Easter Day, the Prayer Book Anthem

He is risen. The Lord is risen indeed. (Mark 16. 6; Luke 24. 34)

The significance of the Feast of the Resurrection is beautifully presented  in the scriptural Easter Anthem for Morning Prayer-

CHRIST our Passover is sacrificed for us: * therefore let us keep the feast,
Not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; * but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. 1 Cor. v. 7.

 CHRIST being raised from the dead dieth no more; * death hath no more dominion over him.
For in that he died, he died unto sin once: * but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God.
Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, * but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Rom. vi. 9.

 CHRIST is risen from the dead, * and become the first-fruits of them that slept.
For since by man came death, * by man came also the resurrection of the dead.
For as in Adam all die, * even so in Christ shall all be made alive. 1 Cor. xv. 20.

 Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, * and to the Holy Ghost;
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, * world without end. Amen.

(compiled by Archbishop Cranmer in 1549; inserted as an Easter invitatory in Morning Prayer in 1552.)

A Short Exposition of the Apostles' Creed

A study group in our parish recently asked to review the Apostles' Creed. This is always a useful undertaking for Christians, and such a review is especially appropriate during Lent. 

In the traditional Prayer Book Catechism, we have the following credal affirmations.

Catechist. Rehearse the Articles of thy Belief.

Answer. I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth:

And in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord: Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, Born of the Virgin Mary: Suffered under Pontius Pilate, Was crucified, dead, and buried: He descended into hell; The third day he rose again from the dead: He ascended into heaven, And sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty: From thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Ghost: The holy Catholic Church; The Communion of Saints: The Forgiveness of sins: The Resurrection of the body: And the Life everlasting. Amen.

Comment:  Throughout the Scriptures, especially in the New Testament, there are summaries of things that God’s people should believe. In the Acts of the Apostles, there are several notable summaries of beliefs about Christ in sermons and at Baptisms. There are also passages such as I Timothy 3:16, “And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory. “

During the second and third centuries, various local baptismal creeds developed. They were usually in three parts (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). Although local versions were slightly different, they covered the same basic points. One of these summaries of basic Christian belief developed at Rome in Latin and became known as the Apostles' Creed. Although not literally composed by the Apostles in the first century, it summarizes their preaching and teaching contained in the book of Acts and the New Testament epistles.

In the year 325, the bishops at the First Council of Nicea took a similar Eastern baptismal creed (maybe from Jerusalem) and added words to be clear about Christ’s divinity. In 381, the bishops at the council of Constantinople added details about the divinity of Christ and the Holy Spirit. With these modifications, the creed we know as the Nicene Creed developed. Later, the Western church added that the Holy Spirit proceeds “from the Son.”  From 1549, English Prayer Books omitted “holy” before “catholic” in the Nicene Creed (but not in the Apostles’ Creed). Some have suggested a printer’s error, but research also shows its omission in some medieval Latin texts.

Now let us notice the short summary in the next Catechism question.

  

Question. What dost thou chiefly learn in these Articles of thy Belief?

Answer. First, I learn to believe in God the Father, who hath made me, and all the world. Secondly, in God the Son, who hath redeemed me, and all mankind. Thirdly, in God the Holy Ghost, who sanctifieth me, and all the people of God.

Comment: The Apostles' Creed like many Christian statements of faith and acts of worship has a three-part form, a Trinitarian structure. The first part of the Creed is about God the Father, the Creator. All of Scripture and much in nature teaches us about Him.  

God’s creation is basically good because He is good. One good part of His creation is freedom for higher creatures such as angels and human beings. Unfortunately, a heavenly creature, Lucifer or Satan, rebelled, was cast out of heaven and pursued his rebellion on earth. And the first human creatures succumbed to temptation and also rebelled against the holy Creator. This Fall into sin disrupted the relationship between God and His creation, but it did not destroy the Creator’s love. So God reached out with a series of promises and demands called covenants. An important example was the covenant with Abraham and his descendants. The early covenants are recorded in the Scriptures we call the Old Testament, and they were designed to prepare human beings for the great new and final covenant through Jesus Christ.

Although nature and Scripture teach us much about the Creator, this part of the Creed is short. It seems to assume that most human beings acknowledge a Creator and some kind of moral law, and it moves quickly to the beliefs that are more uniquely Christian.

The second part of the Creed is about God the Son, Jesus the Christ. Our beliefs about Jesus are what characterize us as Christians. This part of the Creed summarizes the Gospels and many other parts of the New Testament. We believe that Jesus Christ is the only and unique Son of God, of one essence with the Father; He was conceived by the Spirit of God and born of the Virgin Mary.  Thus, He is true man and true God. He came to earth to reveal God in the Incarnation, to redeem or save us from our sins, and to offer us eternal life in God's presence.

