You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. Acts 1:8
INVITATORY AND PSALTER
O God, make speed to save us.
O Lord, make haste to help us.
Praise to the holy and undivided Trinity, one God:
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen. Alleluia.
Hymn: O Gracious Light
Phos hilaron
O gracious Light,
pure brightness of the everliving Father in heaven,
O Jesus Christ, holy and blessed!
Now as we come to the setting of the sun,
and our eyes behold the vesper light,
we sing your praises, O God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
You are worthy at all times to be praised by happy voices,
O Son of God, O Giver of life,
and to be glorified through all the worlds.
Psalm 118
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; *
his mercy endures for ever.
Let Israel now proclaim, *
“His mercy endures for ever.”
Let the house of Aaron now proclaim, *
“His mercy endures for ever.”
Let those who fear the LORD now proclaim, *
“His mercy endures for ever.”
I called to the LORD in my distress; *
the LORD answered by setting me free.
The LORD is at my side, therefore I will not fear; *
what can anyone do to me?
The LORD is at my side to help me; *
I will triumph over those who hate me.
It is better to rely on the LORD *
than to put any trust in flesh.
It is better to rely on the LORD *
than to put any trust in rulers.
All the ungodly encompass me; *
in the Name of the LORD I will repel them.
They hem me in, they hem me in on every side; *
in the name of the LORD I will repel them.
They swarm about me like bees;
they blaze like a fire of thorns; *
in the name of the LORD I will repel them.
I was pressed so hard that I almost fell, *
but the LORD came to my help.
The LORD is my strength and my song, *
and he has become my salvation.
There is a sound of exultation and victory *
in the tents of the righteous:
“The right hand of the LORD has triumphed! *
the right hand of the LORD is exalted!
the right hand of the LORD has triumphed!”
I shall not die, but live, *
and declare the works of the LORD.
The LORD has punished me sorely, *
but he did not hand me over to death.
Open for me the gates of righteousness; *
I will enter them;
I will offer thanks to the LORD.
“This is the gate of the LORD; *
he who is righteous may enter.”
I will give thanks to you, for you answered me *
and have become my salvation.
The same stone which the builders rejected *
has become the chief cornerstone.
This is the LORD’s doing, *
and it is marvelous in our eyes.
On this day the LORD has acted; *
we will rejoice and be glad in it.
Hosanna, LORD, hosanna! *
LORD, send us now success.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord; *
we bless you from the house of the LORD.
God is the LORD; he has shined upon us; *
form a procession with branches up to the horns of the altar.
“You are my God, and I will thank you; *
you are my God, and I will exalt you.”
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; *
his mercy endures for ever.
Praise to the holy and undivided Trinity, one God: *
as it was in the beginning, is now and will be forever. Amen.
THE LESSON
John 16:1-15 (NRSV)
Jesus said, “I have said these things to you to keep you from stumbling. They will put you out of the synagogues. Indeed, an hour is coming when those who kill you will think that by doing so they are offering worship to God. And they will do this because they have not known the Father or me. But I have said these things to you so that when their hour comes you may remember that I told you about them.
“I did not say these things to you from the beginning, because I was with you. But now I am going to him who sent me; yet none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your hearts. Nevertheless I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will prove the world wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment: about sin, because they do not believe in me; about righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you will see me no longer; about judgment, because the ruler of this world has been condemned.
“I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own, but will speak whatever he hears, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, because he will take what is mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is mine. For this reason I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.”
Canticle: The Song of Simeon
Nunc dimittis
Luke 2:29-32
Lord, you now have set your servant free *
to go in peace as you have promised;
For these eyes of mine have seen the Savior, *
whom you have prepared for all the world to see:
A Light to enlighten the nations, *
and the glory of your people Israel.
Praise to the holy and undivided Trinity, one God: *
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.
THE APOSTLES’ CREED
I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried;
he descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose again;
he ascended into heaven,
he is seated at the right hand of the Father,
and he will come again to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.
THE PRAYERS
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.
That this evening may be holy, good, and peaceful,
We entreat you, O Lord.
