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This month I set out an article from the Oxford Diocesan Newspaper by the Bishop of Reading about the changes we shall soon have to face in the autumn. In another edition of St George's News I will write about how it will affect us at St George's. With my blessing and prayers. Malcolm Ferrier. Common worship with a sense of awe and wonderThe Bishop of Reading explains the changeover from the ASB to Common Worship.Liturgy is important. The Church of England is a liturgical church, that is we seek to use words, actions and music in an ordered way to enable people to worship God. Good liturgy gives people an experience of God and draws them into the mystery of Christ. Good liturgy (whether simple or elaborate) should be evangelistic, inspiring and educational. It should give worshippers a sense of awe and wonder. But good liturgy needs thoughtful planning and preparation; it needs a lot of love and care. Why the change? The use of the ASB for the past 20 years has shown its weaknesses and it was never intended to be permanent. Its theology needs to draw more widely on the biblical material. Its language lacks a certain amount of poetry, beauty and depth and is also exclusive - it seems very strange calling upon nuns to live in love and peace with all men. Also the ASB does not provide the variety and flexibility needed for worship today as can be seen from the amount of supplementary material which has been produced. When will it happen? From the 1st January 2001, the ASB will cease to be authorised and Common Worship will take its place. Whilst Bishops have authority to extend the use of the ASB, such permission can only be given to individual parishes for a limited period and they will need to give good reasons why they feel they cannot complete the changeover in time, such as an interregnum. The House of Bishops says that such provision must not be seen as an opportunity to delay the process. What will it cost? It need not be expensive. There will be six volumes and a Psalter. The main volume will be about 800 pages and probably cost about £10 but it will only be needed by clergy and worship leaders. It is best to regard it as a resource book. Parishes are encouraged to use modern technology to produce 'customised' services for local use. Some may choose to print weekly service sheets with the liturgical text, readings and hymns. If parishes don't want to do that, there will be cards containing the congregational parts and small service books for Holy Communion (probably costing £2), but I would urge parishes not to buy large quantities of the main book (as they did with the ASB) and to have bulky books with hundreds of pages which they won't use! Treasurers would be prudent however, to make a small budget provision for the changeover. What about the Book of Common Prayer? The 1662 Prayer Book has a special place in Anglican liturgy and doctrine and will not be affected by the introduction of Common Worship which will also contain services in traditional as well as contemporary language. |
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page last updated 29 MAY 2000 |
