Don’t get me wrong: it’s probably not theoretically easier. So why then do we spend so much time debating this case? My guess is because getting a clear and definitive answer that fits into the either/or thinking is actually the easier way out. What if we stepped back and did the deeper pastoral and theological work of reflecting on whether the family is actually seeking a baptism? Most of the time, their longing stems from wanting to know that their baby is welcomed into the household of God, and they want to mark this moment with some words and prayers that are familiar and ceremonial. We could spend this whole article outlying the theological and practical implications of both options, but what if the problem is accepting the dilemma in the first place? In some ways, we want to accept the either/or framing of the question because it’s easier than doing the harder, deeper reflective work that flows both from pastoral considerations and theology rather than seeing them at odds with each other. Do you do the baptism, understanding the fact that you cannot actually baptize a dead person and this act could potentially harm the Church’s historic witness about what baptism actually is? Or do you deny the request for a baptism, risking a pastoral response that would be not only less than helpful, but likely deepen the spiritual harm to an already hurt and grieving family? You’ve debated it among friends and colleagues-in fact, the dilemma is so common it’s almost become a Clinical Pastoral Education cliché. If you’ve done any kind of ministerial training, you’ve more than likely already imagined yourself in this situation. New parents, gathered with other close family members, have just learned that their baby has died. Overcome by grief, the parents desperately, and tearfully, are asking for a baptism because they have a sense that this is necessary to make sure their child, gone far too early, will be taken care of in the next life. The service of Evening Prayer, according to traditional prayer books such as the 1662 English Book of Common Prayer or the 1928 American Book of Common Prayer, is similar in structure to the equivalent Morning Prayer (or Mattins), but with different canticles and with evening-specific collects.įrom time to time throughout the year, our parish and/or school choirs offer choral services of Evening Prayer (Evensong) using the rich repertoire of music composed for this service.Imagine yourself in a hospital room in the NICU (neonatal intensive care unit). It is a sacramental or memorial reenactment of what he did at his Last Supper in giving his disciples bread, saying “This is my body,” and the cup, saying “This is my blood.” Evening Prayer/Choral Evensong Holy Communion (also known as the Eucharist) is the rite that Christians perform in fulfillment of the instruction (reported in 1 Corinthians 11:24–25) that Jesus gave to do in his memory.
![anglican service book altar edition anglican service book altar edition](https://redeemerlutheranpensacola.com/portals/1/christian_candles1.jpg)
At Saint Thomas’, Morning Prayer is the main morning service on the second Sundays of most months and, for those months with five Sundays, on the fifth Sunday (unless a major holiday falls on that day).
![anglican service book altar edition anglican service book altar edition](https://static.timesofisrael.com/www/uploads/2021/12/AP21364286607349-1024x640.jpg)
Like Evensong (and in contrast to the Eucharist), it can be led by a layperson, and is recited by some devout Anglicans daily in private (clergy in many Anglican jurisdictions are required to do so).
![anglican service book altar edition anglican service book altar edition](https://www.rscmshop.com/images/products/large/279415_d0023.jpg)
Morning Prayer (also Mattins or Matins), in the various editions of the Book of Common Prayer and other Anglican liturgical texts, was, until the last quarter of the twentieth century, the main Sunday morning service on most Sundays in all but the most high church Anglican parishes, with Holy Communion being the main Sunday morning service once or twice per month, or rarely, quarterly. We use the 1928 edition of the Book of Common Prayer at all our services. This booklet contains the prayers, psalms, hymns and so on, and includes instructions for those unfamiliar with an Episcopal service. We offer a printed service booklet for many of our services. There are prayer books in racks at each seat in the church. At Saint Thomas’, our services come from the Book of Common Prayer.