Shall We Dance?

Recently Rev. Doctors Lee and Doreen met with Bishop Greg...only to find out that -- oops! -- a few of our practices during the Eucharist (Communion) services weren't exactly...um...kosher.  :-)

The first thing?  Well...we're not supposed to say the "psalm prayer" that appears after the Psalm for any given Sunday...at least, not in a Eucharist service.  These prayers are meant to be prayed and meditated upon during Morning Prayer.  Instead, going forward, we'll end each Psalm with the Gloria patri:

Glory to the Father,

and to the Son 

and to the Holy Spirit:

as it was in the beginning, 

is now,

and will be for ever,

AMEN.*

*Book of Alternative Services, p. 67

And second?  About those prayers in the liturgy...the ones we've been saying together with Rev. Dr. Lee...

This morning Lee explained that "liturgy" means "the work of the people"*.  She described it as a sort of dance, back and forth, between the priest (leader) and the people (followers)...

There are parts for the priest (and/or deacon) to say...and parts for the people/congregation.  It turns out that in Anglican practice, the following prayers are to be said by the celebrant(s):

• The Collect of the Day;
• The Prayer over the gifts (offertory); and
• The Prayer after Communion.

And all the people say, "AMEN!"  :-)

*Article from Direction: A Mennonite Brethren Forum, Spring 1987, Vol. 16, No. 1.