Sunday 28 August 2011

Christening rewrite?

Ruby Florence Ida was christened this morning. Yesterday she was running a temperature but today, stuffed with various  cures she was ready to face her public.
About six years ago after a very busy Sunday morning I was having lunch at the local pub complete with dog collar  when a  young woman approached me.
"How do I go about getting married here?: she asked. She lived about 40 miles away at the time but I told her that if she came to church regularly  and went on our electoral role she would qualify and be able to get married.  She came to church almost every Sunday after that. Her fiancee was in the navy . He came when he was able.
They were the only couple I ever married who gave separate addresses. Not only that,  they were only allowed the key to their service house when they could produce a wedding certificate!  This amazed me..
Now three years on their first baby came to be christened. She wore a frock  made out of the brides wedding dress. and looked lovely despite being unwell.
Knowing the couple as well as I do I had explained that the service used in church was full of very archaic language. So both parents and god parents turned up at my house yesterday, good as gold for me to take them through it all.   I told them that if they giggled they would set me off so they didn't .
The church was packed, the new mass was wonderful and baby Ruby beautiful but I had added on several Celtic  prayers  to try to make the service more user friendly.
Is it time for a complete rewrite?  I stuck to the main vows and shortened some of the lengthier bits but it is still a cumbersome service couched in archaic language . Today's god parents were all brilliant, not a snigger in sight but I would like to think we could do something more meaningful for this rite of passage.

2 comments:

UKViewer said...

I know that your are supposed to stick to the authorised script, just wonder why you cannot substitute similar, simpler words for the ones that sound archaic?

Are there liturgies from perhaps the ASB that could be used? Where some degree of flexibility might have been permitted, or is that against the rules.

Surely, the Authenticity of Baptism is that the required words 'I Baptize you ....' are the only ones needed to conform?

Just wondering :)

Revjeanrolt said...

I know that many people including me do substitute words that are easier to understand but we are supposed to stick to the liturgy. So don't tell anyone !