WEBVTT 00:00:01.360 --> 00:00:02.319 I've got one. 00:00:03.120 --> 00:00:07.519 Okay, good morning, everybody, and welcome to Book of Common Prayer Part 3. 00:00:07.759 --> 00:00:10.560 We're supposed to do this in one Sunday, but we haven't. 00:00:10.640 --> 00:00:22.320 So I think that's probably a good thing because again, one of the few relatively unique monikers of the Episcopal identity is in fact the Book of Common Prayer. 00:00:22.399 --> 00:00:27.760 Now, reminder, relatively unique because there's not one for everybody. 00:00:28.320 --> 00:00:36.159 There is the Episcopal Church uses one prayer book, but in the Anglican communion is a different one for Anglicans. 00:00:36.320 --> 00:00:39.280 There's one in New Zealand, there's one in South Africa. 00:00:39.439 --> 00:00:51.119 So there are, in fact, many prayer books that have minor variances in them, but reminder this is something relatively unique that this was not just for the clergy, this is for everybody. 00:00:51.280 --> 00:00:52.880 Now, I I do want to slip in. 00:00:53.039 --> 00:00:55.119 There is also a bishop's book. 00:00:55.359 --> 00:00:58.000 I don't know what's in it, because I'm not a bishop. 00:00:58.079 --> 00:01:00.159 It's sort of like this secret publication. 00:01:00.399 --> 00:01:06.959 And I think somebody asked me in here, or at least another time, like, hey, is there an exorcism right? 00:01:07.599 --> 00:01:08.480 There is. 00:01:08.719 --> 00:01:10.719 It's in the bishop's book. 00:01:11.040 --> 00:01:14.480 I don't know what it's in it, because I don't have that. 00:01:14.719 --> 00:01:15.599 Thank God. 00:01:15.680 --> 00:01:21.280 Um if people ask me to do exorcisms, I do a house blessing, which is very different. 00:01:21.359 --> 00:01:23.519 Um and it may help for you to know. 00:01:23.680 --> 00:01:26.400 There also is there are a few supplemental bits. 00:01:26.480 --> 00:01:34.159 So this came out, uh, this was sort of drafted in 76, started being used, was really printed in 79. 00:01:34.319 --> 00:01:40.079 Just to give you an idea, it's a three-year cycle, usually before things go from being approved to printed. 00:01:40.239 --> 00:01:45.519 And then uh there's another book called uh the Book of Occasional Services. 00:01:45.680 --> 00:01:49.519 Uh that's not in here because those are more occasional that's what's in here. 00:01:49.599 --> 00:01:53.200 So actually, in the Book of Occasional Services is a house blessing. 00:01:53.359 --> 00:02:01.200 There's different liturgies for things like doing a tenebrae service on um Holy Saturday, which we don't do. 00:02:01.359 --> 00:02:04.480 You need like a really fancy candle stand to do that. 00:02:04.560 --> 00:02:05.920 My last church had one. 00:02:06.159 --> 00:02:10.080 We didn't do it there either, but man, I was like a$2,000 candle holder. 00:02:10.400 --> 00:02:13.120 Anyway, you and you need something like that to do it. 00:02:13.439 --> 00:02:15.199 It's a lovely thing if you do it. 00:02:15.280 --> 00:02:20.319 But see, not everyone does it, so it's relegated to the book of occasional services. 00:02:20.400 --> 00:02:21.840 There's some other things in there. 00:02:22.000 --> 00:02:25.919 If you ever want to thumb through it, I've got one uh happy to share with you. 00:02:26.080 --> 00:02:30.800 If I ever come do a house blessing for you, that's where I'll do the blessing from. 00:02:30.879 --> 00:02:31.919 So there is a form. 00:02:32.240 --> 00:02:38.159 There are services that have been approved by the General Convention of the Episcopal Church. 00:02:38.240 --> 00:02:46.159 More on that in just a second, that are in neither of the books because they're yet to make it into the total reprinting and they show up as appendices. 00:02:46.639 --> 00:02:50.000 Um, enriching our worship. 00:02:50.080 --> 00:02:54.719 So I mentioned to you there's four Eucharistic prayers in Rite II. 00:02:54.960 --> 00:03:08.400 There are two in right one, and then there's two other ones in enriching our worship that aren't in our book, but we can use anything in the Diocese of Texas that the general convictions approve. 00:03:08.479 --> 00:03:11.439 So in the summer, you'll see those show up in the bulletin. 00:03:11.520 --> 00:03:14.240 Um you won't find them in the prayer book because they're not. 00:03:14.479 --> 00:03:21.520 And until they reprint the prayer book, which TBD on that, they are going to revise it, but we don't know when they'll reprint it. 00:03:21.680 --> 00:03:22.719 They won't be in the book. 00:03:22.879 --> 00:03:23.840 Does that make sense? 00:03:24.080 --> 00:03:29.360 So they're licensed, you can use them, but they're not in the physical book and won't be for a bit. 00:03:30.080 --> 00:03:43.520 There's some other things in there, like um uh there's some alternate baptism ones, there's ones um for people in different pastoral situations that again haven't made it into the book. 00:03:43.599 --> 00:03:44.879 You can find them all online. 