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Worship Service of The Prayer Foundation ™ Knights of Prayer Monks ™ "In ainm an Athar, agus a Mhic, agus an Spioraid Naomh." ("In the Name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." -in Gaelic). |
Interdenominational, Evangelical Historical, Liturgical |
About this Service: This Worship Service |
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"The perfect church service would be one we were almost unaware of; our attention would have been on God." -C. S. Lewis, "Letters to Malcolm" Worship is about God, not us. In the freedom that we have in Christ, Christians worship in many different ways. In worship, God is the audience, not the congregation. Whatever outward form of worship we observe, what is truly important is rather what God sees, our heart attitude in our worship of God. "God is a Spirit, and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth." -John 4:24 "The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart." -I Samuel 16:7
"If you memorize and observe this Worship Service, or indeed, any Worship Service, after a while, it will flow without your having to even think about what comes next. It has become just one long prayer. As C. S. Lewis points out in the quote at the top of this page, you no longer are concerned about the outward form of the Service itself, but just your worship of and adoration of God." -Monk Preston Usages included are so ancient, and observed so widely, both historically and currently, that much of this Service will be familiar to Lutherans, Presbyterians, Methodists, Anglicans/Episcopalians, Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholics, and those of many other Communions. Most would also be familiar to ancient Celtic Monastic worshippers. (Since posting this Worship Service, several of our Lay Monks have told us they now use it as a part of their personal prayer and worship. Our intention was simply to share more of our daily lives with those who have expressed interest in this. We do not require its use for anyone. It is certainly suitable for personal worship or as a daily or weekly Family Chapel service for those desiring to use it so, and may be easily modified by personal additions or deletions). "And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers." -Acts 2:42 Key:
Any Christian can be designated to Officiate as Worship Leader ("priesthood of all believers"). Worship Service should be memorized and prayed. Service can be shortened or lengthened as needed. The Psalms and Scripture Readings for a given day or specifically for the particular Hour of Prayer (Evening, Morning, or Noon) when the Service is being held can be found at: Daily Prayer: Praying the Hours. Preparation for Worship Service In Our Monastery Chapel, candles and incense are lit in preparation for the Worship Service. As in historic Monastic practice, a Bell is rung three times to call the Monks to prayer---to announce the beginning of the Service. Everyone and everything is censed immediately prior to the bell being rung at the commencement of the Worship Service, to illustrate that everything and everyone is sanctified (set aside, made Holy) as an offering to God for His service. Historically, in the Church, the use of incense has been understood as symbolizing both the sanctifying grace of the Holy Spirit, and the prayers of the saints (Christian believers) rising before the throne of God. -----------1st Half: The Liturgy of the Word (1st Quarter Section)-------------
(Sung or said:) (Kneel or remain standing. Sung or said:) Our Father, who art in Heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power and the glory, forever and ever. Amen. (Congregation may be seated.) (If there is a reading from the Old Testament, it is read at this time): The Book of ..., Chapter...---(Reading)---The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. Scripture Verse Responses (Alternate Verses): John 3:16-17 "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved." I Timothy 2:5 "For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;" John 14:6 "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father but by me." Ephesians 2:8-9 "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast." I John 5:13 "These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God: that ye may know that ye have eternal life..." (If there is a reading from the Book of Psalms, it is read at this time (the Psalm may also be read in alternating verses by Officiant with responses by the Congregation, or in alternating verses between men and women): The Book of Psalms, Psalm...---(Reading)---The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. (Three Psalms, Hymns, and/or Spiritual Songs are sung. Number may be added to or diminished on particular days. Or memorized Psalms can be recited or chanted.) (If there is a reading from the Epistles, it is read at this time: The Epistle of..., Chapter...---(Reading)---The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. --------------------------------(2nd Quarter Section)------------------------------------ (All stand who are able.) The Lord be with you.
