Bishop’s Note: The Proper Sanctus

 Bishop Eric Menees

In our ongoing study of the Service of Holy Eucharist from the 2019 Book of Common Prayer (BCP) we have turned to the Eucharistic Prayer examining last week the Proper Preface. This week we join with the heavenly chorus in what is known as The Sanctus:

The Sanctus

The Celebrant continues

Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of power and might, heaven and earth are full of your glory.

    Hosanna in the highest.

Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.

    Hosanna in the highest.

At this point in the liturgy the congregation and the ministers are all standing in prayer and adoration when we say or sing together the ancient words of scripture – the three -fold HOLY. “Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of power and might, heaven and earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest.”

We cannot say these words without the heavenly images of Isaiah and the book of Revelation:

“In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple.2 Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 3 And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!” (Isaiah 6:1-3)

This amazing image given to the prophet Isaiah was fulfilled in the Book of Revelation when St. John was shown the image of the throne of God:

“From the throne came flashes of lightning, and rumblings and peals of thunder, and before the throne were burning seven torches of fire, which are the seven spirits of God, 6 and before the throne there was as it were a sea of glass, like crystal.

And around the throne, on each side of the throne, are four living creatures, full of eyes in front and behind: 7 the first living creature like a lion, the second living creature like an ox, the third living creature with the face of a man, and the fourth living creature like an eagle in flight. 8 And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!” (Rev. 4:5-8)

As we worshipfully proclaim these words we join with Angels and Archangels, Saints past and present in the worship of the Lord in a foretaste of what is to come in heaven.

After the three-fold Holy – we proclaim “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.” In this moment we join with the people of Jerusalem as Jesus made his triumphant entry. At every celebration of the Holy Eucharist Christ makes his triumphal entry into our churches, our hearts, and our minds. It is therefore not only appropriate but our duty to shout the praises of the Lord!

I pray that on this, the Last Sunday of Epiphany, as you gather for worship and reverently proclaim the Sanctus your hearts will be filled to overflowing with the gratitude that comes from knowing and loving Jesus Christ, the Only Son of God!

Bishop Menees

Jesus Loves Me This I Know

Fr. Dale Matson

Jesus loves me! This I know,

For the Bible tells me so;

Little ones to Him belong,

They are weak but He is strong.

Yes, Jesus loves me!

Yes, Jesus loves me!

Yes, Jesus loves me!

The Bible tells me so.

Jesus loves me! He who died,

Heaven's gate to open wide;

He will wash away my sin,

Let His little child come in.

Yes, Jesus loves me!

Yes, Jesus loves me!

Yes, Jesus loves me!

The Bible tells me so.

Jesus loves me! loves me still,

When I'm very weak and ill;

From His shining throne on high,

Comes to watch me where I lie.

Yes, Jesus loves me!

Yes, Jesus loves me!

Yes, Jesus loves me!

The Bible tells me so.

Jesus loves me! He will stay,

Close beside me all the way;

He's prepared a home for me,

And some day His face I'll see.

Yes, Jesus loves me!

Yes, Jesus loves me!

Yes, Jesus loves me!

The Bible tells me so.

 Anna Bartlett Warner (1827–1915)

Gospel 101 at any age.

The Incredible Shrinking Man

Fr. Dale Matson

This is not the story about the man in the 1957 film who began shrinking after passing through a mysterious cloud on a boat. Eventually he disappeared.

This is about how God continues to save me from myself. Pride is a real flaw that I struggle with. And that is now why I refer to myself as the incredible shrinking man.

After a relatively healthy life, my age and genes caught up with me. The other day, I looked at the calendar and realized that one third of the days were medically connected. Learning three years ago that I had Coronary Artery (CAD) Disease was a total shock since I had been involved in endurance sports for over 30 years and pretty much saw myself as bullet proof.

I was hospitalized for placement of coronary artery stents. I didn’t know it at the time but when I was put on blood thinners to avoid possible clots in the stents, I soon had a severe G.I. bleed and was hospitalized again. I lost half my blood volume and it took over a year to regain normal hemoglobin blood levels. Why would God allow this? Life had lost a lot of certainty.  

Those solo trips into the Sierra Nevada came to a halt. Not only was the pride in what I could do gone, but the confidence that accompanied it was missing also. When a person is growing up, that person is gradually gaining power, rights and confidence. When a person is growing old that person is gradually losing power, privileges and confidence. In a sense, the person who is growing old is shrinking.

Last week, my hand went numb as I sat eating lunch with my wife. Then the area around my nose went numb also. We both knew this could be a stroke and immediately drove to the emergency room at the hospital. My blood pressure was 238/100.  I spent a week there undergoing MRI’s, CT’s, Ultrasound and Echocardiograms with no evidence of damage. I am now on five different medications to control my blood pressure. Why is God allowing this?

How small did I get last week? I got very small. I in no way want to compare my situation to many who are even younger than me, who have such agonizing and debilitating life situations. Why did God allow this? My worst problem is still my pride. I still need to shrink even more. My goal is to get small enough to go through the eye of a needle. It is my heart’s desire to be in the place of St. Paul. “For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s.” (Romans 14:8, ESV)  

Bishop’s Note: The Proper Preface

Bishop Eric Menees

Last week’s Bishop’s Note addressed the beginning of the Eucharistic Prayer which is known as the Sursum Corda – “Lift up your hearts.” This week we continue with the part of the Eucharistic Prayer that is referred to as the “Proper Preface,” which is really the second half of the Sursum Corda.

Following the open invitation to “lift up your hearts” where the Celebrant invites the congregation to join him in the celebration of Holy Eucharist the Celebrant continues the prayer offering it up on behalf of the community.

The Celebrant continues

It is right, our duty and our joy, always and everywhere to give thanks to you, Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth.

Here a Proper Preface is normally sung or said

Preface of the Lord’s Day

Through Jesus Christ our Lord; who on the first day of the week overcame death and the grave, and by his glorious resurrection opened to us the way of everlasting life.

Therefore, we praise you, joining our voices with Angels and Archangels and with all the company of heaven, who forever sing this hymn to proclaim the glory of your Name:

In the first sentence the celebrant declares, “It is right, our duty and our joy, always and everywhere to give thanks to you, Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth.” This statement is self-evident that indeed it is “right” - meaning the correct and obvious thing. But it is also our duty and joy to worship the lord with open hearts lifted up to the Lord.

The second sentence is the “proper preface” meaning that it immediately precedes the Central portion of the Eucharistic Prayer known as the Canon. It is “proper” because it speaks to a specific time – usually a specific liturgical season or Holy Day. In this case I used the Preface of the Lord’s Day – which is always the Day of Resurrection! “Through Jesus Christ our Lord; who on the first day of the week overcame death and the grave, and by his glorious resurrection opened to us the way of everlasting life.”

The third sentence is, “Therefore we praise you, joining our voices with Angels and Archangels and with all the company of heaven, who for ever sing this hymn to proclaim the glory of your Name.” We praise God because of who he is, what he has done and what he continues to do in our lives. But we are not alone in our prayers. In this mystical moment we join with the heavenly host, angels, archangels and the “company of heaven” meaning the cherubim and seraphim. It is clear that we are never alone in our worship of the Lord but that we join with the heavenly creatures in a foretaste of heaven where we will be able to worship in endless praise!

This coming Sunday I invite you to intentionally lift up your hearts to join in worship with the heavenly creatures!

I pray you all a blessed week!