A hymn for ordination

On Saturday, I attended the ordination of my friend John Heffron to the vocational diaconate in the Diocese of Ft. Worth. From the ceremony, I got to hear the new ACNA ordinal, had a rare visit to Hymnal 1982 and learned a new (perhaps unique) hymn for ordination. Bp. Jack Iker has been ill, so Bp. Keith Ackerman (listed as the dicocese’ assisting bishop) performed the ordination.

ACNA Liturgy

When the ACNA created its new liturgy from the 1979 prayer book, the first priority was creating a new ordinal for deacons, priests and bishops. The most relevant differences would appear to be in the presentation and examination of the candidates. (In both liturgies, the ordination is normally followed by the normal Eucharist service, as it was on Saturday).

The Presentation

1979 Book of Common Prayer

Proposed ACNA 2019 Texts for Common Prayer

The Bishop says to the ordinand Will you be loyal to the doctrine, discipline, and worship of Christ as this Church has received them?  And will you, in accordance with the canons of this Church, obey your bishop and other ministers who may have authority over you and your work? Answer I am willing and ready to do so; and I solemnly declare that I  do believe the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments to be the Word of God, and to contain all things necessary to salvation; and I do solemnly engage to conform to the doctrine, discipline, and worship of The Episcopal Church.

The Bishop shall then require the Ordinands to take the Oath of Conformity saying The Canons require that no one may be ordained a Deacon in the Church until such person has subscribed without reservation to the Oath of Conformity. It is also required that each Ordinand subscribe without reservation to the Oath of Canonical Obedience. In the presence of this congregation, I now charge you to make your solemn declaration of these oaths. Each Ordinand then declares separately I, N.N., do believe the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments to be the Word of God and to contain all things necessary to salvation; and therefore I hold myself bound to conform my life and ministry thereto, and do solemnly engage to conform to the Doctrine, Discipline and Worship of Christ as this Church has received them. Each Ordinand then declares the following Oath of Canonical Obedience as well, saying And I do swear by Almighty God that I will pay true and canonical obedience in all things lawful and honest to the Bishop of ________, and his successors: So help me God. Each Ordinand then signs the Oath of Conformity and the Oath of Canonical Obedience in the sight of all present.

The Examination (The Exhortation and Examination in 2019)

1979 Book of Common Prayer

Proposed ACNA 2019 Texts for Common Prayer

All are seated except the ordinand, who stands before the Bishop. The Bishop addresses the ordinand as follows My brother, every Christian is called to follow Jesus Christ, serving God the Father, through the power of the Holy Spirit. God now calls you to a special ministry of servanthood directly under your bishop. In the name of Jesus Christ, you are to serve all people, particularly the poor, the weak, the sick, and the lonely. As a deacon in the Church, you are to study the Holy Scriptures, to seek nourishment from them, and to model your life upon them. You are to make Christ and his redemptive love known, by your word and example, to those among whom you live, and work, and worship.  You are to interpret to the Church the needs, concerns, and hopes of the world. You are to assist the bishop and priests in public worship and in the ministration of God’s Word and Sacraments, and you are to carry out other duties assigned to you from time to time. At all times, your life and teaching are to show Christ's people that in serving the helpless they are serving Christ himself. My brother, do you believe that you are truly called by God and his Church to the life and work of a deacon? Answer: I believe I am so called. Bishop: Do you now in the presence of the Church commit yourself to this trust and responsibility? Answer: I do. Bishop: Will you  be guided by the pastoral direction and leadership of your bishop? Answer: I will.

