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EPISCOPAL WORSHIP
It can be intimidating to enter a new church. You might feel
self-conscious when everybody but you seems to know what they’re
doing. The people of St. James the Less
will make you feel comfortable and welcomed. Please don’t hesitate to ask
our greeters at the door if you have any questions, or ask a neighbor in
your pew for assistance in managing the Prayer Book and Hymnals during the
service. The information provided below may give you a better understanding
of the way we worship and help you feel more at home when you join us.
The Place of
Worship
As you enter the church, you will
notice an atmosphere of quiet reverence in prior to the beginning of worship.
The architecture of St. James the Less, as of all Episcopal Churches,
carries your eye to the altar and then to the cross, taking our thoughts at
once to Christ, whom we hope to encounter, and to God, whose house this is. On and around the altar are the gospel,
epistle and graeling candles to remind us that Christ is the "Light of
the world." [John 8:11] There
are flowers at the altar to beautify God’s house and recall the
resurrection of Jesus. To the left
and right of the altar are lecterns.
The right lectern is used for the reading of scripture from the
Bible and the left lectern is where the priest preaches the sermon.
The Act of Worship
The central part of worship at
St. James the Less is the Holy Eucharist, the remembrance of Christ’s death
and resurrection made evident in the bread and wine.
The service begins by singing, by
listening to scripture and a sermon, moves through prayer, confession and
forgiveness and ends with Holy Eucharist, when the family of God gathers to
share the gifts of God around the table of God.
In the pews, you will find the
Book of Common Prayer which enables the congregation to share fully in
every service. All worship at St.
James the less is drawn from the Book of Common Prayer. In addition, you will also find in the
pews a copy of the Episcopal Hymnal.
Our bulletin lists the order of the service and also has words and
music for parts of the service.
You may wonder when to stand, sit or kneel. The general rule is to stand to
sing, to say our affirmation of the faith (the Nicene Creed) and for the
reading of the Gospel. We sit during
readings from the Bible, the sermon, the announcements and the choir
anthems. We kneel during the prayers
and during the consecration of the Eucharist.
Vestments
Vestments add to the beauty and
festivity of the services and signify special ministries. Choir members
wear vestments consisting of a black cassock with a white surplice worn
over it. Lay members who serve as
Chalice Bearers or Acolytes wear an alb (a long gown) tied with a cincture
(a rope belt) in white or in the color of the church season. The priest
wears an alb and a stole, which is a narrow band of colored fabric in the
color of the season of the church year.
The wearing of vestments call to mind that what is happening in a
church service is unusual and godly, something different from the world of
ordinary experience.
The Church Year
The Episcopal Church observes the
traditional Christian calendar in which we move through the life of Christ
in the course of a year. Bible
readings are selected for their relevance to the events being commemorated.
During the long season after Pentecost, the New Testament is read
sequentially from Sunday to Sunday so the congregation can experience the
total teaching and experience of Christ and of the apostle Paul and other
authors of New Testament letters. Old Testament lessons are selected to
correspond with the theme of the day’s Gospel.
The Church year begins on the
Sunday closest to November 30 with the Season of Advent, when we prepare
for the birth of Christ. Christmas
is observed for twelve days. We then
celebrate the Epiphany, during which the light of Christ breaks out into
the world. Epiphany is followed by
the season of Lent, which begins on Ash Wednesday. The forty days of Lent are a penitential
preparation for Easter, and the solemn services of Holy Week commemorate
the last days of the life of Christ.
We celebrate Christ’s resurrection on Easter Sunday. During the Easter season, we focus
particularly on the experiences of the risen Christ in the early Church,
which culminates on Pentecost Sunday, which is 50 days after Easter. The disciples were filled by the Holy
Spirit and sent into the world on the Day of Pentecost. Pentecost, also known as Ordinary Time,
is the longest Church season and lasts until the beginning of Advent
Advent and Lent are both
penitential times and are symbolized by colors purple or royal blue. Easter Sunday, Christmas and The Epiphany
season are symbolized by white or gold, as are Trinity Sunday, The Day of
Ascension and All Saints Day. The
season after Pentecost is symbolized by green. Red is worn on special feast days and
from Easter Sunday through the Day of Pentecost. Good Friday is a time of mourning
symbolized by the wearing of black.
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