Digital Logos Edition
In this study of the services of Morning and Evening Prayer in the Book of Common Prayer, Mark Burkill explores the heart of Cranmer’s non-eucharistic liturgy, revealing the edifying purpose of the daily offices for God’s people.
“For Cranmer, the primary purpose of Morning and Evening Prayer was to edify rather than to offer anything to the Lord.” (Page 24)
“First principles’ for Cranmer was not about re-establishing primitive practice. He was concerned to reform existing practice in line with the Bible which spoke of the gospel of justification by faith alone in Christ alone.” (Page 10)
“Thus the purpose of Christian gatherings is the edification or building of the body of Christ.” (Page 3)
“His chief concern is that God’s Word be heard daily, and alongside this he seeks a single ‘use’ (as opposed to the variety of schemes that came from Salisbury (the famous ‘Sarum Rite’), Hereford, Bangor etc). The nature of the reform needed in order to achieve this goal of hearing God’s Word must be appreciated because it is still of the greatest relevance to our meetings as Christians today. Cranmer said that he had set out a calendar ‘having this one object chiefly in view, that the thread and order of holy Scripture shall be continued entire and unbroken’” (Pages 17–18)
“While all of life is indeed our worship and service of God, and that includes the times when we gather together as Christians, the purpose of such gatherings is for God to edify his people and not primarily to make any offering to him.” (Page 4)
Mark Burkill has been vicar of Christ Church, Leyton since 1991, and is chair of the Latimer Trust.