Set 1: Liturgy and Church Music Thursday, January 3, 2013, 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
LIMITED RESOURCES: A printed one-volume annotated Bible; a printed 1979 Book of Common Prayer; a printed Book of Occasional Services; a printed Lesser Feasts and Fasts; the printed Enriching Our Worship volumes; a printed Holy Women, Holy Men; and printed authorized Episcopal hymnals. NO electronic or Internet resources.
Create a liturgy for a nature-oriented event in your pastoral context. You may imagine any such situation: for example, the planting or harvesting of crops, the blessing of a fishing fleet, the planting of a community garden, the reclaiming of land after a natural disaster, or the blessing of animals.
1. In a well-organized essay of approximately 750 words:
A. Give the pastoral reason for the rite;
B. Explain the theological understanding of creation that informs your liturgical design.
2. In another essay of approximately 750 words:
A. Outline the celebration, explaining why you structured it this way and why you chose the liturgical texts, readings and music, showing how your choices conform to the rubrics of the liturgical books listed above;
B. Describe the roles of the members of the congregation, including the liturgical leaders;
C. Describe the liturgical choreography (the movement of the assembly, including the liturgical ministers) and the use of space.
General Thoughts on Liturgy and Church Music...
These questions are ALWAYS about your proficiency with our Liturgical Resources. In this question you MUST use the BCP, Hymnal 1982, and EOW I. You also need to try to use HWHM/LFF or BOS as well as a Hymnal Supplement. Here is a check list for this question to keep in mind:
Identify for your answer:
Relevant Pages of the BCP
Three THEOLOGICALLY relevant hymns from the Hymnal 1982.
A TOPICAL canticle from EOW I.
Relevant Material from HWHM/LFF or the BOS.
One THEOLOGICALLY relevant hymn from a supplement.
ALSO: DO NOT THINK YOU HAVE TO DO A EUCHARIST UNLESS IT FITS!
Now this specific question:
First Paragraph:
Create a liturgy for a nature-oriented event in your pastoral context. You may imagine any such situation: for example, the planting or harvesting of crops, the blessing of a fishing fleet, the planting of a community garden, the reclaiming of land after a natural disaster, or the blessing of animals.
WARNING: The initial reaction may be to do something creative and brilliant. To show everyone your knowledge of medieval nature liturgies, your deep personal devotion to modern celtic spirituality, or the need for us to embrace the feminine aspects of God in nature. DO NOT DO THIS. As a general rule the more creative a response the question asks for the more simple, clear, and well thought out the answer needs to be.
The first question is this: In the past few years have you taken part in the creation of a “liturgy for a nature-oriented event”? If you are lucky enough to have something like that in your history then run with it, create next years version or a version for a slightly different context.
If not then do not try to be creative or special. Look at the four suggested examples. If you have experience with farming or fishing communities choose one of the first two. If you do not have such experience DO NOT DO THOSE LITURGIES. If you have experience with community agriculture then choose the third option. If you do not have such experience DO NOT DO THAT LITURGY. If the only thing you have even ever heard of is a “Blessing of the Animals” then do that. This is NOT the space to show of your brilliance and creativity it is a place to show you have a basic understanding of our liturgical resources.
I am going to presume that we are running with one of the four examples. Now here is the deal in reality there are only two actual examples in the question. The first three are Rogation Services the last one is a St. Francis Day Celebration. If you did not look at the first three examples and think “Rogation Service” that is a good sign you should NOT try to make a liturgy for them. If you did not see “Blessing of the Animals” and think “St. Francis”, well then I am not sure how much I can help you. One of the four examples, I pray at least the last one, should have struck you as doable. DO THAT ONE. It does not matter that everyone else is probably doing the same one just do the one you can and do it simply and clearly.
The Rogation Service is on page 103 of the BOS and St. Francis is celebrated on Oct. 4.
Now go through the check list (above) for using your liturgical resources. Keep in mind that not doing a Eucharist might be a good idea and make your life simpler.
Second Paragraph:
1. In a well-organized essay of approximately 750 words:
A. Give the pastoral reason for the rite;
B. Explain the theological understanding of creation that informs your liturgical design.
Now lets rewrite this a bit:
In 325 words describe why this liturgy makes sense in your context.
In 325 words explain the theology you are teaching in this liturgy.
The first 325 words are basically set up. Lay out three pastoral needs of the hypothetical community and a how this liturgy hopes to address them.
The second 325 words should note the theological teachings that address those pastoral needs. Try to quote the Catechism, quote a Hymn, and quote a rubric or prayer from the liturgy.
Remember to keep it simple and obvious:
"Christians need to recognize that they are part of creation. This liturgy will connect them with creation through the planting/fishing/garden/animals in our midst. This is theologically grounded in our understanding of God’s love for creation. The hymn “All Things Bright and Beautiful” expresses this theology well."
Expand that a bit, organize it the way they tell you and move on. It is not creative or brilliant. It is basic, uncontroversial, and shows you know the liturgical resources. THAT IS ALL YOU WANT IT TO DO.
Third Paragraph
2. In another essay of approximately 750 words:
A. Outline the celebration, explaining why you structured it this way and why you chose the liturgical texts, readings and music, showing how your choices conform to the rubrics of the liturgical books listed above;
B. Describe the roles of the members of the congregation, including the liturgical leaders;
C. Describe the liturgical choreography (the movement of the assembly, including the liturgical ministers) and the use of space.
So lets rewrite this...
In 250 words create the bulletin for the service show that it conforms to the rubrics and why you chose the extra stuff you did. Remember SIMPLE and CLEAR:
"The St. Francis Day Blessing of the Animals will be a variation of “Order for Evening” because there is a lot of openness in the rubrics while still giving an outline for worship with a special event. Its only required prayer, the Prayer for Light, includes an option that is very creation centered."
or
"We will be blessing the fields/ships/garden on a Sunday afternoon after our principle service so there will not be a eucharist. ... Form V of Prayers of the People fits well because of..."
Make sure not to get excited and forget major rubrics. For instance one cannot, according to the rubrics, celebrate St. Francis Day and a Blessing of the Animals on Sunday morning unless you are at St. Francis Episcopal Church. You might have done this, you might plan to do this, this might be the best idea ever... DO NOT WRITE IT IN THE GOEs. This is a time for conforming to the rubrics and not doing anything exceptional.
In 250 words name all the principle players in the liturgy. DO NOT FORGET TO NAME THE CONGREGATION AND THEIR PURPOSE. And what their purpose is at this liturgy.
In 250 words describe the how things will move. Give a procession line up and discuss the space and who will face who where and when. When it comes to the GOEs we should all be LOW CHURCH.
Proof check for the following:
REWRITE ANY SENTENCE INVOLVING A SEMI-COLON OR MORE THAN ONE SUB-CLAUSE.
CHECK FOR ANY OF YOUR COMMON MISTAKES. (mine are not using the plural form for Priests, their/there, and where/were)
MAKE SURE YOU ANSWERED THE WHOLE QUESTION.
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