Celtic Eucharist

Tonight at 6:15 p.m. and every Wednesday through the end of July (with the exception of July 2, which is Jay Weldon's ordination) we will have our mid-week Eucharist using Celtic forms of the service. Victoria and I have put together Celtic Eucharist services before for retreats and summer camp, but this is our first time to use these prayers at King of Peace. We will use a couple of different mainstream early Irish texts. This will not make the services radically different as some typical practices today began within Celtic communities 13 centuries ago. For example, the use of the Kyrie ("Lord have mercy") found in most modern liturgies comes from the ancient text now referred to as the Stowe Missal.

Our two primary sources are the Stowe Missal, first compiled in Ireland in 494 and further revised in 600, and the Gallican Liturgy, an eigth century compilation of texts in use among British and French churches at that times when there was a close connection between Wales and Brittany. Our particular modern English versions are taken from Brendan O'Malley's book A Celtic Primer: The Complete Celtic Worship resource and Collection.

Each week the readings, prayers and sermon will reflect a different Celtic saint to give us a window into the particular gift of Celtic spirituality. Tonight we will consider Saint Columba (521-597), the saint who went to war over a book and then lived his life in penance for the sin of having done so, becoming the Apostle to the Picts.

Columba’s Affirmation
Alone with none but Thee, my God,
I journey on my way;
What need I fear, when Thou art near,
O king of night and day?
More safe I am within Thy hand,
than if a host did round me stand.

My destined time is fixed by Thee,
and death doth know his hour.
Did warriors strong around me throng,
they could not stay his power;
no walls of stone can man defend
when Thou Thy messenger dost send

My life I yield to Thy decree,
and bow to Thy control
in peaceful calm, for from Thine arm
no power can wrest my soul.
Could earthly omens e’er appal
A man that heeds the heavenly call!

The child of God can fear no ill,
His chosen dread no foe;
we leave our fate with Thee and wait
Thy bidding when we go.
Tis not from chance our comfort springs,
Thou art our trust, O king of kings.

The Creator

Infinite and wise is God,
The God who does not reveal
The mysteries of his little insects,
And his minutest creations
That our eyes cannot see.

Wise and infinite is the God
who does not reveal
The mysteries of his worlds and constellations,
And his greatest creations
That our imaginations cannot grasp.

And because we cannot see,
Because we cannot understand,
Because we cannot grasp
All his mysteries,
We can but marvel,
And muse,
And humbly bow to worship Him.

—W. Leslie Richards,
Cerddi’r Cyfnos, Gwasg Gee, 1986
(trans. Cynthia and Saunders Davies)

For those of with our hands still raised in the Sunday School class wanting to ask questions just the same, our Questioning Your Faith series will look at the question "Can other religions be true too?" tomorrow evening (Wednesday) at 7 p.m. at King of Peace. And for those who want to worship, the study will follow the 6:15 p.m. worship service as it does each week.