Among the many things that He did during His life on earth, the Creed stresses the central events which are His death on the Cross for our sins, and His resurrection to offer us new life. He was a real man who, at a particular moment in history (under the Roman governor Pilate), truly suffered, died, and descended to the dead. He freely gave Himself and paid the debt that a fallen humanity was incapable of paying.  Because He was both innocent man and true God, death could not hold Him, and He rose from the dead in bodily form. This is the source of Christian hope; without it, His story would be meaningless and our hope futile. After His resurrection, He appeared forty days to His disciples, and then He ascended into heaven to pray for us and to watch over us. And at the end of earthly history, He will come again to take up the role of judge of all.

The third part of the Creed is about God the Holy Ghost or the Holy Spirit. Not only did God create the universe and come to earth in the man Jesus, He continues to reach out and work in the world in invisible but powerful spiritual ways. As He works in the world, He sanctifies or makes holy. He works through each individual believer. There are several aspects of this spiritual work in individual lives.

It is the Spirit that reaches out through Baptism and proclamation of the Gospel to redeem fallen human beings. When the Spirit starts this process of redemption, it is called regeneration. When the individual responds by faith in Christ, we speak of justification, and when the Spirit helps one grow in holiness, we speak of sanctification.

As is shown in the Acts of the Apostles, the Holy Spirit also works in a special way through the fellowship or communion of believers, the Church.  There is only one Church. Despite human failings, this Church is holy because it belongs to God. It is also catholic or universal. It extends across languages, races, cultures, political boundaries, and time. It holds to the same basic beliefs and moral standards everywhere- in this world and beyond. The Church is apostolic because it is based on the teaching and ministry of the Apostles. The Spirit makes the Church a communion of saints, a fellowship of those made holy by the grace of God in Christ.

The basic visible foundation of the Church is Christian Baptism. Wherever there are baptized persons who profess the faith into which they have been baptized, the Church exists in a basic way. The Church also exists as an institution that continues through history. Into the Church and the lives of its members, the Holy Spirit brings blessings such as the forgiveness of sins. Forgiveness is related to Baptism, the proclamation of the Gospel, and in various ways to all the rites of the Church. The Holy Spirit will also be active in the future resurrection of the body for judgment and in eternal life in God's presence. We end with “Amen,” which implies both "it is true" and “so be it”

The Litany

Saying or singing a Litany has long been an important devotional practice. Litanies or responsive prayers go back to the early days of Christian worship. The earliest litanies were probably simple expansions of the Kyrie eleison. In Italy during the fifth and sixth centuries, more elaborate responsive and processional prayers developed. Such litanies continued to develop during the Middle Ages. As they became more elaborate over time, more and more of the intercessions were directed to the saints.

 
In 1529, Martin Luther revised a popular litany by removing the invocations of the saints and emphasizing the work of Christ. Influenced by Luther's model, Thomas Cranmer issued the first version of the English Litany in 1544 while Henry VIII still ruled. So the English Litany was the first official part of the English-language Liturgy. This Litany was later included in the 1549 Book of Common Prayer. The rubrics directed that the English Litany be said on Wednesdays and Fridays as well as included on Sundays after Matins and before Holy Communion.

Most contemporary Anglicans spend less time in church than our sixteenth-century forebears. So we are not likely to see the whole Sunday array of services or find the Litany recited every Wednesday and Friday. However, the Litany is a very meaningful form of prayer, and its tone is particularly suitable for our Lenten devotions. It is appropriate to include it in private prayers and use it more frequently in Anglican parishes. For example, one might say the Litany at midday on Fridays in Lent.

First Day of Lent, commonly called Ash Wednesday

Today, we begin our disciplined season of preparation as we look to Good Friday and Easter. In my reflections this time, I have been drawn to the traditional words used on this day: "Remember, O man, that thou art dust, and unto dust shalt thou return."  These words are based on Genesis 3:19 where God speaks to Adam after the Fall.

As fallen descendants of Adam, we all hear these words addressed to us. Ash Wednesday is a special reminder of the life of penitence that we need to live daily. We have all rebelled against God and continue to sin against Him. In doing so, we have all turned from eternal life with God, and as a consequence, our bodies will eventually dissolve into dust and ashes. 

Yet, this message of judgment is not the last word. Despite our failings, God calls us to turn from sin, accept the grace of God in Christ, and seek to live the holy life that He offers. We are called to repentance and renewal daily throughout our earthly lives; Lent is just a special time set aside by the Church to emphasize this ongoing call to all who would follow Christ. And so let us pray without ceasing, Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy upon us sinners.