On the Prayer Book

The First Sunday in Advent

ALMIGHTY God, give us grace that we may cast away the works of darkness, and put upon us the armour of light, now in the time of this mortal life, in which thy Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility; that in the last day, when he shall come again in his glorious Majesty, to judge both the quick and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal; through him who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, now and ever. Amen.

Happy New Year! Advent is not simply a season of preparation for Christmas, but is also the start of the Christian calendar. It is a time of beginnings, where it seems appropriate to focus on the foundations. For Advent, this blog will focus on a multi-part series on the Prayer Book.

Anglicanism, as has been previously noted, finds its formularies in the Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion, the Book of Common Prayer, 1662 and the Ordinal. In modern times, all of these are published in the Book of Common Prayer, 1962 which is authorized for use in Canada. It contains the essential theology of Anglicanism, adapted to a Canadian context through the inclusion of prayers suitable to Canadian life.

The importance of the Prayer Book, as the Book of Common Prayer is often called, transcends Churchmanship. Evangelical Anglicans tend to come from the Low Churchman wing of the Anglican Communion, but the importance of the Prayer Book transcends Churchmanship. Charles Simeon, one of the leading Evangelicals of his day who left a lasting impact on all Evangelical Anglicans, once preached on the importance of the Prayer Book in 1811, saying:

I consider it as one of the highest excellencies of our Liturgy, that it is calculated to make us wise, intelligent, and sober Christians: it marks a golden mean ; it affects and inspires a meek, humble, modest, sober piety, equally remote from the coldness of a formalist, the self-importance of a systematic dogmatist, and the unhallowed fervour of a wild enthusiast. A tender seriousness, a meek devotion and a humble joy are the qualities which it was intended, and is calculated, to produce in all her members.

This traditional high view of the Prayer Book is upheld today in the various Prayer Book Societies from around the Anglican Communion, but is no longer universally held by all Anglicans. In the 1970s, the Anglican Church of Canada sought to update the Prayer Book to make it more relevant. While some of the changes—such as the inclusion of the Revised Common Lectionary which is shared with the Roman Catholics and others—were not innovations, in some cases, the linguistic changes and loosening of the rubrics (instructions) has limited the transmission of the theology contained in the Prayer Book to the Book of Alternative Services.

Today, most Canadian Anglicans who are not older cradle Anglicans are probably more familiar with the more contemporary language of the BAS. The archaic language of the Prayer Book can present a stumbling block to those Anglicans whose English is limited, though this argument seems a bit silly when the language can require a bit of instruction even for native English speakers. The flexibility of the Book of Alternative Services ensures that linguistic challenges can be overcome. This concept, however, is merely another reminder of the fact that the Church in modern times has approached challenges of theology not by catechizing but by changing the theology to be more palatable, much like how the Church commonly seeks to be “culturally relevant” through changing its theology.

The language can be a challenge, but if approached with an open heart and mind, it can lead to a far deeper understanding. When reading from the Book of Alternative Services, for example, there may be no need to understand the language, however this may lead to a more rote recitation or memorization of the words without effort spent to understand their true meaning. It is one thing to be able to understand what each individual word in a sentence means, but it can sometimes take effort to explore and understand what they mean when they are combined. Especially when dealing with complex theological issues that are expressed in the liturgy.

The difference in approach can very readily be seen in the introduction and prefaces to the respective books. In the Book of Alternative Services, its purpose is highlighted in the Introduction by quoting the resolutions of General Synod which led to the creation of the Book of Alternative Services nearly fifteen years later:

that in future revisions of our Common Prayer Book, more emphasis be given to permissive forms and less to mandatory forms of public worship, in order that in the use of one common book, we may still achieve that flexibility and variety we deem desirable. And that in the meantime General Synod be asked to give guidance to diocesan authorities in relaxing the rigid conformist notes still written into our Common Prayer Book.

The purpose of the BAS therefore was to promote diversity of liturgy and use. In contrast, the Preface of the Book of Common Prayer presents a more focused purpose:

THE Book of Common Prayer is a priceless possession of our Church. By its intrinsic merits, as a book designed for the reverent and seemly worship of Almighty God, it has endeared itself to generation after generation of devout Christians throughout the world. None would desire or advocate any change therein which would impair or lessen this deep-seated affection… this Book of Common Prayer is offered to the Church, with the hope that those who use it may become more truly what they already are: the People of God, that New Creation in Christ which finds its joy in adoration of the Creator and Redeemer of all.

Over the next three weeks, we will explore the history of the Prayer Book, the language of its theology, and its use outside of Sunday in our daily lives.