Home Blessing
The Book of Occasional Services of the Episcopal Church contains a liturgy for the blessing of a home (BoS 2003, pp.146ff). House blessing is a very ancient tradition in Christianity. Even in scripture we find acknowledgement of a practice of hospitality from which we take our blessing warrant:
"On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh." (Matthew 2:11)
During the first three centuries of the Jesus movement that became “Christianity,” the home was the locus for early community worship. The communal sharing of a “table of the Lord” established in the home represented the core of worship. Both the liturgy and the piety found in Christian home services has developed over the millennia as a hallmark of what it means to live in a Christian community: the reading of scripture representing a legacy of our Jewish covenantal heritage; the sharing of a meal; the memorial of the Bread and Wine instituted by Jesus; and the “opening of the heart” to the needs of the faith community tell the world who we are.
While nowadays most “worship” is conducted in a separate “church” building, it is important to remember our ancient heritage and to open ourselves to the experience of our rich faith heritage.
The Celebration of a Home liturgy is offered to all our parishioners at our Church of the Ascension as we move into the 2012 season of Epiphany. We share this tradition with virtually all our brothers and sisters in the main-line Christian denominations in Protestantism, Orthodox Christianity, and Roman Catholicism. As described in the BoS this ritual is performed by the priest who may be accompanied by members of the Worship ministry here at Ascension. Welcomed to the home and accompanied by members of the family and any gathered friends or relatives, we walk through the rooms of the house praying for the occupants using prescribed antiphons and blessings. The service may or may not include a home Eucharist.
The season of the Epiphany is the traditional time for the use of this rite because in this “Season of Light” we seek, ourselves, to be visited by the Light and Spirit of God in the very special places of our heart and home.