Firstly, a quick note to point out that I am indeed still alive, although I have been quite busy recently. In general, I try and keep this 'blog for more considered posts, and I simply haven't had time to do that in the last couple of months. As it is, there are a couple of topics that I've come across recently that I want to 'blog about, but it shall have to wait until I can put aside a bit of time to do it.
For the meantime, I shall try to keep this updated a bit more regularly, and put up a few more observations rather expositions, although of course I'll try and put up the more detailed thoughts when I can. This brings me onto my topic for this post. As many of you know, for the last couple of months I've been leading the SMACC Moore College Class for Reformation Church History, which has been a real encouragement. In doing some extra reading for leading the class talking about Cranmer's Liturgical Reformation, I was pointed in the direction of reading the Preface to the 1549 Prayer Book, recorded in the 1662 Book of Common Prayer under the title "Concerning the Service of the Church". If you haven't read it, I suggest that you make amends now - it is a clear expression of the goals of the Reformation. The emphasis is firmly placed on the reading of God's word to enact a change in the hearts of clergy and congregation. Whereas in the past only parts of the bible were read, and when it was it was obscured by a myriad of ritual and superstition, Cranmer's aims were to place at the centre of the church God's word, and every letter of it in a clear and understandable fashion.
Further than that, Cranmer's prayer book sought to simplify the matter of figuring out what needed to be done in the church at any time. The medieval church had developed such an intricate system that figure out what readings were required was almost in itself a full time job, as Cranmer himself puts it:
It was this period that saw a most dramatic turn to true religion that has been seen in Europe, and study of the Reformation shows that the main cause of this change was a disclosure of the gospel from the chains of superstition. It's strange to see so many modern churches screaming out for revival neglect the cause of that of that great revival, choosing to seek it rather in some ritual or the other rather than true devotion to God's self-revelation in His word the Bible.
For the meantime, I shall try to keep this updated a bit more regularly, and put up a few more observations rather expositions, although of course I'll try and put up the more detailed thoughts when I can. This brings me onto my topic for this post. As many of you know, for the last couple of months I've been leading the SMACC Moore College Class for Reformation Church History, which has been a real encouragement. In doing some extra reading for leading the class talking about Cranmer's Liturgical Reformation, I was pointed in the direction of reading the Preface to the 1549 Prayer Book, recorded in the 1662 Book of Common Prayer under the title "Concerning the Service of the Church". If you haven't read it, I suggest that you make amends now - it is a clear expression of the goals of the Reformation. The emphasis is firmly placed on the reading of God's word to enact a change in the hearts of clergy and congregation. Whereas in the past only parts of the bible were read, and when it was it was obscured by a myriad of ritual and superstition, Cranmer's aims were to place at the centre of the church God's word, and every letter of it in a clear and understandable fashion.
Further than that, Cranmer's prayer book sought to simplify the matter of figuring out what needed to be done in the church at any time. The medieval church had developed such an intricate system that figure out what readings were required was almost in itself a full time job, as Cranmer himself puts it:
"...that to turn to the Book only was so hard and intricate matter, that many times there was more business to find out what should be read, than to read it when it was found out."Cranmer's solution was to cut through confusion by reducing the number of services authorised by the church, and to reducing the various orders to a single book, so that Church of England services could always be conducted solely using a Bible and a the Book of Common Prayer. But lest we concentrate on the means to which it was achieved, let us admire the goal that led to those means - to remove all barriers to the clear proclamation of the gospel.
It was this period that saw a most dramatic turn to true religion that has been seen in Europe, and study of the Reformation shows that the main cause of this change was a disclosure of the gospel from the chains of superstition. It's strange to see so many modern churches screaming out for revival neglect the cause of that of that great revival, choosing to seek it rather in some ritual or the other rather than true devotion to God's self-revelation in His word the Bible.
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