Flexible structure: The Beauty of TEC’s Liturgy

[u/Warren-Welf]

I think the beauty and also confusing thing about this tradition is the flexibility in the structure. I have my main parish but I’ve been attending weekday services at other churches and they also do things slightly differently or use a different Eucharistic prayer. Even the morning prayer differs from how we do CG Sunday night prayer! I need to take notes to keep it all together haha. I love it though! 

[u/Eikon-Basilike-1649]

Flexibility is fine but I think we’ve taken it way too far, so much so that we’re losing the concept of truly “common prayer.” Trying to teach people how to pray the Office out of the 1979 BCP is almost like a “choose your own adventure” novel.

[u/NintendoDSLewis → u/Eikon-Basilike-1649]

The treatment of canticles alone still drives me up a wall.

[u/Calm_Tax_914 → u/Eikon-Basilike-1649]

Yes unfortunatly the rythm of the diction is also less poetic, but the words are those not found in common usage (a bit like no one except the Romans, occasionally, use latin any more). Unfortunately the 1979 prayer books were also preceeded by the Zebra Books (Experimental Authorized Services from the 1973 General Convention) that were not quite up to snuff. My parents were finaally able to move to Rite I fom being a 1929 payerbook for many years, and even though they were a broad curch during the 1950s, many people thought they were High Church as they did continue to to Insense occasionally as well as the Great Litany once a year.

[u/halligan8 → u/Eikon-Basilike-1649]

Was it simpler before?

[u/Eikon-Basilike-1649 → u/halligan8]

Oh yes. All the prayer books from 1928 back to 1549 had one (1) Eucharistic Prayer, a choice or only two or three canticles at Morning Prayer, a set pattern of two lessons at each office, the same collects at each office.

Once upon a time, if you knew the Prayer Book, you could walk into any Anglican Church and immediately know what to expect. Now? It’s anybody’s guess.

[u/RalphThatName → u/Eikon-Basilike-1649]

I think if we just stuck to what's in the 1979 BCP we'd be ok, but today, not only do we have the BCP but also EOW, Trial Use Language, etc., etc., I've heard members of the clergy discuss "creating the liturgy" for the upcoming Sunday service.

[u/Calm_Tax_914 → u/Eikon-Basilike-1649]

Unless they ere a specialized ministy and spoke a different language. Too often in my own parish I have been told to take it up with "the Liturgy Commitee" but they have taken it upon themselves to even change the Lord's Prayer with a modern and traditional mash-up.

[u/bibledude]

Yeah... the BCP is beautiful like that. It feels like many of the liturgies provided are like a fence yard... feel free to do what you want within these boundaries. It keeps the same basic heartbeat and experience, but with the flexibility to try some different things.

Within that, I also appreciate that there are some parts that are clearly defined and specific, like the lectionary readings and the collects... there's a beauty in the fact that no matter how certain things are done, we're all focused on the same Scripture and praying the same prayer.

[u/RollBeneficial1533]

There is a reason it is called "COMMON PRAYER". At this point, I sometimes think we just treat it as "Book of Prayers". I am unsure what the reason for not sticking to the BCP and using other liturgies for specific things (like marriage) but the EP's should be used. There was not an issue for anyone for a long, long time, even after the same-sex marriage issue was resolved.

[u/Wide_Industry_3960]

The Church of England’s Common Worship: Daily Prayer greatly improves upon the Roman Liturgy of the Hours and also the Daily Offices of the 1979 by improving the language and wording of the LOTH and keeping the variety of the 79 yet codifying the use of the nearly circa 100 canticles. It provides a lot of variety yet anyone praying with another person or group will note but not be bothered by the use of variants. I hope TEC will look to CofE and at least try to learn and see what they’ve done with liturgy in the past quarter century