A cause because if an effective liturgical antidote to a bloated ego is not applied, then surely the disuse can fuel the problem?
Frontline clergy inclined to cut the Prayer of Humble Access may argue that prayerfully preaching the gospel, not clinging to particular pieces to liturgy, is what leads to true Christian humility in God's church. That by God's grace is true - it is the gospel that is the power of God for the salvation of all who believe. People do not need to use the particular form of words in the Prayer of Humble Access in order to be saved.
But the great benefit about liturgy in applying the gospel is that it allows congregational ownership. There is a live response by the congregation to the gospel that is being proclaimed.
Certainly, the proclamation of the gospel in the Holy Communion liturgy of the Book of Common Prayer is intentional about instilling gospel-motivated humility. In an article about Cranmer's Prayer of Humble Access in the Church Society's theological journal, Churchman, Katie Badie wrote:
We are not worthy so much as to gather up the crumbs under thy Table...The source is clearly the narrative of the Syro-Phoenician woman. The wording is closer to Mark’s version (Mark 7:24-30). This text does not seem to have been employed in a liturgical context before. The link is the repetition of ‘thy Table’, which marks a significant point in the historical context. In the gospel narrative, this sentence is not referring to the bread of the Lord’s Supper but is an image of the priority of the Jews in salvation history. It is not a question of worthiness, but of God’s plan. Jesus even praises the woman for her faith in perceiving that she can, as a Gentile, like a dog under the table, ‘eat of the children’s crumbs’, something that the Prayer suggests we are not worthy to do. This is, of course, true — we are not worthy. As often in the New Testament, this sentence is leading us to the ‘But’ of the following one: we are sinners, but God is rich in mercy (e.g. Rom. 3:23, Eph. 2:4).Of course, a person can go through the motions of praying the Prayer of Humble Access without being humbled, but they must do so in defiance of the power of the gospel expressed in the wonderful words:
We do not presume to come to this thy Table, O merciful Lord, trusting in our own righteousness, but in thy manifold and great mercies. We are not worthy so much as to gather up the crumbs under thy Table. But thou art the same Lord, whose property is always to have mercy: Grant us therefore, gracious Lord, so to eat the flesh of thy dear Son Jesus Christ, and to drink his blood, that our sinful bodies may be made clean by his body, and our souls washed through his most precious blood, and that we may evermore dwell in him, and he in us. Amen.This piece - Free speech, the internet and the legacy of 1689 - appeared on Heresy Corner.
"We are not worthy so much as to gather up the crumbs..." does indeed carry an echo of the Syro Phoenician woman's words but with the addition of a "not."
ReplyDeleteDon't her words imply, "But we are at least worthy to gather..."?
Just a thought.
Strangely, the Common Worship version of this prayer doesn't appear in bold type. We don't bother too much about that, and normally say it as a congregation, but the compilers of CW obviously intended that a prayer that begins "We do not presume..." is far too hot for the People to handle, and thus has to be simply a priestly utterance.
ReplyDeleteObviously, the priest can be that humble, but the rest of us? All that stuff about drinking blood, not what 21st century sensibilities want to hear.
To be fair according to the BCP the minister says the humble access 'in the name of all them that shall receive the Communion'.
ReplyDeleteIn our service book at the Ascension, we all say the humble access.
Julian,
ReplyDeleteIs it just an evangelical thing? If so, is it because evangelicals are nervous of 2 things.
1st time! - but if it's worth doing...
2nd they are nervous about"Grant us therefore, gracious Lord, so to eat the flesh of thy dear Son Jesus Christ, and to drink his blood..."
I.e. they THINK it's a bit "Catholic". But if they understood it in a fuller, more Reformed John 6 sense it's great. Rather, at best people are a bit Zwinglian & reductionist about the sacraments.
One suggestion I've heard, with a bit of mileage... occasionally say it before the Bible reading to show we feed on Christ by his word too.
I recently read the book, "Grand Entrance," by Edith Humphrey, who reminds us that all worship, but especially the worship of the community in the Eucharist, is a grand entrance into the Heaven/Earth presence of God the Almighty: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Such an entrance calls for humility and preparation by the entire community. Reflecting upon the Tridentine liturgy (pre-Vatican 2) she says,
ReplyDelete“The action of entering by the way of the Lord is complimented by the idea of God’s entrance into the human realm, a dynamic we have seen everywhere in both Western and Eastern liturgies. Especially prominent in this regard is the prayer of humble welcome, said by both the priest and the faithful prior to the reception of communion. “Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof: But only say the word and my soul will be healed.” This prayer, based on the humility of the gentile centurion, may be considered as a Western cousin to the Eastern prayer of reception, which looks to the faith of the thief upon the cross: “Like the thief I will confess you, Remember me, O Lord.” It is also paralleled, in both reverence and its intent, by the Anglican “prayer of humble access,” framed by Cranmer on the basis of several of the preparatory Sarum prayers: “We do not presume to come to this thy table, merciful Lord, trusting in our own goodness, but in thy manifold and great mercies.” The people identify themselves, in these three related prayers, with examples of the faithful from history who have come from marginal backgrounds but who have been received by the deep love of Christ.”
From “Grand Entrance; Worship on Earth as in Heaven,” by Edith Humphrey (p. 120)
I think we need to hear the wisdom of the ages. Arrogance and egotism has always been a human problem. I think the absence of an obvious antidote in our liturgy, no matter how unpalatable, is a mistake.
Love your blog.
Julian+, great article. I grew up in the diocese of Sydney in 60s and 70s, and we ALWAYS said the Prayer of Humble Access at every communion service. Now its use seems to be dying out here also, and that is a great shame.
ReplyDeleteLike Calvin, Cranmer believed that Christians should receive Holy Communion at least once per week, and he saw this prayer as an essential part of the Holy Communion service. He was a man of great learning in scripture and church history, and we abandon his example at our peril.
I am glad to see you doing your bit to get this important part of our liturgy brought back into prominence in regular worship.
The Prayer of Humble Access has always been the highlight of the Communion Service for me in that it reminds me of my total unworthiness but of the infinite forgiveness, love and mercy to all those who come to God through the Merits of His Divine Son, The LORD Jesus Christ.
ReplyDelete