A eucharistic prayer that the bishop-elect wrote for Easter season 2008 says this: “In the ancient days, at the dawn of time, You leaned over creation[,] scooped it to your breast and breathed the moist breath of life. … The fire of your Spirit kindled a love between Mary and Joseph; a fire that became the roaring flame of eternal compassion””the heart of Jesus.”
The lectionary texts are notable for their exclusion of male pronouns, even when the subject of the sentence is a man. A reading from Genesis 2 refers to Adam as “the earth creature” and “it.” Readings from the gospels of John and Mark refer to Jesus as “the Chosen One,” “the Only Begotten One,” “my Beloved, my Own” and “this One.”
The Rev. Canon Ralph McMichael, canon for ministry formation in the Diocese of Missouri, expressed concern about the texts.
“We are stewards of the church’s liturgy,” he said. “Liturgy does not exist for our self-expression, whatever form it might take.”
[i] The fire of your Spirit kindled a love between Mary and Joseph; a fire that became the roaring flame of eternal compassion—the heart of Jesus [/i]
Scratch one doctrine.
[blockquote] St. Paul’s stands within the Christian path of the
Episcopal Church. [/blockquote]
Taken from St. Paul’s website (the church where their bishop-elect is the rector) [url] http://www.stpmqt.org/Bulletin.html [/url] and in the March 1 bulletin.
I wasn’t aware that the Episcopal Church has multiple paths leading to God?! At least when people say the Episcopal Church/Christianity is a path to God, the argument kinda of makes sense. But wow, that’s a leap from the Episcopal Church-Christian denomination to the Episcopal Church-holder of all paths of salvation (whether that be Christian or not?).
[i] I wasn’t aware that the Episcopal Church has multiple paths leading to God [/i]
But it does have multiple paths.
Why is it that the people, who hold too traditional values and believe the word absolute, are the ones forced to flee and start their own groups? Shouldn’t those that want new [or new age] be the outsiders here? Maybe my view of the world is skewed, or maybe good men have been silent to long.
#1 Irenaeus
[blockquote]”The fire of your Spirit kindled a love between Mary and Joseph; a fire that became the roaring flame of eternal compassion—the heart of Jesus
Scratch one doctrine[/blockquote]
Only one?
Let’s see – virgin birth, conception by the Holy Ghost, incarnation, divinity of Christ, plus apparently Mary and Joseph were engaging in pre-marriage canoodling.
[blockquote] …And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God,
Begotten of his Father before all worlds,
God of God, Light of Light,
Very God of very God,
Begotten, not made,
Being of one substance with the Father,
By whom all things were made;
Who for us men, and for our salvation came down from heaven,
And was incarnate by the Holy Ghost of the Virgin Mary,
And was made man,[/blockquote]
No wonder he has ditched the Creed. The gospel according to Kevin!
[blockquote]St. Paul’s stands within the Christian path of the
Episcopal Church.[/blockquote]
A more relevant question: Does the Episcopal Church any longer stand within the Christian path of St. Paul (the apostle, not the parish building named after him)?
I notice that the liturgy includes [url=http://www.stpmqt.org/Docs/CovenantGroup/LiturgyPlanningTeam.pdf ]celebrations of life’s “transitions”[/url]: Partnership, Marriage, Divorce, Retirement. Ah, yes, the liturgical celebration of partnerships and divorce.
Reading through some of those bulletins linked to in comment No. 2, I must say I am disturbed. I’ve been to an extremely liberal protestant church whose liturgy was not that agenda driven. I don’t know too many Episcopalians in my neck of the woods that would be at all comfortable will a good deal of the things I am reading here.
But, back to the topic of the article, the Eucharistic prayer. The rubrics in the current prayerbook for “An Order for Celebrating the Holy Eucharist” on pg 400 are very clear that Eucharistic prayers not authorized in the book are permissible but “not intended for use at the principal Sunday or weekly celebration of the Eucharist.”
I, for one, heartily agree with that rubric. The point of having Common Prayer is that we all come together on Sunday and pray in common. Prayer being the one thing we that binds us together. With Eucharistic prayers that “out there,” I think that breaks the bond of “common prayer.” I know I would get up and leave if the regular Sunday service I was attending used something as theologically questionable as:
The prayers of the people and the Holy Eucharist are not the priest’s personal forum to rewrite the faith or force people to listen to a theological or political rant in liturgical text form. That is highly inappropriate.
NO good Buddhist needs a text and the ECUSA/TEC/GCC/EO-PAC surely will relegate the texts like morality to adiaphora, so -like- what’s the problemo, man?
Ouch! The Kum-bah-yometer has gone to full scale, in danger of overloading………
“the Christian path of the Episcopal Church”
As in the Episcopal Church is a Christian Path, or as in there is a Christian path (among others) in the Episcopal Church. The language is ambiguous. Though I must admit, I have felt for some while that the time would come when I would find myself saying “I’m within the Christian wing of the Episcopal Church”.
Between being the only one on the ballot, Buddhism, clearly heretical Christology, and a thoroughly muddled eucharistic theology, and a pattern of disregard for the rubrics, I believe rejection is probably appropriate. I’ll be advising our parish’s member of the standing committee to vote no. That will probably elicit a puzzled expression and a month in the proverbial doghouse.
Pageantmaster [#5]: Fair enough. In the case of someone like Forrester, there’s never just [i] one [/i] doctrine under attack.
[blockquote] The prayers of the people and the Holy Eucharist are not the priest’s personal forum to rewrite the faith or force people to listen to a theological or political rant in liturgical text form. That is highly inappropriate. [/blockquote]
No. 8 Archer, I agree completely, but I think I’d use a stronger word than “inappropriate.” The Prayer of Consecration is the heart of our most sacred rite, and I am appalled to see it so abused.
Does anyone reading his know at what stage the consent process for this election is right now? Are Diocesan bishops and Standing Committees acting already? Are they waiting until they receive some sort of mailing to which they have to respond?
Just curious whether there’s any point in contacting our Standing Committee, or whether I’ve missed the boat. Not that it would make much difference. Thew Forrester is something of a celebrity among Maine Episcopalians.
Pax,
Chuck Bradshaw
Hulls Cove, Maine
Chuck, find out when your diocesan standing committee meets and by all means, let them know how you feel about this. They are, after all, supposed to represent you. I don’t know how long you have been an Episcopalian, but my husband and I became members in 1956. It is not the same church today as the one we joined. There are two things I am happy he did not live long enough to see: 1) the downfall of O. J. Simpson; and 2) what The Episcopal Church has become.
Archer (#8), go back and read the entire Order for Celebrating the Holy Eucharist BEGINNING on page 400.
Clearly on page 401 it states, “The Great Thanksgiving is said by the Priest in the name of the gathering, USING ONE OF THE EUCHARISTIC PRAYERS PROVIDED†(emphasis added).
The Eucharistic prayer is not subject to the whims and fancies of the celebrant.
Will +