The Gospel Book

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The Gospel Book I wanted to share with all a little more about the Gospel Book we use each Sunday and perhaps why there may be a little wondering of why I carry the Gospel into and out of the service each week. In thinking about what I would write, I did do a little research and found a few interesting facts about the use of the Gospel Book. But first, perhaps, my comments. The Gospel Book is "The Good News" of Jesus Christ brought to us each week. That is the reason the reader will proclaim, "The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to… (Matthew, Mark, Luke or John") or in some churches, "The Holy Gospel of Our Savior Jesus Christ." Deacons handle the reading and presentation of the Gospel differently, but generally the deacon will carry the Gospel Book into the church during the procession. This is symbolic of bringing the word to the people. The Gospel is placed onto the altar and the Deacon is to reverence the Gospel and Altar then go to his/her appointed place. (I stand the Gospel Book up on the altar prior to the reading for all to see and then it is laid flat on the altar after the reading.) When the time comes for reading the Gospel, the deacon will have the Gospel carried to the midst of the people and proclaimed to all present. There are normally two torches (candles) and a cross leading the procession to the center of the people. In some congregations, incense is used to by the deacon to "Cense" the Gospel prior to reading. If the Bishop is present, the deacon will stop for a blessing by the bishop prior to reading. About incense in worship: The use of incense in worship is found throughout the Bible in both the old and new testaments. The cloud of smoke created by the burning incense suggests mystery and “otherness,” and the scent makes it possible for worshippers to devote themselves to God with their senses rather than just their mind. During the service, the altar is censed, the offering on the altar is censed, and all the people are censed as signs that all are offered to God as a “pleasing offering.” The censing of the people is a special way of saying that everyone present in the church is counted as family and has a vital part to play in worship. Our Christian worship erupts out of our love of God and our desire to express that love. As such we should worship Him 'with all our heart, with all our soul, and with all our mind, and with all our strength.' Incense opens our senses and frees our mind. In the Eastern Church, when a bishop is consecrated, he will bow to the altar with his forehead resting on the center of the altar and the Gospel Book will be placed with the writing face down on the back of his neck. When a priest or bishop is buried, he/she is buried with a Gospel Book resting on their chest, as an indication of their vocation to preach the Gospel to all. The funeral service for a priest and bishop will have several readings from the Gospels, to indicate the importance of the Gospel to their ministry. Finally, I want to make clear that the reading of the gospel each week is the most important part of the liturgy of the word prior to the Eucharist and most often, the person preaching will use the gospel for the basis of the sermon, homily or reflection. I carry the Gospel back out during the procession leaving after service. The reason I take the Gospel book with me is to symbolize taking the word out into the world to share with others and to lead those in church to do the same. We are all called to share the good news in our daily life. God Bless, Dcn. Keith .

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The Rites of Holy Week

THE RITES OF HOLY WEEK • CEREMONIES • PREPARATIONS • MUSIC • COMMENTARY By FREDERICK R. McMANUS Priest of the Archdiocese of Boston 1956 SAINT ANTHONY GUILD PRESS PATERSON, NEW JERSEY Copyright, 1956, by Frederick R. McManus Nihil obstat ALFRED R. JULIEN, J.C. D. Censor Lib1·or111n Imprimatur t RICHARD J. CUSHING A1·chbishop of Boston Boston, February 16, 1956 PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA INTRODUCTION ANCTITY is the purpose of the "new Holy Week." The news S accounts have been concerned with the radical changes, the upset of traditional practices, and the technical details of the re stored Holy Week services, but the real issue in the reform is the development of true holiness in the members of Christ's Church. This is the expectation of Pope Pius XII, as expressed personally by him. It is insisted upon repeatedly in the official language of the new laws - the goal is simple: that the faithful may take part in the most sacred week of the year "more easily, more devoutly, and more fruitfully." Certainly the changes now commanded ,by the Apostolic See are extraordinary, particularly since they come after nearly four centuries of little liturgical development. This is especially true of the different times set for the principal services. On Holy Thursday the solemn evening Mass now becomes a clearer and more evident memorial of the Last Supper of the Lord on the night before He suffered. On Good Friday, when Holy Mass is not offered, the liturgical service is placed at three o'clock in the afternoon, or later, since three o'clock is the "ninth hour" of the Gospel accounts of our Lord's Crucifixion.
David Trobisch and David Parker on the Origin of the New Testament, the Historical Jesus, and How Manuscripts Can Reveal What Texts Conceal

