Naow that we can has a competent, intelligent preznit naow who is also spiritual, I’m reminded of a rarely-heard Eucharistic prayer from the Book of Common Prayer. I’m going to bug my priest, Steve, to use this one more often (he tends to either stray far from the BCP into other national church’s prayer books, or stick to the bog-standard “Eucharistic Prayer A.”
When I lived in Seattle and was a member of Trinity Episcopal, we prayed “Eucharistic Prayer C” during much of the later summer and fall, when a more ecological view was appropriate to the season. One of our older members was involved with the creation of this prayer back when the 1979 Prayer Book was being revised. It’s also known as “Star Trek” because it invokes “galaxies, suns, the planets in their courses,” and I always loved hearing it. We also used it whenever there was a NASA shuttle mission “up.”
God of all power, Ruler of the Universe
you are worthy of glory and praise.
Glory to you for ever and ever.
At your command all things came to be:
the vast expanse of interstellar space,
galaxies, suns, the planets in their courses,
and this fragile earth, our island home.
By your will they were created and have their being.
(Eucharistic Prayer C, Book of Common Prayer, p. 370)
PS this is kind of a test, because my husband David just updated this blog to the latest version of WordPress, and I’m kind of hoping the angle-bracket problem might be addressed.
UPDATE: Dammit, nope. The angle-brackets are still being completely stripped. This post was updated via Scribefire, a blogging platform I’d love to use more. At least it’s set for “scheduled posts” with enough lead time to fix the brackets before the post goes up.
Hah! We cycle through that Eucharistic Prayer at least during one liturgical season a year. We always call that the “Lucky Charms” prayer (“Yellow Moons, Orange Stars, Green Clover …”). I both like the sentiment and find myself slightly cringing at its dated feeling. But whenever we start it up at the beginning of the season, Margie and I always smile a little silent chuckle at each other.
I learned it as The Star Wars prayer. Our church uses it for Advent, so we can hear about bringing forth the human race from primal elements. I’ve always loved the greater participation in more frequent congregational responses and the more holistic language that expresses our theology.
Maybe you could answer this question why would some one say C is a penitential prayer compared to A B and D? Do you have info on the focus of each Euch prayer?
Hmm, no I don’t. I never thought of it as a penitential one – I thought that was the domain of “D.”
Where did the phrase “this fragile earth, our island home” come from? Was it really inspired by the 1969 moon landing?
I think it might have been – a former rector of mine mentioned that he knew someone who helped draft that prayer, and it was definitely the space program that inspired it.
Does this seem familiar?
This royal throne of kings, this sceptred isle,
This earth of majesty, this seat of Mars,
This other Eden, demi-paradise,
This fortress built by Nature for herself
Against infection and the hand of war,
This happy breed of men, this little world,
This precious stone set in the silver sea,
Which serves it in the office of a wall
Or as a moat defensive to a house,
Against the envy of less happier lands,–
This blessed plot, this earth, this realm, this England.
William Shakespeare, “King Richard II”, Act 2 scene 1
Greatest English dramatist & poet (1564 – 1616)