And also with you. Let
us give thanks unto our Lord God. Therefore with Angels and Archangels, and with all the company of Heaven, we laud and magnify Thy glorious Name, evermore praising Thee, and saying,
The Nicene Creed: I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of Heaven and Earth, and of all things visible and invisible. And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all ages; God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God; begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father; by whom all things were made. Who, for us all for our salvation, came down from Heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary, and was made man; and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate; He suffered and was buried; and the third day He rose again, according to the Scriptures; and ascended into Heaven, and sits on the right hand of the Father; and He shall come again, with glory, to judge the living and the dead; whose kingdom shall have no end. And I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and Giver of Life; who proceeds from the Father; who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified; who spoke by the prophets. And I believe in one holy universal and apostolic Church. I acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins; and I look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen. (If there is a reading from the Gospels it is read at this time): The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to....Glory be to Thee, O Lord.---(Reading)---The Word of the Lord. Praise be to thee, O Christ. (There is always a Gospel reading on The Lord's Day. If none is specified for a particular Sunday in Daily Prayer: Praying the Hours, any Chapter or portion of the Gospels may be selected to be read.) (If there is to be Christian teaching, it takes place at this point in the Service. Congregation may be seated. There is always Christian teaching on The Lord's Day.) All Glory to God. Thanks be to God. (If any who are not Christians are present, an opportunity for them to receive Christ as their personal Lord and Saviour is made at this point in the Service.) -----2nd Half: The Liturgy of Holy Communion (3rd Quarter Section)-----
(All sing:)
O Almighty Father, Lord of Heaven
and Earth, we confess that we have sinned against thee in thought, word, and
deed. By what we have done, I John 1:8-9 "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." The peace of the Lord be with you always. And also with you. Let us proclaim the mystery of our faith. Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again. (All sing:) Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah. (The Congregation may be seated. We practice Open Communion. Individual wafers, and individual cups are at this point in the Service offered to any Christian present who desires to partake of Holy Communion. Distribution of the elements may be made by the Officiant, or by the Officiant and another or others together; though usually solely by another or others designated to do so. Individual cups containing grape juice are offered on one side of the cup serving tray, and those containing sherry wine are offered on the other side. As the applicable Words of Institution from Scripture are spoken, Officiant and Congregants break and eat, and drink; all together partaking of the Communion elements at the same time, illustrating "the priesthood of all believers" (some may instead prefer the practice of having the congregation go forward to receive the Communion elements after the the words of institution are spoken). We observe daily Chapel Services and weekly Communion in our Monastery. We use the flat, round, unleavened Communion wafers historically used in the Western Church by both Protestants and Roman Catholics. Our Communion wafers are made from whole wheat flour. (Note: Some Protestants around 1970 began using unleavened Passover Matzo. Eastern Orthodox, and many Protestants since around 1970, use standard, leavened bread. The bread used by Christ at The Last Supper, which was a Passover Seder, was therefore unleavened.) Upon receiving the Communion Elements the Congregation; in preparation for the partaking of the Communion Elements, the following time of silence, and the offering of extemporaneous prayer; may individually choose either to kneel, or to remain seated, or to stand. Where kneeling is an option, we ourselves will kneel, but we respect and allow for the differing practices of various Christian groups during these points of prayer and praise in the Service, and so do not require unanimity of observance.) (All sing:)
"...the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread: And when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me." "And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink you all of it; For this is my blood of the New Covenant, Which is shed for many, for the remission of sins.” "...this do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me. For as often as you eat this bread, and drink this cup, you do show the Lord's death till he come." "...the LORD is in his holy temple: let all the earth keep silence before him...Be still and know that He is God...He will be exalted in the earth."
(All sing:) (Time of individual extemporaneous prayer offered by congregants. (I Timothy 2:1-2) ---------------------------------(4th Quarter Section)----------------------------------- (Kneel or stand:) The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: He leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; Thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: Thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: And I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever. (If this part of the Worship Service is observed, the Congregation may be seated. A Celtic Prayer or Song may be said from memory, or sung, or read here; such as St. Patrick's Breastplate Prayer (Lorica), Aidan's Prayer, Manchan's Poem, Columcille's Poem, Columcille's Boat Song; or a Franciscan Prayer or Song, such as Lord Make Me an Instrument of Thy Peace or The Canticle of Brother Sun; or a section of Scripture, such as John 1:1-14, I Corinthians 13, or Hebrews 11.) (All stand who are able:) "O praise the Lord, all ye nations: praise him, all ye people. For his merciful kindness is great toward us: and the truth of the Lord endureth for ever. Praise ye the Lord." (All sing:) "Behold, bless ye the Lord, all ye servants of the Lord, which by night, stand in the house of the Lord. Lift up your hands in the sanctuary, and bless the Lord. The Lord that made heaven and earth, bless thee out of Zion." "Behold, bless ye the Lord." (Repeated last refrain added only when sung. Other Psalm or Psalms may be substituted or a Hymn sung.) "The Lord bless thee, and keep thee: The Lord make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace. And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." (All
sing:) Praise
God from whom all blessings flow. Praise Him all creatures here
below. Praise Him above, ye heavenly host.
