Wedding couples, even royal couples, at times compose their own wedding prayers. In the British tradition of royal weddings, however, it seems that Prince William and Catherine Middleton are the first to do so:
God our Father, we thank you for our families; for the love that we share and for the joy of our marriage.
In the busyness of each day keep our eyes fixed on what is real and important in life and help us to be generous with our time and love and energy.
Strengthened by our union, help us to serve and comfort those who suffer. We ask this in the Spirit of Jesus Christ. Amen.
The prayer helps sum up the prince and his bride, a Facebook-generation couple described by Archbishop Rowan Williams as “deeply unpretentious people” who steered away from an “all-singing, all-dancing extravaganza.”
They “wanted something simple and clear and also wanted something with tradition, roots and associations,” he added.
A fair assessment from John Martin.
I agree. The thing that struck me most of all about the service was its quintessential *Britishness*: Music by Parry, Vaughan Williams, Rutter, strong influences from the Book of Common Prayer, etc.
Yet this raises an issue that many modernists in Britain have difficulty with – that British heritage is intimately interwoven with Christianity. I don’t mean that British people are necessarily “more Christian” than others (or even better people) but that the British heritage is full of references that only make sense from an orthodox Christian perspective.
The Archbishop of Canterbury and other liberal modernists esconced in the Church of England are yesterday’s men. The vision of an excessively modernist church that they have espoused is already being rejected by the people, however much support it may get from the political establishment. ABC and his fellow bishops may not be fully aware of it yet, but the Royal Wedding service was an indicator that even the relatively unchurched younger generation do not want the liberal vision.
And finally, what a magnificent, beautiful service! In all ways. It was something to cherish.
I didn’t say this before because I didn’t want to rain on anyone’s parade, but as MichaelA has given me an “in”, now I will comment.
“The Archbishop of Canterbury and other liberal modernists esconced in the Church of England are yesterday’s men. The vision of an excessively modernist church that they have espoused is already being rejected by the people, however much support it may get from the political establishment. ABC and his fellow bishops may not be fully aware of it yet, but the Royal Wedding service was an indicator that even the relatively unchurched younger generation do not want the liberal vision”.
I don’t think I can disagree with that, and I don’t necessarily want to. Not to take away AT ALL from the Duke/Duchess of Cambridge, but imagine for a moment what it would have been the other day with TWO MEN or TWO WOMEN on the altar. It is a fair question to ask–Is that the road the Anglican Communion wants to go down? Well, anyone who disagrees had better start writing letters to the Archbishop of Canterbury in protest. Food for thought…