Liturgies and Prayers Related to Childbearing, Childbirth, and Loss: Enriching Our Worship 5 - Softcover

Church Publishing Incorporated

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0898696380 ISBN 13: 9780898696387

Publisher: Church Publishing, 2010

Synopsis

This unique new service book includes liturgies for blessing and healing as related to childbearing and childbirth. It includes prayers, Scripture readings and hymn suggestions organized around the blessing of a pregnant woman; loss of a pregnancy; repentance and reconciliation for an abortion; difficult decisions, unexpected or unwanted pregnancy, loss of a child, termination of pregnancy, infertility, sterilization, and adoption.

About this title

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Church Publishing Incorporated, founded in 1918, is a publisher of trade books for general readers (spirituality, social justice, inspiration, wellness, self-help, leadership), academic works, and professional church resources, including a suite of electronic products. An official publisher of The Episcopal Church, it publishes The Book of Common Prayer, The Hymnal 1982, and content used in the liturgy, faith formation, and mission of church.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Enriching Our Worship 5

Liturgies and Prayers Related to Childbearing, Childbirth, and Loss

Church Publishing

Copyright © 2009 The Church Pension Fund
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-0-89869-638-7

Contents

Introduction.................................................................................1Theology and Rationale.......................................................................2Historical Foundations.......................................................................4About the Liturgies..........................................................................8A Template for Communal Worship, Form 1......................................................9The Liturgies................................................................................11For a Small Gathering........................................................................14For Private Devotion.........................................................................19Blessing of a Pregnant Woman.................................................................21A Rite for Mourning the Loss of a Pregnancy..................................................24Litany of Remembrance........................................................................27A Rite of Repentance and Reconciliation for an Abortion......................................31A Liturgy of Lament and Remembrance..........................................................33Litany of Complaint..........................................................................36Litany of Lament.............................................................................39A Liturgy of Remembrance and Lament..........................................................42Litany of Remembrance and Lament, Healing and Hope...........................................48A Liturgy of Healing and Hope................................................................52The Prayers..................................................................................56Prayers Surrounding Difficult Decisions......................................................57Prayers Surrounding Unexpected or Unwanted Pregnancy.........................................59Prayers Surrounding the Loss of a Child......................................................61Prayers Surrounding the Termination of Pregnancy.............................................62Prayers Surrounding Infertility or Sterilization.............................................65Prayers Surrounding Adoption.................................................................68Appendix A: Suggested Readings from Scripture................................................71Opening Sentences (or Short Readings)........................................................71Lament.......................................................................................73Hope.........................................................................................74Readings from the Old Testament..............................................................75Readings from the New Testament..............................................................75Readings from the Gospels....................................................................76Assurance of God's Help in Decision-Making...................................................76Psalms of Lament.............................................................................77Psalms of Deliverance from Distress..........................................................78Psalms of Hope and Assurance.................................................................78Appendix B: Suggested Songs and Hymns From Episcopal Church Publications.....................79The Hymnal 1982..............................................................................81Lift Every Voice and Sing II.................................................................82Wonder, Love, and Praise.....................................................................82Voices Found.................................................................................83My Heart Sings Out...........................................................................83Other Sources for Songs and Hymns............................................................86Appendix C: Anthems..........................................................................86Appendix D: Other Sources for Prayers, Liturgies, and Music..................................87

Introduction

This body of work provides pastoral support to those experiencing the grief, hope, uncertainty, and loss that may surround childbearing and childbirth. It is designed to promote flexibility so that pastors, liturgists, retreat leaders, and others may create occasions of prayer and opportunities for worship to meet the particular needs of the individuals seeking such resources.