David Trobisch and David Parker on the Origin of the New Testament, the Historical Jesus, and How Manuscripts Can Reveal What Texts Conceal Tom Dykstra I grew up with a picture of Paul traveling through Asia and Europe, founding congregations, counseling and teaching the men and women who had given their life to Jesus. If he could not visit them, he sent letters. When Paul died, his letters were kept as treasures. Each church that had received one of his letters saved it, had it read during worship services, and exchanged copies of the letter with other congregations close by. Later the congregations tried to complete their collection. But this view does not match the uniformity of manuscript evidence. 1 --David Trobisch It is even more remarkable that attempts to reconstruct the supposed document 'Q' (the lost collection used by both Matthew and Luke postulated by those who argue that Matthew and Luke are independent) use text-critical terminology to describe their activities. However, since all they are doing is making selections from a twentieth-century printed text, which does not even presume to provide confidently the text of the four-Gospel collection, never mind that of the independent first-century texts, this use of language must be dismissed as illusory. 2 --David Parker Modern scholarship has produced detailed biographies of Paul, massive multi-volume inquiries into “the historical Jesus,” and mountains of exegetical literature that claims to extract the author’s meaning from each word of each New Testament book. Typically, this literature analyzes the scriptural texts with little reference to actual manuscripts.
1 LET US PRAY – REFLECTIONS on the EUCHARIST Fr. Roger G. O'brien, Senior Priest, Archdiocese of Seattle

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Liturgical Calendar 2020-2021

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Requiem Eucharist for the Commemoration of the Faithful Departed for All Souls’ Sunday 1 November 2020 3.00 Pm Welcome to St Edmundsbury Cathedral

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Gradual Hymn Blessed Jesus at Thy Word Hymnal 440 the Holy Gospel

have heard the complaining of the Israelites; say to them, ‘At twilight you shall eat made, of one being with the Father. Through him all things were made. For us The Celebrant Continues meat, and in the morning you shall have your fill of bread; then you shall know that I and for our salvation he came down from heaven: by the power of the Holy Spirit It is right, and a good and joyful thing, always and every-where to give thanks to you, am the Lord your God.’“ In the evening quails came up and covered the camp; and he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary, and was made man. For our sake he Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth; but chiefly we are bound to praise you in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp. When the layer of dew lift- was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried. On the through Jesus Christ our Lord. In fulfillment of his true promise, the Holy Spirit came ed, there on the surface of the wilderness was a fine flaky substance, as fine as frost third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures; he ascended into heav- down on this day from heaven, lighting upon the disciples, to teach them and to lead on the ground. When the Israelites saw it, they said to one another, “What is it?” For en and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to them into all truth; uniting peoples of many tongues in the confession of one faith, they did not know what it was.
Preface Dialogue and the Eucharistic Prayer Kristopher W

