Liturgical Language
2005 Louisville, Kentucky
2005 | 2004 | 2003
Convener 2005
Melinda Quivik (visitation pastor, Christ Church Lutheran, Minneapolis, Minnesota, and assistant professor of Christian assembly, Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia)
Seminar Participants 2005
Melinda Quivik, Gail Ramshaw, Robin Knowles Wallace
Visitors: Barrington Bates, Sidney Fowler, Bryan Cones, David Gambrell, Robert Buckley Farlee
Seminar Report 2005
We met on Friday and Saturday for the full amount of time allowed the seminars on those days. We discussed four papers, an offering of perspectives on language, and one presentation.
Papers and presentations
Robin Knowles Wallace, “An Experiment in Writing Eucharistic Prayers”
This paper laid out much food for discussion by offering over thirty pages of great thanksgivings in divergent modes for use with United Methodist congregations. Each prayer was shaped on the basis of either biblical language or hymn fragments and dealt experimentally with congregational refrains and responses. A very fruitful part of the group work was the realization of how our denominational expectations differ with regard to the Eucharistic prayer.
Gail Ramshaw, “Saints Alive: A Conversation about Prayers of the Day that Quote Christian Classics”
Gail’s work of late with the ELCA’s Renewing Worship has focused on revision of the collects toward greater integration with the Revised Common Lectionary. This paper offered prayers based on diverse Church prayers from Ambrose, Catherine of Siena, Julian of Norwich, Ignatius, Patrick, Luther, Cranmer, and others. We discussed the value of remembering our ancestors’ faith, the fit of their images, and the new doxological language for the prayers.
J. Barrington Bates, “The Very Impropriety of the Name: Jean-Luc Nancy’s ‘Lack of a Wink’ Meets Gail Ramshaw’s ‘Increasing Incompetence in Metaphor’”
Barrie’s paper argues that an agreement exists between French philosopher, Nancy, and Ramshaw that divine names are not proper, they have meaning only in relation to gesture, and that, therefore, an expanded metaphoric range is necessary. Wide-ranging discussion ensued.
Gabe Huck (in absentia), “Words about Words”
Although he could not join us, Huck sent us several pages of quotations he has gathered about language itself. We spent some time noting the pieces that seemed most insightful.
Melinda Quivik, “Blessing the Baptismal Water: Can Language Heal Doctrinal Differences?”
The ELCA Renewing Worship Baptismal Rite contains an epiclesis over the water which has raised questions about divine relationship with finite creation: Can God inhabit the waters? How do concepts of space influence invocations of the Holy Spirit? What is the relationship between blessing and revelation?
Sidney Fowler, Reflections on UCC liturgical language
The United Church of Christ is in the midst of liturgical language revision. We discussed the current publication of liturgical language in use among UCC churches (published as examples rather than as proposals), sometimes referring to the larger liturgical shape in a text and sometimes to specific wording. We rejoice that so many of our churches are paying such intricate attention to words.