00:03:44.960 --> 00:03:51.919 If you're curious to know these contents, you can just hop online and look at enriching our worship, and everything is there. 00:03:52.159 --> 00:04:06.800 Uh, including, you know, um back in 2009, the General Convention decided that clergy could do same-sex blessings, and there was a blessing rite for same-sex couples that was authorized. 00:04:07.039 --> 00:04:10.000 It wasn't a marriage rite then, it was a blessing rite. 00:04:10.240 --> 00:04:13.039 Um you'll find that still there. 00:04:13.280 --> 00:04:32.560 And then in 2015, they decided same-sex blessing could also be sacrament of marriage, so they've retuned some of the language in the marriage rite that's available online but not in the printing, because again, they haven't reprinted the prayer book, if that makes sense. 00:04:32.720 --> 00:04:44.800 Mostly what they did, in case you're curious, they took the blessing right that was for same-sex couples, very different from the marriage rite in here, and just made it gender neutral so that heterocouples can use it as well. 00:04:44.959 --> 00:04:47.360 It's a very different right, actually. 00:04:47.600 --> 00:04:53.279 And they also took the one in here and made it gender neutral so that you can pick. 00:04:53.839 --> 00:05:11.360 And uh, if you're if you're interested to know, um, in the last uh two years, I've probably celebrated maybe seven marriages, and two people, three, have requested the New Zealand marriage right, not the one in here. 00:05:11.519 --> 00:05:14.240 It is very different from our marriage right. 00:05:14.720 --> 00:05:17.680 And I you can find it online as well, you don't have to buy the book. 00:05:18.000 --> 00:05:19.680 It's just very different language. 00:05:19.759 --> 00:05:23.120 Um, and it's not bad, you know, it's it's just different. 00:05:23.279 --> 00:05:33.839 So that's part of what it means to be in the Anglican communion, honestly, is that we have some different emphases in our prayer books and we we kind of share them from time to time. 00:05:34.480 --> 00:05:40.240 I think where we left off, did we I think we made it to at the time of death. 00:05:40.399 --> 00:05:42.319 Yeah, does that sound right? 00:05:43.439 --> 00:05:47.199 Now, if you're Roman Catholic, you call that last rites. 00:05:48.000 --> 00:05:48.879 Last rites. 00:05:49.199 --> 00:05:53.040 We don't do last rites in the Episcopal Church, strictly speaking. 00:05:53.279 --> 00:05:55.120 We do the sacrament of unction. 00:05:55.279 --> 00:06:00.480 And I think I mentioned to you a priest may consecrate the oil for anointing. 00:06:00.639 --> 00:06:06.480 You don't need a bishop to do it, and that we don't give people last rites, we commend people to the Lord. 00:06:06.639 --> 00:06:10.319 Because quite honestly, we don't know when somebody's going to depart. 00:06:10.560 --> 00:06:11.600 We don't know. 00:06:11.920 --> 00:06:17.199 But um, interestingly enough, I did this for somebody this week, and they're still with us. 00:06:17.360 --> 00:06:20.800 We I mean, we sort of know they're probably their time is short on earth. 00:06:21.040 --> 00:06:29.839 Um the prayer is something like this Into your hands, most merciful Savior, we commend your servant blank. 00:06:30.240 --> 00:06:36.319 Acknowledge, we humbly beseech you, a lamb of your own fold, a sheep of your own flock, a sinner of your own redeeming. 00:06:36.480 --> 00:06:42.560 Receive them into the arms of your mercy, and give them rest with the saints of light everlasting. 00:06:42.959 --> 00:06:48.160 I could pray that prayer over an eight-year-old child that is not in the throes of death at all. 00:06:48.639 --> 00:06:51.360 Commending somebody the Lord is a pretty good prayer. 00:06:51.439 --> 00:06:52.879 Do you know what I mean? 00:06:53.120 --> 00:06:57.519 Into your arms of mercy, we entrust your child, receive them. 00:06:58.000 --> 00:07:13.040 Uh so that is a little bit of difference you'll see in where the prayer book has gone over uh sort of stereotypes of um, well, actually, where we were, and of the way some of our Roman brothers and sisters do it. 00:07:13.279 --> 00:07:20.399 I think I mentioned to you before, I've gone to people who were way out living their hospice uh plan. 00:07:20.639 --> 00:07:25.439 Hospice said they were going to be dead in an hour, and here we were like two days later. 00:07:25.600 --> 00:07:29.920 I came and said that prayer, and they died on my way out of the hospital. 00:07:30.240 --> 00:07:33.199 So there is power in this business. 00:07:33.439 --> 00:07:42.240 Hospice says we give people permission to die so that they can, and sometimes I think that prayer gives people permission to die they were seeking. 00:07:42.319 --> 00:07:43.839 Does that make sense? 