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Companion to the Book of Common Worship

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Companion to the Book of Common Worship the companion to the Book of Common Worship Peter C. Bower, editor Companion to the Book of--REV2 10/20/04 10:13 AM Page i THE COMPANION TO THE BOOK OF COMMON WORSHIP Companion to the Book of--REV2 10/20/04 10:14 AM Page iii THE COMPANION TO THE BOOK OF COMMON WORSHIP PETER C. BOWER EDITOR Geneva Press Office of Theology and Worship Louisville, Kentucky Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Companion to the Book of--REV2 10/20/04 10:14 AM Page iv © 2003 Office of Theology and Worship, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any informa- tion storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher, except as noted. For information, address Geneva Press, 100 Witherspoon Street, Louisville, Kentucky 40202-1396. Brief portions of this Companion to the Book of Common Worship may be reproduced with- out special permission for a one-time use only, for worship and educational purposes, in an order of service for use by a congregation, or in a special program or lesson resources, pro- vided that no part of such reproduction is sold, directly or indirectly, and that the following acknowledgment is included. Reprinted by permission from The Companion to the Book of Common Worship © 2003 Office of Theology and Worship, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). Scripture quotations from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible are copyright © 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. and are used by permission. Book design by Sharon Adams Cover design by Night & Day Design First edition Published by Geneva Press Louisville, Kentucky This book is printed on acid-free paper that meets the American National Standards Institute Z39.48 standard. PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 — 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data The companion to the Book of common worship / Peter C. Bower, editor.— 1st ed. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-664-50232-6 (alk. paper) 1. Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). Book of common worship (1993) 2. Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)—Liturgy. I. Bower, Peter C. II. Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). Book of com- mon worship (1993) BX8969.5 .C66 2003 264'.05137—dc21 2002192711 Companion to the Book of--REV2 10/20/04 10:14 AM Page v In memory of Virginia Maud an undaunted leader Remember “the words of King Lemuel. An oracle that his mother taught him: Speak out for those who cannot speak, for the rights of all the destitute. Speak out, judge righteously, defend the rights of the poor and needy.” PROVERBS 31:1, 8–9 Companion to the Book of--REV2 10/20/04 10:14 AM Page vii Contents PREFACE xi ABBREVIATIONS xv PREPARATION FOR WORSHIP 1 THE SERVICE FOR THE LORD’S DAY 2 Convictions about Worship 2 Convictions about the Service for the Lord’s Day 6 Origin and Development of the Fourfold Ordo of the Service for the Lord’s Day 14 Purposes of the Ordo of the Service for the Lord’s Day 19 Commentary on the Service for the Lord’s Day 44 Preparing and Leading the Service for the Lord’s Day 72 RESOURCES FOR THE LITURGICAL YEAR 82 Liturgical Time 82 The Shape of the Liturgical Calendar 84 Texts Included in “Resources for the Liturgical Year” 88 The Christmas Cycle: From the Darkness of the World to the Light of Christ 91 Christmas: The Advent of the Messianic Savior 91 The Day of Epiphany: Light to All People 93 Advent: Come, Lord Jesus! Our Lord Has Come! 95 Commentary on the Christmas Cycle (Advent—Christmas— Epiphany, January 6) Services 98 Advent 98 vii Companion to the Book of--REV2 10/20/04 10:14 AM Page viii viii Contents Christmas and Epiphany 103 The Easter Cycle: From the Ashes of Death to the Fire of the Spirit 105 Easter (Pascha): Celebrating the New Order 106 Lent: The Way of the Cross to Easter (Pascha) 109 Pentecost: Set on Fire as Witnesses to the Crucified and Risen Christ 117 Commentary on the Easter Cycle (Lent—Easter— Day of Pentecost) Services 119 Ash Wednesday 119 Passion/Palm Sunday 121 Maundy Thursday 127 Good Friday 132 The Great Vigil of Easter: First Service of Easter 135 Easter Sunday through Seventh Sunday of Easter 143 Ascension of the Lord 144 Day of Pentecost 145 Ordinary Time 146 Time between Epiphany and Lent, and Time between Pentecost and Advent 146 Festivals in Ordinary Time 148 The Baptism of the Lord 148 The Transfiguration of the Lord 148 Trinity Sunday 149 All Saints’ Day (November 1) 150 Christ the King (or Reign of Christ) 151 Liturgical Color 152 BAPTISM AND REAFFIRMATION OF THE BAPTISMAL COVENANT 155 Recovering the Meaning of Baptism 155 Obstacles to Recovery 155 Reformed Emphasis 156 Preparation for Baptism 156 Commentary on the Baptism Rites 157 The Sacrament of Baptism: The Elements of the Rite 158 An Alternative Service for the Sacrament of Baptism 168 Baptism and Reaffirmation of the Baptismal Covenant: A