Rite 1

I often hear from people that their favorite thing about Episcopal liturgy is its constancy. It is familiar. They can learn the prayers and know them for a lifetime. They know what to expect when they come to church to worship, because we follow a set pattern, a set routine. And that familiarity is comforting.

But a case can be made for changing things up from time to time, too. Sometimes doing things a little different helps you to pay more careful attention, listen more closely, and prevents you from just saying the prayers or responses in rote fashion.

I think both are true. Familiarity is a blessing. But so is change.

And this summer in our Eucharistic worship, I think we've done a little of both.

As you've no doubt noticed, during June, July and August, we've been using the Rite I form of the Eucharist. Customarily, St. Peter's uses the Rite II form, as attested by the fact that most of the prayer books in the church just fall open to page 355. Rite II was created when the Book of Common Prayer was revised in the 1970s, and its language is more contemporary.

Rite I, however, is more traditional in its grammar and style. It uses "thee" and "thy" and "hast" and "shalt," and phrasing that modern people rarely, if ever, use anymore.

It's unfamiliar to many because we don't use Rite I as St. Peter's very often. I have a great fondness for Rite I, but I respect the way that for some of us, using Rite I has been a big change from what they're used to.

But in a funny way, I hope it's also deeply familiar--even for those of you who may not have grown up using anything other than the 1979 BCP Rite II. Rite I echoes the language of the prayer book as it was first created in the 16th century. People worshiping in the Anglican tradition (including we Episcopalians) been saying some of these exact prayers for 450 years. It may not be worded in the way you speak to your family or friends, but perhaps the formality of the prayers actually helps you realize that you're talking to God, the Maker of heaven and earth.

We'll go back to Rite II in mid-September. But I hope in the meantime, you'll pay attention to the cadence and vocabulary and formal beauty of our traditional liturgy. And I hope that like everything else we do together at St. Peter's, it draws your heart and mind and soul into the nearer presence of the Lord.