Related Pages:
____________________________________________________________ (Except KJV Scripture Texts and Historic Prayers, which are in the Public Domain) Copyright © 2007 S.G.P. All rights reserved.
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(Liturgy) was compiled by S. G. Preston (Monk Preston, Co-Founder and President of The Prayer Foundation™). It contains elements of usage that are held in common in some of the very oldest extant worship Services, which in turn were based on even older, earlier ancient Christian Worship Services. These include: The Liturgy of St. James, The Divine Liturgy of John Chrysostom, used by Eastern Orthodox Christians since the 7th century); the Lorrha (Stowe) Missal (ca. 600 A.D., used by many ancient Celtic Christians), and the 1662 Book of Common Prayer Service. The Celtic and Anglo-Saxon Rite liturgy was used in Britain until 1078 A.D., when it was replaced by the Sarum Rite liturgy; which was later simplified and reformed by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Cranmer in the Anglican 1662 Book of Common Prayer Service. "Liturgy" literally means "the work of the people" and today also refers to the prescribed order of a religious Service. ________ Why "compile" a Service at all? Why not simply use the earliest extant Service that we have? The earliest known Liturgy would seem to be The Liturgy of St. James (the oldest manuscript of it is tenth century, however). The Amtiochene Liturgy in The Apostolic Constitutions is the oldest known liturgical manuscript (fourth century) . It has been noted that it contains no mention of saints (including Mary). As certain of the doctrines of the church were added to or changed over time, the Liturgies were brought into conformity with them. There remain no original, unrevised forms of the earliest Liturgies. By returning to, and comparing these Liturgies to the unchanged Holy Scriptures, we seek to arrive as closest to the earliest Liturgies as possible.
Shoes or slippers (not stockings) are removed before entering the Chapel. All attending may also each light their own candle, a synbol of Christ, the Light of the World, in whose Holy Name we offer our prayers. ------------------------------
(Gloria Patri: Eastern Version)
(The Lord's Prayer: Matthew 6:9-13; Luke 11:2-4)
(Note: Our Monastery Chapel has no pews -- we sit on the large persian rug on the floor -- in all churches until the 1400's, when pews were first introduced, the elderly used benches placed against the walls.)
(Other Scripture Verses may be substituted in alternation with these Verses in different Services: see Alternate Verses)
(Colossians 3:16)
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(Sursum Corda)
(Benedictus)
(Sanctus: Isaiah 6:3; Luke 13:35.) (Bell Rubrics as in the Celtic Lorrha Missal.)
(The Nicene Creed is always included in traditional liturgical worship whenever there is Communion. The Apostle's Creed may be added elsewhere in the Service. Or it may be used in place of the Nicene Creed, if there is no Communion.)
------------------------------ Also: "The Lord's Supper" or "Holy Eucharist" (meaning: "Thanksgiving") (Trisagion: Isaiah 6:33; Rev. 4:8) (Kyrie Eleison: Three petitions acknowledge the Trinity. Psalm 51:3-4) (Agnus Dei: John 1:29) (The Confession)
(The Peace)
(Mysterium Fidei) (Revelation 19:1-6)
(Epiklesis)
(Words of Institution: I Corinthians 11:24 Matthew 26:27-28 I Corinthians 11:25-26)
(Habakkuk 2:20; Psalm 46:10)
(Gloria Patri: Western Version. Note: "world without end" is a Medieval English phrase meaning "forever and ever" or "unto the ages of ages".) -------------------
(The 23rd Psalm)
(Psalm 117)
(Psalm 134)
(The Priestly Blessing: The Lord Bless Thee and Keep Thee - Numbers 6:24-26) (Philippians 4:7) The Doxology (Matthew 28:19). The Doxology may be the world's most sung music. Words: Thomas Ken, 1674. Music: attributed to Louis Bourgeois, 1551 ("Old Hundredth" Hymn, Geneva Psalter). _________
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The
symbol for making the 
A
bell
is rung once, each time this symbol appears. A single large bell is
rung, except during the Sanctus at the occurrence of the Trisagion
("Holy Holy, Holy"), when a set of
three connected smaller bells is rung three times.
