LECTIONARY | RBTP

EASTER 06

The BAS Propers

Each Sunday has a different Proper (from the Latin, proprium, which means “own” or “particular”), which is made up of the sentence, collect, prayers, and a list of readings.

Lectionary Readings

During most of the year, the lections are: a reading from the Hebrew Bible, a Psalm, a reading from the Epistles, and a Gospel reading.

Optional Reflection

A homily (from Greek ὁμιλία, homilía) is a commentary that follows a reading of scripture, giving the "public explanation of a sacred doctrine" or text.

The Intercessions

We pray for all those who are struggling in their lives. We ask God to show us the best way to help those who suffer, without being intrusive but without simply turning away from their pain either.
ASCENSION SUNDAY

The BAS Propers

Each Sunday has a different Proper (from the Latin, proprium, which means “own” or “particular”), which is made up of the sentence, collect, prayers, and a list of readings.

Lectionary Readings

During most of the year, the lections are: a reading from the Hebrew Bible, a Psalm, a reading from the Epistles, and a Gospel reading.

Optional Reflection

A homily (from Greek ὁμιλία, homilía) is a commentary that follows a reading of scripture, giving the "public explanation of a sacred doctrine" or text.

The Intercessions

We pray for all those who are struggling in their lives. We ask God to show us the best way to help those who suffer, without being intrusive but without simply turning away from their pain either.
ONLINE RESOURCES

"Preaching improves me. When I begin to speak, weariness disappears; when I begin to teach, fatigue too disappears."

Commentary and Critical Thinking

A homily (from Greek ὁμιλία, homilía) is a commentary that follows a reading of scripture, giving the "public explanation of a sacred doctrine" or text. The works of Origen and John Chrysostom (known as Paschal Homily) are considered exemplary forms of Christian homily. In Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, and Eastern Orthodox churches, a homily is usually given during Mass (Divine Liturgy or Holy Qurbana for Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Churches, and Divine Service for the Lutheran Church) at the end of the Liturgy of the Word. Many people consider it synonymous with a sermon. The English word homily is derived from the Ancient Greek word ὁμιλία homilia, which means intercourse or interaction with other people (derived from the word homilos, meaning "a gathering"). The word is used in 1 Corinthians 15:33 ("wicked homiliai corrupt good morals"). The related verb is used in Luke 24:14 (as homiloun), and in Acts 24:26 (as homilei), both used in the sense of "speaking with". The word later came to have a more technical sense. According to The Catholic Encyclopedia, Origen was the first to distinguish between logos (sermo) and homilia (tractatus).

Exegesis from the Greek ἐξήγησις, from ἐξηγεῖσθαι, "to lead out") is a critical explanation or interpretation of a text. The term is traditionally applied to the interpretation of Biblical works. In modern usage, exegesis can involve critical interpretations of virtually any text, including not just religious texts but also philosophy, literature, or virtually any other genre of writing. The phrase Biblical exegesis can be used to distinguish studies of the Bible from other critical textual explanations. Textual criticism investigates the history and origins of the text, but exegesis may include the study of the historical and cultural backgrounds of the author, text, and original audience. Other analyses include classification of the type of literary genres presented in the text and analysis of grammatical and syntactical features in the text itself.

SERMONS THAT WORK

THE TEXT THIS WEEK

SERMON CENTRAL

ANGLICAN COMPASS
PRAYER BOOKS

The liturgical texts in this section have been authorized by General Synod for public use within the Anglican Church of Canada, upon permission from the diocesan bishop. Copyright policies stipulate that these texts may be used free of charge by all dioceses, parishes, religious orders, theological colleges, and other entities within the Anglican Church of Canada and our full-communion partner, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada. Care must be taken to acknowledge the sources of all texts, however used. Any publication of texts that have been amended must be acknowledged in such a way that makes clear that the original text has been modified. No commercial use may be made of these texts without specific written permission from the primary copyright holders of the texts.

Book of Alternative Services

On 29 January 1971, the General Synod of the Anglican Church of Canada resolved to direct the National Executive Council, to initiate a process of revision of Church Services.

Book of Common Prayer

The Book of Common Prayer is a priceless possession of our Church. By its intrinsic merits, as a book designed for the reverent and seemly worship of Almighty God, it has endeared itself to generation after generation of devout Christians throughout the world.

Occasional Celebrations

The forms provided in this book should be regarded as models andnot as rigid scripts whose details must be followed exactly. Thesetexts should be used as the basis of adaptation which evokes theliturgical creativity of the local church. For instance, the materialprovided for each of the seasonal festivals of readings and music ismuch more abundant than any congregation could use on oneoccasion. Similarly, the section devoted to the subject of blessingprovides not only suggestions for those who wish to write theirown forms of blessing but also theological reflection on theprinciples involved.

