Rite 1
Cartoon by the Rev. Jay Sidebotham
This Lent we are using Rite 1 in our liturgy. While nothing has changed about the theology and structure of our service, the phrases and language of the service reflect more closely the way English was used when the prayer book was first being developed in 16th century England. It is full of “thees” and “thous” and “wherefores” and other tongue twisters the officiant gets to manage.
You might be wondering why we are using this so here are a few of our reasons:
It’s fun! Okay, it might not be everyone’s definition of fun but there are those among us who enjoy contemplating on what it means as Christians in prayer to God “rendering unto thee most heartily thanks for the innumerable benefits procured to us by the same.”
A temporary change in liturgy can draw our attention to parts of the service that have otherwise become rote. Using different words to describe the same thing can help our liturgy become dynamic and known to us.
The language can be a reminder that while we are all 21st century beings, our faith is ancient. Through our faith, we have a connection with people who lived in a very different time as us.
Our faith is meant to be something that is both familiar and comforting, while also being awe-inspiring and mysterious. The Rite 1 service, especially if you haven’t experienced it before, can help with the awe-inspiring and mysterious side of that.
What is not changing in this liturgy:
The scripture still comes from the NRSV translation of the Bible. This translation is valued for its accuracy, readability and inclusivity.
The Prayers of the People are still from the lectionary-based resources we normally use.
The sermon was written in 2025 and the preacher is not adopting a style that assumes a longer attention span.
I really hope you enjoy this season of Rite 1. I’d love to hear about what stands out to you and how it might feel different (or surprisingly the same) as our regular service.
Some notes about some particulars of our Rite 1 service:
Prayer of Humble Access. This is the prayer that is said in unison after the breaking of the bread and before the invitation to communion. It goes We do not presume to come to this thy Table, O merciful Lord, trusting in our own righteousness, but in thy manifold and great mercies. We are not worthy so much as to gather up the crumbs under thy Table. But thou art the same Lord whose property is always to have mercy. Grant us therefore, gracious Lord, so to eat the flesh of thy dear Son Jesus Christ, and to drink his blood, that we may evermore dwell in him, and he in us. Amen.
This is an optional part of the service and I know many people who find it off-putting and unnecessarily shaming. Especially that line about not being worthy enough to gather up crumbs under God’s table. This line actually comes from Scripture – in Mark 7, Jesus is approached by a Syrophoenecian woman in need of healing for her child. Jesus responds that it’s unfair to let the dogs have the children’s food and then the woman says that even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs. Scholars have interpreted this interaction in many ways throughout the history of the church but one thing is clear: any perceived unworthiness from the Syrophonecian woman or Jesus was not enough to bar her from the healing powers of Jesus.
There is an impression (and in some cases, a rightly earned impression) that church and Christian theology is meant to make us feel like we are not enough and we will never be enough unless we happen to fall in line with a particular way to think and live. For me, for St. Patrick’s, for every Episcopal church I’ve known, and quite a few churches of other denominations, this could not be further from the truth. Calling ourselves unworthy isn’t just another way to call ourselves bad or wrong. Calling ourselves unworthy is a way to remind ourselves that we haven’t earned the immense amount of grace God offers to us – the grace is that immense, we couldn’t possibly begin to “earn” it. When we do have those feelings that we are unworthy or not enough, our minds should respond with the next line from the Prayer of Humble Access “Thou art the same Lord whose property is always to have mercy.” Or in other words, our unworthiness is not going to get in the way of us receiving the grace offered at the Eucharist.
If you still feel like the Prayer of Humble Access is off-putting or even distracting for you, you can silently replace it with these words: “I am not receiving this communion because I’m that good. I’m receiving this communion because God is that good.” Same theology, different words.
Thee/Thou/Thy/Thine. To our modern ears, thee, thou, thine might sound formal and fancy. They’ve pretty much disappeared from modern usage and are only used in caricature for figures who lived many centuries ago. You and your existed alongside thee, thou, thy, and thine. If you took a foreign language, you probably know many languages have formal and informal second person pronouns. In the Spanish I took, we learned “tù” was to be used for informal relationships: people who were family or friends or people who were our age or younger. “Usted” was the formal version of this, to be used when the person was older than us or in a position of authority over us. The difference between thee/thou/thine and you/your is a similar difference.
But here’s the kicker: thee/thou/thy/thine was the informal version where you/your was the formal version. So in 16th century England, if you met the queen, you would call her “Your majesty” and if you were talking about your silly cousin, you would say “thy silliness.” Therefore, when we use Rite 1 and use the thee/thou/thy/thine in addressing God in prayers, that is reflecting a familiarity, intimacy, and closeness to God.
Liturgy is play. If that sentence sounds odd because you’ve always considered liturgy to be serious business, know that most children also consider play their serious business. Romano Guardini wrote about this in his book The Spirit of the Liturgy. In it, he describes liturgy as a place “free from purpose.” “The liturgy wishes to teach but not by means of an artificial system of aim-conscious educational influence; it simply creates an entire spiritual world in which the soul can live according to the requirements of its nature.”
If a young kid invited you to join them in a tea party and you sat down with them and used exaggerated manners and talked in a pretend British accent, that would make the play very engaging. This is the image that comes to my mind when I think of Rite 1 liturgies. It is something that we can take delight in and something God takes delight in.
-Cortney+
