Each of us discovers that we are on a spiritual journey. Many of us would never describe ourselves as "religious", but few would deny those precious moments or events that have fed us spiritually. Many yearn for those times to intrude more frequently into our daily life. There are even times when we hope for a life of holiness where every bush was aflame with God .
Gathering people together in Anglican worship is a wonderful symphony of spiritual experience. There are those who know the score intimately while others are much more tentative. Some are attracted to a liturgy that traces its roots to the 15t Century, while others want to hear how the ancient scripture applies to today's newspaper. These are those who are drawn by the music both ancient and modern. Some are heartened by being in the company of people who believe and others, at least for now, want to maintain a certain distance and anonymity.
Anglican corporate worship works hard at trying to be as inclusive as possible. Most of our worship is set in the context of the Eucharist or communion, thus obeying the instruction of Jesus to break bread whenever we are gathered in his name. All are called to the same altar to be fed in the sacred meal of communion. It may be that over time people may wish to regularize their place around the table through baptism and membership, but an important first step is to take our seat at the Lord's banquet. We are enthusiastic in inviting everyone who comes into the church to feel welcome to receive communion. However, in the spirit of Godly hospitality, no one is required to come to communion if they feel that now is not the moment.
We try very hard to make worship a sensual experience -bet that got your attention! By a sensual experience we mean to engage the whole of who we are, involving all the senses, including feasts of sight and sound, touch and taste.
At the same time Anglicans are intrigued with the intellectual qualities of the Christian journey. Huge libraries are crammed with the writing of thoughtful Christians wrestling with what it means to be a Christian in the time they live. The challenge is to maintain this struggle. We have found that to depend solely on the thought of previous times with reference to the circumstances in which we live is to be entombed in thinking that is hopelessly out of date and irrelevant. To assume that all that is required is to believe and the rest will be fed to us is naïve and mindless.
Often Anglicans will say they do not have all the answers, but we are a faithful group of people who respect and study their Bible yet feel called to return to the giant questions of faith time and time again.
Following is a brief sampling of prayers used in Anglican worship. This is a very tiny fraction of the liturgical wealth which Anglicans use in common worship.
Prayer over the Gifts – Second Sunday of Christmas (Book of Alternative Services)
Source of love and life,
Receive all we offer you this day,
And through the coming of your Son,
Help us to see in others
Him who is alive and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
One God, now and for ever.
Collect for Advent (Anglican Church of Canada)
Almighty God
Give us grace to cast away the works of darkness
And put on the armour of light
Now in the time of this mortal life
In which your Son Jesus Christ
Came to us in great humility,
That on the last day,
When he shall come again in his glorious majesty
To judge both the living and the dead
We may rise to the life immortal;
Through him who lives and reigns
With you and the Holy Spirit,
One God, now and for ever.
From “Night Prayer” (Anglican Church of Canada)
Lord
it is night
The night is for stillness.
Let us be still in the presence of God.
It is night after a long day.
What has been done has been done;
what has not been done has not been done;
let it be.
The night is dark.
Let our fears of the darkness of the world
and of our own lives rest in you.
The night is quiet.
Let the quietness of your peace enfold us,
all dear to us,
and all who have no peace.
The night heralds the dawn.
Let us look expectantly to a new day,
new joys,
new possibilities.
In your name we pray. Amen
The Prayer After Communion (Book of Alternative Services)
Glory to God
whose power working in us
can do infinitely more
than we can ask or imagine.
Glory to God from generation to generation
in the Church and in Christ Jesus
for ever and ever. Amen
The Blessing of the Marriage – (Book of Alternative Services)
Most gracious God we give you thanks for your tender love in sending Jesus Christ to come among us, to be born of a human mother, and to make the way of the cross to be the way of life. We thank you also, for consecrating the union of man and woman in his name. By the power of your Holy Spirit, pour out the abundance of your blessing upon this man and this woman. Defend them from every enemy. Lead them into all peace, let their love for each other be a seal upon their hearts, a mantle about their shoulders, and a crown upon their foreheads. Bless them in their work and in their companionship; in their sleeping and in their waking; in their joys and in their sorrows; in their life and in their death. Finally, in your mercy, bring them to that table where your saints feast for ever in your heavenly home; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one god, for ever and ever.
Amen
The Service of Holy Baptism – an extract from “The Thanksgiving over the Water” – (Book of Alternative Services)
We thank you, Father, for the water of baptism. In it we are buried with Christ in his death. By it we share in his resurrection. Through it we are reborn by the Holy Spirit. Therefore in joyful obedience to your Son, we bring into his fellowship those who come to him in faith, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
An extract from Litany 5 – (Book of Alternative Services)
Let us pray for all who are condemned to exile, prison, harsh treatment, or hard labour, for the sake of justice and truth: the Lord support them and keep them steadfast. |