00:07:45.519 --> 00:07:52.639 Um, the burial rites, I think I mentioned to you, you really won't find a better liturgy in the Episcopal Church. 00:07:52.800 --> 00:07:57.519 We do this better than we do anything, so much so, right, that George H. 00:07:57.680 --> 00:07:57.839 W. 00:07:58.000 --> 00:08:05.279 Bush, that was his service, right, one burial uh from from Russ Levinson up at St. 00:08:05.360 --> 00:08:06.639 Martin's where they are members. 00:08:06.879 --> 00:08:08.000 What kind of you want? 00:08:08.480 --> 00:08:13.759 Well, I I'm I'm somewhere around page 500 with the burial service, somewhere. 00:08:16.879 --> 00:08:21.600 But I'm gonna skip ahead of that because listen, we are, I just I that's all I have to say about burial. 00:08:22.879 --> 00:08:28.079 You'll see beginning on page 511 the the ordination rites. 00:08:28.639 --> 00:08:32.320 Ordination for bishop and priest and deacon. 00:08:32.559 --> 00:08:32.720 Okay. 00:08:33.200 --> 00:08:46.799 We talked about how the church is the ministry of laity, that's everybody, some of which are called to be deacons, some of deacons are called to be priests, and very few priests called to be bishops. 00:08:47.120 --> 00:08:58.879 We traditionally inherited from the Middle Ages, honestly, this is our heritage, that it's a hierarchy of ordination, and bishops are more important, and it's most important that we dispense with that. 00:08:59.120 --> 00:09:05.360 Bishops are no more important than you or I or Deacon Jenny. 00:09:06.720 --> 00:09:16.639 The church is a ministry of everybody, and no part of the body is more important than the other. 00:09:16.879 --> 00:09:19.759 And by the way, there's many people who say bishops are the heads. 00:09:20.000 --> 00:09:22.720 No, Paul says the head is Jesus Christ. 00:09:23.600 --> 00:09:28.480 So a bishop that pretends to be the head of the body is a heretic. 00:09:31.759 --> 00:09:33.600 That's really, really important to hear. 00:09:34.159 --> 00:09:37.279 If you read through the rites, it'll tell you what bishops do. 00:09:37.360 --> 00:09:41.360 And just a reminder: bishops do two things priests don't do. 00:09:41.600 --> 00:09:45.440 They ordain priests and they come and confirm people. 00:09:46.000 --> 00:09:49.919 Back in the olden days, every church had a bishop. 00:09:50.559 --> 00:09:51.840 So they knew everybody. 00:09:52.000 --> 00:09:52.879 Now not. 00:09:53.360 --> 00:09:55.759 It's this interesting thing that's happened. 00:09:55.919 --> 00:10:00.080 The bishops are going to confirm people whose faith they know nothing about. 00:10:00.320 --> 00:10:05.759 They're going to have to trust the priest or the deacon, or more often the youth minister to sponsor them. 00:10:06.720 --> 00:10:08.559 We'll probably work that out at some point. 00:10:09.279 --> 00:10:11.919 I don't know the answer to it, but for now, that's what happens. 00:10:12.159 --> 00:10:25.519 The bishop lays hands on the confirmant's head, lays hands, because in the scriptures the disciples lay hands on people and they receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit. 00:10:25.759 --> 00:10:30.639 That's where the symbol comes from, the laying on of hands on the head. 00:10:30.879 --> 00:10:39.360 If you want to be confirmed or received, that will happen because it's this traditional sign of getting a new breath. 00:10:41.919 --> 00:10:43.679 Anybody been to the enthronement? 00:10:45.840 --> 00:10:47.279 Bishops are enthroned. 00:10:47.360 --> 00:10:49.919 Has anybody been to the enthronement of a bishop? 00:10:50.799 --> 00:10:53.200 There will be one soon. 00:10:53.600 --> 00:10:55.759 I think I know who will be enthroned. 00:10:55.840 --> 00:11:00.639 Uh it will be a really good opportunity to go and see this done. 00:11:00.879 --> 00:11:06.399 You'll want to get there early so that there will be a seat, because we won't do it again for a long time, I suspect. 00:11:06.559 --> 00:11:13.600 We're electing a new bishop in February, and then her, it has to be a woman, because if there's only three candidates, they're all women. 00:11:13.759 --> 00:11:19.600 Her enthronement will probably be within a few months of council, is what I would suspect. 00:11:20.480 --> 00:11:21.440 Enthroned. 00:11:21.600 --> 00:11:34.159 That's because traditionally a bishop's C diocese, C, is centered in their chair in the cathedral in the rotunda. 00:11:34.320 --> 00:11:36.879 We, interestingly enough, have a bishop's seat at St. 00:11:37.039 --> 00:11:38.960 Thomas that mimics that. 00:11:40.080 --> 00:11:43.200 It's a little weird because my last church didn't have one. 00:11:44.240 --> 00:11:45.039 I mean, we didn't. 00:11:45.120 --> 00:11:47.919 We just the bishop sat somewhere in the chancel. 00:11:48.240 --> 00:11:51.519 Um you know who sits in the bishop's seat when the bishop's not here. 00:11:52.399 --> 00:11:53.279 The rector does. 00:11:53.519 --> 00:12:01.919 When the rector's not here, the associate or the supply sits there, and that's because the bishop owns the church and we supervise on behalf. 