforehand? Who will lead
it?
* When will the notices be given (before the service,
before the Sermon, before the Peace, before the Dismissal,
at the end of the service)?
* How will the ministers and choir enter? An entrance
procession is relatively recent in Christian history. If it
is used can the greeting be said before this formal
entrance and the procession enter during the singing of
"Glory to God in the highest" (or Kyries, or other hymn,
with the Collect for Purity omitted)?
* Can the Gathering of the Community be varied to set
the tone of the service (quiet and penitential in Lent,
rejoicing in the Easter season)? Can it be simplified when
there is a baptism, funeral, wedding, imposition of ashes,
sprinkling of the community with water (asperges)?
Is the Daily Office an appropriate alternative Gathering?
* How will the readings be introduced? Is it helpful
if several voices take different parts in a dramatic
reading? Can a reading be acted out?
* Would it be appropriate to have drama, or liturgical
dance, or a talk to the children, or a story, or a musical
offering by choir, musicians or soloist? When?
* Is a Creed particularly appropriate for this
occasion? Nearly all our eucharistic prayers repeat a lot
of credal material. Does the feast suggest a renewal of
baptismal vows?
* What is done with the collection during the service?
Why?
* Is it more appropriate not to have a blessing on
this occasion? The eucharistic action is the main source of
blessing, and priestly blessings only grew when more and
more people at the service did not receive communion. Will
blessings be reserved for certain liturgical seasons and
feasts?
* Is the final hymn sung before the Prayer After
Communion or before the Dismissal of the Community? Is the
Dismissal actually the dismissal or is it followed by a
"walking out" hymn? It is worth reflecting that none of the
Eucharistic Liturgies provide for a hymn after the
Dismissal (and that this is also the case in other revised
Prayer Books).
As planning for the service progresses there will be
another set of questions about the overall service to keep
in mind. Such a list may include questions such as the
following:
Is there a balance between word, prayer, singing, and
action? Is the worship directed to God? Is there enough
silence? Is there too much passivity? Is there a balance
between receiving and responding? Is one posture maintained
for too long? Is the structure clear? Are the hymns or
songs too close together? Is there a variety of people
taking part? Is the service inclusive of all present, the
differentlyabled, elderly, different cultures, children,
single people, the bereaved, members of broken families? Is
there any recognition that this service occurs in
AotearoaNew Zealand? Does the material produced locally fit
in well with the inclusive language style of
A New Zealand
Prayer Book?
Some
Questions
Are there circumstances within the worship community where
you are involved that mean your context is radically
different from the one described in the opening paragraphs?
How significant are these
differences?
