Morning Prayer from the New Zealand Prayer Book

Today's service is from the New Zealand Prayer Book. In the Daily Services section there are options for morning and evening for each day of the week. I've chosen the one for Friday morning. (Note the Canticles are pointed for singing, just as they are in the New Zealand Prayer Book.)

Opening

Through Jesus let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, the fruit of lips that acknowledge God's name.
Open our lips, O Lord: and our mouth shall proclaim your praise.

Song of Zechariah
Blessèd are you O ′ Lord our ′ God:
you have come to your ′ people · and ′ set them ′ free.
2 You have raised up for us a ′ mighty ′ Savior:
born of the ′ house · of your ′ servant ′ David.
3 Through your holy prophets you ′ promised of ′ old:
that you would save us from our enemies,
from the ′ hands of ′ all who ′ hate us.
4 You promised to show ′ mercy · to our ′ forbears:
and to re′member · your ′ holy ′ covenant.
5 This was the oath you swore to our ′ father ′ Abraham:
to set us ′ free · from the ′ hands of · our ′ enemies,
6 free to worship you with′out ′ fear:
holy and righteous in your sight ′‿
all the ′ days of · our ′ life.
7 And you, child, shall be called ‿
the prophet of the ′ Most ′ High:
for you will go before the ′ Lord · to pre′pare the ′ way,
8 to give God’s people knowledge ′ of sal′vation:
through the for′giveness ′ of their ′ sins.
9 In the tender compassion ′ of our ′ God:
the dawn from on ′ high shall ′ break up′on us,
10 to shine on those who dwell in darkness‿
and the ′ shadow · of ′ death:
and to guide our feet ′ into · the ′ way of ′ peace. (Luke 1: 68-79) (adapted)

Glory to the Father and ′ to the ′ Son:
and ′ to the ′ Holy ′ Spirit;
as it was in the beginning · is ′ now:
and shall be for ′ ever. ′ A′men.

Psalm 22
1   My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? *
and are so far from my cry and from the words of my distress?
2   O my God, I cry in the daytime, but you do not answer; *
by night as well, but I find no rest.
3   Yet you are the Holy One, *
enthroned upon the praises of Israel.
4   Our forefathers put their trust in you; *
they trusted, and you delivered them.
5   They cried out to you and were delivered; *
they trusted in you and were not put to shame.
6   But as for me, I am a worm and no man, *
scorned by all and despised by the people.
7   All who see me laugh me to scorn; *
they curl their lips and wag their heads, saying,
8   He trusted in the LORD; let him deliver him; *
let him rescue him, if he delights in him.
9   Yet you are he who took me out of the womb, *
and kept me safe upon my mother's breast.
10   I have been entrusted to you ever since I was born; *
you were my God when I was still in my mother's womb.
11   Be not far from me, for trouble is near, *
and there is none to help.
12   Many young bulls encircle me; *
strong bulls of Bashan surround me.
13   They open wide their jaws at me, *
like a ravening and a roaring lion.
14   I am poured out like water; all my bones are out of joint; *
my heart within my breast is melting wax.
15   My mouth is dried out like a pot-sherd; my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth; *
and you have laid me in the dust of the grave.
16   Packs of dogs close me in, and gangs of evildoers circle around me; *
they pierce my hands and my feet; I can count all my bones.
17   They stare and gloat over me; *
they divide my garments among them; they cast lots for my clothing.
18   Be not far away, O LORD; *
you are my strength; hasten to help me.
19   Save me from the sword, *
my life from the power of the dog.
20   Save me from the lion's mouth, *
my wretched body from the horns of wild bulls.
21   I will declare your Name to my brethren; *
in the midst of the congregation I will praise you.
22   Praise the LORD, you that fear him; *
stand in awe of him, O offspring of Israel; all you of Jacob's line, give glory.
23   For he does not despise nor abhor the poor in their poverty; neither does he hide his face from them; *
but when they cry to him he hears them.
24   My praise is of him in the great assembly; *
I will perform my vows in the presence of those who worship him.
25   The poor shall eat and be satisfied, and those who seek the LORD shall praise him: *
"May your heart live for ever!"
26   All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the LORD, *
and all the families of the nations bow before him.
27   For kingship belongs to the LORD; *
he rules over the nations.
28   To him alone all who sleep in the earth bow down in worship; *
all who go down to the dust fall before him.
29   My soul shall live for him; my descendants shall serve him; *
they shall be known as the LORD'S for ever.
30   They shall come and make known to a people yet unborn *
the saving deeds that he has done.

