Worship and Liturgy

The word “liturgy” refers to the worship “work of the people.” All of us come together “do the liturgy,” to give praise and thanksgiving to God.

As in past years, we incorporate worship resources available to the Episcopal Church by our Standing Liturgical Commission, and used widely throughout the Episcopal Church. A reminder from previous years’ explanations may be helpful for all of us and useful for newcomers to St. Andrew’s:

Rite I Holy Eucharist from the Book of Common Prayer is celebrated regularly on Sundays at 8AM, Thursdays at 10:00 AM, and at the Brotherhood service one Saturday a month throughout the year.

At our 10:15 services on Sunday, we “enrich our worship” as we pray a variety of Eucharistic Prayers especially fitting for respective liturgical seasons and situations. All of the Eucharistic Prayers carry the essential salvation history, leading to the consecration of bread and wine, to Christ’s Body and Blood, making any of them acceptable anytime. However, various emphases can enhance our appreciation for varying aspects of our story.

• During the Advent / Christmas /Epiphany season, we use Eucharistic Prayer B (BCP, p.367) with its emphasis on Incarnation. The respective seasonal Proper Preface introduces each Eucharistic prayer, providing unique seasonal introduction to the Great Prayer of Thanksgiving.
• During Lent through Palm Sunday and Holy Week we use Eucharistic Prayer C (BCP, p. 369) with a somewhat more explicit articulation of sin and redemption, fitting the more penitential season of preparation for Easter.
• The Easter Vigil and celebration of the Resurrection on Easter Day call for the grandest of Thanksgiving Prayers, for which Eucharistic Prayer D is especially suited. We use this prayer on high feast days and at celebrations of Holy Baptism and Confirmations.
• During “Ordinary Time,” known as “The Sundays after Pentecost,” St. Andrew’s uses approved liturgies which have been developed under auspices of the Episcopal Church’s Standing Liturgical Commission, since the last prayer book revision (BCP, 1979). Included in liturgical sources known as “Enriching our Worship,” these liturgies may be described as expansive, inclusive, and maybe contemporary, yet faithful to the essential salvation history at the heart of all approved Eucharistic prayers.

We continue to expand our repertoire of hymns, drawing from the Hymnal 1982, the Gather Hymnal and other GIA sources, as well as from music included in Rite Stuff supplemental sources of the Episcopal Church.

Worship and Liturgy Task Group

As part of a longer range effort to enhance mutual ministry a worship and liturgy planning group was convened in the spring of 2010. This group continues to function as a worship planning group working with clergy, with responsibilities yet to be more specifically delineated. The intention is to develop a group of well informed, lay liturgists who can share in the liturgical planning at St. Andrew’s, as parish mutual ministry grows.