Inclusive language liturgy

I’m not sure how our Liturgy Committee works. Sometimes when new liturgies are created we discuss it at Area Councils and Synods and argue back and forth for years over the placement of a comma. At other times it seems as if there is no discussions at all – like the reprinting of Daily Prayer and the Scottish Liturgy 1982 with Propers and RCL.  And now we have an inclusive language 1982 liturgy. I’ve been waiting for this for a long time. Some churches have just gone ahead and done it themselves unofficially. But those of us who like to obey the rules 😉 have been agog with anticipation. There has been no discussion at Synod about this and we are told it is an interim measure as the Liturgy Committee have been instructed to prepare a new Eucharistic Liturgy. I’m not exactly sure what that means but in the meantime we are permitted to make seven changes. They are not online yet so here they are if you are interested.

Page 2 at 5, & page 5 at 15 (Confession)

Current:  God is love and we are his children… We love because he loved us first.

Change: God is love and we are God’s children… We love because God loved us first.

Current: heal and strengthen us by his Spirit

Change:  heal and strengthen us by the Holy Spirit

Page 3 at 11 (Gloria)

Current:  and peace to his people on earth

Change: and peace to God’s people on earth

Page 4 at 13 (Creed)

Current: for us men and for our salvation

Change: for us and for our salvation

Page 6 at 18 (Opening Eucharistic Prayer)

Current:  it is right to give him thanks and praise

Change: it is right to give God thanks and praise

Page 16, 2nd para, 4th line (Eucharistic Prayer IV)

Current:  He renewed the promise of his presence

Change:  Your son, Jesus Christ, renewed the promise of his presence

Page 21 at 23 (Thanksgiving and Sending out)

Current:  Give thanks to the Lord for he is gracious. And his mercy endures for ever.

Change:  Give thanks to our gracious God, whose mercy endures for ever.

Page 21 at 24a (Prayer (a))

Current:  which is your will for all mankind

Change: which is your will for all the world

And that’s it. God is still Father by name so I’m more than a little disappointed. Perhaps that’s still to come…

What do you think?

Good as New

I quite often hear folk say, usually within my hearing, “Oh I really must read the bible one of these days.”  And I usually reply, “Don’t,” because you know they’re going to start at the beginning and lose interest by chapter 3 of Genesis. However I have now found a book which I would gladly give to all and sundry with confidence and elan, no less.  It is called Good as New: A Radical Retelling of the Scriptures by John Henson and is a joy. Firstly the language is inclusive so that’s got to be good. Secondly, the language is simple and straightforward – the language of ordinary people, as it was written and avoiding complicated sounding ‘foreign’ names which nobody will read out loud in church  (eg Baptise = dip; dove = pigeon; Bethany = Dategrove). It is not a verse by verse translation but all the more enjoyable for it. It is just wonderful and I love it. Thanks Fr JW for pointing me in its direction. And I just know I’m going to be sharing more of it from the rooftops as I get in to it.