The First Reading
Therefore, since it is by God's mercy that we are engaged in this ministry, we do not lose heart. We have renounced the shameful things that one hides; we refuse to practice cunning or to falsify God's word; but by the open statement of the truth we commend ourselves to the conscience of everyone in the sight of God. And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For we do not proclaim ourselves; we proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord and ourselves as your slaves for Jesus' sake. For it is the God who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in clay jars, so that it may be made clear that this extraordinary power belongs to God and does not come from us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be made visible in our bodies. For while we live, we are always being given up to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus may be made visible in our mortal flesh. So death is at work in us, but life in you. (2 Corinthians 4:1-12)

The Second Reading
They were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking ahead of them; they were amazed, and those who followed were afraid. He took the twelve aside again and began to tell them what was to happen to him, saying, "See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death; then they will hand him over to the Gentiles; they will mock him, and spit upon him, and flog him, and kill him; and after three days he will rise again." James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came forward to him and said to him, "Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you." And he said to them, "What is it you want me to do for you?" And they said to him, "Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory." But Jesus said to them, "You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?" They replied, "We are able." Then Jesus said to them, "The cup that I drink you will drink; and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized; but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared." When the ten heard this, they began to be angry with James and John. So Jesus called them and said to them, "You know that among the Gentiles those whom they recognize as their rulers lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. But it is not so among you; but whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all. For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many." (Mark 10:32-45)

Song of Praise: Savior of the World
1  Jesus, Savior of the world, come to us ′ in your ′ mercy:
we look to ′ you to ′ save and ′ help us.
2  By your cross and your life laid down‿
you set your ′ people ′ free:
we look to ′ you to ′ save and ′ help us.
3   When they were ready to perish‿
you ′ saved · your dis′ciples:
we look to ′ you to ′ come to · our ′ help.
4  In the greatness of your mercy loose us ′ from our ′ chains:
forgive the ′ sins of ′ all your ′ people.
5 Make yourself known ‿
as our Saviour and ′ mighty · de′liverer:
save and ′ help us · that ′ we may ′ praise you.
6  Come now and dwell with us,′ Lord Christ ′ Jesus:
hear our ′ prayer · and be ′ with us ′ always.
7  And when you ′ come in · your ′ glory:
make us to be one with you‿
and to ′ share the ′ life of · your ′ kingdom.
8  Thanks be to ′ you o ′ Lord:
Alle′luia. ′ A′men.

The Apostles' Creed
The Lord's Prayer
A Collect of the Day

Most merciful God, by the passion of your Son Jesus Christ you delivered us from the power of darkness; grant that through faith in him who suffered on the cross we may be found acceptable in your sight, through our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

Thanksgivings and intercessions

Morning Collect
Loving God, your Son willingly endured agony and shame for us. Give us grace to take up our cross and follow him in newness of life and hope; for he is our Redeemer.

Let us bless the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Peace be to us all and love with faith, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

The Old Testament Lesson for today is Exodus 9:13-35

Celtic Prayer for Monday Morning

This morning, we start the week with Morning Prayer for Monday Morning (Lauds) from A Contemporary Celtic Prayer Book by William John Fitzgerald. (Available from Amazon). I have used the readings for today.

Opening Prayer
O God, come to our assistance. O God, make haste to help us. Glory to the One in Three as it was in the beginning, is now, and evermore shall be.
Canticle/Hymn

I arise today
Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,
Through the belief in the Threeness,
Through confession of the oneness
Of the Creator of Creation.
I arise today
Through the strength of Christ's birth with his baptism,
Through the strength of his crucifixion with his burial,
Through the strength of his resurrection with his ascension. (St. Patrick's Breastplate)

Psalm 130  

1   Out of the depths have I called to you, O LORD; LORD, hear my voice; *
let your ears consider well the voice of my supplication.
2   If you, LORD, were to note what is done amiss, *
O LORD, who could stand?
3   For there is forgiveness with you; *
therefore you shall be feared.
4   I wait for the LORD; my soul waits for him; *
in his word is my hope.
5   My soul waits for the LORD, more than watchmen for the morning, *
more than watchmen for the morning.
6   O Israel, wait for the LORD, *
for with the LORD there is mercy;
7   With him there is plenteous redemption, *
and he shall redeem Israel from all their sins.
A Reading

To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For this reason the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God's law-- indeed it cannot, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God. But you are not in the flesh; you are in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit that dwells in you. (Romans 8:6-11)
Meditative Moment
Pause to look at the clock, and think about the mystery of time. Every second, every minute, every hour, every day, is God's gift of time. It is a gift unearned, simply given.
Morning Offering
This morning, with all creation, I joining joyful praise. I ask this blessing for the day: (add your special intention for today).
Prayer at Rising
Today, I begin the holy Seven,
Blessed by the holy Three.
Each day a blessing,
Each night a rest,
A dweller in a holy place.
Each day a page,
Each week a chapter
In the hand of God.