Combined Order 170 Companion to the Book of--REV2 10/20/04 10:14 AM Page ix Contents ix DAILY PRAYER 173 The Nature of Daily Prayer 173 Hours of Prayer and the Meaning of Time 176 History of Daily Prayer 177 Components of Daily Prayer 179 The Services of Daily Prayer Service 188 Morning Prayer 189 Evening Prayer (and Service of Light) 190 Prayer at the Close of Day 191 Other Services: Midday Prayer; Vigil of the Resurrection; Prayers at Mealtime 191 Preparing and Leading Daily Prayer 192 THE PSALMS 202 Singing the Psalms 202 PRAYERS FOR VARIOUS OCCASIONS 208 The Great Litany 208 Other Litanies 209 Prayers for Various Occasions 209 Prayers for the World 209 Prayers for the Natural Order 209 Prayers for the Church and Other People of Faith 210 Prayers for the National Life 210 Prayers for the Social Order 210 Prayers for the Family and Personal Life 210 Prayers for the Human Condition 210 A Variety of Uses 210 CHRISTIAN MARRIAGE 212 Pastoral Challenge and Evangelical Opportunity 212 Commentary on the Marriage Rites 221 Rite I: A Service for General Use 221 Rite II: A Service Based on the Service for the Lord’s Day 229 Rite III: A Service Recognizing a Civil Marriage 230 Some Questions to Address in a Session Marriage Policy 230 Suggestions for Conducting a Wedding Rehearsal 231 Companion to the Book of--REV2 10/20/04 10:14 AM Page x x Contents THE FUNERAL: A SERVICE OF WITNESS TO THE RESURRECTION 234 Bearing Witness to the Resurrection 234 Comforting the Bereaved 235 Arrangements 236 The Funeral: A Service of Witness to the Resurrection 237 The Committal Service 242 Suggestions for a Service of Witness to the Resurrection 244 PASTORAL LITURGIES 246 Convictions about Pastoral Liturgies 246 Pastoral Visits 249 Commentary on Pastoral Liturgies 253 Ministry with the Sick 253 Holy Communion with Those Unable to Attend Public Worship 255 A Service for Wholeness for Use with a Congregation 260 A Service for Wholeness for Use with an Individual 264 A Service of Repentance and Forgiveness for Use with a Penitent Individual 264 Prayer at the Time of Death 265 BOOK OF OCCASIONAL SERVICES 266 Ordination and Installation 267 Commissioning 270 Dedication 272 Marking Transitions in a Congregation 276 Marking Transitions in a Governing Body 277 Interfaith Resources 277 Additional Prayers for Various Occasions 278 APPENDIX A: GLOSSARY OF TERMS 279 APPENDIX B: FOR FURTHER READING 287 APPENDIX C: STUDY GUIDE for the Book of Common Worship 295 NOTES 333 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 338 INDEX 340 Companion to the Book of--REV2 10/20/04 10:14 AM Page xi Preface Purpose In general, this Companion presents a variety of possibilities for enacting ser- vices in the Book of Common Worship (BCW) and, thereby, stimulates the imag- ination of worship planners and leaders in accomplishing their various tasks. In particular, this Companion provides background information regarding the ser- vices, comments on the rubrics accompanying texts, and suggests some ways to use the texts and, occasionally, abridge or augment them for particular situations. Role of the Directory for Worship To accomplish the above undertakings, this Companion necessarily alludes to standards and emphases of the Directory for Worship which, since its incep- tion in 1644, has highly influenced worship of English-speaking, Reformed churches. Moreover, since 1788, the Directory has served as American Pres- byterians’ constitutional basis for worship. The Directory is far more than suggestive; it is part of and, therefore, on a par with the rest of the Book of Order. From a practical standpoint, the Directory functions as an applied the- ology handbook that prescribes and describes how things “shall, should, can, or may” be done in worship. The Directory, therefore, though void of liturgi- cal text, serves as a primary planning resource for Presbyterians. Rather than quote “chapter and verse” from what is, in effect, a semper reformanda (“always being reformed”) Directory, this Companion draws on the Directory’s ongoing standards that present norms for the ordering and conduct of worship call for authentic and appropriate language xi Companion to the Book of--REV2 10/20/04 10:14 AM Page xii xii Preface invite expression of the faith through music and other arts encourage experiences of the fullness of psalmody through singing rejoice in the diversity of Presbyterian congregations particularly in enculturating various elements of worship mandate appraisal of the fruit of worship in a congregation’s life and work encourage continuing reform of worship charge people to enact their ministries in their daily life In short, a constant question before Presbyterian congregations is, In what ways does our corporate worship embody the directives set forth in the Direc- tory for Worship? The Book of Common Worship (1993) A manifestation of the Directory for Worship is the Book of Common Worship (1993), which is the basic liturgical resource on which many worship plan- ners draw and to which congregations are referred.
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