This morning was my very first attempt at live streaming a service from my study. I felt quite chuffed with myself last night. I read all the instructions and I set up a shedule and all looked ok. Then this morning, there I was, all dressed up, poised and ready to go! The screen changed, the countdown started and then...nothing! Never having done it before, I wasn't sure whether the black screen was actually recording. So, there I was, waiting for something to happen and it suddenly struck me that if people were watching live, they might be watching me just standing there...so I started the service. After about 10 minutes I realised that actually... it wasn't working! So, out came my trusted phone. It isn't as fancy as my laptop but it worked...alleluia!
This morning's service was from the 1662 Book of Common Prayer. Now, I'll be honest, the BCP isn't really my tradition and it was never used at my home church. I had always struggled to understand why it was still used when it's old-fashioned 17th century language was a thing of the past. It was only when I did a placement back in 2014 at a church that had a choral tradition that I learnt to appreciate the treasure that is the BCP. It took me a little while to get to grips with it and admittedely it felt a little intimidating at first to sit in a church where everyone seemed to know exactly where they were in the book and reciting words that they knew by heart. But it didn't take me long to accept the genius of its content, the poetry and the rhythm. It became comforting. To be engaged with what was going on and being done for me...something that was gifted to me.
I was thrilled when I came to the parishes here and was told St Alkelda's have a BCP service of Holy Communion eack week at 8am. It had been a while since I had attended a BCP service of Holy Communion but it is like an old friend and it didn't take long before I was soaking up the richness of the liturgy once again. The regular attenders appreciate all that the ancient service offers and like me, they think it is worth getting up early in order to attend. Once the churches are open again, the Book of Common Prayer will continue to be part of the weekly offering of services.
In many ways it is understandable that BCP takes second place to the contemporary services of Common Worship. CW offers a diversity of resources with differing styles which offers versatility to meet the many worship preferences that our modern age demands. The Covid lockdown is really testing those of us in ministry as we are trying out different ways of reaching out with God's love. We are not all technical, we don't all have computers or smartphones or (as I found out this morning) the knowhow to get a scheduled live stream to work first time! We are all different and God rejoices in that. I reckon he loves it that we are just doing the best we can with what we have. I sometimes wonder what Jesus would have made of all this technology stuff. He managed to get his message around the world without the use of modern technlogy...no Facebook 'likes' for his miracles...no Tweeting about his healings...no instagram groups to share details of his last supper. I guess all that is up to us. To use whatever we have at our disposal to share the love of God with others.
This morning's service was from the 1662 Book of Common Prayer. Now, I'll be honest, the BCP isn't really my tradition and it was never used at my home church. I had always struggled to understand why it was still used when it's old-fashioned 17th century language was a thing of the past. It was only when I did a placement back in 2014 at a church that had a choral tradition that I learnt to appreciate the treasure that is the BCP. It took me a little while to get to grips with it and admittedely it felt a little intimidating at first to sit in a church where everyone seemed to know exactly where they were in the book and reciting words that they knew by heart. But it didn't take me long to accept the genius of its content, the poetry and the rhythm. It became comforting. To be engaged with what was going on and being done for me...something that was gifted to me.
I was thrilled when I came to the parishes here and was told St Alkelda's have a BCP service of Holy Communion eack week at 8am. It had been a while since I had attended a BCP service of Holy Communion but it is like an old friend and it didn't take long before I was soaking up the richness of the liturgy once again. The regular attenders appreciate all that the ancient service offers and like me, they think it is worth getting up early in order to attend. Once the churches are open again, the Book of Common Prayer will continue to be part of the weekly offering of services.
In many ways it is understandable that BCP takes second place to the contemporary services of Common Worship. CW offers a diversity of resources with differing styles which offers versatility to meet the many worship preferences that our modern age demands. The Covid lockdown is really testing those of us in ministry as we are trying out different ways of reaching out with God's love. We are not all technical, we don't all have computers or smartphones or (as I found out this morning) the knowhow to get a scheduled live stream to work first time! We are all different and God rejoices in that. I reckon he loves it that we are just doing the best we can with what we have. I sometimes wonder what Jesus would have made of all this technology stuff. He managed to get his message around the world without the use of modern technlogy...no Facebook 'likes' for his miracles...no Tweeting about his healings...no instagram groups to share details of his last supper. I guess all that is up to us. To use whatever we have at our disposal to share the love of God with others.
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.
Hebrews 13:8
Hebrews 13:8
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