Sacramental Theology in the Book of Common Prayer

Communion in the Book of Common Prayer is a movement of ascent, as the Lord lifts us up into the very presence of Christ. The English reformers recited the sursum corda, calling on the church to lift up their hearts. And yet they simultaneously saw communion as a “participation” in the body and blood of Christ, as Paul says in 1 Corinthians 10. They even invited each Christian to enter into the holy place, making their way into the chancel. The English reformers were careful, paying attention to the definition of Chalcedon, respecting the two natures of Christ. Moreover, when the English reformers implemented communion they increased its celebration, convinced as they were that communion is transformative for the Christian.

Matthew Barrett invites Drew Keane, author of the the new book, How to Use the Book of Common Prayer (IVP), back to discuss the Book of Common Prayer. Together they reflect on why the BCP is truly a sacramental theology. However, they don’t stop there. They also explore the “communion of the saints,” asking how the Book of Common Prayer helps us tell time like Christians. They follow the English reformers who retrieved the church calendar from the patristic and medieval church rather than following the radicals who discarded traditions. Join Barrett and Keane as they stand in wonder at God’s beauty in the Book of Common Prayer. Listen to part 1 here.

Drew N. Keane is a lecturer in the Department of Writing and Linguistics at Georgia Southern University. From 2012 to 2018, he served on the Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music for the Episcopal Church. Among the volumes he contributed to was Lesser Feasts and Fasts.

Matthew Barrett is the editor-in-chief of Credo Magazine, director of the Center for Classical Theology, and Research Professor of Theology at Trinity Anglican Seminary, and the author of several books, including Simply Trinity, which won the Christianity Today Book of the Year Award in Theology/Ethics. His new book is called The Reformation as Renewal: Retrieving the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church. He is currently writing a Systematic Theology with Baker Academic.