Since the early days of the printing press the scriptures and the liturgies of the church have been put into the hands of the people of the Anglican churches. The liturgies are of direct descent from those of the earliest times of Christian worship and are generally selections of biblical material placed in order to form a high holy drama which is transformative. The purposes of the book are to preserve and teach the apostolic faith; provide for liturgies for worship of God; make it possible for people to be the actors in this high holy drama, not spectators or listeners; use a language which is understandable to modern people; and to provide a means of gathering us into a community of faith.
The Book of Common Prayer, first published in the 16th century, contains the services that we use in worship. It contains rites for use at home and in corporate worship. The biblical sacraments of Holy Baptism and Holy Eucharist are the main sacraments. Morning prayer services are often held during weekdays, especially when a priest is not present. The chief liturgical officer of the parish is the rector, who is responsible for the liturgy, music and word preached and taught.
There are special rites for special days of the cycle of the church year; such as Ash Wednesday, Maundy (Holy) Thursday, Good Friday, and the Great Vigil of Easter. Included are the rites for Holy Matrimony, Ministry to the Sick, and the Reconciliation of a Penitent. There are also Episcopal Rites, such as Ordination of Deacons, Priests, and Bishops, and the consecration of worship space. Included also are the tables for the church year and the Lectionary of biblical readings to be used on any given day of the year. The Eucharistic Lectionary is set to follow the church year annually, but uses different readings (from different Gospels, for instance) to tell the same story on each Sunday on a three-year cycle. This means that in three years, we will have covered a major portion of the bible.
-Reprinted with permission of Saint James Episcopal Church, Monkton, Maryland
