TEACHING THE BIBLE
The introductory elements of the liturgy are primarily texts from the ancient years of church life. They are arranged on the basis of Reformation thought as it developed in England. The early texts emphasize the nature of God; the Reformation point of view insists on the importance of a moral response to God. As a result, Anglican Catholic worship is shaped by the Protestant Reformation, enriched by ancient Catholic rites.
We read almost the entire Bible in a three-year cycle.
- The Lesson (the Old Testament)—We read to understand and to acknowledge our Hebrew origin, our Jewish inheritance. This is not kept at arm's length. It is embraced as the point at which we must begin. The term "Old Testament" is a title of honor and respect.
- The Epistle—This is the first New Testament reading. Literally it means "a letter." In fact it is often, but not exclusively, a letter from St. Paul, the great first-century missionary. Typically the letters address issues of faith and practice of the earliest Christians.
- The Gospel—The ceremonial surrounding the reading of the Gospel salutes the words of Jesus—Jesus present in His teaching. It begins with a procession in which the Gospel Book is brought down from the Altar into the midst of the people. Amid hymns and chants, with all persons standing, we receive the most important Person possible--Jesus Christ who has come to talk to us.