Christ the King Episcopal Church
Lakeland, Florida
THE ORDER OF WORSHIP
an Instruction on the Celebration of
the Service of Holy Eucharist
BCP
(Rite 2)
PART OF SERVICE
(with text or partial text from Rite 2)
COMMENTARY & HISTORICAL NOTES
355
THE WORD OF GOD
The Entrance Rite
355
Hymn
A hymn, psalm, or anthem may be sung.
The Entrance Rites gather the community, establish shared purpose, and move the assembly from ordinary time into the sacred rhythm of the Eucharist. Their function is both practical and theological: they form the congregation, proclaim God’s presence, and prepare hearts and voices for Word and Sacrament. Since at least the 5th century, it has been the custom to accompany the procession with a psalm or canticle. Ordinarily this processional song is one of approach to worship suited for the occasion.
355
The Opening Acclamation
& TheCollect of Purity
The people standing, the Celebrant says
Blessed be God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
People And blessed be God's kingdom, now and forever. Amen.
The Celebrant may say
Almighty God, to you all hearts are open, all desires known, and from you no secrets are hid: Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love you, and worthily magnify your holy Name; through Christ our Lord. Amen.
The Acclamation and Collect for Purity together establish worship as an act of corporate praise offered to the Triune God. They prepare the people gathered to enter sacred time and the presence of God with honesty and openness, recognizing that true worship begins with divine grace rather than human worthiness. Worship is thus grounded in transformation, not performance.
In keeping with the Prayer Book's emphasis on the Easter season, the acclamation is replaced with the "Resurrection Greeting" during the Great Fifty Days. During Lent and on other penitential occasions, an acclamation with a penitential (ie. sorrowful, remorseful) focus is used.
The Collect of Purity originated in high middle ages, known in at least two missals from the 10th century. It first appeared as a public rite in Anglican worship in the 1552 Prayer Book.
356
The Song of Praise
When appointed, the following hymn or som suitable song
of praise is sung or siad, all standing
Gloria in excelsis (Glory to God in the highest)
Kyrie eleison (Lord, have mercy)
Trisagion (Holy God)
The Song of Praise is the first full outburst of joyful praise and thanks in the service. Through it, the assembly sings with corporate voice in wonder, love, and praise to the God they are about to meet in Scripture and Sacrament. The three suggestions (with GLoria in excelsis having pride of place) offered in BCP each uniquely frame the Eucharist, and give the assembly a posture with which to approach God.
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Gloria in excelsis ("Glory to God in the highest") is an example of a "private psalm" -- a popular composition in the 2nd and 3rd centuries of imitating the biblical Psalter (other examples: Te Deum--BCP 95, Phos Hilaron--BCP 118). Originally used primarily at Morning Prayer, Gloria in excelsis entered use in the Eucharist around 360, driven by the fourth century bishop, Hilary of Poitiers' translation from Greek. By the 11th century, Gloria in excelsis became the quintessential song of praise used at the beginning of worship, customary on Sundays and holy days except during Advent and Lent.
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Kyrie eleison ("Lord, have mercy") entered religious usage from Roman civic life, in which it was used to announce the arrival of the emperor or lord. I was adapted by Christians as a concise cry in honor of Christ the King.
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Trisagion ("Holy God, Holy and Mighty, Holy Immortal One") draws from Isaiah’s vision of God’s holiness and expresses awe before the divine majesty. The earliest known use of was from a mid-3rd century burial inscription. It was first used liturgically in 451 at the Council of Chalcedon.
Thomas Cranmer included Gloria in excelsis in the 1549 Prayer Book at the beginning of the Eucharist. After centuries of prayer books shifted its placement to the Daily Office (primarily in Evening Prayer), the 1979 Book of Common Prayer restored it to its traditional place as the primary option during the Entrance Rites.
The Liturgy of the Word
357
211-261
The Collect of the Day
The Celebrant says to the people
The Lord be with you.
People And also with you.
Celebrant Let us pray.
The Celebrant says the Collect.
People Amen.
A “Collect” (from the Latin collecta, meaning "having been gathered") may refer to any prayer that sums up the prayers of those gathered. The earliest Western prayer books (5th-8th centuries) had five such variable prayers: the Opening, at the Preparation of the Table, during the Offertory, after Communion, and as a Final Blessing. More recently, the "Collect" came to specifically designate the variable prayer said immediately before the Lessons, after the greeting and song of praise. It sums up the purpose of those gathered and meditates on the “themes” of their gathering.
