printed scripture in service programs

Discussion in 'Liturgy, and Book of Common Prayer' started by Robinson Crusoe, Feb 1, 2015.

  1. Robinson Crusoe

    Robinson Crusoe Member

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    how do you guys feel about scripture printed in church service bulletins? the bulletins get thrown away as rubbish. does it seem irreverent to throw printed scripture away?
     
  2. Peteprint

    Peteprint Well-Known Member Anglican

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    Interesting question Robinson. I actually never gave it any thought before, but citations from scripture can be found in any number of publications. I don't think it is sacrilegious to employ scripture in mediums that will be discarded or that lack permanence.
     
  3. Classical Anglican

    Classical Anglican Active Member Anglican

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    Isn't it the Orthodox Jews that treat the scriptures so reverently that they would never print them on paper to be discarded?
     
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  4. Peteprint

    Peteprint Well-Known Member Anglican

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  5. Robinson Crusoe

    Robinson Crusoe Member

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    right so I wonder if we are being too irreverent with the printing of the Word onto paper destined for rubbish can. also, i find it helpful for instilling a familiarity with the Word if i am asked to turn to a passage during the sermon, out of my own bible. having the Word printed in the bulletin enables me to coast and not get as familiar with the feel of the text in my hands. know what i mean?
     
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  6. Peteprint

    Peteprint Well-Known Member Anglican

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    Yes, I do understand. Sometimes in our pursuit of convenience we fail to recognize what we may be losing in the process.
     
  7. Anne

    Anne Active Member Anglican

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    I like this thought! I for one don't find it irreverent. We live in a culture that uses an abundance of paper, unlike previous cultures. Although, now that I think about it, my parish doesn't print any scripture on the leaflet. Oh, but the responsorial Psalm is printed.

    Brief thought on using Bibles during the sermon... coming from the Presbyterian background this was our identifying practice. Presbyterians show up to church with Bibles in hand, a notebook and a pencil (I was one of these). We then have a fifty minute sermon, examine the Greek, and scribble down our own thoughts while following along in our Bibles.

    So. Taking a Bible to church because you want to follow along is, I think, just great. But not if it's turning you into a little scholar in a lecture hall, which is essentially what Presbyterian liturgy is like -- it detracts from worship, and distracts us from the point of why we're there. Although, if communion only happens once a month then what else were we going to do :) Sunday morning is for worship, not a Bible study (not that things are being taught and learned but I think you see what I mean?). I recall Dr. Leithart wrote a good piece on closing your Bible and _hearing_ the Word of the God, maybe I can find that article.
     
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  8. Peteprint

    Peteprint Well-Known Member Anglican

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    That sounds like absolute Hell, Anne. Fifty minutes of classroom time posing as a worship service. Thank God for real liturgical worship, and thank you for sharing this. Can you imagine the early Christians arriving for worship to sit and take notes from a lecturer? Sad....
     
  9. Classical Anglican

    Classical Anglican Active Member Anglican

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    I think it would be amazing and counter-cultural of a parish said "we don't print the word of God on things destined for rubbish."

    And yes, the narrow way, I think, is to lead the sheep in familiarizing themselves with the touch of their own Bible, whilst not turning the sermon into a textual criticism or hermeneutics lecture.
     
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  10. zimkhitha

    zimkhitha Active Member

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    Your experience reminds me of the years I spent as a Pentecostal. I had a dedicated journal for notes..which I never revisited at my personal time. Since coming back to my church, I've come to appreciate the art of listening to the Word and even the prayers. Our parish tends to print the day's collect on the pew leaflet and boy is it destructive!! As soon as the priest invites us for prayer you hear funny paper noises. I prefer to listen to the priest praying the collect. I've found that it ministers to me, sometimes I even find some theological answers just by listening to the collect.
     
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  11. RBrown

    RBrown New Member

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    The church I'm currently attending is the same way, except Baptists have shorter attention spans and it's only a 30 minute lecture on 2-5 verses.

    To the original post, I've never considered that. I have always frowned upon setting anything on to of my bible, but never thought of how to treat other printed scripture.
     
  12. Botolph

    Botolph Well-Known Member

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    It is one thing to treasure the ink on the page, yet it is the message that has value, not the ink on the page which is only a vehicle by which we encounter the message, and ultimately the maker of the message.

    That having been said there is a question about the validity from a Christian stewardship of creation standpoint - I don't see the value in cutting down forests while telling people that God is so good that he gave us trees!

    It concerns me that when we do print scripture for people, that it do it well, and present it well, and hopefully in such a way as people will want to keep it and refer to it again.

    Would it be better to produce an attractive bookmark with a verse or two, and the references for this sunday's readings, or print them out in full so people look down at a piece of paper when they should be looking up and listening. The scriptures were first written to be heard, not read, by the majority of those who encountered the message. Jesus wrote in the sand. Jesus still writes today on the shifting sands of our hearts.

    Stand and attend! The Holy Gospel of the Lord!