Rector's Rambling - Morning Prayer with Communion

Being the second Sunday of the month we have Morning Prayer with Holy Communion at our 10am Service.  This is a hold over from a former time at St. John’s, our “middle 70 years” when St. John’s alternated Holy Communion with Morning Prayer at the 10am Service (the earlier service was consistently a celebration of the Holy Communion).

The first 70 years of the parish Holy Communion was the primary worship of the parish.  Being an early proponent of the Oxford Movement restoration of the primacy of the Sacraments in the life of the Church, St. John’s not only had Communion weekly (rare in ECUSA), but in the 1920’s we also had 4 weekday celebrations of Communion (very rare) and more in Lent.

The combination, using Morning Prayer as the first portion of the Communion service (known as the ante-communion), was promoted by the 100th Archbishop of Canterbury, Michael Ramsey, to both promote weekly Communion and to preserve and promote Morning Prayer.  In addition to praying corporately here at St. John’s, Morning Prayer can be  prayed privately at home by all the parishioners of St. John’s because you know how to do it! And I would encourage your frequent use of it as well!

A Stewardship Prayer

Almighty God, whose loving hand has given us all that we possess; Grant us grace that we may honour thee with our substance through the support of our parish church.  Filled with your love, we respond to your call to be disciples of your Son.  Unite us as a community of your disciples.  Open our hearts and minds to your abundant grace so that we might become good stewards of your gifts.  As good stewards, teach us to receive your gifts gratefully, nurture them responsibly, share them selflessly, and return them to you with increase, through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.