Traditional Anglican ping, continued in memory of its founder Arlin Adams. Oh, one of these days after my New Testament reading I'm going to say, "Here endeth the Epistle". It's a holdover from the 1928 BCP that's still in the 1979 BCP as an accepted variant. Of course, after coming back to the ECUSA after having been unchurched for about 30 years, I had a heck of a time not saying "very God of very God" during the Nicene Creed ....
If I were WRITING a liturgy or rite, or were part of a group authorized do so, I guess I would entertain the "hear what the Spirit ...." line. It's sort of provocative in a way, and in my opinion not intrinsically harmful.
But think about it. The Episcopal Church is a group which one may leave voluntarily. It has a prescribed method for establishing and revising its rites. And this method is part of the promulgated and easily obtainable Constitution and Canons of the group. It seems to me, therefore, if you join or remain in such a group, you make a commitment to abide by the rules, including the rules for changing the rules.
With me so far? Hang on.
If I make a statement in public and sign it in public and have the signature witnessed in public, with the witnesses signing that they saw me sign, AND IF that statement says that I will abide by the "doctrine, discipline, and worship" of the Episcopal Church, AND IF I THEN break my word, not over some high matter of conscience or great fear and threat but because I happen to like "hear what the SPirit is blah blah blah" more than I like "The word of the Lord", then it's a pretty safe bet that I am not to be trusted, that my word is worth nothing, and that, in setting my whim over the choice of the group I engaged to obey, I have put my SELF and my litle whims ahead of keeping my voluntary commitments.
No wonder the Episcopal Church has gone off the rails. The people, and espesially the clergy think that when they follow their fancies they are following God and they value their whims ahead of their promises.
Art thou better than populous NO, that was situate among the rivers, that had the waters round about it, whose rampart was the sea, and her wall was from the sea?
I imagine that the ECUSA churches have borrowed it from the New Zealander Prayer Book.
I for one don't think the Spirit is any longer speaking to ECUSA, and hasn't done so for many years.