Theology and Rationale

Our God is generous and generative. The gospel according to John proclaims that "All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being" (John 1:30). We are placed in a world that God proclaimed good, teeming with living creatures that swim and fly and swarm over the earth. Each is beautiful and worthy, and all life is interconnected in ways we cannot fathom. Each species reproduces itself according to its own kind, so that the cycle of life, death, and new life may continue. Human beings share with all life this capacity to reproduce, a sharing in God's creating love. (Genesis 1–2)

Reproduction transforms human lives and relationships. Throughout the history of God's people as related in Scripture, God promises a child to a woman, often in unlikely circumstances. The angel Gabriel tells a very young, unmarried woman she will bear God's own Son even though she is a virgin. Women past childbearing age—most notably Sarah and Elizabeth—also find themselves granted a child they had given up hoping for. Fertility is a gift, which exposes bodies and emotions to God's mysterious power and unfathomable purposes. But this gift can have unpredictable results. Many pregnancies are welcomed as a blessing by the family or the mother—a cause for rejoicing and new hope. However, others may precipitate crises for those involved. Sometimes individuals or couples may be faced with difficult decisions. They may well feel inadequate and overwhelmed when faced by ethical dilemmas. The Church plays a crucial role in offering spiritual guidance and support so that these challenging choices may be decided as wisely as possible, while imploring God's guidance and healing. In situations involving fertility, individuals and couples may find themselves confronted by harsh realities that can evoke a range of negative emotions, including anger or sorrow, regret or feelings of guilt. These rites and prayers provide opportunities for those so afflicted to lift up their losses and grief to our loving God. Whether mourning for dashed hopes; regretting past decisions; giving voice to feelings of rejection and anger; grieving for a child who was never born or only lived a short time, or perhaps one who was given up for adoption; these liturgies offer occasions to try to come to terms with what has happened, to create a space where grieving people pray for the strength to go on and ultimately to recover the fullness of life.

Historical Foundations

From the earliest days, birth and death have evoked awe and fear, and the rites surrounding them reflect this. Leviticus 12 specifies that a woman should wait for a set period of time after childbirth before presenting herself and her child in the Temple where an offering of a lamb and pigeon or two turtledoves is required for "purification" from the mysterious and dangerous process she has recently undergone. Luke's gospel relates that after forty days, Mary presents Jesus in the Temple in Jerusalem, in fulfillment of this rite (Luke 2:22–38). The Church of the Middle Ages took special care to protect pregnant and nursing mothers in the first period after childbirth. Women were exempt from the rules of fasting during this time, while men were expected to assume household chores that would normally be assigned to their wives. Beating a pregnant woman was subject to ecclesiastical punishment. By the eleventh century, a rite of welcoming the new mother back into the congregation after a set period following the birth (often forty days) became usual in both the Eastern and Western Church. It continues to be practiced in Orthodox communities to this day. Many historic Christian rites focus on the mother resuming her place in society and offering her thanksgiving to God for a safe delivery and a healthy child. The service often took place just before the celebration of the Eucharist, at which time the mother was encouraged to receive the sacrament. The thanksgiving for a safe delivery was offered even when the child had not survived. Miscarried infants or those who died soon after birth were baptized and given the rite of Christian burial. The British feminist theologian, Natalie Knödel, observes in her article on this subject [http://users. ox.ac.uk/~mikef/church.html] that this rite in its various forms makes a theological "connection between events of natural life, like the birth of a child, and the life of the church, the parish eucharist."

Thomas Cranmer included "The Order of the Purification of Women" in the 1549 Prayer Book, following the Sarum rite which welcomed the woman back into her congregational family after childbirth. In the 1552 revision, however, the rite was renamed "The Thanksgiving of Women after Childbirth, Commonly Called The Churching of Women," the title that persisted throughout Anglican prayer books, including the 1928 Book of Common Prayer according to the Episcopal Church. The 1979 Prayer Book contains "A Thanksgiving for the Birth or Adoption of a Child." In the 1552 rite, the rubrics specify that the mother "shall kneel down in some convenient place, nigh unto the place where the table standeth," indicating the sacredness of the event by her proximity to the altar. The rubric also states that she should "receyue the holy Communyon" at this time. Once again, the support of the Church is offered her whether or not her child survived. Thus, rites for a woman who has endured the risks involved with the reproductive process have been present in Prayer Books throughout Anglican history.

