I want to acknowledge Bishop Michael Perham whose funeral was on Saturday. He died aged 69 last month after a battle with cancer.
He was a liturgical scholar and a longtime member of the Church of England Liturgical Commission. He played a very significant part in the production of the CofE’s Common Worship rites. He was the president of the Alcuin Club.
He lectured and wrote about worship throughout his ministry. As I glance around my bookshelves, I can spot several of his books.
In no particular order:
New Handbook of Pastoral Liturgy “A guide to liturgy and worship in the Church of England within the framework of ‘Common Worship’ which combines theory, theology and history with a strong sense of the realities of parish life and pastoral practice.”
Lively Sacrifice An older book about Anglican Eucharistic theology.
Enriching the Christian Year Again, an “older book” (the early 1990s) with resources for the Christian Year.
Welcoming the Light of Christ: A Commentary on the Promise of His Glory : Services and Prayers for the Season Form All Saints to Candlemas
There are many other works of his on my shelves, including smaller and older studies (which haven’t dated) and contributions to shared publications. There is also The Revised Common Lectionary in NRSV: Lectern Edition – the one we use on our lectern.
Let us give thanks to God for his life, his ministry, and his scholarship, and pray that study and the training and formation of Christians, leaders or not, continue to deepen.
You may have books of his that have helped you that you could add in the comments.
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I had the privilege of being ordained by Bishop Michael and was honoured to have been present at his funeral to say farewell.
His book with Paula Gooder, ‘Echoing the Word: The Bible in the Eucharist’ has been a blessing to me.
Like Philip, I am also a priest in the Diocese of Gloucester. I was brought here by +Michael and served as his chaplain for the final four years of his ministry.
+Michael’s final book, published last autumn, is ‘The way of Christ-likeness: being transformed by the liturgies of Lent, Holy Week and Easter’. Written when he knew he was dying, it’s a wonderful book and concludes with these words which might almost stand as his epitaph:
‘If I urge people and communities to have a deeper, richer and more fulfilling experience of the 40 days of Lent, of Holy Week and of the Great Fifty Days of Easter, it is only that they may have the opportunity to be transformed by the experience. If I spend time and energy showing how the liturgy of Holy Week and Eastertide needs thinking through theologically and pastorally, it is only that people and communities may become more alive, more Christ-like and more full of the grace of the resurrecting God.’