For those who pray the Psalter in the Daily Office from the table provided in LSB, this is the final week of the "General" or four week psalter until after the Feast of Epiphany. Beginning this coming Saturday evening, the Psalms shift to the Advent Psalms for Morning and Evening.
The shift to these Psalms will be accompanied in the Divine Service with the loss of the Greater Gloria (Gloria in Excelsis), but NOT of the Alleluias, which continue during Advent. At St. Paul's during the penitential seasons (Advent and Lent) we also use the Baptismal Creed, the Apostles', in the Divine Service rather than the customary Nicene Creed.
9 comments:
Pastor Weedon,
I greatly enjoy reading your blog; thank you for your insights!
I have never heard of only using the Apostles' Creed during Advent. I wonder if you could explain the reason and where you got it from? Just out of curiousity. Thanks!
Nathan Beethe
Nathan,
It is our practice here because we celebrate the Holy Eucharist at all weekend services, and thus the Apostles' Creed would be in danger of passing from our people's memory if it didn't get used at times. Additionally, the use of the Baptismal Creed serves to remind us of the penitential/baptismal/catechetical natures of both Advent and Lent.
Pax
P.S. Thanks for the kind words about the Blog!
That makes a lot of sense. Thank you for explaining it to me.
(I hope to be able to come to St. Paul's when I'm passing through. I live in Little Rock and my cousin and his wife are members at your church (the Schkade's). Unfortunately I've never been able to make it on a Sunday, as I'm the Director of Parish music here.)
Thanks again!
Fr. Weedon, according to the use of the historic western rite, the only creed that is to be used at Mass is the Nicene Creed. To use the baptismal creed during Advent violates this rubric.
I would be interested to know your rational for making this adjustment.
Dear Deacon,
I gave my rationale above. The authority for making use of the Apostles' Creed is that our Hymnal and Altarbook contain the word "or" between the Creeds. Either is now permissible in the Lutheran use. I note that this is a sort of "across the board" rubric in American Lutheranism: it appears not only in our *Lutheran Service Book* but in the new *Evangelical Lutheran Worship* of the ELCA, the *Evangelical Lutheran Hymnary* of the ELS, and *Christian Worship* of the WELS.
Fr. Weedon, on the question of changing creeds in the Mass, I would register my opinion as different from yours. I do, however, completely respect your decision making as pastor of your parish. As the priest of Torcy said to the young protaganist in The Diary of a Country Priest, after admitting he would run his parish differently, "but you are master here." If I should decide to explore such a rubrical topic as this, either on my blog, or in some other form, don't take it as criticism of you in particular. That's what it is, but I don't want you to take it as such. (just joking there.)
Dear Latif,
Of course you may disagree with the approach I've taken on this question. I have great respect for those who hold to the older practice. I only wished to note that it wasn't a change that I made on my own, but an option permitted in our Service Book and in all the current liturgies of North American Lutheranism, and a practice that seemed to fit the catechetical needs of our parish. Pax!
It is our practice here because we celebrate the Holy Eucharist at all weekend services, and thus the Apostles' Creed would be in danger of passing from our people's memory if it didn't get used at times.
Interesting, Pastor Weedon. When I learned Luther's Small Catechism as a child we were encouraged to incorporate the Apostles Creed in our morning prayer in order to recall our Baptism (which, as a Catholic, I still do) and I'm sure that Lutherans are still taught to do so.
Why, then, the fear that the AC will be forgotten?
Just curious.
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