Religion speaks to us of eternal truths.The sort of questions it asks are as relevant now as
  they were thousands of years ago, and they will be just as relevant thousands of years into
  the future: questions like 'What is God like?', 'What are human beings like?', 'Does it matter
  to us what God is like?', 'Does it matter to God what we are like?'. 

  The Christian Gospel brings a message of change, new life, rebirth, renewal. 

  These two facets of faith (the timeless truths about God, and the need for change and growth
  in our own lives) may find expression in the way we approach tradition, in our church
  buildings and in our liturgies. We seek the reassurance of continuity, reminders of God's
  unchanging and steadfast love.We also seek change and novelty, reflecting the changes in
  ourselves. 

  The Church of England is the custodian of a large part of the country's architectural
  heritage.We may sometimes wish that we could abandon the old churches and build new
  ones, designed for modern use, and leave the old to be preserved by the authorities which
  are charged with the care of ancient buildings.But churches were built for worship.If they are
  not used for worship, they lose their purpose.They no longer seem alive.One example that
  comes to mind is the sixteenth-century church at Rodel in the Outer Hebrides: no longer
  used for worship but maintained as an ancient monument, it may be of interest historically
  but (to me, anyway) it is lifeless and depressing. This is such a contrast with the many old
  churches all over the country which are still maintained for their original purpose, even those
  which are now far from the nearest road or habitation and where services are few and far
  between.In these churches one can sense the devotion of the people who have worshipped
  there through the ages.They remain the House of God, and they provide a link with past and
  future generations of Christians. 

  In rather the same way, the Church of England is the custodian of a unique collection of
  prayers and liturgies - the 1662 Book of Common Prayer.Like our old churches, the Prayer
  Book was designed for prayer and worship.It is written in language of great beauty, and this
  is part of its merit, but it is more than a beautiful example of English literature.If it were to
  be preserved and remembered simply as literature (as a set book for GCSE, for example), it
  would have become separated from its purpose.Its beauty and value lie in the Christian
  truths and sentiments that it communicates as well as in the language used to express
  them.It was written for use in prayer and worship, and that is how it should be used. 

  I have recently become a member of the Prayer Book Society — the society whose object it is
  to promote the use of the Book of Common Prayer.I think I may not be a typical member of
  the society, in that I also enjoy and benefit from other forms of service, those based on
  modern liturgies and those with little or no set form. However, the reason I decided to join is
  that I feel that it would be a great loss if the Church of England ceased to use the Prayer
  Book, and I fear that this might happen in the future if we are not more positive in our will to
  retain it. 

  I know that some people object to the Prayer Book because it is old, but age, in itself, should
  not be a reason for rejecting it, any more than it is a reason for closing old churches.It
  contains the timeless truths of the Christian message.It has spoken to Christian people
  through the centuries, and it can still speak to us today.The newer forms of service may have
  a greater emphasis on current concerns, and there is certainly a place for innovation and
  experiment in worship, but the Christian message does not change. 

  Then, it may be said that people from outside the church cannot understand the language of
  the Prayer Book.It is true that there are some words and ideas that may be difficult, but this
  can also be said of the Alternative Service Book, for example. Both books use words that are
  unfamiliar to people outside the church (atonement, gospel, archangel, to take a few
  examples) as well as familiar words with a less familiar meaning (passion, peace, manifold).It
  is not difficult to learn new words: we do it all the time in our daily lives.And anyway you
  don't have to understand every word: you can generally get the meaning of a prayer, even if
  you don't understand every word.It can be more of a challenge to understand new ideas, and
  here again both the Prayer Book and the ASB introduce ideas that are not part of day-to-day
  secular life. Phrases like 'royal priesthood', 'Lamb of God', 'memorial of our redemption' (all in
  the ASB) would not be readily understood by people with no grounding in the Christian faith
  (I think I'd have some difficulty in explaining the first two, actually, and I've been attending
  church regularly for long enough). So I would say that there is nearly as much work required
  to understand the ASB as to understand the Prayer Book - and the Prayer Book is so much
  more worth while. 

  Most of the prayers are actually very easy to understand.The purpose of the Prayer Book is to
  be used, and if it is to be used it must be easy to understand.Most of the prayers are simple,
  expressed in the simplest of language, putting into words the sentiments that we all feel.That
  is their beauty. 
 

     Reproduced by permission from The Lantern, the parish magazine of Keyworth and
      Stanton on the Wolds, 
      March 2000. 

      © Keyworth Parochial Church Council