LITURGY

One of the names most frequently used nowadays for the Eucharist or Holy Communion service is the "Liturgy".  This word derives from two Greek words which may be translated "the people's work".  This is a helpful definition of worship as applied to the Christian Church.  We, the people of God, have a job to do.  We are sent - sent out into the world to be the salt of the earth, the leaven in the lump.  Part of our work is worship; and the principal act of worship is the holy Eucharist, the Lord's Supper, the Liturgy.  So our work becomes our delight!
 

Answer:

Good question!  Depending on the theologian, the answer may vary.  However, this is what I believe.
An apostle is one of the twelve disciples chosen directly by Christ and sent to preach the gospel to all the world.  Apostle comes from the Greek work signifying ‘sent’.  Jesus sent the twelve with the commission to teach and to act in His name and with His authority. 
Paul maintained that he was an apostle too, on a par with the twelve, by direct appointment by the risen Christ.  So the designation apostle is reserved for the Twelve and Paul.  These men were unique.
A disciple is a believer in the thought and the teaching of Jesus.  In short, they are followers.  You and I would be considered disciples of Christ.
In conclusion, every apostle was a disciple, but not every disciple is an apostle.
 

Answer:

What is the meaning of the words Alleluia and Amen?

Alleluia comes from the Hebrew word meaning ‘praise the Lord’.  So, it is a liturgical expression of praise.  It occurs in the bible (e.g. in pss. 111-117) and it was taken early into the liturgy of the Church.  In the Western Churches it is omitted from the Liturgy during Lent.  As an expression of joy, it is used frequently during the period of Eastertide.
Did you know that in the Eastern Churches, Alleluias occur with special frequency during the Lenten services?
Amen is a Hebrew word meaning ‘verily’ or ‘truly’.  It is used at the end of prayers and creeds as an expression of our agreement or assent.  Did you know that Amen is the name given to our Lord in the Book of Revelation? (3:14)
 

Answer:

Paul probably wrote his letters in the period between 51 and 63 A.D. (He was martyred about 64 A.D.)  They were written for the instruction and encouragement of new Christian Churches.
The gospels came later, when the Church realized that the second coming of Christ wasn't happening as soon as expected.  Mark's was the first to be written, around 70 A.D.  The Church gave the gospels the most honored place as witnessing to Jesus' life and teachings, His death and resurrection, while treasuring Paul's letters as an inspired exposition of the Christian faith.

Answer:

Answer:

There are several answers to these questions.

1. Vestments and robes add to the dignity of the worship offered to God.
2. They save the worshipers from being distracted by the passion fashions of street dress.
3. They emphasize the official character of those who lead worship, thereby lessening the effect of the individual personalities.
4. In addition to these above, vestments have a symbolic value - they represent something in our faith, which is further addressed below.

1. The Alb is a white linen garment which covers the entire body.  The alb represents the purple robe put on Christ in mockery, but is white to symbolize His innocence.  It reminds us of the purity and innocence which is required to approach God.  Alb comes from a Latin word which means white.

2. The Stole and the Girdle (or Cincture).  The Stole is a long scarf which is crossed over the chest and held in place by the Girdle which looks very much like a white rope.  The Stole and Girdle symbolize the ropes used to tie Christ to the pillar when he was scourged.  Furthermore, the stole for a priest is like a badge for a policeman, it tells us that the person who wears it has a special job to do.  The Priest’s work is to be God’s representative to us.  And just as important, the Priest is our representative before God.

3. The Chasuble is a large oval garment made of linen or silk.  It is sleeveless and has a hole in the center to slip over the Priest’s head.  It falls straight from the shoulders.  The Chasuble reminds us of the seamless robe put on Christ before He was lead away to the cross.  It is a sign of Christ’s love for us.  It also represents love in reference to St. Paul’s injunction, “above all things put on love” (Col 3:14).

Christmas is coming and we usually use incense in the service.  Can you talk a little about incense?

Incense signifies prayer and sacrifice and is also a sign of honor and respect.  The Bible contains many references to incense in worship, perhaps the most notable being in St. Luke, chapter 1, verses 8 to 12.  Also the psalmist writes, “let my prayer be set forth as the incense, and let the lifting up of my hands be an evening sacrifice” (Psalm 141:2).   During the days of persecution in the early church, attempts were often made to force Christians to burn incense in front of a statue of the Roman Emperor.  To do so, of course, was to turn one’s back on Christ.  It is not surprising, therefore, that it eventually became common practice for Christians to use incense in their worship to acknowledge Christ as their divine Ruler.  The server who looks after the incense is called the thurifer; the vessel he carries containing burning charcoal, is the thurible.  He has the incense in a container called a boat, which may be carried by a ‘boat boy’, usually a small server.