Biblical and Theological Foundations

These rites and prayers draw significantly on the biblical tradition of lament as well as rejoicing. Scripture offers many examples of humans raging against God and against the circumstances of their lives. Often those who do so have a particularly intimate relationship with their Creator: Rachel, David, Hannah, Job, and many of the prophets—to name only a few—who love and are loved by God. Nevertheless, circumstances bring them to cry out to God in anger, misery, fear, or deep mourning. In particular, the Wisdom tradition, including the book of Job and the Psalms, invites us to voice our grief and anger, secure in the faith that a compassionate God hears our cries and will respond. The divine action may not always be what we hope for or expect; nonetheless it is important for our relationship with God to voice our honest reactions, even anxiety, grief, anger, and doubt. Throughout Scripture, we hear God's people crying and lamenting. Too often, pastoral care givers try to resolve grief by overly quick reassurances or by telling the sufferer that "This is all for the best." Such advice represses feelings that must be brought to the surface. It is better to assure the afflicted that God hears the cries of the despairing and is present throughout the turmoil of grief. Psalm 88 in particular offers a clear biblical precedent for such lament that does not turn too quickly to hope, from its opening:

O Lord, my God, my Savior, by day and night I cry to you.

to its stark conclusion:

My friend and my neighbor you have put away from me, * and darkness is my only companion.

We can candidly express our feelings to our God who promises never to forsake us. Some of the foundational principles that allow for lament are:

* God created everything, and pronounced all creation good. But in the Fall, sin entered the world, bringing separation from God and death. Nonetheless, God continues to be merciful. As we say in the words of Eucharistic Prayer A: "In your infinite love you made us for yourself; and when we had fallen into sin and become subject to evil and death, you in your mercy, sent Jesus Christ, your only and eternal Son, to share our human nature, to live and die as one of us, to reconcile us to you, the God and Father of all." In that reconciliation, which takes place through the sinless Christ's death for our sins—"the righteous for the unrighteous" (I Peter 3:18)—God has "graciously accepted us as living members" of Jesus Christ, and made us heirs of his eternal kingdom. As children of God, we acknowledge that God knows our hearts. It is necessary to be honest with ourselves and with God to sustain this vital relationship, even when we feel "negative" emotions. No part of human experience, including our physical experience, is hidden from God.

* Jesus reached out to all people in whatever stage of joy, grief, rage, faith, unbelief, or shame he met them, in order that he might reconcile them to himself. Following his example, the Church acknowledges the full range of human emotions, working in Christ to heal what is broken and comfort what is hurting. All who come may experience God's healing love. "For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:38–39)

* Human emotions, including grief, loss, and failure, may be the impetus for transformation through deeper reconciliation with our loving God. "We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn within a large family." (Romans 8:28–29) Therefore we look for healing and hope to come from even the most difficult and painful experiences. This is not to diminish the pain that is felt, but in acknowledgement that Christ experienced the full measure of human suffering. Thus we may find transformation even in the deepest agonies of human existence.

* God's love for us remains steadfast regardless of how many times we fail. Christ forgives even human complicity in his death. As he conquered sin and death for us, his forgiveness is unconditional if we but seek it. Only we can choose to reject his forgiveness. Therefore, when our actions bring sorrow or sin, we can repent, fully trusting God to redeem us in compassion, forgiveness, and mercy. In this way, we believe that through confidence in the Love that brought us into being, even our greatest tragedies or our most sinful acts cannot separate us from God. The hope of new life is always present even in our darkest hours. We are promised that in the fullness of time God will wipe away all tears. A new heaven and earth will restore all that was broken and lost in the light of the holy and undivided Trinity whose nature is Love.

(Continues...)

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Edition details

• Publisher: Church Publishing
• Publication date: 2010
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0898696380
• ISBN 13: 9780898696387
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 90