The beauty of Anglicanism is that whether or not we are called to Holy Orders or some other significant role, we are called to be a parishioner first.
Why Anglicans Bow in Worship: A Rookie Anglican Guide
Bodily gestures like bowing cultivate inward devotion. Reverence shown externally helps train reverence internally. Our liturgical rituals are modes of teaching ourselves—bodily habits shape the soul.
Taizé: Brother Roger’s Vision of Christian Unity
Taizé is the name of a small village in France, which is home to a monastic community of ecumenical Christian brothers and hosts many thousands of pilgrims from all denominations who visit each year. When these pilgrims return to their homes, they carry with them the spirit of Taizé, expressed in song, silence, and a…
We Believe: Who With the Father and the Son is Worshiped and Glorified
Wait. If the Nicene Creed has already established that the Holy Spirit is God, “the Lord, the giver of life,” why must we then confess that, “with the Father and the Son, [the Holy Spirit] is worshiped and glorified”? We find no such addendum attached to the sections on the Father and the Son. Why…
Why Anglicans Kneel in Worship: A Rookie Anglican Guide
Anglicans kneel a lot: in prayer, in confession, and at Communion. We often surprise visitors from other traditions with our frequent kneeling. But why do we kneel so often? In short, kneeling is Biblical Worship, Bodily Worship, and Beautiful Worship. Kneeling as Biblical Worship The Bible associates kneeling with worship, especially prayers of confession, thanksgiving, and petition. Kneeling in the Old…
Hymn Guide: Joyful, Joyful
“Joyful, Joyful” is a hymn so classic that it sometimes feels cliche. Presbyterian clergyman Henry van Dyke wrote the text alongside the Ode to Joy, from the finale of Beethoven’s 9th symphony. But inside this familiar topic, set to a familiar tune, there is unexpected theological substance. It does not treat joy as mere happiness….
It’s Time to Go to Church
The most significant decision a Christian makes every week is whether they will go to church. The corporate worship of God is the principal activity of the people of God, and as the Westminster Catechism reminds us, the reason for which we were created. No other decision will so impact a disciple’s beliefs and practices…
Why Every Church Should Have Weekly Sunday Communion Like the Anglicans Do
There was a long period where many Anglican churches didn’t have communion every Sunday. They would have morning prayer for a few weeks, and then a Holy Communion once a month or so. But a movement called Parish Communion successfully restored the tradition around the world. Today, most (but not all) Anglican churches celebrate Holy…
Aids to Anglican Worship: How Christian Imagery and Icons Can Help You Worship God
Christian Imagery Our Creator gave us physical senses to experience the world around us. In His mercy and wisdom, He inspired His people to create various aids to worship that engage those senses. One category of such an aid is that of Christian imagery – images and artwork specifically intended to help in the act…
Anglican Worship: Where Does It Say In the Bible to Do That?
As an Anglican priest, parishioners often ask me where the Bible commands certain Anglican worship practices. The assumption is that we should only do what the Bible expressly commands us to do. The thinking goes: If the Bible doesn’t say to burn candles, then we shouldn’t burn candles. If the Bible doesn’t tell us to…
Notes from Camp St. Christopher
When you drive out to St. John’s Island from Charleston, South Carolina, you move through filtered sunlight through overhanding oak branches draped with Spanish moss. The low country is filled with tall grasses and salt marshes. And when you pull up to Camp St. Christopher, at the very point of the barrier island, you are…
Special Event: Liturgy Taskforce Webinar
On April 10, LeaderWorks will facilitate a webinar from the meeting of the ACNA’s Liturgy Taskforce as they work on common texts for liturgical use for our province. We hope to provide an opportunity to hear from the faithful men and women who have put in years of hard work on this prayer book. In…
