Friday
Psalm 19 (KJV)
1 The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.
2 Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge.
3 There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard.
4 Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun, 5 Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race. 6 His going forth is from the end of the heaven, and his circuit unto the ends of it: and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof.
7 The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.
8 The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes. 9 The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether.
10 More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.
11 Moreover by them is thy servant warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward.
12 Who can understand his errors? cleanse thou me from secret faults.
13 Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression.
14 Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.
In the old days we had a saying, “the Gospel never stands alone.” It was a memory aid for acolytes in lighting and snuffing the Altar candles. Before the 20th century liturgical reform, when the Altar was against the back wall (the “East end”), and therefore before the 1979 Book of Common Prayer, we had two readings in the service of Holy Communion, “the Epistle” and “the Gospel.” The priest stood at the Altar facing the congregation and read them from the Altar Missal. The Missal began on the right side of the Altar (from the people’s point of view), and the priest took the book and read the Epistle from there. After the Epistle was read, a hymn or anthem might be sung, during which the acolyte went to the Altar, reverenced the Cross, lifted the Missal stand with the Missal on it from the right side of the Altar, and moved it to the left side of the Altar. The priest then took up the Missal, turned to face the people, and read the Gospel from the left side.
The European origins of the custom are an etiological example of how unimportant minor practice becomes inviolable “sacred tradition” over years of use. The custom disappeared with liturgical reform in which the Altar was moved out from the wall, and with it the use of the terms “Epistle side” and “Gospel side.”
In any event, the memory aid “the Gospel never stands alone” helped the acolyte remember which Altar candles to light first (the Epistle side).
Regardless of the above nonsense (which only an old line Episcopalian could take seriously!), my focus for this coming Sunday was Psalm 19, which generated a nonsequitur that “Psalm 19 should never stand alone,” because nothing in all Scripture compares to this lovely Hebrew poem. Too magnificent to be reduced to minor key dissonance just because it’s Lent, it should only be sung in harmonious Anglican Chant, major key. And by a cathedral choir of the Church of England.
Very foggy over St. Andrews Bay this morning. Black trees, and behind that only a violet-to-gradually-pinkening haze as the sun comes up.
TW+