Other lessons for today are: Ezekiel 37:1-14 and John 11:1-45

Women in Liturgy

What do you think of when you see the title of this blog-‘women in liturgy’? Does your mind immediately jump to deacons and priests? Indeed those are women involved in the liturgy of the church. However there is much more to ‘liturgy’ than just the ordained leaders. 

Look at the derivation of the word ‘liturgy.’ It is from the Greek words leit (people) and ergon (work). I’ve heard it said that in reality ‘liturgy’ is the ‘work of the people’. That means that all of us at a church service are involved in liturgy. Every time you walk in the church door for a service, you are involved in the total liturgy. You can pray by yourself, but coming together as part of the Body of Christ for a service of Eucharist involves more than one person. (In fact, a priest cannot celebrate Communion alone. There has to be someone else present so that “2 or 3 are gathered together.”)

Many women around the DRG are actively involved in various sacramental aspects of the service itself and those ministries are what we will be considering. Of course, all the ministries already discussed in this blog are important parts of the total liturgy. Members of the Altar Guild are a necessary part of any service and the support of our monetary donations to CPC and UTO help spread the Gospel as does the work of the ECW.

What are some of the sacramental liturgical ministries Women around the Diocese of the Rio Grande are involved in? Lay Eucharistic Visitors, Vergers, Acolytes, Lectors, Choir, and Chalice Bearer, as well as Deacon and Priest. Over the next few weeks, we’ll look at some of these ministries.

It hasn’t been that many years since women were first allowed to serve in liturgical capacities of any sort except Altar Guild. Only 40 years ago, a group of women met with Bishop Trelease to discuss the topic of “Women and the Diocese,” in light of the changing rolls of women in society and the church. They wanted to have a more active roll in the life of the church. The Bishop was open to the idea of women in ministry.

“Trelease endorsed the ordination of women, which was approved by action of the General Convention in 1976. However, he promised he would not “force a woman priest on any congregation.” The Rev. Virginia Brown was the first woman priest ordained in the Diocese of the Rio Grande, one of 90 women nationwide. The service took place at St. Chad’s on January 28, 1977. “It is generally believed that Mrs. Virginia Dabney Brown was the first woman to be ordained without protest. Early in the ceremony, Bishop Trelease called out loudly and clearly for anyone to speak who did not agree with the ordination. He turned full circle. There was no response.”

There was opposition in the Diocese, though, but Bishop Trelease was not deterred. In the fall of 1977 “St. John’s Cathedral was the setting for perhaps one of the largest ordinations in the Diocese of the Rio Grande.” Of the 9 people ordained as priests and deacons, six were women.”*

The ordination of women opened the door for women to be active in other aspects of the liturgical lives of their parishes, but it was a slow process.At the Cathedral, it was not until 1984 that Brenda Bess was licensed by the Bishop as the first woman chalice bearer. Betsy Lackmann was the second woman licensed to serve as chalice bearer, a full 2 years later.

The same story played out in parishes across the diocese as women slowly began to take on active rolls in the sacramental liturgy of the church. For generations and centuries, women served behind the scenes in supportive rolls. They served tea and raised money with rummage sales but couldn’t be part of the sacramental part of the service. Their funds helped support the work of the church and sometimes even paid the clergy salary, but they couldn’t participate actively in the sacramental life of the liturgy. It is true that lay men didn’t have too much role in the sacramental life of the church until the 1979 BCP, either, but they could become priests and deacons. In most parishes lay liturgical roles opened up for men sooner than for women.  

The one place where women had already eased into ministry was in the reading of Morning and Evening Prayer. There is a note in the minutes of the St. John’s Guild of the Women’s Auxiliary says, “our work includes everything from janitorial duties to teaching Sunday School and even reading Morning Prayer.” Today’s Lectors who read the lessons on Sunday and at other services and those who lead Morning or Evening Prayer or Compline or other services are inheritors of those women 100 years ago.

The women of St. John’s and other churches were simply following in the footsteps of prayerful women who from the earliest times of the church held church leadership. Several are mentioned in Paul’s letters and in Acts. There is Chloe (1 Corinthians 1:11), Lydia (Acts 16:14-15), Nympha (Colossians 4:15), Pricilla (Romans 16:3-5), and Mary the mother of John Mark at whose house the early church met to pray for Peter’s release (Acts 12:12). These women were clearly leaders of the early church because they are mentioned specifically by Paul and the other New Testament writers.

If you have ever hesitated to try one of the sacramental liturgical ministries like Lector or Chalice Bearer because you are a woman-wait no longer! God calls women and men into service at the altar. 

Next time we’ll look at some of the other sacramental liturgical ministries of women of the Diocese.

*Excerpted From a Grain of Mustard Seed by Cynthia Davis, referencing the Rio Grande Episcopalian ca 1977