1 comments:
- Anonymous said...
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Why we do what we do. I thought that this would be a great way to collect all the questions we have to ask our Vicar and his wife to enlighten us on the traditions and inscrutable ways of the Anglican Church. For instance...
- Why do our priests dress in a garb that was common amongst the Roman Empire over 2000 years ago?
- Wny do we have a liturgical service?
- How is the Holy Spirit free to act and speak within a prescribed service?
- Why do we burn incense and light candles?
- Why do we spend vast somes of oney on church buildings and stained glass?
- Why does the priest drink and eat the remains of the sacramental bread and wine?
heaps more please! Thanks for the enlightenment!
Thanks for daring to reply! I didn't know I was that fearsome!
ReplyDeleteVery full and enlightening response. Should we wait for further comments or move onto the next question?
I would have thought many of the questions above would have been answered by those who have been confirmed or regular church attenders. Do you use spell check?
ReplyDeleteGraeme asks "Why do our priests dress in a garb that was common amongst the Roman Empire over 2000 years ago?"
ReplyDeleteDare I venture a reply? I'll try. I fear I'm outing my nomme de web (web identity) by doing so!
The liturgy is a sacred drama, born in a different era (the past is another country: they do things differently there). The ceremonial garb worn by a liturgical minister, priest or other, in points to the solemn tradition, the immersion in the past, of the living faith we celebrate today. It is an underscoring of the whakapapa of faith. Of course a faith that only looks back will be a dead faith - but a faith that is anchored only in the present will be shallow and, ultimately, no less dead!
The robes are each imbued with their own meaning - the coloured chasuble, for example, is an imitation of the seamless robe of Christ, itself a reminder of the Old Testament priesthood that, to Christians, was completed in the work of Jesus. It sometimes carries some ornamentation - just as liturgical eye candy, really! - and the seasonal colours of the church year (white, red, green or purple). The white alb, pretty much a toga, reminds us of the purity of the post-baptismal believer - a purity, I hasten to add, we don't live up to!
In the end, though, I think the most important reason is that we are engaging in a sacred drama, totally different to any other part of our daily life. Courts and sports all have ceremonial dramas: so should faith. The worship work of the people of God is our most sacred act, and should appear very different to a day in the office!
Graeme asks "Why do our priests dress in a garb that was common amongst the Roman Empire over 2000 years ago?"
Dare I venture a reply? I'll try. I fear I'm outing my nomme de web (web identity) by doing so!
The liturgy is a sacred drama, born in a different era (the past is another country: they do things differently there). The ceremonial garb worn by a liturgical minister, priest or other, in points to the solemn tradition, the immersion in the past, of the living faith we celebrate today. It is an underscoring of the whakapapa of faith. Of course a faith that only looks back will be a dead faith - but a faith that is anchored only in the present will be shallow and, ultimately, no less dead!
The robes are each imbued with their own meaning - the coloured chasuble, for example, is an imitation of the seamless robe of Christ, itself a reminder of the Old Testament priesthood that, to Christians, was completed in the work of Jesus. It sometimes carries some ornamentation - just as liturgical eye candy, really! - and the seasonal colours of the church year (white, red, green or purple). The white alb, pretty much a toga, reminds us of the purity of the post-baptismal believer - a purity, I hasten to add, we don't live up to!
In the end, though, I think the most important reason is that we are engaging in a sacred drama, totally different to any other part of our daily life. Courts and sports all have ceremonial dramas: so should faith. The worship work of the people of God is our most sacred act, and should appear very different to a day in the office!
I came to your website via an online search on Richard Gillard. I am the Director of Music for a Lutheran church in Missouri, USA, and we are singing "The Servant Song" in our worship services this week. I write "Notes from the Balcony," a short commentary each week for our bulletin, and also for our monthly newsletter. I was struck by the topic of this discussion, because I, too, am trying to elicit discussion from our congregation about "why do we do what we do." There is such pressure for us to abandon liturgical worship and embrace a diet of nothing but praise songs. I look for support and encouragement wherever I can find it, to pursue my calling to teach the faithful the beauty and benefit of being anchored by the heritage of the church.
ReplyDeleteGreetings Psalm 92!
ReplyDeleteOur Vicar, Michae,l is also committed to the preservation of liturgy and complains loudly at every occurence of what he calls "bad liturgy!" He doesn't even like our data projector, preferring to use the Prayer Book. Our worship is all the richer for having my brother Richard with us, playing his guitar and coming up with new songs from time to time. Why do we do what we do? The Westminster Confession says it for me. "the chief end of man (and likely, woman) is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever!"