Pater Noster - July 10, 2024

Today’s Readings: AM Psalm 119:1-24; PM Psalm 12, 13, 14
Deut. 1:1-18; Rom. 9:1-18; Matt. 23:27-39

I often write about experiences that feel deeply inspirational, as I grasp at the strings of holiness woven into the lived moment. I also write about those times when I was brought up short, realizing a mistake or oversight. Today, it is the latter that comes to mind. I made a change without signaling first, and it caused a ripple of uncertainty in a space where comfort was expected.

I’ll first provide a little context: Coordination of liturgy is part of my role since I joined the clergy at Saint Stephen’s in 2019. Liturgy is defined as “the work of the people”; my behind-the-scenes planning offers the scaffolding beneath which we as a community pray on Sunday mornings. Your voices then give depth to the gifts we offer to God through spoken word and song. In conversation with our clergy, I plan a calendar that mirrors the readings that all Episcopal churches (and other churches who follow the Revised Common Lectionary) read during Sunday morning services. We rotate through varied prayers across the year. Many prayers are found in the Book of Common Prayer, although there is sometimes variation. Our Sunday bulletins reflect all that we pray, so that the congregation may easily follow along and participate.

At Saint Stephen’s, we are in a two-month cycle in Sunday worship, in which we will pray two of the Eucharistic Prayers from a source called Enriching Our Worship. This supplemental liturgical material within the Episcopal church offers ways to expand language, images, and metaphors in worship. Some prayers are drawn from ancient mystics who shaped the earliest version of the Church, and other prayers use contemporary language to meet people where they are today. These resources were authorized at General Convention in 1997 and approved to use in the Episcopal Diocese of Alabama by our bishops. During my time here, we have pulled from Enriching Our Worship (EOW) during the summer months, before returning to the Book of Common Prayer in the fall.

When editing the bulletins for this past Sunday, I asked that we insert the contemporary version of the Lord’s Prayer with the expansive language for the Eucharistic Prayer; I remembered this as our Saint Stephen’s rhythm when using EOW sources. This version of the Lord’s Prayer is in the 1979 Book of Common Prayer – Morning Prayer (p. 97), in the prayers for Noonday (p. 106), Evening Prayer (p. 121), Compline (p. 132), and Holy Eucharist (p. 364). (Have you ever noticed that both versions of the prayer are side-by-side in each of these settings?)

As the congregation said the great AMEN at the conclusion of the Eucharistic Prayer, we began to say the Lord’s Prayer. The words on the page did not match the words etched upon the hearts, minds, and lips of many worshiping in our midst – and there were nearly 250 present at the 10:15 service! I saw people exchange glances of concern or confusion. I, too, looked to my bulletin to guide me through the familiar – yet slightly tweaked – language. Following the service, I heard from one parishioner who was not pleased with the change…and perhaps you were unsettled, too.

I reflected upon Sunday’s worship and that discordant moment. As John Burruss - rector of Saint Stephen's - is on sabbatical until September 3, I did not reach out to him to talk about this. However, I had a faint recollection of an exchange from several years back, when I suggested we use the contemporary version of the Lord’s Prayer for a short time. John said no readily: “Do not change the Lord’s Prayer. It will not go well.” Those words echoed in my head on Monday afternoon as I looked back on prior years’ bulletins.

I take away two insights from this experience. First, careful consideration goes into liturgical planning; I was not as careful as I ought to have been – and my mistake created unnecessary disruption. For that, I apologize. Secondly, when making a change, it sure helps everyone follow along – and understand – when we talk about it first.

When you pray the Lord’s Prayer, I invite you to pray it in the language of your heart – traditional, contemporary, or even in another language. Regardless, those words draw us toward God as we pray as Jesus taught us to do.

May God be with us as we learn, and be praised in our lived experiences,

Katherine+

Reflection and Challenge

Spend time reflecting on the contemporary version of the Lord’s Prayer. What do you observe? Where are the spaces of tension? What feels inviting?

Our Father in heaven,
    hallowed be your Name,
    your kingdom come,
    your will be done,
        on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins
    as we forgive those
        who sin against us.
Save us from the time of trial,
    and deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power,
    and the glory are yours,
    now and for ever. Amen.