During the Eucharist incense may appear at any or all of the following times: at the head of the procession from the sacristy to the altar; at the head of major processions both inside and outside the church; at the altar, which may be censed at the beginning of the service; during the Gospel; at the offertory; and at the elevations of the host and chalice.  If the congregation is censed at the offertory, the people bow to the thurifer before and after being censed; we are all involved in the sacrifice and we are a ‘holy people’.

Our Lord is the light of the world (John 8:12).  At baptism we are made one with him; we join his family and are ourselves ‘to shine as lights in the world to the glory of God.’  The symbol of a lighted candle, then, has an obvious meaning; this is why we present one to the newly baptized, one that has been lit from the Paschal Candle that stands near the font. 

On Easter Eve a large candle– the Paschal Candle– is carried into the darkened church, with the joyful announcement, ‘the light of Christ!’  This candle burns during services throughout Eastertide, after which it is placed near the font.  One thing we learn from this is that we are enabled to shine as lights in the world only in and through the light of Christ himself.

Candles are also found on altars to remind us of the presence of Christ; they are usually in an even number (2, 4 or 6); this may serve to remind us that Jesus is both true God and true man.

The Eucharist is made more dignified and solemn by the carrying of candles by servers called acolytes or torch-bearers.  Candles have been used at the holy communion from the very earliest times. 

Customs, furnishings and symbols vary greatly; it is no exaggeration to say that no two churches are exactly the same.  In some churches the celebrant at Eucharist wears traditional vestments: chasuble, etc.; in others he wears an alb and large stole; in others a surplice.  Some churches use incense; some do not.  Some altars have six candles, some none.  And so on.  In some Anglican churches there are just a few people that cross themselves; in other Anglican churches most people cross themselves.

Perhaps this very diversity serves to remind us how important ceremonial is -- and yet how secondary.  Our faith is in the living person of Jesus Christ, not in a set of things and buildings.  Jesus would still be Lord if every cathedral and parish church were destroyed tomorrow.  Yet all these external signs and symbols, properly used, serve to increase our understanding of worship and, in the end, our faith in him.  Now to answer the two questions.  I use the word ‘ceremonial’ to mean an action, something done by a worshiper during a service.  The sign of the cross is ceremonial.  People who see the point of this ceremony are sometimes shy of making it or uncertain how to do it.  A safe way (however, certainly not the only one) is to make the cross with one’s outstretched hand, from the forehead, then touching the chest, then the shoulders, from left to right. When you were baptized, you were given the sign of the cross as a symbol of your faith, as the badge, the distinguishing mark of a Christian.  It was made upon your forehead.  Now you make it for yourself.  When?

During worship, the sign of the cross is by custom made at certain times.  At the Eucharist these are as follows:

1. when the priest says, “the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ” etc. at the beginning of the service. 

2. if the priest says, “in the name of the Father” etc. before and/or after the sermon.

3. at the absolution when the priest makes the sign of the cross over the congregation after the general confession.

4. at the blessing at the end when he also makes the sign over the people.

When the Gospel is announced, we sign (with the thumb) forehead, lips, and breast, to show that we will take the words to our mind, speak the words with our lips, and keep the words in our hearts.

At Morning Prayer and Evensong the sign of the cross is used as follows: on our lips with the thumb at the words “O Lord open our lips”; in the usual way at “O God make speed to save us”; at the beginning of the gospel canticles -- the Benedictus, the Magnificat, Nunc Dimittis -- and at the end if the Grace is said.

It is worth mentioning that you will from time to time no doubt be making the sign of the cross at other points in the service, for example, at the end of the prayer “may the souls of the faithful...” or “rest eternal grant unto them, O Lord, and let light perpetual shine upon them”, at the end of the creed, or just before receiving Holy Communion.  This is because not so very long ago it was the rule to make the sign of the cross much more frequently during the Eucharist than it is now.  Many people have kept to these habits and are not to be criticized for so doing.   

What is the purpose of the Peace during the Eucharist?  There’s lots of talking and visiting during the Peace and this distracts from the service.  Often it takes me a long time to get my mind back into worshiping following the Peace because of this talking between Parishioners.  Would you please address this concern?
 

