Liturgysmithing

One of the big projects I am working on here at St. Mark's right now is creating (or "smithing") a Saturday evening vespers prayer service that will be aimed at folks who are of no faith, or who have faith but have not found a place to call "home" and a community to call "family." I'm finding, though, that this is quite a challenge.

One of the things that the Anglican tradition offers as one of its strengths is an ethos of mysterium tremendum in our worship services. It was something that many of the free churches that I was a part of in the past were frankly not very good at. Sure, their music was good and the speaker was dynamic, but the gatherings were so domesticated and so like the surrounding cultural influences that I sometimes felt like Jesus was just my "homeboy," or even worse...my "prom date."

Yet, one of the weaknesses of the Anglican/Episcopal tradition as I have received it here in Beaumont is that though it does a great job of bringing to our awareness the transcendence of God, the worship forms (especially the music) can be so foreign to people that is as emotionally unintelligible as doing the service in Latin would be intellectually unintelligible.

So, how to create a service that both creates an awareness of God's transcendence AND imminence (nearness)? How to create a service that feels accessible, but not domestic? How to create a service of mysterium tremendum et fascinans, without it feeling detached or remote? That is the challenge before me. And perhaps the biggest pitfall: making St. Mark's the "new cool thing." I am scared to death of using all the little emotional and spiritual gimmicks that many churches fall into to get an emotional high out of people. I don't want to be a marketer or a spinster, I want to, in the words of the Book of Common Prayer, work to "perfect the praises offered by [God's] people on earth; and be granted, even now, glimpses of [His] beauty." Please pray for me.

A Prayer for Liturgysmithing:

O God, whom saints and angels delight to worship in heaven: Be ever present with your servants who seek through art and music and liturgy to perfect the praises offered by your people on earth; and grant to them even now glimpses of your beauty, and make them worthy at length to behold it unveiled for evermore; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

New Bishop of Texas is Seated

C. Andrew Doyle was seated at Christ Church Cathedral, Houston on June 7, 2009 with trumpets volleys and kettledrums reverberating among the 1000 plus congregation. Bishop Doyle promised to “be a faithful shepherd and servant,” and processed with the dean to the front of the church where, facing Bishop Don Wimberly, he petitioned to be recognized, invested and seated as the new head of the diocese. Marking the historic transition of leadership, Bishop Wimberly invited the two former diocesan bishops, Claude Payne and Maurice Benitez to participate in asking. All three stood side by side to ask Bishop Doyle to reaffirm the promises he made when he was ordained and consecrated a bishop on November 22, 2008. He promised to support all the baptized, guard the faith, unity and discipline of the Church and share in the government of the whole Church. Then with all three holding the 160 year old, ornate brass crosier as Bishop Wimberly said, “Now I, by the authority committed to me, and with the consent of those who have chosen you, do invest you, Charles Andrew Doyle, as Bishop of Texas, with all the temporal and spiritual rights and responsibilities that pertain to that office … On behalf of the people and clergy of the Diocese of Texas, I give into your hands this pastoral staff. May Christ the Good Shepherd uphold you and sustain you as you carry it in his name...”

Bishop Doyle received the pastoral staff as he promised to fulfill the responsibilities and obligations of the office as leader of the 154 congregations, 67 schools and 11 institutions of the Diocese of Texas. Dean Reynolds escorted him to the Bishop’s see, a highly carved chair to the left of the Cathedral’s altar saying, in the name of the Cathedral and on behalf of the people of the diocese, “I install you, Andrew, in the chair appointed to our office. May the Lord stir up in you the flame of holy charity, and the power of faith that overcomes the world. Amen.” Bishop Doyle took his seat momentarily before proclaiming the Peace and Celebrating the Holy Eucharist.