www. BishopIanAndersonblog.com

Going forward, first look at the past….

Americans, especially in the 21st century are not very good at embracing the past. We seem to be hardwired to embrace change without the lessons of the past as a guide for moving forward. Look around, old buildings are torn down to make space for new ones; the so called out with the old in with the new is something we are told over and over again because we are led to believe the future will be brighter and that the old thoughts and ideas of the past were not nearly so sophisticated as the new ones.

Christians are commanded in Scripture to “pass on the faith as once delivered to the saints.” This is what original Episcopalians believe. We are the heirs of a long tradition for which countless Christians have given their lives. The Faith is not for us to play with or to change to suit our own ideas, or the whims of a “modern society”.

Because we live in an “ever-changing world”, we frequently need to be reminded of this. As original Episcopalians, we believe that Christians who worship in a modern way in a modern-looking church begin to lose sight of their past. They forget about the historic Church.  A Liturgy of a Historic Community Original Episcopalians slowly crafted our Prayer Book over the centuries. When you worship on Sunday, you say many of the same prayers used by Thomas Cranmer, Queen Elizabeth I, George Washington, and thousands of other Christians. The words themselves become a vocal connection to those Anglicans who have “fought the good fight” and handed on the Faith intact to us. I remember a time when an Anglican could go to any other Anglican parish in the world and feel right at home in worship. In fact, one of the fundamental ideas of Anglicans was that everyone would worship using the very same words. That is what is meant by “common.” Today, our Prayer Book serves not only to identify us as Original Episcopalians, but also to keep us on the same page with history.  A Sense of the Sacred Another quality of the 21st-century American is that they have a very high view of themselves. They don’t like to be under anybody else’s authority. Christian virtues such as obedience, humility, and submissiveness are considered today to be signs of weakness. We also demand to be entertained. Nowhere is all this more evident than in today’s worship. Reverence has given way to lively, emotionally “exciting” praise fellowship. In worship, we come together not so much to gain a blessing from God as to perform a service, to “offer ourselves, our souls and bodies to be a reasonable, holy, and living sacrifice unto the Lord.” From the start of the Reformation, Anglicans have believed that worship ought to be liturgical in a language understood by the people, ought to profess the “reformed Catholic” faith, and ought to be (as St. Paul stipulates) reverent and orderly.

Original Episcopalians believe that we need to be reminded that we are sinners, that we are all personally responsible for the Son of God having to “suffer death upon the cross.” We believe that our pride has to be torn down in order for us properly to adore God. Our service is meant to convey that sense of humble reverence.

It is also meant to provide us with an escape from the boisterous, fast-paced world in which we live. Most people come to appreciate how precious this time can be. We must remember that worship is an awesome work. In worship, the community comes before God not only with praise and thanksgiving, but also mindful of its own unworthiness and sinfulness.

Reverent and orderly worship also enables the community to step out of the “secular” and experience the “sacred.” In this way, both the individual and the community are constantly reminded of the spiritual, the corporate, the historical, and the mystical aspects of the Body of Christ.

Be part of the Sacred…

+Ian