Morning Prayer And The Rare Beauty Of The Episcopal Chuch

First, Happy Reformation Sunday!
OK, it is more for the Lutherans, but anyone that is a Protestant Christian can appreciate the meaning of the Reformation and the major contribution it is had on the Christian faith.
Today at my Episcopal Church parish is the fifth Sunday of the month. On those rare occasions, the fifth Sunday means that instead of the service of Holy Communion, we have Morning Prayer.
During Reformation times, when the Church of England separated from the Roman Catholic Church, one of the reforming acts was the development of The Book Of Common Prayer. The BCP, as it is known in Episcopal/Anglican circles, brought the service in the vernacular. In this case, English. In fact, in the Articles of Religion, the 24th article addresses the proper way a church service should be conducted. Remember, this was from 1801:

XXIV. Of Speaking in the Congregation in such a Tongue as the people understandeth.
It is a thing plainly repugnant to the Word of God, and the custom of the Primitive Church to have public Prayer in the Church, or to minister the Sacraments, in a tongue not understanded of the people.

And what one of the reforming acts was to not have the Holy Communion be the primary service. Thus, Morning Prayer and in many cases Evening Prayer were the main Sunday services in the Church.
But with the 1979 Book Of Common Prayer, the Holy Communion became the primary Sunday service. And in real sense, the unique service of Morning Prayer was being swept into the ash bin and the Episcopal Church began a slide that continues today.
But today, but for one service, we not only did Morning Prayer, but used the old Rite I as it is known in the 1979 BCP. It is in reality the way Morning Prayer was done in the 1928 BCP.
The emphasis is on prayer, the biblical readings, the psalms and the sermon. And when it all done together and right, it is a service of beauty.
While for many people, using old Elizabethan English and reading from the King James Bible is archaic and not relevant, I would strongly disagree.
Because of the uniqueness of the service, many young people, particularly college-age people, would be attracted to the old language, the chanting of the psalms, the Biblical readings and a good sermon.
But the church "leadership" seems to think differently.
It seems more interested on the Holy Communion and politically correct language in delivering it. Yet it totally ignores one of the great services of the denomination. And while I suppose it can PC that language too, not if it does not rediscover our Reformation roots.
Again, but for a fifth Sunday in which my parish takes a step back in time and in a sense makes all things new, it was wonderful to hear the old language and real worship of God.