Preface Dialogue and the Eucharistic Prayer Kristopher W. Seaman As Roman Catholics, we tend to The first and third lines of the assume that the center and climax of people have changed. Like other areas the Eucharistic liturgy, the Mass, is in the liturgy, “And also with you” the Communion procession. However, has been changed to the literal trans- according to the General Instruction lation of the official Latin edition of of the Roman Missal, the Eucharistic The Roman Missal: “And with your Prayer is “center and high point” spirit.” The same principle applies to of the Mass (GIRM, 78). It is from “It is right and just.” this very prayer that we have one of Some other changes in the text the terms for which we call Mass: of Eucharistic Prayer include the Eucharist. Eucharist means “thanks- following: giving.” Notice thanksgiving is a verb — Sanctus: The first line now something we do. Eucharist is an reads: “Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God of activity, it is a way of life, a way of hosts” rather than “of power and doing what Christian disciples do: might.” God is Lord of hosts, not just give thanks. Why thanksgiving? As the powerful and mighty, but also the human persons, we can do nothing, last and least. but thank the Triune God for all of Institution Narrative: The his works in and through our lives. Institution Narrative is the words of Thanksgiving is a response to what God does for us, to us, and Jesus used at the last Supper over the bread and wine.
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2nd Corinthians 13:11-13 Ruskin Falls, June 7, 2020 Holy kiss, triune God, and peace. Pulaski Heights Presbyterian Church Trinity Sunday Preface These are the closing lines of a letter addressed by the apostle Paul to the church in Corinth. TEXT (English translation: NRSV) Finally, brothers and sisters, farewell. Put things in order, listen to my appeal, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you. Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the saints greet you. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with all of you. (1) First, today, the matter of Christian kissing; then the question of divine tri-unity; then the appeal to live together in peace. (2) How many people have you ever greeted with a holy kiss? Do you even know what Paul has in mind when he tells us we ought to greet one another with a holy kiss? Here and in yet other places in the New Testament, it is written that we are to greet one another with a holy kiss – or as it’s called in 1st Peter, a kiss of love. And, yet, while we’re told in the Bible to greet one another with this exchange of kisses, it isn’t something we nowadays do. Of course it would be understandable if we had temporarily desisted from such a practice, for example due to the new coronavirus pandemic. There just are things that we Christians ought to be doing, that, under certain circumstances, we need to forego.
Thurifer Procedures V2

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Narrative of the Institution by Roddy Hamilton

Narrative of the Institution by Roddy Hamilton The tradition which I handed on to you came to me from the Lord himself: that on the night of his arrest the Lord Jesus took bread, and after giving thanks to God broke it and said: ‘This is my body, which is for you; do this in memory of me.’ In the same way, he took the cup after supper, and said: ‘This cup is the new covenant sealed by my blood. Whenever you drink it, do this in memory of me.’ For every time you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the death of the Lord, until he comes. 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 These are the words that have echoed in the mouths and hearts of countless followers who have gathered round a table in community breaking bread and sharing wine with the Saviour. These are the words that have been whispered daringly in secret gatherings celebrating an illegal feast, breaking bread and sharing wine with the Saviour. These are the words that have had one set of believers dying on the rack whose cogs were turned by another set of believers for the sake of the same bread and wine and the same Saviour. These are the words that have slowed down the liturgy to become the ‘sacred moment’ as the community held its breath as bread was broken and wine poured in the name of the Saviour. But what of their place in the practice of our own tradition in contemporary times and how do they, or rather, how are they allowed to shape our understanding, experience and sharing of the Realm of God in broken bread and shared wine? A Traditional Understanding Marcus Borg1 talks about the pre-critical naiveté of accepting without question whatever has been handed on to us by the authority figures of our faith.
Service of Commissioning and Welcome

GOD GATHERS THE BODY OF CHRIST Welcome and Greeting Called to Joy Video: Radical Hospitality Gathering Song: “Sing to the Lord of Harvest” ELW #694 Prayer of Confession L: Blessed be the holy Trinity, ☩ one God, who calls us into an everlasting hope, who guides us to springs of the water of life, who enlightens us with the spirit of wisdom. P: Amen. L: One with the communion of saints in all times and places, let us confess our sin against God and one another. Silence for reflection and self-examination. L: O God, our merciful redeemer, P: we confess the ways we live only for ourselves. We fail to see you in our neighbor’s face. We turn our ears from voices that cry out. We pass by the hungry and the oppressed. In your great mercy, forgive our sin and strengthen us for service to all in need; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Announcement of Forgiveness L: In the mercy of almighty God, Jesus Christ was given to die for you, and for ☩ his sake, God forgives you all your sin. Blessed are you! Rejoice and be glad, beloved people of God. P: Amen. Hymn of Praise: “All Creatures, Worship God Most High” ELW #835 (vs 1 and 6) Prayer of the Day L: The Lord be with you. P: And also with you. L: Almighty God, P: your sovereign purpose brings salvation to birth. Give us faith to be steadfast amid the tumults of this world, trusting that your kingdom comes and your will is done through your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.