Reckoning With Rite I

I love my church, but I’ve been looking for a church closer to home so I don’t always have to choose between going to church and getting out on the bike path before it gets too crowded. (Hey, I’m being honest here!)

There is a church very close to home that I’ve visited more than a few times, but every time I go it leaves me wishing that I’d gone to “my” church instead. At this church, I have to try hard to find inspiration in the sermons, while I usually leave “my” church feeling filled with the Holy Spirit–and often with a new perspective on a familiar Bible story (like in this sermon I missed last week). 

A few weeks ago I attended a different church close to home, and after a few visits, I think it’s a church that I won’t mind attending once in a while. The sermons have been thought-provoking and the people have been welcoming. The only thing dampening my enthusiasm is that they use the Rite I liturgy. 

Since I haven’t been to Seminary, I won’t try to explain all the differences between Rite I and Rite II, but Rite I has the “traditional” (archaic?) language, while Rite II is more “contemporary.” Now, I grew up reading the King James Bible, so I don’t mind old-fashioned language, but the words of the Rite I liturgy strike me as more covenant-based and less grace-based. In short, they sound too legalistic for this lawyer.

Take this opening part of the Communion prayer: 

All glory be to thee, Almighty God, our heavenly Father, for that thou, of thy tender mercy, didst give thine only Son Jesus Christ to suffer death upon the cross for our redemption; who made there, by his one oblation of himself once offered, a full, perfect, and sufficient sacrifice, oblation, and satisfaction, for the sins of the whole world; and did institute, and in his holy Gospel command us to continue, a perpetual memory of that his precious death and sacrifice, until his coming again.

Lawyers often use lists of similar words to make sure all possible angles are covered, but we were discouraged from that practice in my Plain English for Lawyers class. Using lists like that can raise questions as to the differences between the words–what is the difference between a sacrifice and an oblation?–and cause a problem if you forgot to include one specific word after including so many others.

And then there’s this line towards the end of the Communion prayer:

And we earnestly desire thy fatherly goodness mercifully to accept this our sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving; most
humbly beseeching thee to grant that, by the merits and death of thy Son Jesus Christ, and through faith in his blood, we, and all thy whole Church, may obtain remission of our sins, and all other benefits of his passion.

It strikes me as so lawyerly to be praying for all other benefits that might flow from Jesus’ death on the Cross. It’s like we can’t think of anything else to ask for, but we’re afraid to not ask for whatever else we might be entitled to, because if we don’t ask for it, the Judge might not give it to us.

I’m also bothered by this part of the post-Communion prayer:

Almighty and ever-living God, we most heartily thank thee for that thou dost feed us, in these holy mysteries, with the spiritual food of the most precious Body and Blood of thy Son our Savior Jesus Christ; and dost assure us thereby of thy favor and goodness towards us; and that we are very members incorporate in the mystical body of thy Son, the blessed company of all faithful people; and are also heirs, through hope, of thy everlasting kingdom. And we humbly beseech thee, O heavenly Father, so to assist us with thy grace, that we may continue in that holy fellowship, and do all such good works as thou hast prepared for us to walk in; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom with thee and the Holy Ghost, be all honor and glory, world without end.

I guess it just sounds too presumptuous to me!

The Rite I service is good if you are feeling miserable about yourself and want to beg God for mercy. 

It starts with this:

We do not presume to come to this thy Table, O merciful Lord, trusting in our own righteousness, but in thy manifold and great mercies. We are not worthy so much as to gather up the crumbs under thy Table. But thou art the same Lord whose property is always to have mercy. Grant us therefore, gracious Lord, so to eat the flesh of thy dear Son Jesus Christ,and to drink his blood, that we may evermore dwell in him,and he in us. Amen.

And echoes that language again later:

And although we are unworthy, through our manifold sins, to offer unto thee any sacrifice, yet we beseech thee to accept this our bounden duty and service, not weighing our merits, but pardoning our offenses, through Jesus Christ our Lord;

Sheesh! 

I am sure there are parts of the Rite I service that I will come to treasure, but at least for now it has me paying attention to the service!

Do you have any un-favorite prayers?