Liturgy – Worship that Works

Anglican liturgy can often feel like the Sunday morning work-out of the people of God: Sit. Stand. Kneel. It’s morning gym at your local church. Spiritual aerobics. The word “liturgy” is derived from the Greek word for “work of the people”. Jesus didn’t leave detailed instructions on worship. But he did say “do this in remembrance of me.” So Anglicans DO things in their services. And the “do” of Jesus is plural – so we do things TOGETHER, as a community.

The community is bigger than this Sunday morning church congregation – in fact it is bigger than the local area. There are Anglicans (Episcopalians) essentially doing the same all around the world. And we’ve been effectively doing this for a hundred thousand Sundays. Imagine it as one big community across space and time – doing worship. Has any other command ever been so obeyed: “do this.” As Christians we do not need to barter with God, ‘if you do this for me I’ll do this for you,’ searching for some sort of divine reward… that presumes God is in our debt. As an example Paul's vision of ethical Christian conduct is based, not on bargaining with a petulant God, but on responsive gratitude to One who has acted decisively in our favor: "Rejoice in the Lord always .... Have no anxiety about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God" (Phil. 4:4,6).

 Paul’s consistent theme in his letters to the church insists that Jesus' death and resurrection lies at the heart of baptism and Eucharist. Paul’s message is Cross-centered, we celebrate our adoption as sons and daughters of God as an “Easter People” celebrating Jesus’ life death and resurrection. For us, Christian life and worship are two sides of a coin. A single word summarizes the meaning of both: "thanksgiving" (Greek: eucharistia, "eucharist"). Liturgy is not an attempt to get God's attention; nor is it a form of brokering wherein debts are reckoned and payments made. Liturgy is God's work for and among us. The only liturgy that "counts" is the Cross, because there our freedom is fully and finally achieved -- not because we wanted it that way, but because God acted when we were utterly helpless to act.

 When Anglican Christians assemble to pray, hear the word, and break bread, they are not performing some dusty irrelevant cultic practice. We are reacting gratefully to the liturgy which God gave us to do as we celebrate the sacrifice made once and for all in Jesus' life, death, and resurrection and the sure promise that He is coming again.

 If you are looking for a good “spiritual workout,” there is no better place in Palencia to get it, than Resurrection Protestant Episcopal Church. Traditional Anglican Worship,

1928 Book of Common Prayer. Holy Communion Service, Sunday 10:30 AM Located at the Diocesan Center 163 Palencia Village Drive, Suite 104 St. Augustine, FL 32095. 904-540-4843