The Wisdom of Sunday Mattins

Two Tweets on a subject of beloved of laudable Practice - Sunday Mattins - caught my attention recently.  The first was by Church of England priest and theologian Angela Tilby:

The second was from Eric Parker, a priest and theologian in the Reformed Episcopal Church in the United States:

What is particularly striking about these comments is the recognition of the - to use a word employed by the latter - wisdom of Sunday Mattins.  This wisdom is seen in various ways.  Firstly, there is the prudence of Sunday Mattins.  Angela Tilby's mention of it being a more inclusive liturgy than the Parish Communion is certainly suggested by the contemporary appeal of Choral Evensong in the Church of England context.  If there is an ambition to see Anglicanism evangelise and grow in North Atlantic societies, we might ask ourselves if the Parish Communion is really the appropriate principal liturgy on every Sunday when non-Eucharistic services (Choral Evensong, Remembrance-tide services, Christmas Carol services) seem to have significantly greater cultural resonance. 

Wisdom is also to be found in the content of Mattins.  In a cultural context in which there appears to be at least some signs of a seeking after a renewed sense of corporate wisdom to shape the communal and individual life, Mattins provide a corporate means of attending to the reading of Scripture (the Psalm, the Old Testament and New Testament lessons) as wisdom ever ancient, ever new. For a culture seeking wisdom in diverse sources - Stoicism, Confucianism, from our distant ancestors - Mattins may be particularly appropriate as a means of encountering Christian wisdom, set forth in the narrative, ethics, and examples of Israel and of Jesus Christ. It also does so in a form more contemplative and more centred on the reading of Scripture than is the case with the Parish Eucharist.

Alongside the cultural wisdom there may too be an ecclesial wisdom in taking a step back from the assumption - unknown for most of Christian history - that weekly reception of the Sacrament should be the norm. Has the victory of the Parish Communion movement really resulted in a deeper sacramental spirituality? What is more, has it not resulted in an unbalanced corporate piety, in which the Church's attention to the Scripture has been significantly overshadowed by the Sacrament? Much as we certainly cannot convincingly suggest that the success of the Parish Communion movement has led to a deepened sacramental piety, we similarly cannot claim that it has aided a deepened attention to Scripture. And as for the standard and quality of Anglican preaching, it is hardly surprising that the dynamics, structure, and emphasis of the Parish Communion has not encouraged a serious approach to the pulpit.

Finally, there is an inherited wisdom, mentioned by Eric Parker when refers to the historic Episcopalian practice in Virgina of a greater use of Mattins: "There's wisdom in the old ways, and here in VA this is the way it's always been".  Our Anglican forebears (and this includes Keble as much as Taylor and Tillotson) may just have something to teach us with their reverence for Mattins, shaping generations through the ordinary, undramatic reading and exposition of Scripture, in the context of sober prayer and praise: slowly, quietly, modestly, as is to be expected in the Kingdom (Mark 4:26-27). 

This is not to suggest some form of ecclesiastical counter-revolution, overthrowing the Parish Communion movement and restoring Mattins in all places.  Such a process would be radically unconservative, rejecting what has become in many places a settled liturgical pattern.  It is, however, a suggestion that the weaknesses attending Anglicanism's principal liturgy across North Atlantic societies require an examination of the assumptions of the Parish Communion movement and a reconsideration of the strengths and wisdom of Sunday Mattins.  A church without the means of some change, after all, is without the means of sustaining and renewing its life and witness. 

Reform, then, not revolution: a reintroduction of Mattins to Sunday public worship perhaps on one Sunday each month; in urban centres, encouraging a particular parish to explore more regular use of Mattins alongside others maintaining the weekly Eucharist; facilitating parishes and communities without the ministry of a presbyter and reliant on the leadership of deacons and lay readers to use Mattins rather than somewhat artificial and certainly less formative liturgies of the Word. In other words, ensuring that the wisdom of Mattins is not lost to Anglicanism but integrated into our contemporary life, worship, and witness.

As Michael Ramsey said in his famous essay:

I believe ... that there is still much to be learnt from the Matins and Sermon whereby congregations were nurtured in the Scriptures.