Liturgical squee

[tree_and_leaf]

I know, I know, I have just been moaning about how much I have to do and should not be faffing about on LJ, but I have to share my delight in the fact that today George Herbert (Priest, poet, 1633, lesser festival) is commemorated in the Anglican calendar, with a particularly fine collect. So have it, and also one of my favourite Herbert poems:


PRAYER. (I)

PRAYER the Churches banquet, Angels age,
Gods breath in man returning to his birth,
The soul in paraphrase, heart in pilgrimage,
The Christian plummet sounding heav’n and earth ;

Engine against th’ Almightie, sinner's towre,
Reversed thunder, Christ-side-piercing spear,
The six daies world-transposing in an houre,
A kinde of tune, which all things heare and fear ;

Softnesse, and peace, and joy, and love, and blisse,
Exalted Manna, gladnesse of the best,
Heaven in ordinarie, man well drest,
The milkie way, the bird of Paradise,

Church-bels beyond the stars heard, the souls bloud,
The land of spices, something understood.


King of glory, king of peace,
who called your servant George Herbert
from the pursuit of worldly honours
to be a priest in the temple of his God and king:
grant us also the grace to offer ourselves
with singleness of heart in humble obedience to your service;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.

Amen.

Comments

[parrot-knight.livejournal.com]

So that's where Radio 4 get Something Understood from...

Thank you for posting both of these.

[esoterica1693.livejournal.com]

Thank you for the reminder. I'm going to have a meeting w/ my top boss at my secular day job first thing this morning in which I 'out' myself re my possible priestly vocation. We're to talk about creative leave options for doing ordination training while remaining gainfully employed w/ benefits, b/c the diocese is big on tent-making right now. Good to have The Rev. Mr. Herbert in mind while I do so!

[ap-aelfwine.livejournal.com]

Those are lovely. Thank you for posting them.

[penwiper26.livejournal.com]

Indeed, indeed. It was a great Collect for this morning. And thanks for reminding me of the best poem without a verb evar!

[tree_and_leaf]

You're welcome! (I do love Herbert).

[tree_and_leaf]

How exciting, but nervewracking. I hope it went well!

[tree_and_leaf]

You're welcome!

[tree_and_leaf]

It's a really lovely poem (and I'm amused by the unashamed fannishness of the collect - but quite right, too!)

[esoterica1693.livejournal.com]

It went exceedingly well, beyond my wildest expectations. Very much a Holy Spirit moment. I knew going in that top-boss is a PK, her dad being a retired Methodist pastor, so I knew at least she'd understand the burning nature of vocation on some level, even if she couldn't do anything to help me keep my day job. What I didn't know is that her dad has his PhD in Christian Education (my particular speciality and passion) from Claremont Theological Seminary, the very same school w/ which our diocese partners for its commuter ordination training program. She is totally supportive of my trying to pursue both vocations simultaneously--priesthood and librarianship--and will really bend over backwards to help me do it.