00:12:02.080 --> 00:12:03.279 Does that sort of make sense? 00:12:03.440 --> 00:12:04.559 That's our polity. 00:12:06.080 --> 00:12:09.279 Confirmation, ordination. 00:12:09.440 --> 00:12:18.639 Of course, when a bishop's present, they almost always celebrate the Eucharist, do baptisms, and sometimes they do weddings. 00:12:18.799 --> 00:12:28.559 But those three bits, well, I should say the priests, unlike lay people, celebrate the Eucharist, baptisms, weddings. 00:12:28.799 --> 00:12:32.720 Uh we also bless you and forgive you. 00:12:34.000 --> 00:12:50.720 Deacons forgive us, bless us, can do baptisms, can do weddings with the rector's permission, but the deacons don't do sacraments that other other than those two that you can't. 00:12:50.799 --> 00:12:51.840 Does that make sense? 00:12:52.399 --> 00:13:00.960 Reminder that the deacon is supposed to represent the needs of the world to the church and the church to the needs of the world. 00:13:01.279 --> 00:13:09.919 You'll find all of those sorts of vows in the presentation, in the liturgies for bishop, priest, deacon. 00:13:10.799 --> 00:13:12.960 And now we've sort of floated through there. 00:13:13.039 --> 00:13:15.440 But do you have questions on those orders? 00:13:15.600 --> 00:13:16.399 Yes, ma'am. 00:13:29.440 --> 00:13:30.960 I'd have to read the canons. 00:13:31.279 --> 00:13:35.360 Do the does the house of bishops have to approve a new bishop suffragan? 00:13:51.759 --> 00:13:58.480 Yeah, I think the the only time recently where this got really sticky was in 2003. 00:13:58.879 --> 00:14:07.360 If you know your church history, um the Diocese of New Hampshire elected Gene Robinson without permission to be their bishop. 00:14:07.440 --> 00:14:09.039 He was openly gay. 00:14:09.600 --> 00:14:12.879 And uh the rest of the church was like, why didn't you ask us first? 00:14:13.039 --> 00:14:17.039 And they sort of said, because we don't need your permission, but they did. 00:14:17.120 --> 00:14:20.080 I mean, so it was this funny thing that happened. 00:14:20.240 --> 00:14:25.840 And the House of Bishops, I think, approved him because the precedent of not was going to be. 00:14:26.000 --> 00:14:27.679 I don't I don't I don't know if I got this right. 00:14:28.639 --> 00:14:30.799 That's one reason why I was there with a time limit. 00:14:31.440 --> 00:14:50.399 Oh, because he was not by division, but by in the house of vision and close enough to that so we can law. 00:14:52.000 --> 00:14:53.440 Not just traditions. 00:14:55.519 --> 00:15:06.559 Uh you should know, right, that there are many laws in the United States, and that every state's law varies, and then there's federal law, and then there's canon law. 00:15:07.679 --> 00:15:11.039 So they're all very, very, very different. 00:15:11.200 --> 00:15:13.759 And I don't know if there's professional canon lawyers. 00:15:14.000 --> 00:15:17.519 Normally a diocese employs somebody called a chancellor. 00:15:17.679 --> 00:15:25.440 They will pay them on retainer to do things like employment law, but no attorney learns canon law in law school. 00:15:25.919 --> 00:15:31.519 So you'd have to be at a very big diocese to pay someone to specialize in canon law. 00:15:31.600 --> 00:15:32.960 We actually probably do that here. 00:15:33.120 --> 00:15:33.759 Yes, sir. 00:15:34.000 --> 00:15:38.480 I actually know a guy who's come over from the Roman Catholic Church. 00:15:38.720 --> 00:15:41.200 There's a PhD and canon law in the Balaton. 00:15:41.440 --> 00:15:43.679 Yeah, you can do that in the Roman Church for sure. 00:15:44.000 --> 00:15:46.080 Because there's only one. 00:15:46.240 --> 00:15:51.759 Now you know in in there's canon law in the United States, and then every diocese has its own constitution and canons. 00:15:51.919 --> 00:15:54.320 We're just like the United States, we're federalist system. 00:15:55.360 --> 00:15:59.360 Okay, celebration of new ministry, that's on page 559. 00:15:59.840 --> 00:16:08.480 That's when usually you get really excited and you call the new rector and it's called an installation, but that's not the name of the service. 00:16:08.559 --> 00:16:09.600 It's new ministry. 00:16:09.759 --> 00:16:13.039 Actually, when we were here, I was really happy we didn't do the either one of those. 00:16:13.200 --> 00:16:14.960 We did the renewal of ministry. 00:16:15.279 --> 00:16:20.000 Because, listen, we weren't doing something new, we were renewing what we already did. 00:16:20.960 --> 00:16:22.399 So there's options out there. 00:16:26.159 --> 00:16:28.240 Does a deacon automatically become a priest? 00:16:28.559 --> 00:16:29.200 Can you be a deacon? 