One Prayer Short

As most pastors who follow the lectionary know, this year Lent, and thus, Easter, is as late as it gets.  That means that, for some, over the last couple of weeks prior to Transfiguration Sunday, they have preached from lectionary passages that they have never preached from before.

Though I tend to be a lectionary preacher, I have also preached for Sunday night as well as Sunday morning services for the majority of my 17 years in full time pastoral ministry (as well as having taught/gave devotions on Wednesday evenings, during most of that time).  So, that was not really an issue for me.

However, as I was praying Morning Prayer last week, I did discover something, which, while not profoundly important, nevertheless was somewhat interesting.  Last week, I began to wonder if we were going to "run out of" prayers before Lent.  For those who are used to the Book of Common Prayer, you know that there is a Collect (or short prayer) for each of the Sundays in the year.  In John Wesley's version of the Book of Common Prayer, which he titled, The Sunday Service of the Methodists in North America, he numbers them according to the Sundays "after Christmas," until you get to "The Sunday Next Before Easter."

Anyway, the wondering got the best of me, so I counted them out.  Sure enough, Wesley is one prayer short this year.  I would guess that, perhaps the 1662 BCP, which Wesley would have used (if not some other versions of the BCP), may be short, as well.  (As I write this, I'm not in my study, so I do not have access to my other Prayer Books to check.)

Not only, so, but it became apparent that this past Sunday (viz. Transfiguration, or the Sunday leading up to Transfiguration) is where we are missing the prayer.  That is to say, the collect for "The Eleventh Sunday after Christmas" should obviously be prayed on the First Sunday in Lent.

That, of course, means that those using Wesley's The Sunday Service will need to pray the collect for "The Tenth Sunday after Christmas" for two weeks this year, rather than just one.  Or, if you already moved ahead, this past Sunday, you should pray that prayer (which speaks of the Lord fasting for forty days and forty nights) for next Sunday, the First Sunday in Lent, as well. 

It also means that those who use The Sunday Service should be aware that whenever Lent begins in other years, they ought to skip ahead to "The Eleventh Sunday after Christmas" for the First Sunday in Lent, and continue on from there until Easter.

As I said, it's nothing profoundly important, but I did find it interesting.  So, I thought I would share!