12/07/2024
Reference Guide for the 1928 BCP Holy Communion
1928 American Book of Common Prayer: Quick Reference Guide For The Service of Holy Communion.
The Lord:s Prayer: Based on the ancient Jewish Shema Israel Prayer where believers pledge love of God and neighbor.
The Collect for Purity: A prayer to the Holy Trinity in which we acknowledge the all knowing and all powerful nature of the Father, the Son as the High Priest, and asking the Father to impart wisdom through the Holy Ghost so that we may worship God properly.
The Decalogue: The Decalogue is the Ten Commandments
with responses from the congregation. It is usually said on the first Sunday of each month. In it, we pledge to keep God's Commandments, and ask His help in doing so.
The Summary of the Law: The Summary of Law given to us by Jesus in Luke's and Matthew's Gospel. The legal experts of Our Lord's day tried to make the Law of Moses so complicated to understand, so that they could charge large fees to people, especially widows to interpret it. Jesus just tells us the Law in a nutshell is to love God fully and love not only one's friends' but also one's neighbor. That neighbor could be an enemy or adversary such as in the parable of the Good Samaritan.
The Kyrie: The word Kyrie means Lord. It is a prayer to the Holy Trinity repenting of sin and asking God to withhold
punishment for going against His will.
The Salutation: The Salutation at the time of Jesus was an initial greeting said at the beginning of the Jewish Synagogue service, and also services in the ancient Christian Church. The prayer call us as a body of believers to obey God's commandment as individuals, but also as a faith community as well
THE SALUTATION BEGINS THE MINISTRY OF THE WORD
Collect of the Day: A prayer that as Father Shepherd points out" where it designated a prayer that summed up, concluded, , or collected the thoughts of a preceding litany or devotion." Shepherd continues and states that a collect has the following features:" one: an opening address to God, , with a relative clause stating some attributes of His nature or manifestation of His mind, and will by reason of which a petition is made to Him; two: the petition itself, often followed by a clause dwelling upon the good result to ensure if the petition is granted : three:a concluding oblation or meditation in the Name of Our Lord, through Whom all our prayers are offered , United to a doxology recalling all Three persons of the Trinity."
The Epistle: Letters to the ancient Christian churches written by the Apostles , the first Bishops to admonish, inform, or encourage the faithful. The Epistles were designed to create a bridge between the Old and New Covenants.
The Gospel: The Gospels are books of the Bible that begin the New Testament, and chronicle the life Birth, Life, Exploits, Sayings or Wisdom, Death , and Resurrection of Jesus. A specific passage from the Gospel is read during the Mass that confirms to a liturgical season like Advent or Lent for example.
The Nicene Creed: A profession of faith stating the co-eternal nature of the Holy Trinity, and its intervention in the past, present, and future of mankind. Completed at the Council of Constantinople in 381, it was designed to combat the A***n heresy that denied the divinity of the Holy Ghost and the Son.
END OF THE MINISTRY OF THE WORD
The Offertory: The offering of unconsecrated bread and wine for Holy Communion, as well as alms. During the Offertory, we give thanks to God for the things He has given to our use and to those around us, especially the poor and neglected.
The Prayer of the Church: a long intercessory prayer in which we: prayer for the peace and unity of the Church, civil rulers, ordained clergy and the congregations to their care, the needs of the afflicted, and those who have died. Used in both the East and West in various forms since the Fourth Century. The act of Christians praying for the Roman Empire led to the Emperor Constantine ending persecution of Christians via the Edict of Milan in 313.
The Invitation to Confession: A statement made the Celebrant to invite the faithful to confession their sins.
The Confession: A prayer to God the Father to forgive our sins and renew us in body and soul. During this prayer we implore the Father to use the Son and the Holy Ghost to assist in the process.
The Absolution: A. Benediction and Declaration said by the Celebrant acting on behalf of Almighty God to absolve us from our sins through His mercy, and bestow on the gifts of goodness and eternal life.
The Comfortable Words: declarative statements said by the Deacon, Priest, or Bishop, again as Fr. Shepherd points out "the redeeming action of Our Lord, in His incarnation, Atonement, and eternal Priesthood after His ascension."
The Sursum Corda: Two Latin words that opened what is called the Prayer of Consecration. Again quoting Father Shepherd: " the Eucharistic action takes place in the heavenly sphere where Christ has entered and led the way for us."
The Proper Prefaces: Hymns of praise, thanksgiving , and adoration by the Church in heaven and earth " , as well as the angels at"all times and places" There are several prefaces, and each one is geared for a season in the liturgical year.
The Sanctus: a hymn of praise and adoration to the Holy Trinity said by the entire Church and the angels in heaven and on earth. Derived from the vision of Prophet in Isaiah in Isaiah 6:1-3 and Revelation 4:8.
The Prayer of Consecration: The Prayer of Consecration is divided into three parts: the consecration with reenactment of the Last Supper by Jesus for remission of sins and ushering in the New Covenant,; The oblation:offering up gifts to God, and described by Fr. Shepherd as:"The oblation is the hinge of the whole Consecration Prayer. It gathers up thanksgivings and memorials that have gone before and offers them to God by means of the Holy Gifts, the instruments of bread and wine which out Lord Himself chose to represent . His own sacrifice and to be occasion of its continuing and innumerable benefits to His Church."
The innovation is the third part of the Prayer of Consecration in which the Celebrant petitions God the Father through the Son and Holy Ghost to change the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ.
The Lord's Prayer: said by the Celebrant and congregation.
The Lord's Prayer is placed before the beginning of the Holy Communion service, a holdover from the Sarum Rite, used by the English Church prior to introduction of the Book of Common Prayer on June 9, 1549, during Whitsunday or Pentecost.
The Prayer of Humble Access: A prayer said by the Celebrant and congregation acknowledging through our sinful nature we are not worthy to receive God's grace, but through faith we ask through to God's grace to consume the Body and Blood of Jesus, so that we can be cleansed from sins and "so that may evermore dwell in Him and He in us."
Words of Administration: words said by the Celebrant or other appointed minister when administering the Body and Blood of Christ.
Prayer of Thanksgiving: A prayer to God the Father for: one: receiving the Body and Blood of Christ; two: for the gift of Christ and His Church, and three: the everlasting Kingdom of God; four: assistance to do good works all with the assistance of His Son Jesus Christ the High Priest.
The Gloria: a hymn of praise to the Holy Trinity.
The Final Blessings: To be said by the Celebrant at the end of service, blessing the faithful in the name of the Holy Trinity
Note: this is a quick reference guide to facilitate the understanding of the 1928 Book of Carmen Prayer communion service. It is only being put out for educational purposes only and in no way is being utilized for profit. If anyone has questions regarding some of the points of the mass will be more than happy to answer them in an expedient manner. Blessings Father David.