00:16:29.600 --> 00:16:30.720 This is really good to know. 00:16:30.879 --> 00:16:36.000 Some deacons are deacons for life, uh, and that was their plan. 00:16:36.320 --> 00:16:43.679 Some deacons wanted to become priests, and the commission on ministry of the bishop said, nope, you're stopping there. 00:16:44.320 --> 00:16:47.840 Many of us are people called transitional deacons. 00:16:47.919 --> 00:16:57.759 So I was deaconed, but we all knew, well, we thought anyway, we knew, I was called to be a priest, so it was a transitional diaconate. 00:16:57.840 --> 00:17:09.119 Now, once a deacon, always a deacon, but adding to church to the world, world to the church, uh, my call has Eucharist, blessing, and absolution, if that makes sense. 00:17:10.240 --> 00:17:11.519 Uh, we still struggle. 00:17:11.599 --> 00:17:16.000 I'm going to tell you, every church, every diocese struggles with what do we do with deacons. 00:17:16.079 --> 00:17:18.400 Um, the the liturgical role is really clear. 00:17:18.559 --> 00:17:20.240 I'm just going to speak frankly about this. 00:17:20.480 --> 00:17:26.000 You know it's a deacon because they wear the stole like a sash instead of like a yoke. 00:17:26.480 --> 00:17:30.880 And the deacon usually is the one who dismisses the people and reads the gospel. 00:17:31.119 --> 00:17:34.480 My training is if you're preaching, you read the gospel. 00:17:34.960 --> 00:17:43.119 And I actually prefer that because if I'm preaching on the text, I know how I'd like to read it. 00:17:43.359 --> 00:17:49.759 If somebody else reads it, it may undo the liturgy of the sacrament, or rather the liturgy of the word. 00:17:50.480 --> 00:17:54.400 So I don't think we need deacons to reach the gospel, read the gospel. 00:17:54.640 --> 00:17:56.079 I think we need preachers to read the gospel. 00:17:56.160 --> 00:17:57.759 And that's our Protestant heritage. 00:17:57.920 --> 00:18:00.720 Now, look, I just disagreed, and this is recordable. 00:18:00.880 --> 00:18:09.039 Um But I don't think we, I mean, the truth is if you have a clergy person, you don't a clergy person can do the whole liturgy. 00:18:09.359 --> 00:18:09.839 It can. 00:18:10.000 --> 00:18:12.240 You don't need multiple people to do it. 00:18:12.400 --> 00:18:21.680 So the real need for deacons is not in in church liturgically, it's representing the needs of the world of the church and vice versa. 00:18:21.839 --> 00:18:23.359 We need deacons in prisons. 00:18:23.519 --> 00:18:25.680 We need deacons in transitional housing. 00:18:25.839 --> 00:18:32.400 We need deacons in, you know, migrant ministry, places that are very easy for us to ignore. 00:18:32.480 --> 00:18:38.559 And as I've told you in the past, um it's not that the deacons need to wear the collar for themselves. 00:18:38.640 --> 00:18:41.599 I believe we need deacons to wear the collar to make us look good. 00:18:42.160 --> 00:18:50.240 You find people doing real ministry, I mean real, life-giving ministry, and we beg them, please be a deacon. 00:18:50.400 --> 00:18:51.920 The church needs you. 00:18:52.319 --> 00:18:53.680 That's what I think. 00:18:54.000 --> 00:18:55.599 I've seen it done. 00:18:55.920 --> 00:19:02.480 I've seen it done where people who were doing diaconal ministry without the collar, without it. 00:19:02.799 --> 00:19:05.279 The collar gives us some benefits, let's be honest. 00:19:05.440 --> 00:19:08.799 I can walk right through hippologs when I go to a hospital. 00:19:09.200 --> 00:19:10.960 I I shouldn't be able to do that. 00:19:11.039 --> 00:19:16.640 But doctors and nurses will vi, I mean, they will violate the law because of my uniform. 00:19:17.519 --> 00:19:24.240 And I'm actually kind of grateful that they do, honestly, because it it gives me, gives me, I don't expect them to, but listen, they do it. 00:19:24.400 --> 00:19:29.599 I can walk right through the ER during non-visiting hours or right into the ICU. 00:19:29.839 --> 00:19:31.440 I'm not a family member. 00:19:32.160 --> 00:19:34.000 It's a ginormous privilege. 00:19:34.319 --> 00:19:35.839 Deacons get that privilege too. 00:19:35.920 --> 00:19:37.359 We wear the same uniform. 00:19:37.519 --> 00:19:41.759 Now they don't do it for the privilege, they do it because they're already doing the ministry. 00:19:42.160 --> 00:19:45.920 And again, they're billboards for who the church should be. 00:19:46.160 --> 00:19:47.279 That's what I think. 00:19:49.200 --> 00:19:53.839 Deacons, a lot of times, you know, they're not paying gigs. 00:19:53.920 --> 00:19:55.359 And this is something we have to figure out. 00:19:55.440 --> 00:19:59.359 There's lots of heads of school who are deacons, because that's their employment. 00:19:59.440 --> 00:20:05.839 But I'm not convinced being the head of a private school is representing the church to the world and the world to the church. 