In a literary sense, “Collects" are a prayer with a fixed structure, having three general parts: an invocation (address), a petition, and a mediation (conclusion). The opening Collects in the Book of Common Prayer (1979) are drawn and adapted from sources ranging from the sacramentaries of the early and medieval church to the prayer books of the reformers, with some written specifically for the 1928 and 1979 revisions of the American Prayer Book.
357
The Lessons
The People sit. One or two lessons, as appointed are read, the Reader first saying
A Reading (Lesson) from .
After the Reading, the Reader may say
The Word of the Lord.
People Thanks be to God.
Lessons from the Old Testament & Epistles are proclaimed at every celebration of the Holy Eucharist. In The Episcopal Church, these readings are appointed by a lectionary—a structured table of Scripture readings used in public worship. In 2006, The Episcopal Church adopted the Revised Common Lectionary for its Sunday and major-feast readings.
The public reading of Scripture is among the earliest Christian practices, revealing God’s saving work and anchoring the church in an ancient faith. The Lessons (Old and New) remind the community that God’s covenant purposes unfold across generations. As a practice, the public reading of Scripture continues a pattern established in Jewish synagogue, where passages from the Law and the Prophets were read aloud and interpreted. As Christian worship developed, communities began forming their own tables of readings, which included early Christian writings from Paul and the Gospels, among others. The earliest verifiable, uniquely Christian lectionary is the Lectionary of Marseilles from the 2nd century. Scholars believe, however, that even earlier lectionaries—especially in the Christian East—were modeled on synagogue patterns of appointed readings.
The custom of announcing the lesson (with the option of chapter and verse) and the response developed in late middle ages as a way of attracting attention and acknowledging having heard what was said.
357
The Book of Common Prayer psalter is normally used - see 585 ff.
The Psalm
The Gradual & Sequence
A Psalm, hymn, or anthem may follow each Reading.
The Psalms have shaped Christian worship from its earliest days, continuing the Jewish practice of singing and reciting Israel’s sacred poetry. The first Christians inherited the Psalter as their primary prayer book, using it in daily gatherings, Eucharistic worship, and monastic offices. Over time, psalmody became the backbone of the Divine Office and a regular element of the Eucharist. In Christian worship, the Psalms serve to voice the full range of human prayer—praise, lament, trust, and thanksgiving—while forming the church’s spiritual imagination. They teach believers to pray in the language of Scripture and to join their lives to the worship of God across centuries.
The Gradual is the formal name given to the recitation of the appoined Psalm after the Old Testament lesson. Such a reading dates to the mid-4th century, representing the oldest regular use of the Psalter in Chrisitan liturgy. The name derives from the Latin gradus, meaning "step," because it was likely chanted from the steps of the pulpit or sanctuary.
The Sequence is name given to the hymn or anthem sung after the Epistle and before the Gospel. As early as the 3rd century, "Alleluias" were sung in anticipation of the Gospel, replaced by penitential verses in Lent. By the 9th century, the "Alleluias" became elaboate hymns introucing the Gospel lessons (even sung in the vernacluar in Germany and Scandinavia as early as the 10th century). Today, the Sequence is a summation of the Lessons, an introduction to the Gospel, or a praise to their recitation.
357-358
The Gospel
Then, all standing, The Deacon or Priest reads the Gospel, first saying
The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to .
People Glory to you, Lord Christ.
After the Gospel, the Reader says
The Gospel of the Lord.
People Praise to you, Lord Christ.
The Gospel is proclaimed with distinct ritual honor in Christian worship because it announces the life and teaching of Jesus Christ. From at least the 4th century (Apostolic Consitutions, 380), churches marked the Gospel with processions, candles, and incense, reflecting its centrality. From that time also, the reading of the Gospel was assigned to the Deacon (Priest or Bishop in a Deacon's absence). The Gospel is normally read from the midst of the assembly, signifying Christ present among the people. Standing to hear the Gospel expresses reverence and readiness to receive Christ’s word. These practices developed from early cathedral liturgies and continue today to highlight the Gospel as the church’s definitive proclamation of God’s saving work.
357-358
The Sermon
The Sermon or Homily opens, exposes, or interprets Lessons for the gathered community, connecting the Gospel to daily life and deepening faith. Its purpose is to proclaim Christ, teach the church’s tradition, and help the assembly discern God’s call. Preaching forms disciples, strengthens understanding, and nurtures spiritual growth. It is not optional!
357-358
The Nicene Creed
On Sundays and other Major Feasts there follwos, all standing
We believe....