Alternative Collects

When The Book of Alternative Services was published in 1985, it followed the pattern of The Book of Common Prayer (TEC 1979) by providing one collect for each occasion in the lectionary. It became quickly apparent that having only one collect was unsatisfactory. As the collect of the day provides the transition to the readings for the day, General Synod 2010 authorized a Faith, Worship and Ministry Task Force, to do a number of things, which included the preparation of a three-year cycle of collects that provide a genuine transition to the readings for the day.

Pray Without Ceasing

Pray Without Ceasing is the work ofThe Venerable Dr. Richard Leggett who presented it to the Liturgy Task Force of the Faith, Worship, and Ministry committee for use during their work from 2011 to 2016. Following that period of use and review, the texts were authorized by The General Synod2016 for a period of trial use and evaluation. In 2019 the General Synod authorized the texts for use in The Anglican Church of Canada where permitted by the Ordinary.
HANDBOOK (GENERAL SYNOD)

General Synod Handbook

As a partner in the worldwide Anglican Communion and in the universal Church, we proclaim and celebrate the gospel of Jesus Christ in worship and action.We value our heritage of biblical faith, reason, liturgy, tradition, bishops and synods, and the rich variety of our life in community.We acknowledge that God is calling us to greater diversity of membership, wider participation in ministry and leadership, better stewardship in God’s creation and a stronger resolve in challenging attitudes and structures that cause injustice.Guided by the Holy Spirit, we commit ourselves to respond to this call in love and service and so more fully live the life of Christ.
THE THREE-LEGGED STOOL OF ANGLICANISM

The image of a three-legged stool enjoys a wide variety of applications today, including retirement planning, various business strategies, and even ‘classical’ Reaganism! The image is especially useful for those who wish to present certain ideas or principles as essential to the integrity of the whole. Many voices in our tradition have adopted the three-legged stool as a convenient way to explain the nature of Anglicanism, especially in relation to other churches. It is commonly said that Anglicanism looks to three inter-dependent sources of authority—Scripture, reason, and tradition—and that these three sources “uphold and critique each other in a dynamic way.” This view of Anglicanism was perhaps made most-popular in recent times by Urban T. Holmes in his book What Is Anglicanism?

The classic expression of the Anglican understanding of authority comes from Richard Hooker (d. 1600), favourite of Queen Elizabeth I and ardent preacher against the Puritans, whose masterful work Of the Laws of Ecclesiastical Polity has been perhaps the authoritative voice of classic Anglicanism. In Book 5 he writes on the nature of authority in the Church, where we find what is probably his most famous passage: “Be it in matter of the one kind or of the other (i.e. doctrine vs. church practice), what Scripture doth plainly deliver, to that the first place both of credit and obedience is due; the next whereunto is whatsoever any man can necessarily conclude by force of reason; after these the voice of the Church succeedeth. That which the Church by her ecclesiastical authority shall probably think and define to be true or good, must in congruity of reason overrule all other inferior judgments whatsoever.” (V.8.2)

When I read this, I don’t see a ‘three-legged stool’ but a careful and helpful explanation of how we best interact with Scripture in trying to understand what is best for the life of the Church in our time. The ‘plain’ words of Scripture, that is, those parts that are more or less straightforward and clear, have first claim on our trust and obedience. And as Bishop John Bauerschmidt has recently explained, for Hooker ‘reason’ comes in as the comprehending and ordering ability of the human mind, trying to discern those aspects of our faith that are unchangeable doctrine, or teaching, and those things which are practices the church has adopted as convenient for a particular time and/or place. And in order to help ‘reason’ in its work, the tradition of the church comes alongside to help reason along.

Various images come to my mind in trying to illustrate this relationship between the Scriptures, reason, and tradition; the image that comes to mind currently is that of an apprentice learning a trade under the supervision of a master craftsman. My first job as an assistant priest was at an historic parish; it was a real treat to get to know some of the skilled tradesmen that came to work on our building, including a master plasterer and his apprentice. There was no getting around the rules of the trade. The plaster was what it was, and there were certain ways of applying it that worked, and others that didn’t. For the apprentice, applying the plaster in a certain repair required both knowledge of the medium and the skilled guidance of his master in the best application for that particular patch. For Hooker, we all are apprentices in the Christian life, and in order to apply our knowledge of the Scriptures rightly we need the accumulated wisdom and experienced guidance of those who have mastered the craft before us.

