The thought snuck into my head every Sunday. “Is this it?” Despite the faithful preaching, something was missing from the standard order. There were three songs, a prayer, announcements, a sermon, a final song, and then lunch at Chipotle. It wasn’t that I was looking for more components that suited my preferences. I wanted to…
Anglican Vestments: A Rookie Anglican Guide
You walk into an Anglican church and see many people wearing a wide array of odd clothing. You notice ministers wearing white robes with colorful scarf-like items around their necks, some vertical and some diagonal. If the parish has a verger (typically the person who appears to know what everyone is supposed to do), they…
The Incarnation: What is it? Why does it matter?
During the Christmas season, I keep returning to the doctrine of the incarnation. St. John writes in the opening verses of his gospel: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God…and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” John 1:1, 14 The Doctrine of the…
A Rookie Anglican Guide to an Anglican Worship Service
Word and Sacrament Our worship service consists of two parts, the Service of the Word and the Service of the Sacrament. These two elements are equally essential, as the Word of God reveals Jesus and prepares us to receive him in the sacrament of Holy Communion. This pattern follows the early Church of the Book…
Maundy Thursday: A Rookie Anglican Guide
What’s “Maundy Thursday?” Has there ever been a child who didn’t think I was saying Monday Thursday during the Holy Week announcements? Growing up, I thought today was Monday Thursday until about age 14. No one could explain why it was called Maundy Thursday when I finally learned it was Maundy rather than Monday! Friends,…
A Quick Primer on Liturgical Theology
Ever wondered how to understand Christian worship? Here is a quick overview of liturgical theology… Word & Sacrament In his masterful book Liturgical Theology, Simon Chan observed that, “[Worship] practices have always returned to two things, Word and sacrament.” Our Sunday worship takes this seriously. The first part of the service is the word, and the…
After Communion: A Rookie Anglican Guide to the Post-Communion Liturgies
What happens when a worshipper approaches God with faith in Christ through the liturgies of Word and Sacrament? What happens after we come by faith to receive Holy Communion? Anglicans believe that the worship experience has a transformative effect on the worshipper. The people of God change as they spend time together in the presence…
The Wedding, Anglican Style
At an Anglican wedding, almost everyone can leave happy. Here are a few areas by which our weddings differ (or should) from your typical American wedding. Other areas are included because of contemporary relevance. I offer this in the hope of explaining what we do; I also persuade people to see that the reasons behind…
