The Scottish Rhythm

Yesterday (November 14) we celebrated the Consecration of Samuel Seabury - the first bishop of the American Episcopal Church - at our weekly “Celebrate the Saints” service at Christ the King (Wednesdays at 4:30). Once he was nominated to serve as the first bishop, Seabury travelled to England to seek consecration.

So after a year of failed negotiations with the Church in England, Seabury travelled to Scotland and was consecrated by three non-juring bishops …under one condition – that the American Episcopal Church use the Scottish form of the Eucharistic Prayer. This form has its roots in the Eastern (Orthodox) Church as opposed to the Western (Roman) Church. The main difference between the two is that in the Eastern tradition, the epiclesis (calling upon the Holy Spirit to bless and sanctify the gifts of bread and wine) precedes the words of institution (“…Do this in remembrance of me.”).

Seabury saw to it that the first American Book of Common Prayer (1789) honored this request from the Scottish Episcopal Church. So in a very profound way, our roots are every bit as much grounded in the Scottish Episcopal Church as they are the Church of England. In our current Prayer Book (1979), Eucharistic Prayer “C” follows this order of the epiclesis preceding the words of institution.

For the Eucharistic Prayer at last evening’s worship service, we used the prayer from the 1789 Book of Common Prayer as a way to honor and remember not only Samuel Seabury, but also the Scottish Episcopal Church and those three bishops who consecrated Seabury in Aberdeen in 1784. 

In terms of rhythm – and the rhythm of prayer – our rhythm was thrown off a little last evening. The folks who attend this service are faithful regulars, and we have fallen in to a healthy, holy rhythm of common prayer together each week. Using a Eucharistic Prayer that dates back to 1789, where the language is much more formal, and the epiclesis precedes the words of institution, was a little disorienting for us all (we are creatures of prayerful habit). 

But I think it was important for us to be invited into a new rhythm – a new time signature, a new beat – and experience Christ’s real presence in a new (ancient) way.

To learn more about the Scottish Episcopal Church, click here