How many Eucharists have you participated in? How many have you put together?
For those seeking to keep their planning fresh and thoughtful, the Rev. Dr. Paul Gibson offers Make Preparation, a rich collection of notes on liturgy preparation, available by free download from ABC Publishing.
In this 71-page PDF document, Mr. Gibson, one of the Anglican Communion’s preeminent liturgists, reflects on each element of the liturgy, from the Word to the Dismissal, drawing out the historical and present significance. This resource is useful for parish liturgy committees, theological colleges, or any other Anglican group planning a service.
“Liturgy has been a lifelong passion for me,” Mr. Gibson writes in the foreword. The resource evolved from a series of notes he emailed to the liturgy planning committees he works with at Trinity College, Toronto. He wanted to stretch the students beyond simply picking hymns to uncovering the potential of liturgy.
“[Liturgy planning] is an art form for which a group is responsible,” he writes in Make Preparation. “There are strong similarities to drama, in that a group of people, from director and principal actor to humblest stagehand, conspire (literally breathe together) to achieve a common end.”
Mr. Gibson has worked as General Synod’s liturgical officer and served the Anglican Communion Office. He has also written Discerning the Word: the Bible and Homosexuality in Anglican Debate (ABC Publishing, 2000) and three volumes of Briefly Stated: Short Sermons for the Liturgical Year (ABC Publishing, 1993, 1994, 1995).
Make Preparation is one of several selected resources that will be made available for free download by ABC Publishing, which also produces Canadian Anglican prayer books, hymn books, and other resources for parishes and individuals. In 2010 ABC will publish Prayers for Healing from the Anglican Tradition by the Rev. Daniel F. Graves.