Amid the diversity of the Unitarian Universalist Association, there are a handful of Christian congregations. The First Church is one of these congregations.
When the first members of this congregation moved to Chestnut Hill in the 1860s, they brought their King’s Chapel prayer books with them. In 1785, King’s Chapel began a series of revisions of the Anglican Book of Common Prayer. We in turn have revised their prayer book three times: 1897, 1908, & 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; and the offering of 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” 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 wording of Morning Prayer is compact. However, we are encouraged to stop anywhere in the service to say or own prayers of 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.