Ben
just read to me from his 1899 (or earlier) copy of the Anglican Book of
Common Prayer. On page 321, just after spelling out the service for
"The Burial of The Dead", it spells out the service for "The
Thanksgiving of Women After Child-birth; commonly called The Churching
of Women." It begins:
The Woman, at the usual time after her Delivery, shall come into the Church decently apparelled, and there shall kneel down in some convenient place, as hath been accustomed, or as the Ordinary shall direct: And then the Priest say unto her,Forasmuch as it hath pleased Almighty God of his goodness to give you safe deliverance, and hath preserved you in the great danger of Child-birth; you shall therefore give hearty thanks unto God, and say, ...
What
follows is the 116th Psalm, about God delivering the one who calls upon
Him in danger, and the 127th Psalm, about God the Father as the
ultimate home-builder, protector, and provider. The 127th is the one
often quoted about children being a blessing and a gift from the Lord.
It's beautiful. What beautiful Psalms to recite as the new mother
rejoins the Body of Believers! Then the minister prays: O Lord, save
this woman thy servant; Who putteth her trust in thee. Be thou to her a
strong tower; From the face of her enemy. Lord, hear our prayer. And
let our cry come unto thee. Wow! I'd love for our priest to lead me
in this. What a rich heritage we have! And what an honoring of
child-birth and delivery. It is a holy mystery.
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