Anglican worship is rooted in a rich liturgical tradition stretching back to the early centuries of the Christian church, although it is expressed in a broad variety of ways from one local Anglican parish to another.
At St. Michael & All Angels, our Sunday afternoon worship is organized around two major focal points, expressed briefly as "Word" and "Table". The liturgy contains components that gather us together from the world and lead us into the Word, that move us from the Word to the Table, and finally which take us from the Table back out into the world. A printed worship folder is available on the table outside the entry to the worship space, which includes all the components of the service, including the congregational responses in bold font. Much of that is also projected during the service.
The following describes the main sections of the service, as it applies most Sundays. (There are certain liturgical seasons and certain special celebrations for which some differences in the order are appropriate.)
Traditionally, the gathering began with the ringing of bells to call the people from their homes in the surrounding village to gather together at the church building, and once there, they would process together into sacred space while singing together some appropriate hymn. Today it is alarm clocks rather than church bells that alert the faithful that the time to gather has come. As people arrive, some are involved in preparations for various components of the service, some take time to greet others they haven't seen since last week, and eventually all find their seats as the formal part of the service begins with words of welcome by the minister.
The minister's formal greeting is followed by a prayer called the "Collect for Purity" which reminds us who it is that we have come before and asks God to cleanse our hearts so that we may give him the glory he deserves. That is followed by an opening hymn of praise, and then a prayer called the "Collect of the Day" which typically picks up themes from the scriptures that are about to be read.
This is a major focal point of our service, in which scripture is read and expounded upon. Scripture readings follow the Revised Common Lectionary, and typically involve reading four portions of scripture each week.
The "first" reading is typically a section of the Old Testament, read by a member of the congregation. This is followed by a Psalm (or other poetic portion of scripture) which is read responsively by the minister and the congregation.
The "second" reading is typically a section from one of the New Testament epistles -- letters written by one of the apostles to a local church or collection of churches, again read by a member of the congregation. The second reading is followed by a congregational song of response whose lyrics typically reflect upon or respond to the passage that was just read. Occasionally the song will instead anticipate what is about to be read in the Gospel reading.
The minister reads a passage from one of the Gospels. Typically, the Gospel readings will stay within one of the first three Gospels (Matthew, Mark and Luke) for a year before moving to the next Gospel. Readings from the Gospel of John are interspersed throughout the three year cycle.
After reading the Gospel, the minister delivers a message (called a sermon or homily, and typically about 12-15 minutes in length) based on one or more of the scripture passages read.
Following the sermon, the congregation stands as we recite together one of the ancient creeds of the Christian church. We then pray together for the various needs of the church and the world.
Having been reminded by scripture and the creed of just whose presence we are in, all the great and wonderful things he has done for us, and the appropriate behaviours of gratitude we ought to exhibit, we take time in the Confession to acknowledge the many ways in which we have failed to fully live out that gratitude, and we hear the words of God confirming his forgiveness and commitment to strengthen and enable us to proceed in faith.
Being assured of our state of peace with God, we take the time to extend words of peace to one another, so that we may approach the Table of the Lord in a worthy manner.
The final transition to the Table is the singing of a hymn during which the minister brings bread and wine to the Table, and makes other preparations, and the financial offerings of the people are collected and brought forward. (Most of our regular attenders simply place their offerings in the plate just inside the worship space as they enter, but the opportunity to place offerings in the plate during this song is still available.) At the conclusion of the song, the minister offers a prayer over the gifts of bread, wine, and money.
The congregation is then invited to stand and to lift up their hearts in thanksgiving to God as the Prayer of Great Thanksgiving begins.
The Prayer of Great Thanksgiving is an extended prayer that recalls the awesome acts of God throughout human history, with different aspects highlighted during different seasons of the year, culminating in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross. We recall Jesus' words to his disciples in the Upper Room on the night before his death, commit ourselves to follow his instructions in remembrance of him, and ask that God may send his Holy Spirit upon us and upon the gifts of bread and wine, so that we may truly be fed and nourished by the body and blood of our Lord. We follow the Prayer of Great Thanksgiving by praying the prayer Jesus taught us.
After the prayers, the bread is broken, and the bread and wine brought out to be shared with the congregation. As the host of this meal, Jesus invites all his friends to come and participate, regardless of what particular denomination or tradition you usually associate with or were baptized into. Currently, St. Michael & All Angels is continuing a practice adopted during the Covid health restrictions. As you come forward, the minister takes a wafer of bread, dips it into the wine, and places it in your extended hands, saying "The body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, given for you."
If, for any reason, you do not wish to receive the bread and wine, you may still come forward to receive a prayer of blessing. As you reach the head of the line, simply cross your arms in front of your chest to indicate your desire to receive a prayer rather than the sacrament. If you wish to receive both the sacrament and a blessing, begin by extending your hands to receive the sacrament and then, after consuming the bread and wine, simply ask the minister for prayer.
During the distribution of the communion elements, a reflective song will be playing. Once everyone who desires has received the sacrament and the song has ended, the Celebration of the Eucharist ends with the prayer after communion, and a doxology spoken together by the congregation.
Following the doxology, the minister pronounces a blessing over the congregation. He then reviews various upcoming activities in which St. Michael & All Angels is involved, as well as opportunities to be engaged in the community at large. Then we sing a song or hymn intended to encourage us to carry what we have learned with us out into the world, as we depart in peace to love and serve the Lord.
Most Sundays, the first activity we engage in on our way back out into the world is to share a time of coffee, conversation and refreshmensts with each other.
At it most fundamental, Worship is something that engages our entire life, not just an hour or so on a Sunday. And so our worship doesn't end when we say goodbye after coffee. But what we do on Sunday helps to remind us of that reality, and to re-focus our hearts and minds on who our God is, and how our entire lives are offered to him in joyful gratitude and service, and in sharing his goodness with those whom we meet from day to day.
Thanks be to God. Alleluia!