00:20:05.920 --> 00:20:07.279 I'm not convinced of that. 00:20:07.519 --> 00:20:13.599 We gotta eat, but this is something we gotta figure out as a church, how do we deploy deacons, you know? 00:20:13.839 --> 00:20:17.119 Because I will tell you this without sounding really bad. 00:20:17.359 --> 00:20:31.440 Um I went to a Methodist school, and um Methodists have elders and deacons, and in my experience, the diaconate was created frankly for women so they could be second-class citizens in this in the kingdom of God. 00:20:31.680 --> 00:20:32.720 I'm not joking. 00:20:32.880 --> 00:20:36.240 Because 90% of deacons in the Methodist church are women. 00:20:37.519 --> 00:20:39.759 That's just a shocking number. 00:20:41.519 --> 00:20:45.039 Um, you'll notice that we get to dedicate and consecrate churches. 00:20:45.200 --> 00:20:47.119 So this is consecrated ground. 00:20:47.279 --> 00:20:48.960 This is deconsecrated ground. 00:20:49.039 --> 00:20:50.400 I want to make sure you know that. 00:20:50.640 --> 00:20:52.640 This used to be the church. 00:20:52.960 --> 00:20:58.319 When we consecrated that sanctuary, we should have deconsecrated this as the sanctuary. 00:20:58.480 --> 00:21:00.480 Does that make sense what I'm saying? 00:21:02.960 --> 00:21:04.480 That's in the prayer book. 00:21:04.640 --> 00:21:11.440 The other thing we get in the book is the entire Psalter, Psalms 100 through 150. 00:21:11.680 --> 00:21:18.400 That's because Thomas Cranmer, being a monk, believed in the Psalter as formative prayer. 00:21:18.559 --> 00:21:25.279 And he, if you do the daily office, the daily office, that's readings every day, you'll do the Psalter every month. 00:21:26.480 --> 00:21:27.599 Once a month. 00:21:28.319 --> 00:21:30.480 That's if you do all of it. 00:21:31.119 --> 00:21:38.079 Now, now, Roman Catholic monks and nuns, they do the Psalter every week. 00:21:38.400 --> 00:21:39.599 All 150. 00:21:39.759 --> 00:21:42.079 But remember, they pray seven times a day. 00:21:42.480 --> 00:21:49.039 Thomas Cranber has us do it four times a day, four times, and it stretches to a month. 00:21:50.799 --> 00:21:52.960 Not really much commentary after that. 00:21:53.839 --> 00:21:55.039 Those are the Psalms. 00:21:55.519 --> 00:21:59.839 Maybe it is helpful to remember, though, uh, just because we taught it, I'm teaching this Bible. 00:22:00.160 --> 00:22:07.519 Bible study on Wednesdays, and um this is really the hymnal in the ancient Jewish tradition. 00:22:07.920 --> 00:22:08.960 The hymnal. 00:22:09.839 --> 00:22:15.920 There are songs in here that we probably wouldn't sing in church. 00:22:17.039 --> 00:22:18.799 Like Psalm 137. 00:22:19.680 --> 00:22:25.039 O daughter of Babylon, doomed to destruction, happy the one who pays you back for what you've done to us. 00:22:25.279 --> 00:22:29.680 Happy shall he be who takes your little one and dashes them against the rock. 00:22:29.920 --> 00:22:32.000 That's an upbeat praise song. 00:22:33.839 --> 00:22:42.960 What's interesting to know, though, is that even though we don't sing songs like that, it's probably to our detriment because those feelings are real. 00:22:43.119 --> 00:22:53.200 And think about how this hymn book has feelings of revenge and frustration and disappointment that we're not comfortable singing about because it's depressing. 00:22:54.559 --> 00:23:09.680 And sometimes I worry that when we don't live into the whole Psalter when we pick and choose, we tell people if they feel cheated or abandoned by God or angry that they're wrong and they shouldn't feel that way. 00:23:09.839 --> 00:23:14.960 Whereas the Psalter says, go ahead and have the feels, we have them too. 00:23:16.559 --> 00:23:25.920 And this is why it's important to read the whole Psalter and not just things like how good it is to live in brotherly unity. 00:23:26.000 --> 00:23:30.000 It's like oil running down the head, like dripping off the beard of Aaron. 00:23:30.480 --> 00:23:31.920 I don't want oil on my head. 00:23:32.000 --> 00:23:33.039 That sounds dreadful. 00:23:34.319 --> 00:23:36.799 Reading the whole thing, though, holds these up. 00:23:36.960 --> 00:23:39.759 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? 00:23:40.079 --> 00:23:40.960 We know that. 00:23:41.200 --> 00:23:43.839 We read on Good Friday. 00:23:44.480 --> 00:23:46.319 We don't have songs like that. 00:23:48.319 --> 00:23:51.119 Can we get through all of that in three years? 00:23:51.519 --> 00:23:52.559 All the Psalter? 00:23:53.440 --> 00:23:53.839 Right. 00:23:54.640 --> 00:23:58.640 No, again, because in worship, in worship, we tend to leave certain ones out. 00:23:58.720 --> 00:24:00.400 They don't all make it into the lectionary. 00:24:00.480 --> 00:24:01.039 And this is true. 00:24:01.119 --> 00:24:04.799 The daily office takes you through the Bible in two years, but not all of it. 00:24:05.039 --> 00:24:08.720 I've asked you that before because I'm like, boy, today's daily office sure was God. 00:24:09.279 --> 00:24:15.039 But I'll tell you this: you will never in the lectionary, never, you will never read Judges 19. 