12 February 2011

A Friend Inquired

about what drops when in the observance of Prelent and Lent.  So, here're the modifications to the Divine Service as given in Lutheran Service Book for the one year series:

From Septuagesima onward:  the Alleluia is replaced by the Tract.
From Ash Wednesday onward:  the Gloria in Excelsis is omitted.
From Judica onward:  the Gloria Patri is omitted from the Introit.

Additionally, LSB prescribes the Epiphany preface for Septuagesima, Sexagesima, and Quinquagesima; and it assigns these Sundays the color green.  Ash Wednesday through Judica uses the Lenten Preface - and Ash Wednesday is either violet or black; the rest of Lent to Holy Week is violet.  Holy Week has its own preface (the old Lenten Preface, actually) and may either remain violet, or be scarlet throughout, although white may be used on Maundy Thursday and black (or nothing) on Good Friday.

Though not prescribed in LSB, St. Paul's has observed for a number of years the practice of using the Baptismal Creed - the Apostles' - during Advent and Lent.

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

Well, well, well. We also use the baptismal creed for Advent and Lent... Hmmmmm who stole from who? Pastor Peters

William Weedon said...

Baptismal minds think alike??? :)

Rev. Charles Lehmann said...

Interesting. Piepkorn indicates that the Gloria is dropped during pre-Lent. I couldn't find anything in any of my LSB materials. Where did you find it?

William Weedon said...

See the note in the Liturgy itself before the Gloria: Omitted during Advent and Lent. Nothing about Pre-Lent. Piepkorn is right in giving the traditional Western practice. However, I'm trying to take LSB as it reads.

Unknown said...

Why is the Apostles Creed used as a Baptismal Creed? I know that in the east, prior to the catechumens' illumination (which could be 3 years total) at Baptism and Chrismation on Holy Saturday, their basis of instruction was the Nicene Creed.

Rev. Charles Lehmann said...

I never thought to just look in the hymnal. I also want to do it by the book, and that's one way to make me hate the Gesimas less.

Rev. Charles Lehmann said...

The Apostles' Creed has always been a baptismal creed. The most ancient examples of the liturgy we have use it in the baptismal rite, and this dates to before the Nicene Creed existed.

Anonymous said...

Very interesting information Pastor Weedon, thanks for sharing. Could you tell us which LSB service you use for Lent and why?

William Weedon said...

Our normal liturgy is just DS 3 - that is the historic service, and the one favored most by our congregation. We do occasionally use 4 and 5; I have a number of people who really dislike 1 and 2, so we never get to use those.

Past Elder said...

LSB as it reads, and TDP much more so, slants toward the Vatican II For Lutherans side. Probably just got left out since the novus ordo leaves out Gesimatide altogether. The traditional names for Sundays from their Latin Introits are left out too in trying to offer Western liturgy and something else within a general calendar.

But yes, starting with Septuagesima the Gloria is not used. Never read Piepkorn; it's just the way it was before Vatican II and associated wannabeism, no scholarly citation needed.

Es steht im Buch so zu sagen.

Rev. Charles Lehmann said...

This is why I say that I follow the one year lectionary, not the historic lectionary. It is not a museum piece.

I think that gradual development in the lectionary is a good thing, and if you're going to have a season of pre-Lent, it should be distinguished in some way from Lent. If you're dropping the alleluia AND the gloria, pre-Lent becomes practically indistinguishable from Lent.

This is a good change.

Past Elder said...

The church both East and West has had a transitional periof from Christmas season to Lent for 1,500 some years.

A council of a Western church body, that thinks its the fulness of the whole church, to abolish something universally held for at least 3/4 of the whole church's history is not a gradual development.

Pre-Lent, or Gesimatide, is distinguished from Lent by the "pre". Also by the nature of the readings. It's not just about Alleluias and Glorias.

Be glad you're not Eastern Church. Their pre-Lent last FIVE weeks!

Rev. Charles Lehmann said...

Past Elder,

There is not enough paper (electronic or wood pulp) in the world to contain all the reasons I'm glad that I'm not in the Eastern Church.

If you can prove to me that there has been absolutely no change in the practice of pre-Lent in those 1500 years, then you'll have a point.

But even if you proved that, you wouldn't prove that it's wrong to retain the Gloria during pre-Lent.

Terry Maher said...

Judas H Priest OSB, is that what this is about, omitting Glorias?

No I would not have a point if it were that Gesimatide has been exactly the same for 1,500 years.

For one thing, it is not a mattter of St Jerome having written the Comes and after that it was always and everywhere followed without modification.

Similarly, there is no command to have no Glorias, to have Glorias, to have Gesimatide, or to have a church year at all.

There is no right or wrong about it. A divine command is not the only reason for doing something, just the only reason that is divine.

The omission of Glorias and Alleluias a clear indicator of the change in tone from Christmas Season to Lent. It does not define Lent. Its resumption at Easter is an indicator of Easter. That's why it's done as it's done.

Not a matter of right or wrong, but one does it or not do it, rather than create one's own version like a kid saying "But Dad, why do I have to wear a tie?"