When the celebrant says, “The Peace of the Lord be always with you”, we respond, “and also with you”.  In the early church each person turned to his neighbor and kissed him on the cheek.  This ceremony is enacted today by a handclasp.  This is to show the unity of the Body of Christ.  Since the times of Saint Paul, the unity of the worshipers has been considered the very essence of the service itself (see 1 Cor 16:20, 2 Cor 13:12, 1 Peter 5:14 and Eph 4:3-4).

It’s important to note that the peace comes after the confession and the absolution and before the prayer of consecration and the receiving of communion.  This is intentional!  We must be at peace with our God and with our neighbor before receiving the body of Christ. 

The peace is not the time to talk about events of the past week nor our plans for the coming week.  So the peace (in the early church it was the known as the kiss of peace, also pax) is the mutual greeting of the faithful as a sign of our love and unity.  Let’s enjoy it but let’s not get carried away by unnecessary talking.  Let’s be sensitive to maintaining the reverence of our worship during the peace.

Answer:     Palm Sunday is the 6th Sunday in Lent (the Sunday before Easter) which commemorates the entry of our Lord into Jerusalem, when people strewed the way with palm branches and cried "Hosanna".  It is an old custom on this festival to decorate the church with palms, to carry them in procession, and to distribute blessed palms to the congregation.

Hosanna is the Greek form of the Hebrew petition 'save we beseech Thee', a song of praise to God.

Therefore, it is important that the priest and all who assist in the Holy Week rites be well prepared and familiar with what is happening.  You cannot over-plan for Holy Week.  The extra time spent in preparation and the extra attention given to details will contribute substantially to a liturgical flow that will enable the people to participate fully in these rites and will also avoid confusion.

Apart from the chant of the Lamentations (in which each verse if introduced by a letter of the Hebrew alphabet), the most conspicuous feature of the service is the gradual extinguishing of candles and other lights in the church until only a single candle, considered a symbol of our Lord, remains.  Toward the end of the service this candle is hidden, typifying the apparent victory of the forces of evil.  At the very end, a loud noise is made, symbolizing the earthquake at the time of the resurrection (Matthew 28:2), the hidden candle is restored to its place, and by its light all depart in silence.

When the hour had come for him to be glorified by you, his heavenly Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end; at supper with them he took bread...After supper he took the cup of wine...Father, we now celebrate this memorial of our redemption (BCP,374).

Traditionally, after the Mass (and Evensong) of Maundy Thursday, it is appropriate that a Watch be kept throughout the night before the Reserved Sacrament at the altar of repose.  (Thus the term "The Watch" to symbolize first the account of the Agony in the Garden, Mt. 26:36-46, then Judas' betrayal, followed by Peter's denial).  After the Maundy Thursday Eucharist, the Reserved Sacrament shall be removed from the aumbry and placed upon the altar until the completion of Compline.  Following Compline, the Blessed Sacrament shall then be taken from the altar and placed at the back of the Church for the continuation of the Watch.

The Watch can be a very meaningful devotion.  We pray that it will be for many of you.

In order that the solemnity of this day be maintained, careful planning and preparation are necessary.  Nothing should detract from the total participation of all the people in the celebration of this liturgy.

Before the liturgy begins, the place of Reservation should be darkened so that all attention may be focused on the action in the sanctuary.  A single lamp should be kept burning, signifying the sacramental presence, but all other candles should be extinguished.

The main altar is bare, without linens or frontals.  There are no candles.  If possible, all crosses should be removed until the 3rd part of the liturgy.

It is the Christian Passover, for it celebrates the passing from death to life, from sin to grace.  The story of the Exodus is central to the Liturgy of the Word; Baptism is the means of the full realization of redemption; Holy Communion is the promise of the glory that shall be ours with our Risen Lord.

This liturgy moves with austere solemnity from one part to the next, as we watch and wait for the Lord's Resurrection.  It is not to be rushed through, for time is suspended as we recount the story of creation, celebrate the glory of the New Creation in the waters of Baptism, and profess our faith in the perfection of all creation in the fullness of time, in the glory of God.

Of all the celebrations of the Church Year, the Great Vigil of Easter is pre-eminent, for it alone vividly and dramatically portrays all that was, that is, and that ever shall be in the drama of our redemption:

Christ yesterday and today, the Beginning and the End, the Alpha and Omega.  His are the times and ages and to him be glory and dominion through all the ages of eternity.  Amen.