00:24:15.279 --> 00:24:21.519 That's when the Levite chops up his concubine into twelve pieces and mails her throughout the empire. 00:24:21.680 --> 00:24:22.880 You'll never read it in church. 00:24:25.680 --> 00:24:28.160 There's nothing praiseworthy about that. 00:24:28.559 --> 00:24:31.599 But that kind of barbarism happens in our world. 00:24:31.759 --> 00:24:33.839 And I think that's really important to hear. 00:24:34.079 --> 00:24:39.519 So sometimes it's important to hear that scriptures are not just happy clappy. 00:24:40.880 --> 00:24:45.920 They're real, like Basra is real and Abu Garib is real. 00:24:47.599 --> 00:24:48.240 Nick? 00:24:48.799 --> 00:24:55.920 Well, I think I heard you say you were going to stop with the Psalms, and a couple of things that I found very useful are the prayers and Thanksgiving special. 00:24:56.079 --> 00:24:57.119 Oh, no, I'm not gonna stop with the Psalms. 00:24:57.279 --> 00:24:57.759 No, that's next. 00:24:57.839 --> 00:24:58.160 That's next. 00:24:58.400 --> 00:24:58.720 Oh, okay. 00:24:58.960 --> 00:24:59.200 Yeah. 00:24:59.440 --> 00:25:00.160 Okay, sorry. 00:25:00.720 --> 00:25:03.279 Were they ever read in the church, the dark ones? 00:25:03.599 --> 00:25:04.960 I don't know the answer to that. 00:25:05.200 --> 00:25:06.319 I don't know. 00:25:07.519 --> 00:25:10.160 Interestingly enough, I just told you that bit about Judges 19. 00:25:10.319 --> 00:25:20.400 My wife went to a non-denominational church in Seattle, and that was the scripture in the sermon one day, and it was all a PowerPoint, and she said it was the most powerful thing she's ever seen in her life. 00:25:22.160 --> 00:25:28.000 Because that story in Judges 19 ends with the question consider this, has such a thing ever been done in Israel? 00:25:28.160 --> 00:25:36.720 And and the pastor used this as sort of this call to consideration of the needs of the world and to social justice. 00:25:36.799 --> 00:25:45.440 And my wife said, you know, it's like the first time church ever acknowledged to a heightened degree what was going on by Robert Mugabe. 00:25:45.680 --> 00:25:53.759 And I mean, she didn't tell me what the images were, but she just said, like, this was a non-denominational church, and they did it on a screen, this thing. 00:25:54.079 --> 00:25:55.279 Wish I'd seen it. 00:25:56.079 --> 00:25:58.000 Is there a reason they leave them out? 00:25:58.319 --> 00:26:00.240 I don't think it's edifying. 00:26:01.839 --> 00:26:05.920 There is a growing tradition I've caught within the Episcopal Church. 00:26:06.000 --> 00:26:09.519 There's a lectionary year before whatever. 00:26:09.920 --> 00:26:16.160 And I think that churches are a lot of lectionary out. 00:26:16.400 --> 00:26:32.240 And so once every four years, or once every three years, so you not always you're not always missing this the same traditional lectionary, but they can pull that in instead because of recognizing that we're missing out on a whole section. 00:26:32.400 --> 00:26:33.839 It's like pulling a sugar coating. 00:26:34.559 --> 00:26:35.279 It can be that way. 00:26:35.359 --> 00:26:37.920 I mean, listen, I mean, today they go to throw Jesus off a hill. 00:26:38.000 --> 00:26:39.759 You know, that's not really edifying. 00:26:40.640 --> 00:26:44.480 But it but I think chopping people into pieces is slightly less edifying. 00:26:44.640 --> 00:26:54.559 You know, I mean, you don't we don't really read the story about the prophet Elisha calling she bears down to maul teenagers, you know, because that just maybe I could have used more of that story. 00:26:54.720 --> 00:27:01.039 Uh we could only do that with the bishop's permission. 00:27:01.200 --> 00:27:02.480 This is the important thing. 00:27:02.640 --> 00:27:07.680 The lectionary, I don't need the bishop's permission between track one and track two. 00:27:08.079 --> 00:27:12.880 If I deviate from the readings for the day, I do need the bishop's permission. 00:27:13.039 --> 00:27:18.640 Let's pretend today, instead of the readings appointed today, I wanted to celebrate the the feast of St. 00:27:18.799 --> 00:27:19.599 Switherin. 00:27:19.839 --> 00:27:29.359 Um, I have to have the bishop's permission, even though that's a real feast day with real readings, to eclipse the reading of the day, I have to have the bishop's permission. 00:27:29.680 --> 00:27:36.799 Now, if you had wanted to do the um the presentation at the temple, I don't need the bishop's permission, I can do that, because that's today. 00:27:37.039 --> 00:27:38.079 I can do either thing. 00:27:38.160 --> 00:27:42.640 I can do Epiphany 4 or I can do Jesus' presentation at the temple. 00:27:43.519 --> 00:27:45.759 I think it's would that would be weird to do. 00:27:45.920 --> 00:27:51.519 We've already talked about him behaving as an adult, so let's just keep going on that trajectory. 