The Nicene Creed holds a central place in Anglican theology and worship, serving as a touchstone for Christian belief and practice. The Creed's content centers on the doctrine of the Trinity: one God in three persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. It proclaims Christ’s incarnation, death, resurrection, and future return, and affirms belief in the one Church, baptism, the forgiveness of sins, and the resurrection of the dead.
The Creed has origins in the fourth‑century ecumenical councils of Nicaea (325) and Constantinople (381) as the early Church (as well as the Roman authorities) sought to resolve doctrinal disputes. It was largely abandoned by the Continental Reformers, but it was included by Cramner in the 1549 Prayer Book as part of the Eucharist. While it was originally left aside by the authors of the first American Prayer Book (1789), the Nicene Creed was fully restored to present place and importance as part of the Eucharistic in the Book of Common Prayer (1979).
360
383-395
The Prayers of the People
Prayer is offered with intercession for
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The Universal Church, its members and its mission
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The Nation and all in authority
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The welfare of the world
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The concerns of the local community
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Those who suffer and those in any trouble
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The departed (with commemmoration of a saint when appropriate)
The Prayers of the People embody the church’s vocation to intercede for the world. Rooted in ancient synagogue and early Christian practice, these intercessions give voice to the community’s needs—church, nation, creation, and those who suffer. Their theology reflects the baptized priesthood, inviting all to share in Christ’s mediating work.
Such prayers were common Eucharistic liturgies from very early, appearing the Justin Martyr's account of the Eucharist in the 2nd century just before the Eucharistic prayers. Cramner included them in the1549 Prayer Book, as did the Continental reformers, though theirs were placed as ante-communion prayers. The Book of Common Prayer (1979) restores the Prayers of the People to their historic place before commuion and after Sermon and Creed.
Different forms of the Prayers of the People are provided in the Book of Common Prayer, allowing for variation in tone and style. Some forms include set responses, such as “Lord, hear our prayer,” encouraging congregational participation. Others allow space for spontaneous petitions, naming specific people or situations. In many parishes, laypersons lead these prayers, highlighting the shared ministry of all baptized members.
359-360
Confession & Absolution
A Confession of sin is said here if it has not been said earlier. On occasion, the Confession may be omitted
The Deacon or Celebrant says
Let us confess our sins against God and our neighbor.
Minister and People
Most merciful God...
The Bishop when present, or the Priest, stands and says
Almighty God have mercy on you, forgive you all your sins through our Lord Jesus Christ, strengthen you in all goodness, and by the power of the Holy Spirit keep you in eternal life. Amen.
Confession and Absolution form a central moment of repentance and reconciliation as the congregation reflects on sin, grace, and communal restoration. Confession occurs after the Prayers with the people acknowledging sin “in thought, word, and deed,” thus highlighting both personal and collective responsibility and underscoring the belief that all sin has communal consequences. The Absolution pronounced by bishop or priest declares God’s forgiveness with words grounded in Scripture, as they act not on personal authority but as a sacramental sign of divine mercy. Confession and Absolution prepare worshippers to receive the Eucharist with humility, as they acknowledge all while trusting in God's merciful love.
The practice of public, communal Confession is relatively new in Christian worship, emerging only during the Reformation. In the early Church, Christians simply acknowledged their sinfulness by thanking God for their redemption. Absolution was not included, as communion was thought to grant forgiveness. Late in the middle ages, the act of confession and absolution began to be carreid out by the priest and his assistants (acolytes) in preparation for Holy Eucharist. Public litanies also began to appear. The 1548 English Order of Communion was the first liturgy to feature communal confession and absolution, which Thomas Cranmer added (but revised) in the 1549 Book of Common Prayer.
360
The Peace
All stand. The Celebrant says to the people
The Peace of the Lord be always with you.
People And also with you.
Then the Ministers and People may greet one another in the name of the Lord.
The Peace is a solemn declaration of restored relationship within the Body of Christ (not merely a social greeting). Episcopal practice stresses the Eucharist as a foretaste of God’s reconciled kingdom, and the Peace embodies the commitment to be at peace with one another before sharing Communion (see Matt 5:23–24). In practice, the Peace may be exchanged through words, handshakes, embraces, or bows, but its core purpose remains constant: to enact the unity, forgiveness, and mutual recognition that define the Christian community gathered for Eucharist.
