Our Worship Service
When the first members of this congregation came to Chestnut Hill in the 1860s, they brought their King’s Chapel prayer books with them. In 1785, that particular Boston congregation had begun a series of revisions of the Anglican Book of Common Prayer. We at First Church have in turn revised their King’s Chapel prayer books three times: in 1897, 1908, and 1923.
A decidedly Unitarian accent can be heard in several turns of phrase and additions: the non-trinitarian doxology to the psalms "Now unto the King eternal…" taken from Paul’s first letter to Timothy; the prayer "O God before whose face the generations rise and pass away…" written by the English Unitarian James Martineau, which offers thanks for "the redemption of the world by the teachings of Jesus Christ" rather than "the redemption of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ" as in The Prayer of General Thanksgiving.
The shape of this service goes back to the Synagogue with its abundance of psalmody and daily prayer. The English of Morning Prayer is verbally compact. However, we are encouraged to stop anywhere in the service to say our own prayers or to ponder various turns of phrase.
We hope that as you become familiar with Morning Prayer at the First Church in Chestnut Hill you will enjoy its beauty, guidance, sustenance and enthusiasm. Read the Guide to Worship.
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irst Church in Chestnut Hill ~ E-mail: Info@FirstChurchChestnutHill.org
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