Two changes to our Sunday morning worship for this season are worth comment. The first is that the 8 am and 10 am services will become even more distinct from one another.
The 8 am service will still be the quiet service and will follow Rite II “by the book,” as I like to say—that is, following the 1979 Book of Common Prayer.
The 10 am service will follow the pattern of Easter Sunday, which used texts for the prayers and responses from Enriching Our Worship 1, an authorized resource developed since the 1979 BCP. The worship pattern is exactly the same, but Enriching our Worship uses language and images that are broader and more inclusive. Its theology leans more toward the action of Holy Spirit. This resource has been available since 1998, and some of the Eucharistic prayers have been used at St. Stephen’s.
Since the words from Enriching Our Worship are not in the prayer book, there will be a new format for the service bulletin. It will consist of two parts. The first part is a seasonal booklet that we will reuse week to week. The second part is a weekly insert containing most of the service that changes weekly—such the Liturgy of the Word. (This weekly piece plus an announcement page will be provided at 8 am.) The two pieces are designed so that when the weekly piece is inserted on a clearly marked page in the seasonal booklet, the result is a complete liturgical guide for the week–from the celebrant’s opening words through the final blessing. This combination is the best way I’ve found so far to minimize book juggling, reduce weight on the wrists, promote stewardship of trees, make best use of preparation time, and provide convenience for guests and those newer to our worship traditions. The booklet will of course change from time to time to reflect the different themes of the liturgical season.