Friends,

I love our 5:00 pm silly service.

Its origins are probably not what you’d expect. It was carefully crafted without intention so the community could shape it to its needs. We are in a pretty good clip right now. Attendance is always low when we start up in late summer; it peaks around Easter, then fades as pools open. This past Sunday we had the Trunk or Treat, and the silly service was part of the festivities. I was happy to see about 50 people join us!

The silly service is made with a four-year-old in mind, and adults are invited; just as the 8:00 and 10:00 services are made with adults in mind, and kids are invited. While these services are unique and each fills a cliché, some are stronger in specific areas. The 10:00 has the best music and the biggest pool of people to get to know. The 8:00 is the most contemplative and peaceful. The 5:00 Silly Service's strength is undoubtedly teaching the liturgy, and it is not even close.

Do you know the names of the following things on the altar?

· The special little plate the bread sits on. Hint: think of a World War 2 general who excelled at pursuing a retreating enemy and believed in reincarnation.

· The special stemmed cups that hold the wine.

· The special little napkins are off to the side.

· The larger piece of white cloth that everything sits on. Hint: think of a non-commissioned officer.

Did you know we put a little bit of water into the wine, and one of the several reasons why?

The kids who go to the 5:00 know this and with gusto. As we set the table, they compete to see who gets to put down what, and when I ask the names, they SCREAM the answer at me. When we are celebrating the Eucharist, they get as close as possible. A couple of weeks ago, a little girl stepped right in front of me and put her hands in mine as we blessed the bread and wine. Now she knows what Oran’s posture is, and I’m not even sure if Micah knows that yet.

This service excels at teaching because it gives the congregation a chance to learn, and the congregation is innately good at learning. The parents they bring still just go through the motions, but the kids are on top of it and, for the most part, are very invested. They have no fear of failure and don’t understand why they can’t stick their hands in the wine during the prayers. They know the ins and outs of our liturgy better than anyone outside the altar guild, and I want to encourage you to try to do what they do so very well.

Bulletins. I feel two things very strongly about these. They can be an invaluable tool for making our liturgy feel less intimidating to skeptics and newcomers. From my perspective, they are also the most common barrier to fully participating in the service. We use the same prayers week after week, in part because we want people to be able to just go with the flow and not have to keep track in the bulletin. A sacred drama is unfolding at the altar, and people miss so much because they look at the bulletin instead of the bread and wine becoming the body and blood of our Savior.

First and foremost, you do you. If you like reading everything word for word in the bulletin, you certainly do not need to justify your position. If you are open to a different perspective, I wanted to share my philosophy on the many ways you can follow along on Sunday.

Reusable Bulletins: These are made with newcomers in mind and have largely been shaped by feedback from our target audience. The most common feedback I get is that too much text can feel overwhelming and makes it easier to disengage than to figure out what “Holy Eucharist Rite II, Prayer A, BCP 360” means. I tried to include only the minimum information, so newcomers have the text they need for the parts they participate in. Who cares if it’s prayer A, B, C, or D, when the text is right there? For that part, I think less is more.

Bulletins can also help people who may not hear as well or who struggle to follow along. If it helps you, go for it!

FYI, we save about $4,000 and 180 staff hours a year by not making a full bulletin every week.

The Book of Common Prayer: Not a newcomer anymore? Try the book of common prayer! Those black books with the cross on them in your pew racks made a liturgy once meant only for the elite open to everyone. If the sermon is boring, flip through the pages and see the amazing things in that book. Better yet, borrow one and try using it at home. If you want to know how to use it, let Megan Costilow, one of the seminarians, our new deacon (surprise), or me know, and we’ll gladly help.

Don’t like switching between the BCP and the hymnal? Consider investing in a combined BCP/Hymnal with ribbons. You can mark out the prayers and each hymn with the ribbons and easily navigate through the service. If you are in the choir and want this, let me buy one for you. Seriously, you all have to flip through and juggle books a lot, and I would love to help.

Learn like a four-year-old: Consider abandoning the fear of saying the wrong thing and just go with the flow, and worship like you’re four. I wonder how many Sundays someone who was completely unchurched would need to come to learn the Sursum Corda. I think you know it. The Lord be with you….Lift up your hearts…Let us give thanks to the Lord our God… Instead of focusing on being compliant, pay attention to what is happening. Learn through trial and error and find wonder in what brings us together Sunday after Sunday. We don’t have bulletins at the 5:00, because the best worshippers in the congregation cannot yet read, but that doesn’t stop them from inscribing the liturgy on their hearts.

We are going to keep making bulletins…for now. Keep in mind, just because they are in the pew racks does not necessarily mean you must or should use them.

-Nick

Answers:

Paten

Chalice

Purificator

Corporal

There are many explanations as to why we put water in the wine. In part, to remember that water came from Christ’s side when he was pierced on the cross. The reality of Medieval northern European economics also encouraged diluting the wine.