00:27:51.920 --> 00:27:53.599 But we have to reason that out. 00:27:53.759 --> 00:27:58.400 I'll tell you there's a church in our area that doesn't use the lectionary any Sunday. 00:27:58.720 --> 00:28:05.200 Uh the the the priest goes by what he believes the people need, and the bishop gives that authorization. 00:28:05.519 --> 00:28:06.960 It's not bad, it's just different. 00:28:07.039 --> 00:28:08.160 It's different. 00:28:09.359 --> 00:28:13.680 You may say, isn't the point of this so that we can all be on the same page? 00:28:13.839 --> 00:28:14.799 That's part of the point. 00:28:14.880 --> 00:28:17.279 I think part of this is so we can be on a similar page. 00:28:17.440 --> 00:28:22.160 Because to be honest, even if the scripture is the same, the sermon is radically different. 00:28:22.400 --> 00:28:22.880 You know? 00:28:23.039 --> 00:28:24.319 We're on similar pages. 00:28:24.480 --> 00:28:26.559 We're not really on the same one. 00:28:26.880 --> 00:28:28.240 Um, there are some great prayers. 00:28:28.559 --> 00:28:30.480 Oh, any other thoughts about the Psalter? 00:28:34.160 --> 00:28:37.119 There are some great prayers and thanksgivings that follow. 00:28:37.200 --> 00:28:46.319 And this I think is really, really an interesting part, probably the most neglected part of our prayer book, but maybe one of the most helpful ones. 00:28:46.559 --> 00:28:52.240 Because again, I think there's times when we want to pray for something and we're not really sure of the right words to use. 00:28:52.400 --> 00:28:56.720 I mean, honestly, uh like on the 4th of July, I want to say God bless America. 00:28:56.799 --> 00:29:04.400 But you know, like I think there's like it's important that when we receive God's blessing, we do something with it. 00:29:04.640 --> 00:29:05.599 Do you know what I mean? 00:29:05.680 --> 00:29:07.759 I think that's part of our national responsibility. 00:29:07.920 --> 00:29:12.880 So I sure do want God to bless America, but I want America to be a blessing to the world. 00:29:13.279 --> 00:29:16.319 Finding that balance is what this does very well. 00:29:16.480 --> 00:29:18.559 I hope that makes sense to you, you know. 00:29:18.720 --> 00:29:23.759 I mean, God doesn't bless people so they can become fat and live luxuriant lives. 00:29:23.839 --> 00:29:25.680 The point of blessing is to share it. 00:29:25.839 --> 00:29:28.000 That's part of the oldest narrative. 00:29:28.240 --> 00:29:32.319 Now, I have a lot of pride in being an American citizen. 00:29:32.640 --> 00:29:33.200 I do. 00:29:33.359 --> 00:29:41.519 I mean, my dad instilled that in me as a young kid, and I'll tell you, having been in lots of countries, I still think this is the best place in the world to live. 00:29:41.680 --> 00:29:43.680 But that comes with responsibility. 00:29:43.839 --> 00:29:50.160 And I think that's the part of prayer that becomes very important is help us to use our responsibility well. 00:29:52.240 --> 00:29:53.279 Again, you'll find that. 00:29:53.359 --> 00:29:55.839 There's prayers for the world, for the human family. 00:29:56.000 --> 00:29:58.000 Um, obviously, there's prayers for national life. 00:29:58.079 --> 00:29:58.960 And then I love this. 00:29:59.119 --> 00:30:01.519 We don't say, God help the Democrats win. 00:30:01.759 --> 00:30:09.200 We say, God mentor our elected officials, help them to pursue the righteousness and dignity of every person. 00:30:10.000 --> 00:30:11.680 That's what I love about our church. 00:30:11.839 --> 00:30:15.759 It is not partisan, it's not even bipartisan. 00:30:15.920 --> 00:30:20.480 It prays for justice and dignity to be raised up by all officials. 00:30:20.720 --> 00:30:22.160 That's how we should pray. 00:30:22.319 --> 00:30:26.880 We should, listen, friends, we should never pray that our candidate win. 00:30:26.960 --> 00:30:28.160 That's idolatry. 00:30:28.319 --> 00:30:35.119 We should pray that the government pursues dignity and justice and righteousness. 00:30:35.279 --> 00:30:39.359 Now we think we know who will do that better than the other candidate, and we vote. 00:30:39.680 --> 00:30:40.319 We do. 00:30:40.799 --> 00:30:46.240 But our prayer is not that we get our candidate, it's that the government does this for everybody. 00:30:46.559 --> 00:30:48.000 I hope that's okay. 00:30:48.240 --> 00:30:50.799 As a young person, I didn't get that mentorship, and it's here. 00:30:50.880 --> 00:30:52.319 It's here in the prayer book. 00:30:52.559 --> 00:30:53.759 There are prayers for you. 00:30:53.839 --> 00:31:00.880 There's devotions, there's prayer for meals, there's prayers for the poor and neglected, which is a bigger category than just homeless people. 00:31:00.960 --> 00:31:01.920 I mean, that's what these do. 00:31:02.000 --> 00:31:03.119 They open our mind up. 00:31:03.279 --> 00:31:07.359