That your holy angels may lead us in paths of peace and goodwill,
We entreat you, O Lord.
That we may be pardoned and forgiven for our sins and offenses,
We entreat you, O Lord.
That there may be peace to your Church and to the whole world,
We entreat you, O Lord.
That we may depart this life in your faith and fear,
and not be condemned before the great judgment seat of Christ,
We entreat you, O Lord.
That we may be bound together by your Holy Spirit
in the communion of all your saints,
entrusting one another and all our life to Christ,
We entreat you, O Lord.
Collect of the Day: Friday in Easter Week
Almighty Father, who gave your only Son to die for our sins and to rise for our justification: Give us grace so to put away the leaven of malice and wickedness, that we may always serve you in pureness of living and truth; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
A Collect for Fridays
Lord Jesus Christ, by your death you took away the sting of death: Grant to us your servants so to follow in faith where you have led the way, that we may at length fall asleep peacefully in you and wake up in your likeness; for your tender mercies’ sake. Amen.
Prayer for Mission
O God and Father of all, whom the whole heavens adore: Let the whole earth also worship you, all nations obey you, all tongues confess and bless you, and men and women everywhere love you and serve you in peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
The General Thanksgiving
Almighty God, Father of all mercies,
we your unworthy servants give you humble thanks
for all your goodness and loving-kindness
to us and to all whom you have made.
We bless you for our creation, preservation,
and all the blessings of this life;
but above all for your immeasurable love
in the redemption of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ;
for the means of grace, and for the hope of glory.
And, we pray, give us such an awareness of your mercies,
that with truly thankful hearts we may show forth your praise,
not only with our lips, but in our lives,
by giving up our selves to your service,
and by walking before you
in holiness and righteousness all our days;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit,
be honor and glory throughout all ages. Amen.
Let us bless the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us all evermore. Amen. 2 Corinthians 13:14++
I always enjoy the Office , but it has been especially great this week. Haven’t those OT verses each day been so good with their themes of hope and restoration? Some of my favorite! Love those happy psalms too! Your pictures and the many pieces of music have been great also. The Office and your presentation of it have truly reflected the joys of this Easter season.
I do have one question. This is my first year to think of Easter as a “season.” My daughter-in-law and I are both excited about this and trying to figure out how one goes about celebrating Easter for the next 50 days. My question is to you, Josh, but anyone else out there who would also like to throw in their two cents is welcome to. Are there things that people do during this time to commemorate Easter for the next 50 days. It is one thing for me to think or say that it is the Easter SEASON. I totally get the concept. But, what do I DO for the 50 days to reflect that?
Stephanie,
Wow, is this a smart question! I’ve never seen it asked before, much less answered. I don’t have a ready response for it either, which I guess ruins my reputation as the Daily Office Know-It-All – never deserved and seldom achieved, but still clung to in my last desperate hope to Be Someone.
So here’s what I’m going to do. I’m going to ask your question to a bunch of people I know – clergy and lay, Episcopalian and not – and post their responses.
Meanwhile my thoughts run this way. We know what to do in Advent; light the candles on the wreath at dinner, read the Collect of the Day, avoid Christmas parties, don’t decorate, just wait till sundown on Dec. 24. Then party for 12 days of Christmas, giving a little present every day, and have another party on the 12th Night, Epiphany.
We know what to do in Lent; get ashes to start with, read the General Confession every day, [schedule a private confession with a priest,] give up what you gave up (chocolate, butter, alcohol), take on what you took on (acts of charity and service), eat fish on Friday, wave fronds on Palm Sunday, then shout “Crucify him!,” go to Mass on Maundy Thursday, wash some feet, strip the altar, cover the crucifix in black mesh on Good Friday and fast all day, be good and depressed on Holy Saturday, then go to the Easter Vigil and light the first fire for the Light of the World!
