This past Sunday I preached at all three services, so I preached on the Bible and Bible study. The Second Sunday in Advent is traditionally known as "Bible Sunday", because the collect - which dates from the Reformation - asks for God's grace that we might"...read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest..." the sacred scriptures. One of the great things about the Reformation was that its leaders sought to give the Bible to people. In England during the reign of Henry VIII, for example, Cranmer issued a decree that an English Bible should be placed in every parish church. Thus, from the beginning, study and knowledge of the scriptures was very important in our tradition. Just look at the Daily Offices: look at how much scripture we have to read compared with Roman Catholic "Liturgy of the Hours". We read a lot more. (Disclaimer: The Liturgy of the Hours has other merits, though.) Scripture study is still important for us today - perhaps more than ever before.
The guy that runs Prayer Works, which is a great little company that all traditional Anglican's should check out (they sell these snazzy little 1928 BCP desk calendars), writes that the traditional BCPs are two-thirds direct scripture, while the remaining third is scripture put into devotional form. Anyone who reads the BCP and the Bible will notice this. The various versicles and responses are direct quotes from the Bible. So, the 1928 BCP is 100% scripture, and if you know the BCP, you will know the scriptures.