Bishop It belongs to the Office of a Deacon, to assist the Priest in public worship, especially in the administration of Holy Communion; to lead in public prayer; to read the Gospel, and to instruct both young and old in the Catechism; and at the direction of the Priest, to baptize and to preach. Furthermore, it is the Deacon’s Office to work with the laity in searching for the sick, the poor, and the helpless, that they may be relieved. The Bishop examines the Ordinands as follows Bishop: Will you do this gladly and willingly? Answer: I will do so, the Lord being my helper. Bishop: Do you trust that you are inwardly moved by the Holy Spirit to take upon yourself this Office and ministry, to serve God for the promoting of his glory and the edifying of his people? Answer: I so trust. Bishop: Do you believe that you are truly called, according to the will of our Lord Jesus Christ, and in accordance with the Canons of this Church, to the ministry of the same? Answer: I so believe. Bishop: Are you persuaded that the Holy Scriptures contain all Doctrine required as necessary for eternal salvation through faith in Jesus Christ? Answer: I am so persuaded. Bishop: Will you diligently read the same to the people assembled in the church where you are appointed to serve? Answer: I will. Bishop: Will you be diligent to frame and fashion your own lives, and the lives of your families, according to the Doctrine of Christ; and to make both yourselves and them, as much as in you lies, wholesome examples to the flock of Christ? Answer: I will do so, the Lord being my helper. Bishop: Will you reverently obey your Bishop, and other Ministers, who, according to the Canons of the Church, may have charge and authority over you; following with a glad mind and a good will their godly admonitions? Answer: I will do so, the Lord being my helper.

Bp. Ackerman ordaining Dcn. Heffron

Set List

The parish choir and organist accompanied five hymns from Hymnal 1982 (one with a different tune):

1. I bind unto myself today
2. Come holy ghost our souls inspire
3. Seek ye first the kingdom of God
4. The King of Love my Shepherd is
5. Lord you give the great commission

I did some research on these five on Hymnary.org,  The Hymnal 1940 Companion, and some other online sources. #1 and #4 were the familiar hymns with Irish tunes, present in every Anglican hymnal since The English Hymnal (1906).

• “I bind” is the famous 5th century text attributed to St. Patrick, set to two tunes by Ralph Vaughan Williams for TEH. My interviews with congregation members and church leadership suggest that while musically straightforward, due to its length “St. Patrick’s breastplate” is one of the more demanding hymns in the Anglican canon.
• “King of Love” is an 1868 text by Henry Williams Baker, made famous as the editor in chief of Hymns Ancient and Modern for the first 17 years of its existence. The pairing to the Irish tune (named St. Columba) was first made in TEH.

Of course, #2 is the historic (9th century?) latin text Veni Creator Spritus, the rare hymn text that is part of of the Book of Common Prayer — first in 1549 (Cranmer’s text) and later updated in 1662 (the version we use now). The tune is believed to be older than the text, appears in the earliest manuscripts.

#3 is the well-known 1972 folk song with text and music by then-Calvary Chapel musician Karen Lafferty, and later published by Maranatha! Music. It seems ideal for singing with a guitar at camp — and some hymnals including guitar chords for that purpose — but I have mixed feelings about using it in congregational worship. (Of course, among Episcopalians or Protestants more generally, I’m almost certainly outvoted).

A Hymn for Ordination

There aren’t a lot of hymns specifically for ordination, so this hymn was a welcome surprise. It was written in 1978 by Fr. (later Rt. Rev. Dr.) Jeffrey Rowthorn, then a liturgy professor at Yale Divinity School who retired in 2001 after seven years as PECUSA bishop for Europe. The five verses begin

1 Lord, you give the great commission:
2 Lord, you call us to your service:
3 Lord, you make the common holy:
4 Lord, you show us love’s true measure:
5 Lord, you bless with words assuring:

(While the full text is on Hymnary.org, Hope publishing has placed restrictions on its use.)

The fourth verse is dated by the author’s reference to the PECUSA “social gospel” movement, when it calls on God to “lead us to a just society.” But if you drop that, with the refrain asking “with the Spirit’s gifts empower us for the work of ministry,” the hymn does seem ideally suited for ordinations.

The editors of Hymnal 1982 sought in hymn #528 to sell a new purpose-written tune for the hymn. But I’m guessing that at some point that people figured out that a text that was sung rarely (perhaps for some parishioners, once or twice in their life) should from a practical standpoint set to a familiar tune.

Later hymnals have used Abbot’s Leigh, the tune written in 1941 by Cyril Taylor when patriotic Englishmen and women complained to the BBC that “Glorious things of thee are spoken” was being sung to the Austrian National Anthem. (Thus earlier hymnals list Austria while later hymnals list Abbot’s Leigh or both). The text and tune appear together in (among other places) the 1989 Methodist hymnal, the 1990 and 2006 Presbyterian (PCUSA) hymnal, PECUSA’s 1997 Wonder, Love and Praise and various Catholic hymnals. As best I can tell, the Methodists were the first to use the better known tune with the text by then-Bp. Rowthorn.