But now we have an Easter Season; what to do? First off, let’s review the recent history; this “season” business is either a new invention or an old one, thanks to the liturgical reform movement of the 1960s and ’70s in many churches/denominations. Before the new prayer book of ’79, Episcopalians numbered Sundays AFTER Easter, not OF Easter. For Easter we put on our bonnets, strolled our parades, hid colored eggs and jelly beans for the kids, baked a ham or leg of lamb, then the day was over and we waited for the next big thing, which was Ascensiontide, its own mini-season, ending on Whitsunday (which if you’re really English you pronounced with an accent on the last syllable, Whit-sun-TYE). White was the color on Whitsun, get it?
Now it’s called Pentecost again, as it should have been all along maybe; pentagon, five sides, pentecost, 50 days. Easter’s a season! And Pentecost’s color is now flaming red for tongues of fire. There is no more Whitsuntye.
In other words, Stephanie, I think we gotta invent this Easter season, right here and now, tonight on our stage: Ladies and Gentlemen, the Resurrection!
1. Go in the woods (or the backyard, or the floral shop or the bodega or the Korean grocery) and pick some spring flowers, every single day. Flowers in your house, every single day! This would work because some parishes, my own included, now give up flowers at the altar for Lent. So let there be a riot of blooms!
2. We say Alleluia all the time. Praise the Lord at the drop of a hat. “Well, the Mets lost again, Alleluia!”
3. Ummmm, gosh, I’m blanking on #3. That’s why I’m wanting my experts to make some suggestions.
Because you’re very right, this is serious joyful business, Easter is a season and it’s not over quick, and we need something to DO to keep our spirits up until that glorious day when Christ ascends, followed fast-as-she-can-get-here by the Holy Spirit’s descent. (And of course, the strawberry festival. They’re red; what else would you serve on Pentecost but strawberries?)
Great job, Stephanie, you’ve pointed out a big honking gap in our practice of the faith. We need to create/recover traditions now to teach children and ourselves that the Resurrection of Jesus Christ ought to kick off the biggest, baddest party we can throw.
Your question is going to wind up on our main site, and on Facebook, in e-mails and phone calls, until we’ve got an answer worthy of this Season of the Immortal One.
Once it’s done, we all can go back to Ordinary Time.
josh
Well, Josh, that is one of most hilarious pieces of writing I have ever read! And, your synopsis of the traditions of the faith–not sure I have ever read such a concise, pithy and humorous rendition. Truly there must be an award out there for writing like this!
I am anxious to hear what others in the faith have to say about this. If there are traditions that some of us have missed, then it will be interesting to know what they are and take part in them. If we are left to invent them, well that will be okay too!
Speaking of that, my son and daughter-in-law, between their knowledge of Messianic Judiasm and a homeschool curriculum they are using this year, have found a way to celebrate the season. It is probably too much to get into for a blog entry, but I’ll see what I can do. It is an adaptation of “Counting the Omer.” This is a Jewish ritual done this time of year as they are celebrating the days between the Passover and the giving of the law on Mt. Sinai, Shavuoth. There is a daily ritual of actually reciting a count of the days. My son and daughter-in-law have also found a schedule of some Scriptures to read daily. They are all Psalms–many verses from Ps. 119 and others where a love for God’s Word or righteousness is expounded. As the family reads the verses, my son also brings in New Testament Scriptures appropriate for celebrating the Resurrection and the coming of the Holy Spirit. Oh…and because all this coincides with grain offerings, the kids paste a barley kernel on a square for each day leading up to Pentecost/Shavuoth/First Fruits. In my attempt to be brief, I probably messed up this description, but hopefully the general idea comes across. So, there is one idea for inventing something and I am sure there are many other delightful things that can be done. But, I would still love to hear what the experts have to say on the subject and appreciate your efforts to this end!
One quick question. You mentioned that the 79 Prayer Book changed things so that it referred to “of Easter” rather than “after Easter.” Where did they get that idea? Were they harking back to an earlier time, or did they just decide, “Oh, let’s make Easter a season of 50 days?”
Shortly after reading your response to my question this morning, we received a call that my father-in-law had fallen and was in ICU. It looks like he will be okay, but he has two broken ribs, a broken wrist and a very banged up head. It looks like time will heal all, including his head, but he is in pretty bad shape at the moment. As we dealt with this all day today, I had your funny blog entry running through my head and it helped keep my spirits a little lighter. Thanks.