As a liturgical action, the Peace has deep roots in Christian worship. It originates in the “holy kiss” mentioned repeatedly in the New Testament (e.g., Rom 16:16; 1 Cor 16:20), where Christians greeted one another as members of a reconciled community. Early sources show that the Peace was especially linked to baptismal liturgies, marking the newly baptized as full participants in the community’s fellowship.
By the second century, Justin Martyr describes the Peace occurring before the presentation of the Eucharistic gifts, effectively concluding the Liturgy of the Word. By the 5th century, the Roman rite moved it to the breaking of the bread, immediately before the reception of communion (this is where it generally remains in the Roman Catholic liturgy). The Reformation and Anglican liturgies of the 15th and 16th centuries removed the act altogether. It was first revived in modern times in Anglican worship through the Book of Common Worship of the Church of South India. The Book of Common Prayer (1979) restored the Peace to its ancient location—after the prayers and before the offertory—emphasizing its theological purpose as an act of reconciliation before approaching the altar.
361
THE HOLY COMMUNION
361
376
The Offertory
The Celebrant may begin the Offertory with one of the (Offertory) sentences, or with some other sentence of Scripture.
During the Offerroty, a hymn, psalm, or anthem may be sung.
Representatives of the congregation bring the people's offerings of bread and wine, and money or other gifts, tp the deacon or celebrant. The people stand while the offerings are presented and placed on the Altar.
The Offertory acknowledges the central conviction that all gifts originate in God and are returned for God’s purposes.
expresses this central conviction: The worshipping community presents its life, labor, and gratitude to God. The presentation of the gifts—bread, wine, and alms—makes this theology visible. Moreover, the congregation’s offerings, placed on the altar, symbolize the joining of human labor with Christ’s own self‑offering. Thus the offertory is not simply practical preparation for Communion; it is a prayerful act of self‑offering, a declaration that the Eucharist involves the whole life of the community, gathered and given for the work of God in the world.
Historically, early Christians brought bread, wine, and other necessities to the gathering, offering not only the elements for the Eucharist but also material support for the poor. Over centuries, this moment became more formalized. Eventually, however, the act of presenting the elements disappeared altogher and the colletion of alms was left to the deacon or the wardens. The Book of Common Prayer (1979) stands at a crossroads of ancient Christian practice and the liturgical vision of the 20th century, by intentionally recovering the early pattern. The Offertory Sentence, drawn from Scripture, frames the action by reminding the congregation that generosity, justice, and praise are inseparable from Eucharistic worship. These sentences are not mere transitions; they interpret the moment. Whether the text emphasizes mercy, stewardship, or joy, it calls the assembly to recognize that giving is a spiritual act rooted in God’s abundance.
The Great Thanksgiving
What follows from from Rite 2, Eucharistic Prayers A & B. Where appropriate and without being laborious, notes on other Eucharistic Prayers may be made. Fuller comments on Rite 2, Prayers C & D, are forthcoming.
357
211-261
Sursum Corda
The people remai,n stading. The Celebrant, whether bishop or priest, faces them and sings or says
The Lord be with you.
People And also with you.
Celebrant Lift up your hearts.
People We lift them to the Lord.
Celebrant Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
People It is right to give God thanks and praise.
Then, facing the Holy Table, the Celebrant proceeds.
It is right, and a good and joyful thing....
The Great Thanksgiving is the church’s central act of offering thanks for God’s redeeming work in Christ and the gift of the Eucharist. Led by the Bishop or Priest, the whole community remembers God’s saving acts, making them present through the bread and wine becoming the real presence of Christ’s body and blood. The 1979 Book of Common Prayer provides six Eucharistic Prayers for Sunday use, with three additional options in Enriching Our Worship.
Sursum Corda (Latin, meaning “Lifted hearts”) begins the Great Thanksgiving with an ancient threefold exchange calling the people to lift their hearts, assent to doing so, and give thanks to the Lord. Not just a greeting, Sursum Corda has deep theological and spiritual meaning. At first, it invites the congregation to a posture of awareness, lifting their hearts to God and aligning themselves with the heavenly worship. Moreover, it marks the movement of participatory remembrance in God’s saving work. In this brief but profound dialogue, the church declares its readiness to join Christ’s self‑offering.
Sursum Corda is one of the most enduring elements of Christian liturgy, appearing in virtually every Eucharistic tradition reaching back to at least the 3rd century. Early witnesses such as Hippolytus preserve a form nearly identical to what appears in the Book of Common Prayer today. It’s a remarkable continuity that shows how central the dialogue is to the Church’s understanding of Eucharistic.
