Planning Prayers

Although the full text hasn’t been finalized yet, I do have plans for how the Saint Aelfric Customary will recommend the implementation of most of the features in the 2019 Prayer Book.  In short, I can’t tell you why these suggestions are here yet, but if you want to order your prayers accordingly, here is the weekly guide!

Sunday 12/8

• Morning Prayer Canticles: Te Deum laudamus and Benedictus
• Holy Communion: Second Sunday of Advent (Year A)
• Evening Prayer Canticles: Magnificat and Nunc dimittis

Monday 12/9

• Morning Prayer Canticles: #1 Magna et mirabilia and Benedictus
• Holy Communion: Second Sunday of Advent (with the traditional readings)
• Evening Prayer Canticles: Magnificat and #4 Quaerite Dominum

Tuesday 12/10

• Morning Prayer Canticles: #1 Magna et mirabilia and Benedictus
• Holy Communion: Votive: of the Blessed Virgin Mary (The Annunciation)
• Evening Prayer Canticles: Magnificat and #4 Quaerite Dominum

Wednesday 12/11

• Morning Prayer Canticles: #1 Magna et mirabilia and Benedictus
• Holy Communion: Votive*
• Evening Prayer Canticles: Magnificat and #4 Quaerite Dominum

Thursday 12/12

• Morning Prayer Canticles: #1 Magna et mirabilia and Benedictus
• Holy Communion: Votive
• Evening Prayer Canticles: Magnificat and #4 Quaerite Dominum

Friday 12/13

• Morning Prayer Canticles: #1 Magna et mirabilia and Benedictus
• Holy Communion: St. Lucy (martyr) or Votive
• Evening Prayer Canticles: Magnificat and #4 Quaerite Dominum

Saturday 12/14

• Morning Prayer Canticles: #1 Magna et mirabilia and Benedictus
• Holy Communion: Votive
• Evening Prayer: Magnificat and Nunc dimittis, Collect for Advent 2

Sunday 12/15

• Morning Prayer Canticles: Te Deum laudamus and Benedictus
• Holy Communion: Third Sunday of Advent (Year A)
• Evening Prayer Canticles: Magnificat and Nunc dimittis

* A Votive is a “Various Occasion” (page 733 in the BCP 2019).  The traditional appointments are Holy Trinity on Sunday, Holy Spirit on Monday, Holy Angels on Tuesday, of the Incarnation on Wednesdays, of the Holy Eucharist on Thursdays, the Holy Cross on Fridays, and of the Blessed Virgin Mary on Saturdays.

Readings Review

Last week: Ecclus. (Sirach) 14,17,18,21,34,38-39, Acts 24-28, Isaiah 44-50, Luke 9:18-12:34
This week: Ecclus. (Sirach) 44-50, Revelation 1-6, Isaiah 51-57, Luke 12-16

We are now getting into one of the more intensely familiar sections of the book of Isaiah.  As mentioned a couple weeks ago this is where pretty much every chapter will have something familiar to the regular church-goer, especially in a liturgical tradition like ours.  The “Servant Songs” populate a few of these chapters, officially identified in 42:1-4 (two weeks ago), 49:1-6 and 50:4-7 (this past week), and the long one 52:13-53:12 (coming up this week).  Few of the messianic prophecies detail the reality of Jesus as a suffering servant as clearly as this one; it’s easy to read this now as a Christian and look back to how it’s fulfilled in Christ, but for the people of Judea and Galilee at the time this text was not high on their list of expectations regarding the coming Savior.  But of course once the gospel events took place and the apostles started committing their teachings to writing, the connection between Isaiah’s “Suffering Servant” and Christ Jesus was made abundantly clear – particularly in 1 Peter.

Meanwhile, in Morning Prayer, the skipping through Ecclesiasticus (Sirach) has ended, and now we’re going to walk through the final eight chapters in sequence, covering the great “Hall of Faith” – like in Hebrews 11 except longer.  Whatever your personal opinions of the canonical status of this book, these chapters are an insightful read, reflecting on the whole of Old Testament history, and highlighting a pre-Christian perspective on what was particularly important about these great men of old.

And, of course, let us not forget the book of Revelation.  This book is appropriate saved for the end of the year, not only because it’s at the end of the Bible, but especially because of its strong Advent themes concerning the return of Christ.  More on that later this week…!