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The Collect. MERCIFUL Lord, we beseech thee to cast thy bright beams of light upon thy Church, that it, being instructed* by the doctrine of thy blessed Apostle and Evangelist Saint John, may so walk in the light of thy truth, that it may at length attain to everlasting life†; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. The Epistle. 1 St. John i. 1. THAT which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our bands have handled, of the Word of life; (for the life was manifested,...

The Collect. O LORD, who never failest to help and govern those* whom thou dost bring up in thy stedfast fear and love; Keep us, we beseech thee, under the protection of thy good providence, and make us to have a perpetual fear and love of thy holy Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. The Epistle. 1 St. John iii. 13. MARVEL not, my brethren, if the world hate you. We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death. Whosoever hateth his brother is...

Images and pictures used in language often are very important, determining the way people look at a given subject or topic. The family tree The image increasingly being used by professional liturgists—and bishops, clergy and laity who listen to them—for the relation one to another of the massive variety of official Prayer Books in use in the Global Anglican Communion is "Family Tree." That is, there was originally The Booke of The Common Prayer of 1549 and from this original shoot has come a whole series of Prayer Books, both in English and in other languages, and these all have,...

In The Oxford Guide to THE BOOK OF COMMON PRAYER, A Worldwide Survey (NYC, 2006), there is a cleverly written essay by retired Bishop Colin Buchanan, the well known liturgical scholar and publicist, under the title, "Preserving the Classical Prayer Books." The plural "Books" is noteworthy for it is intended to make one think not in terms of one classical Book of Common Prayer in various editions with minor adaptations (something many books go through) but in terms of several different Books of Common Prayer in England, Scotland, Canada, and the USA. So one's mind is prepared for the notion...

The Collect. WE beseech thee, Almighty God, look upon the hearty desires of thy humble servants, and stretch forth the right hand of thy Majesty, to be our defence against all our enemies; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. The Epistle. Ephes. v. 1. BE ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; and walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savour. But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints; neither filthiness,...

To the clergy and people of the Anglican Province of Christ the King: The Province of Christ the King has experienced a steady growth for nearly twenty-six years. More and more churchmen are discovering that we have remained faithful to our vows of uncompromising loyalty to the 1928 Book of Common Prayer. The constant cry now for clergy and churches comes from across the country. We must face the loss of the Episcopal Church as it dissolves into a polymorphous ecumenical body. At the last General Convention Meeting in Minnesota, the majority of the House of Bishops of the...