Need we be exactly like our forebears in the Christian faith? Hooker’s answer is a qualified ‘no.’ Yet he wisely knew there’s no getting around the truth of the ‘plaster’, i.e. the plain teaching of the Scripture being what it is; and there’s no getting around the fact that some methods of applying that ‘plaster’ work much better than others. The ‘reasonable’ reader of Scripture isn’t a reckless and revolutionary apprentice aiming at an aggressive deconstruction and critique of the text, but rather the one who is truly ‘reasonable’ will enjoy the guidance of the church and appreciate it as an aid and check to our own understanding and application of the truths of our faith within the life of the church in our own time. The former produces a sloppy and unsuitable result. The latter results in a portion of work that blends in and harmonizes with the overall beauty of the original craftsmanship, to the point of hardly being able to notice a repair had even been made. The satisfaction lies in knowing that a glorious and precious work has been preserved intact for the next generation to enjoy.

The Rev. Dr. Jeremy Bergstrom, Canon of Vocations for the Episcopal Diocese of Dallas

EASTERTIDE

Eastertide (also known as Eastertime or the Easter season) or Paschaltide (also known as Paschaltime or the Paschal season) is a festal season in the liturgical year of Christianity that focuses on celebrating the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Preceded by Lent, it begins on Easter Day, which initiates Easter Week in Western Christianity, and Bright Week in Eastern Christianity.

There are several Eastertide customs across the Christian world, including flowering the cross, sunrise services, the wearing of Easter bonnets by women, exclaiming the Paschal greeting, clipping the church, and decorating Easter eggs, a symbol of new life, and the empty tomb. Additional Eastertide traditions include egg hunting, eating special Easter foods and watching Easter parades. The Easter lily, a symbol of the resurrection in Christianity, traditionally decorates the chancel area of churches on this day and for the rest of Eastertide. Traditionally lasting 40 days to commemorate the time the resurrected Jesus remained on earth before his Ascension, in some western churches, Eastertide lasts 50 days to conclude on the day of Pentecost or Whitsunday.

Paschal Tide is a season of joy. The liturgical color is white (and sometimes gold), which is the color designated for feasts and festivals. The Paschal candle is lit on Easter and on Sundays during Eastertide. Eastertide ends on the Day of Pentecost. The Easter lily, a symbol of the resurrection, traditionally serve as the chancel flowers that decorate the chancel area of churches throughout Eastertide.

ASCENSION SUNDAY

The Feast of the Ascension of Jesus Christ (also called the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord, Ascension Day, Ascension Thursday; or sometimes Holy Thursday, which can also mean the Thursday before Easter) commemorates the Christian belief of the bodily Ascension of Jesus into Heaven. It is one of the ecumenical (shared by multiple denominations) feasts of Christian churches, ranking with the feasts of the Passion and Pentecost. Following the account of Acts 1:3 that the risen Jesus appeared for 40 days prior to his Ascension, Ascension Day is traditionally celebrated on a Thursday, the fortieth day of Easter according to inclusive counting, although some Christian denominations have moved the observance to the following Sunday, sometimes called Ascension Sunday. The day of observance varies by ecclesiastical province in many Christian denominations, as with Lutherans and Catholics, for example.

The Latin terms used for the feast, ascensio and, occasionally, ascensa, signify that Christ was raised up by his own powers, and it is from these terms that the holy day gets its name. In the Book of Common Prayer of the Anglican Communion, "Holy Thursday" is listed as another name for Ascension Day. William Blake's poem "Holy Thursday" refers to Ascension Day; Thomas Pruen used the term to refer to Ascension Day in his Illustration of the Liturgy of the Church of England, published in 1820; however use of the term "Holy Thursday" to mean Ascension Day is rare, and the term is more generally applied by most Christian denominations to Maundy Thursday in Holy Week. In Western Christianity, the earliest possible date is April 30 (as in 1818 and 2285), the latest possible date is June 3 (as in 1943 and 2038). In the Catholic Church, the Ascension of the Lord is ranked as a Solemnity and is a Holy Day of Obligation. In the Lutheran Churches, the Feast of the Ascension is a feast. In the Anglican Communion, Ascension Day is a Principal Feast.

The BAS Propers

Lectionary Readings

Optional Reflection

The Intercessions

The BAS Propers

Lectionary Readings

Optional Reflection

The Intercessions

Commentary and Critical Thinking

Book of Alternative Services

Book of Common Prayer

Occasional Celebrations

Alternative Collects

Pray Without Ceasing

General Synod Handbook

EASTERTIDE

ASCENSION SUNDAY

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