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April 2008, Page 8.
Index of articles:
by subject,
by date.
In this issue:
(April 2008)
Resurrection,
Hymn,
Annual Meeting,
Question,
Humble Access.
We still do not presume
Your gracious invitation
draws us, O Friend Of Sinners,
to approach the feast of glory.
Seeking good news in poverty,
freedom from imprisonment,
and release from oppression,
we come to you:
not because we deserve,
but because you are generous.
As we eat in faith,
refill us with your Spirit;
as we drink in trust,
renew us with your presence;
as we participate in your banquet,
equip us afresh for lives
of communion and fellowship
with you, our Lord and our God. Amen.
We’re using this variation on the “Prayer of Humble Access” (“We do not presume ...”) in our services in the Easter season. In the modern services it is optional, between the consecration prayer and receiving communion. But when I put it on an e-mail discussion list for comments, it provoked some interesting feedback, not so much for the words themselves as for the whole subject of the prayer at this point.
“I feel it interrupts the action: once we’ve been invited to the Lord’s table we should go straight on up there, and not do something else first,” said one. I agree, and in fact we never use the prayer after the invitation (“Draw near with faith...”).
“It’s inappropriate for after the absolution,” said another: “for once we are cleaned from our sins we shouldn’t be going on about our unworthiness.” No, I disagree with that.
The confession and absolution are about us admitting to God that we are sinners, and being assured that he has forgiven us. But by themselves they don’t actually make us forgiven: it’s Jesus who does that, on the cross. And once we’ve said them, we don’t stop being sinners. We don’t become sinless. We’re forgiven despite still being sinners.
Cranmer wrote the original prayer for the 1548 Prayer Book. At that time the mass was still celebrated in Latin, and the consecration prayer had already been said before the English part of the service began. There’s a confession, an absolution, the comfortable words, the prayer of humble access together, and then receiving communion. In other words, Cranmer meant the prayer to summarise what we are when we’ve confessed: we are still sinners, but we can still be sure of God’s forgiveness, love and welcome for us as we draw near to him.
John Hartley